We get so many questions from customers about materials lists for our home plans. I thought a quick blog post about them would be helpful!

For customers looking to estimate the price of the building materials for their new home, a “Materials List” is the best place to start. This list breaks down the building supplies and lumber you’ll need, carefully detailing the quantity, type and size of each item. It also organizes your materials, putting them into groups such as foundation, interior and exterior walls, and roofing materials. Use this list of materials as a shopping list to take to your lumberyard or building supply store, whether you’re contracting your home yourself or just saving time for your builder.

Customers frequently call to find out if a materials list is available for a specific home plan. While most of our plans already have materials lists available as a product option, you should know that, even for plans that do not have an existing materials list, our modifications team can create one for you. When you find the house plan you want, view the “Details” page for the plan, scroll down to the Plan Package & Option Pricing section: if that plan has a ready-made materials list you will see it under “Accessories” as an “Itemized List of Materials”. You can order it right there. (And you do NOT need to order the house plan in order to purchase the material list for that plan.) If you do not see an “Itemized List of Materials” under the accessory options for the plan, just give us a call at 1-888-447-1946. We’ll connect you with our modifications team and they will provide you with an accurate cost estimate for creating a materials list for the plan of your interest. Material list creation typically starts at about $200.

-Heidi, Customer Service Team

After you find a house plan, the first thing most people need to know is “how much will THIS particular home plan cost to build in MY local area”? Well, this can be a difficult number to ascertain, due to many factors such as: local labor rates, local materials prices, type of foundation used, types of materials used, finish level, local/state/regional building fees, etc.

In most cases, the designer of a plan will be able to provide you with a dollar range, which will be from $X to $X, based on total living square footage of the house and regional cost data. This type of information is usually adequate but fairly inaccurate, especially if you’re building in a particularly expensive/inexpensive area of the country. In addition, these estimates are ONLY based on the total “living” square footage of the house, and do not take into account many other items such as: * Site preparation of any kind * Removal of existing structures * Purchase of the lot * Preparation of the lot * Flatwork (like driveways) * Detached garages or other structures * Landscaping * Modifications to the house plan * Cost to build any unheated space (i.e. carports, patios, porches, any other unheated space) * Any other miscellaneous permits, fees, or associated costs related to obtaining a building permit * Other misc. costs

As such, you may want to look into obtaining a low-cost “Home Building Cost Estimate” to better understand how much YOUR particular house (or one that you’re considering) would cost to build in your LOCAL area. Having a customized cost report like this, is always a good investment, and may save you many thousands as you begin to narrow down your house plan search.

See Mark’s house plans collection at Homeplans.com

If you’re currently in the process of searching for that “perfect” house plan, you’ll already know that there are many home plan options available. Whether you’re searching online or looking through magazines and plan books, the chances are that you can find a stock house plan that closely fits your needs.

If you find a floor plan that is close to what you need, you can almost always have that plan modified by the designer or by a local design professional to fit your specific needs..in your specific area…for your specific lot.

If so, then you’ve just saved thousands of dollars over the cost of having a fully-custom designed set of house plans developed. Stock house plans offer a tremendous value for most families, and its always a good idea to take a look at what’s available before having a custom set designed.

Note: Homeplans.com offers building cost estimates for many of their home plans and also has an in-house team of modifications experts to customize any plan. Get more information at www.homeplans.com.

The plans you receive should have sufficient detail for your builder to begin a cost estimate. However, in addition to these plans, or working drawings, you will also need to obtain a set of specifications. This is a detailed list that indicates the various materials you want in your new home. For example, this will specify everything from kitchen appliances to the style of doorknobs, along with the exact finish of all materials. Additionally, you will need to specify certain “allowances,” or dollar amounts available to select such items as light fixtures and cabinet hardware. If this sounds a bit overwhelming, remember, your builder will normally help you determine all of the items on the specification list.

While each set of house plans contains an enormous amount of detail, there is often the need to supplement this material with information that may require local expertise. For example, foundation design and requirements vary from one region to another. Once again, your builder should be able to help you with any additional information and details that may be required.

This is probably the most frequently asked question, and also the most difficult to answer. First of all, there are considerable differences in both material and labor costs from one area of the country to another. We all know, for example, that the average cost of a home in southern California is much more than one in Missouri.

Furthermore, individual building sites also play an important role in determining the cost of construction. For instance, a level stretch of land will require far less expensive foundation and site preparation than a site that slopes. 

Finally, the ultimate cost depends on the amenities you select for your home. There are vast differences between the cost of countertops and flooring, not to mention that of windows, doors, and roofing. Consider this analogy: When you purchase an automobile, the final price is drastically impacted by the accessories you select. The same is true for homes. 

So, how much will the plan you select cost to build? Here’s a suggestion: Before you make a final choice on which plan to buy, do some local research to determine the average cost of new construction in your area. Visit with several builders and talk with real-estate professionals. Normally, they can provide information based on the dollar value per square foot. This may range from $65 to over $100 per square foot. (Remember to make sure the estimates you receive do not include land costs.) By multiplying this dollar figure by the total living area of the plan you are considering, you will be able to obtain a rough estimate of the total cost. 

Note: Homeplans.com offers Building Cost Estimates for many of their home plans.