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| | | Remodeling an existing home almost always costs more per square foot than new construction, because the renovation must match the existing structure, which may not be level or straight. However, a home addition can add desired space without the hassle of moving to a new home. | | |
| Typical costs: | - Adding a bathroom by converting existing floor space starts around $3,000 -$6,000 (depending on easy access, size and quality of fixtures and other amenities) but can run $7,000 -$25,000 or more for spa-like master baths or projects with poor access to existing utilities or requiring foundation reinforcement. Do-It-Yourself supplies start around $500 -$1,500 for a basic bathroom or half-bathroom, but can run $2,000 -$4,000 or more for a larger spa-like project. Having a contractor add new floor space for a bathroom starts around $25,000 -$50,000 but can go up to $40,000 -$80,000 or more for a spa-like room.
- Converting existing floor space into a bedroom as a do-it-yourself project runs anywhere from $200 -$5,000 or more depending on what's involved; hiring a contractor can be $7,500 -$50,000 or more. Adding new floor space for a basic 10x15-foot bedroom runs around $3,750 -$7,500 for an entirely do-it-yourself project or $7,500 -$22,500 or more to hire a contractor. The cost of adding a AA www.costhelper.com/cost/home-garden/porch-addition.html>porch can range from $50 -$120 for do-it-yourself materials for a simple concrete slab to $3,000 -$6,000 to have someone pour a 50x20-foot slab.
- Converting existing floor space into a family room as a do-it-yourself project runs anywhere from $200 -$5,000 or more depending on the complexity of the project, the quality of the materials and your skill level; hiring a contractor for the conversion can be anywhere from $7,500 -$25,000, depending on what's included. Adding new floor space for a 400-square-foot family room can run $10,000 -$20,000 for a do-it-yourself project, or $30,000 -$100,000 or more for an addition built by a contractor.
- Adding a 1,500-square-foot second floor with large sections done as a do-it-yourself project (plus serving as your own general contractor when needed) can run $105,000 -$225,000; hiring a remodeling contractor for the same project can be $225,000 -$450,000.
- Adding a small 10x12-foot wood deck can run $500 -$1,000 for do-it-yourself materials or $1,000 -$1,900 to hire someone to build it. A larger deck of wood or plastic composite can be $4,000 -$25,000 or more depending on size, materials and complexity.
What should be included: | - Each city or county has its own requirements for how much square footage you can add based on the amount of land. Better Homes and Gardens provides an overview of legal remodeling requirements.
- Better Homes and Gardens explains what to consider in siting your home addition. RemodelOrMove.com gives a detailed list of potential costs for a home addition, and RemodelingCenter.com provides guidelines for planning an addition to your home.
- Construction work can be extremely disruptive, and often involves a crew working inside your home starting early each morning, which will change your family routines. Talk with the contractor about scheduling, and when water, electricity or other utilities might be turned off.
Additional costs: | - Usually an addition will trigger a reassessment of your property taxes and a resulting tax increase, but in most areas the reassessment will only be on the value of the addition, not for your entire house. A large addition can also increase your monthly utility bills.
Shopping for a home addition: | - To hire a general contractor to handle all aspects of a complex addition, the National Association for the Remodeling Industry provides an online booklet with tips for hiring a contractor, as well as contractor referrals.
- Check whether a contractor is licensed in your state, and whether there are any complaints with the Better Business Bureau. A written contract should include a detailed outline of the work required and materials used, dates within which the project will be done, and a payment schedule.
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Article updated January 2009 |
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Recent Posts |
| Posted by: Suzybutt in edison, NJ. | Purchased: January, 2005 |
| Your costs lister are INSANE !!!!!!! They cost one third of the crazy prices !!!!! |
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| Posted by: mindy in Taylorville, IL. | Purchased: March, 2008 |
| Who wrote this article?? You are WAY off on prices! You have over quoted these prices by more than double.. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
OH THANK YOU
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| Posted by: a user in Rocky Hill, CT. | Purchased: 2008 |
| We are interested in putting an addition on- and thank god i read the posts after the article!! Otherwise, we would never beable to do it! |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
Home Addition Cost
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| Posted by: Bernadette in Dawson springs, KY. | Purchased: 2008 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 650 | Which Floor: |
| I cant believe you have someone so off base and obviously has no actual knowledge about building cost.These prices are so inflated It is ridiculous.Do you check their credentials before using their info on this website????????? Like my dad use to say"you cant always believe what you read!" |
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| Posted by: redseal in Canada, Other. | Purchased: 2008 |
| Geez man.. take those prices off your website.. I\'m a renovation contractor and if I could charge those prices I would have retired years ago...If your stupid enough to pay $35,000!! for a tiny6x8 bathroom.. than you deserve to get hossed.. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
socal costs
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| Posted by: ri in costa mesa, CA. | Purchased: January, 2005 |
Those prices are pretty accurate here in southern california. A simple2-car garage costs $35,000. And additions are about $300 psf. It is insane.
