Is the price per square foot to build a custom home a valid number to utilize when figuring the cost to build?
It depends. While many customers often have a per square foot number in mind, it is useful to know that this number does not always work as an accurate gauge for the cost or value of a project. When building a custom home, there are many variables that can significantly increase or decrease this number. For instance, two homes with identical floor-plans built on the same lot may have entirely different per square foot numbers due to interior and exterior finish choices made by the customer. Also, two homes with the identical square footage may have entirely different layouts, and the complexity of the design varies greatly. These two homes, even with similar interior and exterior finishes, are going to have different per square foot numbers. So don’t put too much into per square foot numbers before fully understanding how they are calculated.
