How Much Does It Cost to Build a House From Top to Bottom in 2024?
Normal range: $138,768 - $525,966
The average cost to build a house is $319,225, and most projects total between $138,768 and $525,966. A pro will factor in location, material quality, home size, and more.
The average cost to build a house is $319,225, but prices vary widely depending on your home's size, location, and materials you use. Prices can range anywhere between $1,570 and $945,000, depending on many different factors that you’ll need to discuss with the builder. On average, you can expect to pay around $150 per square foot for new construction.
- Average
- $319,225
- Low end
- $1,570
- high end
- $945,000
Cost to Build a House per Square Foot
A house can cost anywhere from $100 to $500 per square foot to build, with the average sitting right around $150 per square foot. The higher end of this range accounts for building luxury homes or homes in large cities like San Francisco or New York. The size and type of house you choose will also affect what you’ll pay.
| Home Size (Sq. Ft.) | Average Cost | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $150,000 | $100,000–$500,000 |
| 1,500 | $225,000 | $150,000–$750,000 |
| 1,750 | $262,500 | $175,000–$875,000 |
| 2,000 | $300,000 | $200,000–$1,000,000 |
| 2,200 | $330,000 | $220,000–$1,100,000 |
| 3,000 | $450,000 | $300,000–$1,500,000 |
Cost to Build a House by Number of Bedrooms
It’s helpful to have an idea of the total construction cost based on the number of bedrooms since that will likely be the first thing you decide. You can expect to pay $100,000 to $120,000 per bedroom. Note that the added cost comes from not only the additional square footage for the bedroom but also larger living spaces, additional bathrooms, and utilities to support additional occupants. The average home in the U.S. today is about 2,220 square feet and has three bedrooms.
Here are the new construction home costs based on the number of bedrooms at the average price of $150 per square foot.
| Bedrooms | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Three | $130,000–$225,000 |
| Four | $250,000–$350,000 |
| Five | $350,000–$450,000 |
General Contractor Costs
A general contractor will usually charge between 10% and 20% of the total construction cost as their fee rather than charging by the hour or per square foot. With the typical cost to build a home sitting around {{nationalAvgCost}}, you can expect to pay an average of $32,000 to $64,000 for a general contractor.
This may seem like a lot of money, but general contractors act as project managers, coordinating with plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, and more to make your dream become a reality. They also often carry out some of the construction and finishing work, making them an integral part of the process.
Construction Manager Costs
Construction managers usually charge between 5% and 15% of the total project costs, or an average of between $16,000 and $48,000. Construction managers handle many of the same tasks as general contractors, but they usually don’t have a hand in the actual construction and finishing details. However, they’re more likely to begin working on your project earlier, getting involved in the design phase and helping get drawings and plans for your home before construction begins.
Architect Costs
An architect costs between $125 and $250 per hour, but most charge based on a percentage of the total construction cost—usually between 5% and 15%. That puts total costs between $16,000 and $48,000.
Structural Engineer Costs
A structural engineer costs between $70 and $250 per hour. However, most will charge for new construction based on flat fees, with costs ranging from $2,000 to $8,500. Many architects will have a structural engineer on staff and will include their services as a part of their total cost, so you might not have to budget separately for an engineer if you’re hiring an architect.
Additional Pros to Consider Hiring
Building a house is a massive undertaking, so you’ll likely need to consider hiring other professionals, depending on what your general contractor can handle. Below are some common experts you might need, along with typical pricing:
Draftsperson costs: $75 to $125 per hour
Foundation contractor costs: $4,000 to $14,700
House framer costs: $1,400 to $7,700
Plumber costs: $45 to $200 per hour
Electrician costs: $50 to $100 per hour
HVAC technician costs: $5,000 to $12,500
Roofer costs: $5,900 to $13,200
Location
The location of your project will affect the cost of land and materials, and labor costs will also scale with the local cost of living. You can expect to pay significantly more per square foot to build a home in a major metropolitan area or in a state with a higher cost of living than in a rural area in a more affordable part of the country.
| State | Avg. Cost to Build a House |
|---|---|
| California | $458,000 |
| Florida | $328,000 |
| Georgia | $291,000 |
| Illinois | $303,000 |
| Michigan | $291,000 |
| New York | $395,000 |
| North Carolina | $312,000 |
| Ohio | $301,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $304,000 |
| Texas | $293,000 |
Additional Cost Factors
There are many other minor cost factors to consider, too, including the general contractor you hire, the cost of land and lot clearing, local permitting costs, and more.
Land
Lot prices will have a significant impact on your new home cost, as you can find pieces of land between $3,000 and all the way up to $150,000 and beyond. Highly sought-out areas and lots without prior hookups to utilities will increase your total costs.
“The location of the house makes a huge difference in the price,” says Bob Tschudi, Angi Expert Review Board member and general contractor in Raleigh, NC. “We were recently looking at small parcels for a tiny home and the same exact square footage ranged from $25,000 to $150,000. So you have to look at the overall value of the final product.”
When choosing your plot, consider whether or not it’s hooked up to local utilities. You could pay an average of $3,000 to connect to a sewer line in the street or, alternatively, between $3,600 and $12,400 to install a septic system. If your plot isn’t connected to the grid, you could pay an additional $12,250, on average, to run an electrical line to your new home build.
