INSTANT, FREE
COST TO BUILD
We believe that estimating the cost to build your dream home should not be an impediment to choice. We provide this free, industry leading, accurate calculator to understand exactly what you can afford before you purchase a plan.
Understanding Accuracy:
The hard truth that most sites don't tell you is that you won't actually know the final cost to build your home until it's already built. Determining your cost to build is a process that narrows down the cost range with each subsequent step.
Step 1: Online Calculators
Others make you pay for them - check out our free calculator right here.
Step 2: Historical Data
Look at homes built and sold in your area in the past 12 months using a website like Zillow. You should be able to scroll down and input the required variables into the following formula.
(Final Sales Price - Land Sales Price) / Total Square Feet = Cost/SF
Step 3: Ballpark Cost per Square Foot
Contact local builders and send them a link to the house plan that you want to get a ballpark cost/SF for. They should be able to give you a number that is pretty close to a real bid.
Step 4: Bid
Once you've chosen a home plan and narrowed down to a handful of local builders it's time to get the most accurate number that you're going to get. To help with bid accuracy we provide free material take-offs for our plans.
LEAST ACCURATE
MOST ACCURATE
Industry Leading Accuracy
Our proprietary calculator is updated annually to get you the most up to date cost to build.
Guaranteed or We'll Make it Right
If you bids come in over budget we will modify your plan free of charge or exchange for any other plan of equal value.
F.A.Q.
What is the 'Covered Square Footage' ?
Covered Square footage includes finished spaces as well as the garage and covered porches. It's a listed attribute on each of our plan pages and is the most important variable in determining the cost to build a home.
How do I know what the cost of living is?
The cost of living can affect the build cost by about +/- 20%.
High Cost: Very rural areas (Alaska) and very urban areas (San Francisco)
Medium Cost: Suburbs
Low Cost: Rural commuter areas
How Accurate is This Calculator?
Boutique Home Plans has developed this cutting edge calculator to perform more accurate fast analysis of building costs than our competitors. In developing this we balanced cost accuracy with simplicity to make cost estimation as fast and painless as possible.
Costs can vary significantly by location and seasonality but we expect our price per square foot estimates to fall within +/- 10% of the lowest bid price you receive.
How do I determine what build quality my house will be?
This is one of the most important variables in the calculator so pay close attention. We've put together a table below with finish attributes that should match up to your desired build quality.
Characteristic | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 | Tier 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kitchen | >30ft of Custom Cabinets, Stone Counters, Luxury Appliances, Wet Bar, Wine Cellar | >25ft of Custom Cabinets, Solid Surface Counters, Premium Appliances, Wet Bar | >20ft of Cabinets, Solid Surface Counters, Premium Appliances | >15ft of Cabinets, Wood Counters, Standard Appliances | >10ft of Cabinets, Laminate Counters, Standard Appliances | >10ft of Cabinets, Laminate Counters, Builder Grade Appliances |
Roof | Slate; Tile | Slate; Tile | Architectural Asphalt Shingles | Architectural Asphalt Shingles | Asphalt Shingles | Asphalt Shingles |
Siding | Masonry | Stone Veneer | Fiber Cement Siding | Fiber Cement Siding | Vinyl Siding | Vinyl Siding |
Windows/Doors | Architectural Grade Aluminum | Premium Grade Aluminum | Premium Grade Vinyl/Fiberglass | Better Grade Vinyl/Fiberglass | Builder Grade Vinyl/Fiberglass | Builder Grade Vinyl/Fiberglass |
Flooring | Marble, Reclaimed Hardwoods, Granite | Some Marble, Hardwoods throughout | Tile, Hardwood, Vinyl and Carpet | Hardwood, Vinyl and Carpet | Vinyl & Carpet | Vinyl & Carpet |
Interior Details | Exposed Beams, Significant Built-In Casework, Hardwood Trim | Some Built-In Casework, Framed Openings, Hardwood Trim | Some Built-In Casework, Paint Grade Trim | Paint Grade Trim | Paint Grade Trim | Builder Grade Trim |
Bathrooms | Custom Marble Showers, Freestanding Tubs, Luxury Fixtures | Custom Tile Showers, Freestanding Tubs, Luxury Fixtures | Custom Tile Showers, Standard Fixtures | Modular Showers, Standard Fixtures | Modular Showers, Builder Grade Fixtures | Modular Showers, Builder Grade Fixtures |
Have you ever wanted to know how much it would cost to build your dream home? Our free cost calculator is an easy way for you to find out. Simply enter the square footage of the space that best matches your needs, and press "calculate." The calculator will provide a breakdown of costs including foundation materials, labor, and other factors such as location and building regulations. Once those calculations are complete, you'll be able to see how much it will cost per square foot. You can then use this information as a baseline when planning your budget or deciding on what size house might suit your needs best. Planning ahead is key in any construction project- we hope our free tool will be useful since the cost to build your dream home is a huge decision and often times the most expensive purchase you will make.
We know that many people do not like using online calculators because they are usually inaccurate, outdated or complicated. Our calculator solves all those problems by providing an accurate, industry leading tool that can be used in minutes to determine the average cost per square foot to build a house!
The Boutique Home Plans cost-to-build calculator is an online tool that helps homeowners estimate the total cost of building their dream home. It provides detailed breakdowns on how much each part of your new home will cost, including labor and materials and makes it easy for anyone to estimate their construction costs before purchasing a home plan. Just enter some basic information about yourself and your project – including the size of the house you’re planning on building – and we’ll show you how much it would cost to build a similar house right here today. It's fast, simple and completely free!. With this information at your fingertips, making smart decisions about your next project has never been easier.
Now that you have your budget and build estimate, the next step is to check out our House Plan collections and The Build Journal, our blog with helpful hints and build cost savings.