Reply to Cost Ballpark in 2013 for Two-Story Addition in Bethesda/Chevy Chase

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]200k per sq ft is what is ideal. Quotes any higher than that are considered boutique and you could essentially build a new house for 300k sq ft. Consider this if you are doing a construction loan...you house has to appraise for the value of the loan or else you come out of pocket. So keep looking until you find a builder that can do it for 200-250k per sq ft.

looking at mls listing and seeing what the sq footage breakdown of the home should show you that 300k plus is too much..at that price just move.[/quote]
Builder here - hate to be cynical but can't help myself....I see this all the time....buyer gets a number in their head - doesn't matter what it is - their budget, what their friends said, my personal favorite, what the architect said so that he could get the job...then they design a nice addition, show photos from House Beautiful and start to gain an understanding of the market rate for their addition - their fit and finishes - their lot - age/quality of existing structure. Fairly quicly the numbers start to coalesce around what the work is worth. Grant you have your outliers, but at the end of the day you start to get a good sense. Now, some folks stop here, select a reputable firm, and proceed to get the work done. They are actually the smart ones...now, what we have are the clients, that we all call....too smart for their own good...they call all the good firms - get some decent pricing and decide that they are getting ripped off, or the related mentality - another personal favorite - I am not going to let anyone make any money off of me....so they burn through the reputable folks who decide the client does not have a realistic budget...then, because they are just waiting to hear what they want to hear, someone comes along, tells them they do beautiful work and that of course they can do it for that price. The owner feels like he has won - not realizing it was at that exact point he lost....how can that be ? Well, first he cuts every corner that you do not even know he's cutting; then as the money get tighter - we have the proverbial change order artist. I once joked that I hired an old mason, that if he could have, he would have charged me extras for the stones in the stone wall. So maybe that works, maybe not. At this point you might start to notice that the job seems to be languishing, some new cast of characters are showing up, and the general (contractor that is) might, if  he is honorable, try to do some of the work himself because he doesn't have the dollars to pay subs....now, I agree I exaggerate perhaps...but if you want good work, find yourself a reputable contractor, check his past work, his credit at the local supply houses , and most importantly his references....I cannot tell you how many clients folks without checking their references - and not only the ones that the contractor provides...make sure he gives you a competitive bid and let them do what they do...if you try to outfox the scoundrels in the building trades you will get scalped every time...[/quote]

So what would be your ballpark quote for what the OP stated?

I understand everyone has to get paid and no one wants a house that will fall apart BUT price gouging because of the county that the home is being built in or perceived wealth that the homeowner has to have because they live in neighborhood A is a practice I'm so over![/quote]

Builder here - I would swag it at 350-450 depending upon materials and site. Granted on certain neighborhoods you are a little less tight with the dollars not because of the wealth in the neighborhood but rather that you have the sense that you need to ensure you have the time to do it right because of the assumed level of quality that will be required by the quality of the materials...so do I charge more to hang a 1000.00 chandelier than a 200.00 not per se but you are conscious of the overall budget, risks, and materials.  The opposite end is the PITA premium - which my sense is some of the posters have probably experienced - which is the contractor gets a sense that you are pain in the ass so he tacks on dollars to cover....[/quote]

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