Cost to Build a House Calculator
Estimate hard construction cost from living area, home style, finish level, garage, site difficulty, and kitchen/bath packages — optional soft-cost allowance. Land not included. Click any i for detail.
Your build
Living area (sq ft)
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Living area
Heated finished square footage — not lot size. |
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Bedrooms
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Bedrooms
Number of bedrooms (not counting baths or hallways). More bedrooms add per-room finish, doors, closets, and electrical beyond bare square footage. |
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Home style
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Home style
Complex modern forms usually cost more per foot than a simple ranch. |
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Finish level
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Finish level
Economy is builder-grade; custom reflects upgraded materials throughout. |
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Garage
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Garage
Priced at about 55% of the living-area finish rate for the selected size. |
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Site difficulty
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Site difficulty
Slopes, rock, and long utility runs push site work well above a flat lot. |
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Kitchen package
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Kitchen package
Allowance for a whole-house kitchen scope inside the build — not a remodel of an existing home. |
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Bathrooms
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Bathrooms
Package allowance for the bath count in a new build. |
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Soft costs
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Soft costs
Optional ~12% for design, lender fees, and carrying costs. Land still excluded. |
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Your state
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Your state
Scales midpoints vs U.S. average — not a builder bid. |
How to use this calculator
- Enter planned living square footage and bedroom count.
- Choose style, finish level, and garage.
- Set site difficulty and kitchen/bath packages.
- Optionally include a soft-cost allowance.
- Pick your state and review the itemized total.
Results explained
The headline stacks shell/living area, garage, site work, kitchen, baths, and optional soft costs after state scaling. It is not a turnkey price with land.
Quick reference: build building blocks
U.S.-average midpoints before state and style multipliers.
| Line | Midpoint |
|---|---|
| Mid-range living area | $195 / sq ft |
| Custom / higher-end | $285 / sq ft |
| Per-bedroom package (mid) | $6,500 |
| Garage | ~55% of living rate |
| Typical site work | $22k + $10/sq ft |
| Mid-range kitchen package | $35,000 |
| 2.5 baths package | $26,000 |
| Soft costs (optional) | ~12% of hard costs |
Style multipliers: ranch ×1.00 · two-story ×1.05 · modern/complex ×1.18 on living-area line.
How the estimate is built
Living area × finish rate × style multiplier, plus a per-bedroom finish package, garage at ~55% of the living rate, site work, kitchen and bath packages, optional soft costs, then state scaling.
Example scenario
A 2,000 sq ft mid-range ranch with a 2-car garage, typical site, mid kitchen, and 2.5 baths at U.S. average hard costs typically lands near the low-to-mid $500,000s in this model before land or soft costs.
FAQ
Why exclude land?
Lot prices swing by neighborhood more than build rates. Keep land as its own budget line.
Is this a production-home price?
It’s a transparent midpoint stack — production incentives and upgrades can land lower or higher.
Basement?
Not modeled as a separate finished level. Treat a full finished basement as extra living area or a separate line with your builder.