Calculate the Exact Cost Of Your House Construction

When one is looking to build a home, the first thing that they want to cement, other than the property, is the building construction cost estimation. There are various ways you can calculate the cost, either by computing the cost per square foot or by adding the complete costs of material required and labor costs. Before you use a construction cost estimator, you must understand the factors that affect the cost of house construction. 

Here are some tips provided that will guide you through the process of building construction cost estimation. These tips break down the framework of your house to let you understand the complete cost required to construct your house. 

• Floor plans 

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The first step is to select the floor plan for your new home. Once the floor plan is designed by the architect of the contractor, you will need to find an appropriate builder. The choice of the builder will depend upon the breadth of the floor plan. The floor plan is the baseline of the project of your house and will determine the size, quality, features, and style of your home. The builder will use a house construction cost calculator based on the floor plan and estimate the cost per square foot. They will also provide you with the timeline to get the end product. 

• Custom plans 

If you want to be actively involved in the planning of your house, then getting an architect to build a custom home is your best option. For the building construction cost estimation, you will have to determine and select the material, styles, and products that are to be incorporated into the construction of your home. Taking the help of the architect will help you understand the size, design, and floor plan of your dream house and ensure your choices are well under the estimated budget. 

• Consider pre-designed options 

You can save the cost of paying an architect by considering pre-designed options. In these designs, you can choose from an array of higher and lower-cost items, as per your needs and priorities. You will have various options to select in flooring, appliances, exterior siding options, paint colors, kitchen fixtures, lighting fixtures, countertops, wood cabinets, bathroom fixtures, trim, etc. 

• Builder 

The end building construction cost estimation depends upon the choice of builder. A builder who executes the plan impeccably while staying true to the decided timeline and budget is essential to keep the cost of house construction under control. Ask them how much they estimate the cost will be along with a detail of the factors included, including land, landscaping, site work, etc. 

• Consider the style, quality, and features 

Most people expect that the cost of the house construction depends only on the size or scale of the house. However, the real determiners of the cost are the chosen style, quality, and features. Style, here, refers to the architecture of your house. Homes with a square or rectangular build cost less, as do two-storey homes. For a one-storey home, you have already built the foundation and will be charged for the same size roof as with a two-storey house. 

A rule of thumb to determine the cost for the house construction cost calculator construction estimate is that the more the corners and angles included in the design, the more the cost will be. 

Another factor here is the quality of material you choose while building your home. The higher the quality, the more the cost will be. Furthermore, if you want to add special features such as vaulted ceilings, carved staircases, etc., you will have to tackle the additional costs. 

• Time of the year 

The cost of construction also depends upon the time of the year you choose to begin the construction. During the times when labor is in high demand, you will find a steep increase in the expenses of labor and employees. Also, the contractor and subcontractor will charge more than the average for their services. 

On the other hand, during the winter months, when there is higher availability of labor, the cost of house construction can turn up to be much lower as the labor cost decreases. 

• Have a cushion in your budget

The house construction cost calculator construction estimation should be lesser than your actual budget. You should leave some room in your budget so that if during the construction there is an inflation in the cost of any factor, you can afford it. These inflations could be during the process of site preparation or in case of permit fees.

Method to accurately estimate the cost of construction labour and material 

To estimate the cost of construction, labor, and material that will be incorporated into your house, you can use the house construction cost calculator. You will have to compute the following factors in the construction cost estimator to accurately compute the final cost:

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Aggregate required material

• Cement: The rule followed to calculate the number of bags of cement required is given by the formula area x 0.4. Thus, for example, the area of construction is 1000 sq ft. The number of bags of cement required will be 1000 x 0.4 = 400 bags. 
• Steel: To estimate the quantity of steel required for a residential house, one would require an area x 4 kg of steel. Thus, for a 1000 sq ft area, 400 kg of steel will be required. 
• Sand or fine aggregate: The quantity of sand required to build a house in India can be calculated by the formula area x 0.0816 ton. So, for 1000 sq ft, the sand required will be approximately 81.6 tons. 
• Coarse sand or aggregate: The rule of thumb to estimate the coarse sand required for construction to find the result of the house construction cost calculator is that the area of the house should be multiplied by 0.0608 tons. The result will provide an estimate of the weight of coarse sand required for a residential house in India. 
• Number of Bricks: The number of bricks should be eight times the area of the house, hence, for a 1000 sq ft of small residential house, 8000 bricks will be required. 

