[quote=AN][quote=Nor-LA-SD-GUY2]Hmm, really not prepared to price it out for you, but Please try to buy a mountain top, haul utilities 500 yards or more, then blast the solid rock top off the mountain, and create a 1 acre pad, then get all the permits and after all that find a contractor (looking probably at 300 to 400K just to get that far, then find someone to build you a just plain home for less than 200 sqf.
Anyway goof luck.[/quote]
Does all custom homes require an undeveloped mountain top that require you to haul utilities up it and blasting solid rock top off the mountain? BTW, in this extreme scenario, I agree that it would cost you a lot to do that.
Since there’s no undeveloped mountain top in San Diego, if you want to do such thing, you’ll probably have to go east. There’s a development in Sky Ranch in Santee that basically have the same type of location you’re talking about, but the lot are around 1/4-1/2 acre, not 1 acre. It’s CrestView development sells their 2400 sq-ft plan for ~$500k. So, assuming it cost a little less than $300k for a smaller pad + $200/sq-ft for a 2400 sq-ft house, the max cost for such custom home would be no more than $780k for similar quality. 60% more that comparable tract home, but it’s a far cry from 2-5 times more.
Here’s another new tract w/ similar spec you stated” http://www.theranchatvistagrande.com/home.php. On a hill (not quite mountain), 1+ acre lot, 3700 sq-ft in El Cajon. They’re asking for mid $700k to start. Assuming $400k to develop the land and add utility + $200 sq-ft for to build such house, we’re talking about $1.1M. That’s ~50% higher than comparable tract home, but it’s a far cry from a 2-5 times more.
BTW, $200/sq-ft to build a full house give you a pretty nice house. I recently just got a quote to do a bathroom + bedroom addition and the contractor estimate ~$150/sq-ft (because of the bathroom). If there’s no bathroom and just a big bedroom (same sq-ft), the estimate would be $100 sq-ft. Since the majority of a house is the bedroom/living room, the cost of those should be closer to $100 sq-ft than $150 sq-ft.[/quote]
AN, that’s a very nice one-story tract in El Cajon 92019, situated in a very good area with GREAT schools!
Yes, developers haul in utilities ONCE for a tract and then pipe from there. A individual who is building a custom home in a semi-rural/rural area would have to haul them in for the same price for ONE unit as it costs the developer for dozens of units, so the developer benefits from “economies of scale.” In addition, you forgot to add in the extortion fee of about $7K per SFR from the MWD (Metropolitan Water District) just to bring water to the curb and “set” a meter. This fee applies to builders and individual landowners alike.
AN, if you don’t mind my asking, if you decide to add a bed/bath addition to your home, can you recover this cost upon sale?