You wanted something ball parked and he didnt want to do it. You are wasting his time unless you can give him more info.  How do you like people wasting your time ?

Quoted: It does not matter now anyway because this dick hung up on me.  I am not paying someone who is going to just hang up on me.

So instead you're going to pay the crooks who lied to you?

Great plan.

Aren't you the "it's a trap" guy?  Those other GCs have you snared.

Quoted: Quoted: It does not matter now anyway because this dick hung up on me.  I am not paying someone who is going to just hang up on me. So instead you're going to pay the crooks who lied to you? Great plan. Aren't you the "it's a trap" guy?  Those other GCs have you snared.

I have not picked anyone.  Once I get plans done then I will shop around with them.  Dicks who hang up on me don't get a second chance.

Quoted: I have not picked anyone.  Once I get plans done then I will shop around with them.  Dicks who hang up on me don't get a second chance.

As a licensed general contractor (NOT a home builder, thank GOD!) let me offer some advice to make it go smoother for you. My company has been in business for going on 92 years as it was started by my great Uncle then to my grandfather, to my father and now me. I have done work for private individuals along with municipal govts. all the way to the Federal govt.

1. Deal with a licensed and INSURED contractor only.

2. Get everything in writing.

3. Ask questions, don't give up until both parties fully understand each other.

4. Ask for references AND contact them. Do as much asking around as you can.

5. Do NOT pay for work before it is done. No up front BS.

6. Hold retainage on the contractor. When he bills you, keep 10% as retainage. This will give you leverage for a complete job and one that you like.

7. Make sure that all changes are agreed upon by ALL parties. Don't let your wife go in and change things without your knowledge. Changes cost money.

8. Get a written contract and READ it.

9. Keep up with the material suppliers your contractor is using and make sure they are kept paid to date.

10. Get a good set of plans and make sure they are clear and concise. The least left up to interpretation the better. Good understandings result from CLEAR communication.


These are just a few of the things I can think of right now.

Good luck and there are good contractors out there, you just have to do a little leg work to find one.

I am also in the construction biz. No good general contractor is going to give you a 'rough' SF price without some kind of plan. It's like calling a gun store and asking "How much do guns cost?" Well, anywhere from $100.00 to $100,000+.
Now, if the guy hung up on you, that is inappropriate for anyone in any business. I would personally stay away from any general contractor who would quote a price per SF on a project without any information on said project.
You have to have some kind of plan before you start shopping for contractors. It is my humble opinion that you are putting the cart in front of the horse on this one.

Quoted: I am also in the construction biz. No good general contractor is going to give you a 'rough' SF price without some kind of plan. It's like calling a gun store and asking "How much do guns cost?" Well, anywhere from $100.00 to $100,000+. Now, if the guy hung up on you, that is inappropriate for anyone in any business. I would personally stay away from any general contractor who would quote a price per SF on a project without any information on said project. You have to have some kind of plan before you start shopping for contractors. It is my humble opinion that you are putting the cart in front of the horse on this one.

Last time I am going to say this.  I AM NOT SHOPPING FOR CONTRACTORS.  I am trying to get a rough idea about how much square foot I can afford.

He hung up on me and huwt my feewings

Quoted: 9. Keep up with the material suppliers your contractor is using and make sure they are kept paid to date.

In fact, get releases of lien from all his suppliers/subs before you cut the check each month.

"put in trash please"?  What is this, you don't like the responses, which (at least the ones from knowledgeable parties) agree, and now you want to go back to pouting for being hung up on?

Quoted: Quoted: Hire an architect, cost more but you won't have to deal with all the b.s. I am hoping to complete the plans and then let an architect look them over just to make sure it can be built. I have to deal with architects everyday and they drive me crazy almost everyday.  No offense to architects.

None taken (well not yet) as I'm still an intern,  but trust me on this one...... Engineers don't EVER drive us crazy.....I'm actually about to sit for the State Licensing Exam.  Good Luck on the house........
.....the tard shoulda given you a rough number at least........call him back and tell him you wanna use (on a million dollar house) him but need a Contractors Qualification Statement....that can also weed out the non-hackers, but I was suggesting it to rack his balls some and obviously you won't use him anyway......

Having just moved here Wedge, most of the homes we looked at were 100 a square foot. I'm sure it would be more if you customize it.

I sounds to me like Wedge caught some terd off guard.....there are obvious details that would have to be clarified but I hardly think he was going to be able to shit the guy a specification over the phone.   He could have said however; "Well high end is around [insert price here] and low end moderate construction would be [ insert low price here].   Chances are this guy was just an asshole and not worth your time from what I gather.....let me know and IM me if you think I could be of any help....

Quoted: 6. Hold retainage on the contractor. When he bills you, keep 10% as retainage. This will give you leverage for a complete job and one that you like. .

