House Plans (cont., p.4)

 

Other Things To Consider About Your House Plan

Always keep in mind how big of a house you can afford to build, specifically, the overall total of square footage.

Every square foot costs money.  There is no escaping that fact regardless of how cheaply you anticipate building.  Extra footage in garage and basement space will be much cheaper than heated living space, however.

 

Save Money By Design

Pay attention to roof design.  Gables and dormers look good, but add cost, as do corners and offsets in walls.

All of the things that make a house look more attractive from the street also add expense.

It’s a tradeoff and value judgment you’ll have to make. 

Try to make all of these choices early in the design phase.

 

 

A method I’ve often used to add cheaper square footage is to convert a two-story foyer or family room (16-20 ft. ceiling) into second floor living space.  Doing so still adds cost, but at a much cheaper (30-40%) cost per square foot than if you added footage that required additional foundation and roofing.

 

This photo shows an excellent opportunity for expanded living through change of design.

If this house builder could live without the two-story family room, approximately 300 square feet of recreation room could be added cheaply, by framing the ceiling height at the same level of the rest of the first floor.

No additional foundation or roofing required.

 

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