Summary: Kit homes or package homes are an excellent way to both save money and be fairly sure of the total cost of the home building materials that will be going into your new home.
Hi Carl,
Great website! I hope you can help with my question.
I saw a Kit House on the Menards.com website.
I realized their price is the material etc.
I was wondering, how much does it cost to build a 1500 square foot kit home?
Thanks,
Joe
Hi Joe,
Kit homes have been around for a really long time.
Here’s a 1923 ad for a Sears Kit House.
Courtesy of AntiqueHomeStyle.com
You will notice that the price or cost of materials for this Sears 1,008 sq ft new home kit is $2,349 and the estimated finished value is $6,500 (excluding land). Those are about the same ratios of building material costs to finished value that you will find today.
Here’s a 1,456 sq ft Menards Kit Home that costs $53,964 that would probably have a finished value of at least $160, 000 to $170,000 (excluding land).
Plan: G20164 Courtesy of Menards
Kit homes or package homes are an excellent way to both save money and be fairly sure of the total cost of the home building materials that will be going into your new home.
Total Living Area: 1456 sq. ft. Bedrooms: 3 Baths: 2
Material Lists Include:
Framing Materials, Flooring, Windows, Plumbing & Fixtures, Trim & Cabinets, Lights & Electrical, Doors,
Roofing & Siding.
So, what will the total cost of construction be? Basically, you just add labor and a few other construction cost items as shown on the cost breakdown below (see image)! Note: Subcontracted labor is normally (approximately) the same total cost as the home building material total cost.
Using the “Cost to Build Calculator” found on my “Getting Started” page for a 1,456 sq ft single story new home built in Biloxi MS (Because a reader recently asked for the cost to build a new house in Biloxi MS Zip 39530) I came up with the following approximate construction cost estimate:
Materials: $73,735.00
Labor: $69,413.00
Total cost including other construction costs such as permits, plans, etc. and a General Contractor’s Markup of $20,364 = $174,702
Here is the construction cost breakdown:
Click on image to enlarge:
It looks like Menards has a pretty good deal!
Since Menards doesn't supply foundation materials, I subtracted that cost ($4,089) from the calculator's total cost of materials of $73,735 leaving $69,646 as the calculator's total cost of materials.
Calculator’s total cost of materials = $69,646
Menards total cost of materials = $53,964
Savings = $15,682...reducing the total (approximate) cost of construction to $159,020.
It appears that Menards gives you almost a 23% savings on your home building materials! Sweet!
Good luck,
Carl
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