Labor costs vary with plumbers, electricians, heating contractors, carpenters, dry-wallers, flooring installers, and painters. In order to cut costs, a builder may hire the low-bid contractor, an approach that when repairs and resale are considered may end up costing you more. A builder has more quality control by building with their own employees and enjoying [...]

Design features such as sophisticated rooflines and grand two-story entryways cost more, but do not add to a home's square footage, thus adding to the cost per square foot. Other features affecting cost include vaulted and cathedral ceilings versus flat, tub/shower versus a whirlpool tub set in a ceramic tile deck, and vinyl flooring versus [...]

This is a really big item. You can have two identical homes sitting next to each other and the price per square foot will differ quite widely based on the materials used by the Builder. A good example, Builder A uses vinyl flooring in the Kitchen/Dinette and Builder Bused hardwood flooring or ceramic tile. The [...]

For example, a one story ranch has more basement and roof than a two story of the same size, therefore, costing more to build.

In this area, we do not include the space in garages, unfinished basements, porches, decks, and patios.

For an accurate figure of the cost of just the structure, you must remove the cost of the land and all site improvements to the land. A lot that costs $50,000 equates to a lower price per sq. ft. when combined with the home than a lot that costs $90,000.