Cedar shingle siding for my 1200sf house is about $15,000. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
COST OF ADDITION
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| Posted by: Lila in Houston area, TX. | Purchased: 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 1500 | Which Floor: |
| Number of Rooms: three bedrooms 3 baths |
| I am going to add an addition with a second story. I would much prefer your estimates be too high than too low.Additions are not all created equal. If mine comes in lower, I WILL BE DELIGHTED. But, if it had come in a lot higher, I would never have believed anything you printed again. |
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| Amount: $285,000.00 |
addition
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| Posted by: Contractor1 in Iowa City, IA. | Purchased: 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 800 | Which Floor: first floor |
| Number of Rooms: 4 |
Who here is actually in business and knows how to estimate and make a proffit?
I am a remodeling contractor in Iowa. I just finished an addition with 400sqft of new space and 400sqft of remodeled space. Master suite and bath. Walk-in closet and powder room. My cost to produce this space was 260.00 sqft or 208.000.00 with a sale price of 356.00 sqft 285,000.00 The prices listed here are not far off. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
It was for DIY prices, not contractor
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| Posted by: mich in Garden CIty, MI. | Purchased: 2009 |
| These prices are way off if you are doing most of the labor yourself or with friends/relatives. |
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| Amount: $12,363.00 |
Prices are way off
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| Posted by: Brandon Row in topeka, KS. | Purchased: August, 2008 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 1200 | Which Floor: main |
| Number of Rooms: 3 |
| My home is a 1200 sqft home.. (small i know) but even in 2009 witht he prices they are now for anything i was able to remodel from top to bottem my entire house for 12,000, New furnace and a/c COMPLETE new kitchen.. Total bathroom renovation.. AL new double pain windows new HARDWOOD floors every outlight every switch every light EVERYTHING was completely renovated this was all for 12000 if you think about it my house is 1200 sqft i spent around 12000 thats only 10 dollars a sqft to remodel.. i dont know where these idiots gets these prices even at the do-it-yourself price.. this is an insane post and should be taken off this is giving potential home remodelers a wrong impression of cost, its not wonder why prices are going up because everyone believes what they read and if i didnt know shit about home prices i woudl be scared to remodel in times like this after seeing these prices... and not to mention i didnt put low end crap in either.. i didnt put high end but deff. did not going low end.. and i also put in a 12x8 walk in cedar closet |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
Clarifying the terms
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| Posted by: Curious Shopper in Santa Clara, CA. | Purchased: April, 2009 |
| Brandon, it's great that you are so satisfied with the changes you got for $12,363, BUT the stuff you list sounds more like a home "updating", not a home remodel, and certainly not a home addition. A home addition is when you actually add more square footage to your home. When I was shopping for homes, my real estate broker recommended to buy a house with as much foundation as I'd ever want, because she said laying more foundation was incredibly expensive, and I'd never get nearly as much money back when I sold the home. A home remodel is when you totally change stuff up inside -- my brother recently spent $70,000 to remodel his home into a rentable triplex. He tore down walls, changed all the flooring to wood, changed the cabinetry, and all his friends told him he got a killer deal at 70k, plus he is an architect so he deals with this stuff all the time. Out where I live, most HVAC firms quote $3k-$6k just for A/C, and even at *Costco*, I see the cheapest do-it-yourself wood flooring at $1 a square foot (that's uninstalled!) and even at IKEA, the cheapest kitchen sets (cabinets, surfaces, etc.) seem around $5K UNINSTALLED, and usually a total remodel would include all new applianecs -- refrigerator (usually 1K plus unless you get one of those white plastic looking ones), new range, etc. So, I'm curious who you hired to change all the floors on a home, installed all new windows (we paid 6k just for Simontin windows for 10 windows and the sliding patio door),a new furnace A/C and a total kitchen and bath remodel for 12k. Let me know their name, I'd fly them out and pay for their hotel room, and I'd still save a bundle if they'd do all that work, including materials (change all flooring, new A/C unit unit , windows, doors, cabinets, appliances, counters, showers, all new kitchen + bath everything, paint) for 12k. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
Reply to curious shopper in santa clara
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| Posted by: a user in topeka, KS. | Purchased: 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 0 | Which Floor: 0 |
| Number of Rooms: 0 |
