Posted: 6/12/2008 2:42:52 PM EDT
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Is there a rule of thumb for price per square foot? Just looking for somthing to get me in the ballpark. Midwest (Ohio) Ranch, 2x4 framing on full basement. Attached garage but unsure what size garage we want at this time. Brick siding all around. Regular fixtures. |
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The company I work for sales NICE 4000+ sq. feet homes for around $200 a foot in California. No basement. This is house only, no landscaping, not including lot. If you have the same number of bathrooms and kitchens, adding sq. footage typically lowers the price per foot cost. In other words, adding sq. footage to the middle of rooms is cheap, bathrooms and kitchens are expensive. 
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+1 We always build with 2x6 exterior walls. You can install R-19 batts rather than R-13. It also makes your window sills wider which gives a more substantial look. |
Adding an extra sill plate or two is one method to raise the house without deeper basement walls. |
Yea, I was thinking of deepening the floor / increasing the height of the walls. |
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You should be fine pouring 8' walls and pouring the slab on top of the footings. Most concrete guys use 2' form sections. Even if you're 6'8" you should still have 12-15" below the joists for ductwork. If it gets cold in the winter it's good to put a couple inches of extruded polystyrene on the outside of the concrete to below the frost line, that'll be easier to finish out with the 2X6 walls also... you can texture right onto the concrete that way. |
9' walls instead of 8' for, say, a 2300 sq ft 2 story with approx. 1200 sq ft footprint is generally a 1500- 2k option here in Nebraska. You could also add plates as suggested or build a knee wall to get extra height but you will then have additional main floor elevation gain, which will translate into more steps/risers into the house. ETA: If you're doing a decent sized porch with 4' frost walls beneath, you might think about paying a little extra for 8', lay flexicore on top of the porch walls, waterproof, pour porch, block out wall for a steel door and you have an inexpensive gun vault that doubles as a tornado shelter. |