rebuilding after a wildfire. i'm hearing $550 per sq foot!

vash · vash's Garage

my coworkers first rough quote. $550!!

damn..that is a lot? what does a standard "hey i want a new house built here!" cost? $350?

my coworker has..no HAD a big house. 4000 sqft +. the final product would cost more than it's worth i think..

gouging?

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

$500 is about 4 times what we would pay here in Ohio.

Deschodt · 11-02-2017, 10:49 AM

I recently revised my homeowner's insurance post North CA fires, and the StateFarm lady said the default policy was around $350/sqft, which seemed low for Marin (and sonoma/Napa). I bumped that to $450 per sqft for an extra $200 a year. $550 seems like gouging to me, but how are you gonna avoid gouging there and now ? Finding a contractor in the north bay was hard before the fire, imagine now !

stomachmonkey · 11-02-2017, 11:07 AM

$550 per sq ft?

Ouch

A 1/4 of that around here.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

A 1/4 of that around here.

I expect that may not be true after Harvey. The weather events 1000s of miles away have even affected us here in Ohio. Nobody is discounting the price of building materials. I had to pay almost $300 more for a whole house generator last week than my neighbor paid for the same model generator installed by the same contractor in May.

edit: I just found out my regular concrete contractor who gave me an "I don't want to do that job but thanks for asking" bid on a little job here took his crew and his truck and left for Texas Nov. 1.

KFC911 · 11-02-2017, 11:24 AM

I'll take a roomy 10'x10' McShed

....

ckelly78z · 11-02-2017, 11:41 AM

Be part of the tiny house nation, or buy a sailboat, either way $550 a sf is highway robbery, and taking advantage of a bad situation.

look 171 · 11-02-2017, 11:52 AM

That's a lot, but a 4000' house is a custom job. Hill side? Its about 450 for hill side down here. Again, there's a lot of of variables.

Craig T · 11-02-2017, 11:55 AM

Here in Ventura County, CA, you can build from dirt, foundation up, with granite, hardwood floors, and first class fixtures for $400-$450 per sq. $550 is profiteering off the disaster IMHO. Contractors are good at that when business is in demand.

MRM · 11-02-2017, 12:05 PM

Those are Beverly Hills/Palm Beach mansion construction numbers. Out here the most expensive you could build without getting crazy would be in the $350, and that would be the absolute top end.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteremsley

sounds outrageously high, especially if you already own the land...

Owning the land would have absolutely nothing to do w it. We are talking about building costs. Of course you'd need to own the land before you start building.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRM

Those are Beverly Hills/Palm Beach mansion construction numbers. Out here the most expensive you could build without getting crazy would be in the $350, and that would be the absolute top end.

Really? I heard about $200 for bare bones in MN. a short while back. Meaning nothing custom, typical tract housing kitchens, etc. Nice but boilerplate.

I'd think you could go easily higher than $350 in Kenwood or Wayzata w an expensive architect, etc. Maybe that's what you mean by "getting crazy".

berettafan · 11-02-2017, 02:02 PM

That is criminal.

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Deschodt · 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berettafan

That is criminal.
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While I agree with the sentiment, I don't know. It might be criminal if the normal cost was 200 and they charge 550. But in that area, per my insurance the cost is about 450 normally... A jump of 20% considering the extent of the demand and scarcity of the offer is kinda consistent with capitalism... There was a great scarcity of housing there to begin with, and very few builders - trust me I've been doing work recently, PITA to find someone not already busy BEFORE the fires...

Honestly qualified builders should get their CA licensing and come build here - my neighbor's dad is doing just that (not to defraud people, to work!). They might hate all the hoops they have to jump through... But there is a demand for sure ! It might also help lower costs...

Neilk · 11-02-2017, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

$550 per sq ft?

Ouch

A 1/4 of that around here.

I read that construction costs have gone up at least 10% in North Texas due to immigration scares. Between high demand and not enough workers, things can't get built as fast here.

Our house was about $200 per sq ft.

plain fan · 11-02-2017, 02:52 PM

I'm really surprised that no one has gone after these people for price gouging. I was helping my brother with some work and he told me that on average everything has gone up by a factor of 3x at Lower, Home Depot, etc. And the supplies we bought are junk. Stuff you normally would not purchase or ever see on a shelf due to lack of quality.

I'm all for supply and demand and a free economy but if you look at the supply chain, someone is price gouging.

JJ 911SC · JJ 911SC's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by vash

my coworkers first rough quote. $550!!...

Time to sell the land and move

JJ 911SC · JJ 911SC's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neilk

... Our house was about $200 per sq ft.

Ours was $100 per sq ft. (2000 S.F. custom bungalow on a 2 acre lot 15 minutes from downtown) back in 1996. But now the resale value is $400 per sq ft.

No matter how hight it goes, next move is "feet first"

look 171 · 11-02-2017, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plain fan

I'm really surprised that no one has gone after these people for price gouging. I was helping my brother with some work and he told me that on average everything has gone up by a factor of 3x at Lower, Home Depot, etc. And the supplies we bought are junk. Stuff you normally would not purchase or ever see on a shelf due to lack of quality.

I'm all for supply and demand and a free economy but if you look at the supply chain, someone is price gouging.

I don't think that's price gouging. If you don't like the pricing, move on to the next (you will find the next qualify builder is similar in their pricing structure). Keep in mind that there are lots of hoops to jump through here. Plus, that's just a rough estimate. I don't think anyone in their right mind would hire the dirty and cheapest shady contractor out there for a 4000sq' build? a 4000sq' house is a custom home with lots of details and that's what drives the cost up. 500 bucks is not uncommon. The builder gave out a rough number just so he knows if the customer is really interested. If customer calls back then I am sure they can fine tune the numbers.

dan88911 · 11-02-2017, 04:45 PM

Anyone have any experience with those prefab houses.
Where they bring in the framed walls on a truck.

look 171 · 11-02-2017, 05:05 PM

Depending who's doing the framing on site, most framers are a little sloppy with their work. Prefab homes are fabricated in a very controlled environment, so they are often square and fit very well on site unless the pad is screwed up then it will throw everything out of square. It can be fixed, but will take a little time. That depends on the crew if they really want to spend the time to get it dialed in.

I don't know enough about them, I think a semi custom home can be had.