| My post was directed more towards the do-ir-yourself prices in the article above.. i know it didnt have much to say about an actualy addition but what i was getting at was if i can do all of what i did to my home then the prices above are incredibly wack even at the "do it yourself" price qouted from about....... "Adding new floor space for a basic 10x15-foot bedroom runs around $3,750 -$7,500 for an entirely do-it-yourself project or $7,500 -$22,500 or more to hire a contractor" the do it yourself 10x15 room will run 3750-7500, so this post says.. im adding on a new bathroom to the master bedroom.. the mstr bed is 18 wide and 20 long im adding off the 18ft wall and going out 10 feet.. so thats 18x10.. bigger then the 15x10 the mentioned.. i just bought all the materials for the walls the foundation (cinderblocks (sp) ) new room, sub floor etc. for 1736.87.. the lowest price about is twice that.. yes i do not have carpet which is in the price so lets add on 300 for that nor do we have electricle so lets add on 30 for wire and another 50 for light fixture and outlets so i just made my space a bed room (in theory) for $2116.87 1500 less then they stated above. Im guessing my final cost on my new bathroom will be around 4500 whith whirlpool tub and seperate walk in shower.. my price is including EVERYTHING plumbing, faucets, fixtures the works.. and yes thats my mistake my cost fromt he previous post didnt include new range or refrigerator.. 1200 for the refrigerator and i think the range was 900.. and by the way this was all in referance to the do-it-yourself people because i did it myself, i didnt hire anyone out. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
Lay off the Poster
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| Posted by: bow hunter in Rio Rancho, NM. | Purchased: 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 0 | Which Floor: 0 |
| Number of Rooms: 0 |
| I am a contractor in New Mexico, where we compete with many unliscensed contracctors. Unliscensed / uninsured contractors are 20 to 50% less because they aren't paying dues, taxes, insurance, etc. Even here in New Mexico, those prices are accurate, when the costs for being a legit contractor are considered. If you are blessed with the talent to do all that work yourself, then do-it. If not, just like everything else in this world, you will pay someone else to do it. |
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| Amount: $28,000.00 |
Anywhere from $5000-5000000
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| Posted by: Aaandrew in Iowa, IA. | Purchased: 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 1100 | Which Floor: |
| We just rebuilt our home (complete tearout) after the floods of 2009. From drywall to floors to paint to trim...all new. $28000. Luckily the slab and stubs were there. But, we did ALL the work ourselves and we choose mid-upper quality on everything. Where Brandon got away with $10/ft is in quality I imagine. Everything you buy has a ccheap option, a mid-range option and a luxury option, plus many in between. That\'s why you can redo your kitchen yourself for $4000 with inexpensive cabinetry or you can hire a designer, pay a contractor and do an upscale kitchen remodel or $75,000. There are so many questions beyond square footage that determine cost. So talk to someone or get out your pencil and paper, because the internet doesnt know how much your renovation will cost. |
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| Amount: $60.00 |
house addition
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| Posted by: a user in Rolling Meadows, IL. | Purchased: 2001 |
| We are bumping out the back to square off the house, within this bump out, we are adding a laundry room - re-doing the roof and making a one-level house into a Cape Cod - adding a porch - we are finishing the work ourselves - just the frame, etc will be done professionally. Estimatas have been $60k-$85k. When quoted on doing an entire 2nd floor - 2 br and 1 ba or 3 br and 1 bath upstairs - the estimates were close to $200k+. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
I need help
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| Posted by: a user in Virginia beach, VA. | Purchased: June, 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: no more than 600 | Which Floor: building a second floor over garage |
| Will someone tell me ACCUAL prices of how much it would cost just to have a contractor build the walls and a floor and do plumbing and electrical? Because I will do the rest myself... |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
Room and Garage addition
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| Posted by: Betty in Birdsboro, PA. | Purchased: June, 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 540 | Which Floor: main floor |
| Number of Rooms: 1 |
| I am looking to add a 15 x 20 foot dining room and a 20 x 12 foot garage to my 1 1/2 story cape cod home. My husband is handy and can do much of the work himself. However, his knees do not permit him to do work on a ladder so that rules out him doing the framing and such. I expected the cost to be around $70 psf for just the outside work, excavation, framing, foundation, siding and electrical and a small amount of plumbing. We are doing all the inside work. I expected an estimate between $30,000 and &40,000. I was shocked to get between $60,000 and $70,000. I don't mind paying a fair price but this is outrageous. After doing some research on wages and material cost I found I can do the entire job, both inside and out plus remodel my kitchen for $45,009 and $50,000, all materials are mid range price. I would like to know exactly how much a general contractor adds to the basics to get such inflated prices. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
house addition help
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| Posted by: a user in sunnyvale, CA. | Purchased: June, 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Addition: 600 | Which Floor: 1st floor |
| Number of Rooms: 1 bed room, 1 bath |
I am in California Bay area. I want to extend my 2 bed one bath house to 3 bed 2 bath. want to add master bed with bath.
What would be the cost per sqft to contract? I have no experience in building. What would be a good price per sqft to contract? |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
i am a contractor !
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| Posted by: a user in Gaithersburg, MD. | Purchased: 2009 |
| These prices are close. Depending on were u live I do work in MD,DC, and VA. I charge 300+ per square foot for renovations I've gone as low as 250 a sq ft for new construction but the prices u see in the posting are very accurate but if ur unsure call and get multiple estimate we all do free estimates... Meaning it costs u nothing! Just a thought! Thanxs Matt |
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