This stood out to me because it was exactly what my contractor said about doing business with cities or counties.  They always overbid by 10% so at the end they had been paid and the 10% was gravy if they got it.

Quoted: "put in trash please"?  What is this, you don't like the responses, which (at least the ones from knowledgeable parties) agree, and now you want to go back to pouting for being hung up on?

Uggghhh.  I am not pouting about being hung up on.  I just makes me mad as hell and all I really wanted to do was rant about it a little.

As far as the responses, some of them have been helpful, but some people have missed the point of what I want just like that stupid contractor.

I was not looking for him to quote me a price.  That would be stupid, he has no idea what I want.  He does however know how much it cost him to build every home he has ever built.  I don't think asking for what his average price per square foot is to much to ask.  That info. would get me a good enough idea so that I can start some plans that are not going to be way out in left field.

Quoted: Having just moved here Wedge, most of the homes we looked at were 100 a square foot. I'm sure it would be more if you customize it.

Thank you mac.  This is exactly what I was looking for and around the same price the first contractor gave me.

Now that I have this info I can design a house that will be in the ball park of what I would like to end up with.  After that I will go and look for prices on the home that I have designed.

(not written to explain it to you mac)

No offense, but it's you that's not getting it.

You can build a $200/SF house that's 1k SF for $200k
You can build a $100/SF house that's 2k SF for $200k

Do you have any idea how they are different?  Are your drawings going to call out the exact brand and finish of cabinets? Windows?  Door hardware?  heating & cooling systems?  Wired for computer networking or not?  Phone jack in every room or not?  Cable in every room or not?  Room for expansion?  Screened in porch (and is that part of the $/SF number?)?

How many kids do you have?  How many do you plan to have?  Do you plan to die in this house at 80 after the kids have left?

Design the house to the SF requirements that you and your fam have right now, and make allowances for future expansion as your needs change.  Then spec out finishes & details as you can afford them.  Chair rails, molding, trim, and other shit like that looks nice, but it costs money up front, and you can always add it yourself later (if you know which end of a saw does the cutting and can pound a nail).  Hell, you can even build the house with no floor coverings in some rooms and do that yourself too.  Any idiot can put in Pergo.  Buy the appliances after the fact too (if you can aford it).  Otherwise you just financed a $200 dishwasher for 30 years at 6%.  Guess how much that dishwasher just cost you.

Good luck with it.  Every house I've ever seen an engineer design has been horrible.

I've read many opposing opinions in this thread.  Everyone here is correct, at least to some extent.  

I don't think some people understand that you are only looking for a BASIC understanding of what you can afford.  A figure that would allow you to narrow down the choices.  You seem to understand that no one is going to be able to quote you a perfect number.  But you are right in that they should at least give you a range ( assuming they want to take the time and value your business ).

I heard the same arguement from some of the contractors that I contacted.  To me it meant that they didn't want to spend the time talking to anyone that wasn't a sure thing.  So I moved on.  

The one who ended up getting my contract was polite enough to quote a "ballpark" figure for different styles of homes.

Ex: 2,000 S.F.  w/ Vinyl Siding, attached garage, standard package-  
                                                        2-Story $80/S.F.
                                                        1-1/2 Story  $115/ S.F.
                                                        1 Story Ranch  $150/S.F.
Additional items such as brick or cedar shake siding, Jacuzzi tubs, granite counter tops, etc. are of course going to be adders.  So if you want those types of adders and only have $200,000 to spend you need to be looking at either the 2 story models or lower your S.F. requirements.  At least that gives you a starting point.

You can also look at model homes in your area to determine the S.F. costs of various types.


"Don't waste your time with anyone who unwilling to waste their time on you"

Quoted: In this case they do, and that is exactly what I wanted.  I was not, am not, looking for a final price.  With an average price I can get some plans done the first time that are most likley 80% close to what I can afford.  I would happily show these then and change as required to get them in my budget. how much I charge for engeneering drawings even if I have not seen the plans based on square foot.

Oh, I understand what you're looking for, believe me, because I'm in a similar predicament. All I'm saying is that any "average" you get from a builder under these circumstances is likely to be wildely innacurate. Beware, is all I'm saying.

It does not matter now anyway because this dick hung up on me.  I am not paying someone who is going to just hang up on me.

Oh, well that settles that. That's being a prick on purpose, and I, too, would tell him to go spit.


ETA: Wedge, if I may offer a bit of advice: I'd listen to Norman. While he is, er, rather "direct" sometimes (Hi, Norman! ), I have found him to be brutally honest, and since this is his business, he probably knows more about it than the average schlub.

Either way, I wish you the very best. I'll be doing exactly what you're doing in the following months, although the chances of me building rather than buying are almost nil because of other issues.