Based on the numbers obtained from these formulas, one can calculate the estimated cost of the basic material required to build their house. One should also note that in the case of a multiple-storeyed house, around 75% of the cost is to build the ground floor. The rest of the expense is spent on building the second or third storeys. 

When you use an online building construction cost calculator, you will need to input the location of the site, that is, the city or area in which it is located. Along with that, the built-up area of the house will need to be entered. Other factors that can be asked to estimate the cost of construction include the number of car parking required, area of the balcony, utility area, etc. 

You can also refer to the packages that detail the average cost of house construction per square foot. For example, under a budget package, you will find the cost to be around INR 1500 per sq ft. For greater packages, the cost will increase to INR 1600, or as per your customization and specifications.

You should also have an approximate idea of the expenses that will be covered by different materials used in the construction. For example, around 16% of the cost is taken up by cement, 24% by steel, 12% by sand, and 7.5% by aggregate or coarse sand. Around 23% of the expenses will be spent on fittings of windows, doors, plumbing, and electrical fixtures. Final details such as paint and tiles take up to 16%. 

Thus, by using the rule of thumb and approximate values, one can compute an estimated cost of the construction of their house using the house construction cost calculator construction estimate.     

Factors that affect the cost of construction of a house 

While estimating the cost of construction, it is better to consider at least 10% of your budget to cover the unexpected costs. Here are some of the factors that will dictate the cost of the construction of a house and will need to be included in the building construction cost calculator.  

• Material costs 

The choice of the material should be based on your priorities as well as your budget. There is a wide range of options available in the market of materials that can be used for different components of the house. If you are considering a high-cost item, the decision should be based on whether you believe investing in such material would be a better decision.

• Wage rates 

Depending upon the time of the year, unemployment rate, and building cycle demand, the wage rates may fluctuate. This will affect the result provided by the construction cost estimator. Because of the principle of supply and demand, you may have to pay more for labour if there is a high demand for them. 

• Site conditions 

If the construction is on a site you have purchased, you will find various issues with it that need resolving before the construction may begin. These include unstable soil, ledges that need to be blasted, drilled well, sewer, and other such factors that will need to be assessed to prepare the site for construction. 

• Quality of plans and specifications 

Depending upon the floor plan, the shape of the foundation of the house will be decided. A simple foundation will be much cheaper than one that is uniquely shaped or has numerous jogs. Along with that, the plan also dictates the framing cost. For example, if the frame includes a lot of rooflines and intersections, the cost of construction will increase substantially. Details that are included in the framing to enhance the visual of the house will directly impact the cost of construction.  

• Registration and approval costs 

Registration costs, approval fee, permit fees, etc., are some of the expenses that are based on the municipality where the construction site is located. Each municipality may have its own rate for such fees. You will need to add in the approval and permit costs in the end budget along with the fees for the services of an engineer of legal representation that you may need for the task. 

• Size and number of stories

The size of the house does not affect the building construction cost estimation as much as the complexity of the design of the house. A smaller house that integrated a series of additional designs will cost considerably more than a larger house with a rectangular design. Similarly, the price per square foot will decrease if you add a storey to the house. A single storey house already has the cost of foundation added. By adding another storey, you can create more space with the same costs of systems of foundation. 

• Interior design and appliances

Interior design and finishing include flooring, trim packages, counter surfaces, hardware, cabinets, crown moldings, etc. These are the components that add personal details to the house and one has to interact with them every day while living in the home. The material required for these components should be based on the feel and image that you want to portray in your house.

Furthermore, luxurious appliances from high-end brands will raise the cost of your house construction. Decide where you want to spend more and which appliances need to be of top-notch quality based on your budget. Choice of appliances should be purely on a priorities basis. You can also add in the factor of eco-friendly appliances while making the choice. 

• Exterior finishing and final details 

Expenses in exterior finishing will depend upon the choice of the material and style for siding, porch, etc., that you want to include. Options such as composite, wood, board and batten, cedar, and others are available for siding. Your choice of furnish, lighting and other factors to increase the aesthetic of your house will also play a role while deciding the cost of construction. 

Ensure that you create a firm budget before you begin developing plans and designs for your house. A planned budget will help you keep your expenses in check and choose the construction method, material, and other details. Include as many details as possible in the contract so that the final costs of the construction match the result of the construction cost estimator.