House Plans and Design Fees
Once you secure the land, you can choose from either stock or custom home design plans. Pre-designed layouts come in plenty of options tailored to your needs, and they don’t require an architect to draw up your design from scratch. You can even take a stock design and make some customizations to suit your personal style and preferences. You'll pay between $500 and $5,000 for stock plans.
You can also tailor your home to your exact vision by hiring a local architect, but the cost of blueprints ranges from $5,000 to $20,000. Remember that an architect may also charge based on the size of the project. Expect to pay between 5% and 15% of the total home cost for new construction plans.
Permits and Inspection Fees
Construction building permits cost between $500 and $2,000 for new home construction, in most cases, but this can run higher depending on your area's local laws and the size of your home. You may also need permits for garages, utility hookups, patios, or land grading. If you’re in a rush and can’t wait the standard time it takes to get building permits, you may need to hire an expeditor to move the process along more quickly.
Additionally, you will need to hire an inspector before moving into your home to ensure everything is safe and up to code. Expect to pay an average of $350 for an inspection for new construction.
Site Work/Excavation
The cost of the land aside, you might need to pay for excavating, surveying, and grading the site before you can lay the foundation. Excavation and grading will cost between $1,500 and $5,600 on average, while land surveyor costs for a new construction range from $100 to $600. If you’re starting with totally undeveloped land, you may also need to remove vegetation and other debris. Land clearing costs between $1,400 and $6,200.
Foundation
The cost of your foundation will come down to where you live, the soil conditions, and the type of foundation that’s best for your home.
| Foundation Type | Cost (per sq. ft.) |
|---|---|
| Basement | $20–$37 |
| Crawl space | $6–$18 |
| Pier and beam | $6–$12 |
| Slab | $5–$16 |
Unless you’re well-versed in construction, you’ll probably want to lean on a structural engineer to help you determine the correct foundation type and inspect the foundation after its completion.
Framing
The framing is the outer support beams that structure your home, determining its layout and number of floors. This part of the project costs between $20,000 and $50,000, depending on the type of building materials you choose and the labor cost in your area.
The most common type of house framing is platform framing using lumber, but more durable options like steel framing will cost up to 20% more. Again, a structural engineer or contractor will make—or help you make—the call about which type of house framing is right for you.
Exterior Finishes
Exterior finishes, from the siding to the shingles on your roof, will account for $25,000 to $60,000 of your overall home-building costs. You and your team will have a lot of decisions to make depending on the exterior style you’re going for and the best options for your local climate, among other factors. Things like high-end roofing materials and gutters will increase your cost but also provide a greater ROI.
Interior Finishes
Moving on to the interior work of your home is an exciting phase. This stage is the moment to determine the flooring, the paint colors, and all appliances and home systems that make your house a home. Assume you'll pay between $50,000 and $175,000 for all interior finishes.
The higher cost range accounts for more complex and sought-after materials. These include everything from insulation with higher R-values to beautiful marble countertops. Nearly every category, however, offers options for all budget preferences.
Installing Home Systems
Behind the ceiling, walls, and floorboards, contractors install all the systems that keep your home connected to local utilities. In total, you'll pay between $30,000 and $75,000 to install all major home systems, including plumbing lines, electrical wires, and HVAC ductwork.
HVAC
An entire heating and cooling system that manages both an AC and a furnace will cost an average of $7,500. Separately, central air costs between $3,900 and $8,000, while a furnace costs from $2,800 to $6,800 on average.
Electrical
Wiring a whole house will cost an average of $10,000 between materials and labor when you hire a local electrician. Remember that most land plots already have access to the local grid. However, if you need to connect the property to electrical service for the first time, connecting your new home to the grid will cost an average of $12,250 on top of the $10,000 you’ll pay for interior electrical work.
Plumbing
Rough-in plumbing is a term you’ll encounter in the home building process, and it refers to the pipes and fixtures your plumber adds to new construction for the first time. In other words, these are the pipes in the walls, ceiling, and floorboards that connect directly to your home's water supply and your fixtures. The term does not refer to all the faucets, showerheads, appliances, and fixtures that come later.
Rough-in plumbing for a whole house will cost between $7,500 and $15,000.
After the rough-in plumbing, you must account for all the fixtures you use directly daily. Standard plumbing-related fixtures and expenses include the following:
Kitchen or bathroom sink: $220–$670
Toilet: $220–$530
Shower: $200–$1,500
Bathtub: $400–$4,200
Water heater: $880–$1,800
Off-Site Living Expenses
Don't forget that you and your family will need somewhere to live as your professionals build your home. Whether you've yet to move from your old place or are renting a smaller apartment nearby, you'll spend between $8,600 and $11,900 for about seven months—the average time it takes to build a home.
Outdoor Structures
The outside of your home deserves just as much love as the inside, so don't forget about your lawn and outdoor living space. One of the many cost factors to build a green home includes how the structure relates to the surrounding environment. Even if you’re building a standard home without green features, you’ll likely want a landscape designed to make your home shine. Hiring a landscape designer costs between $1,900 and $7,200.
Site Cleanup
While many home builders will include the basic cleanup in their fee, including hauling leftover materials, you may still end up with some excess dust and leftover building material before moving in. The cost to clean up a construction site costs between $250 and $1,250 for a 2,500-square-foot home or between $0.10 and $0.50 per square foot.
Cost to Build a House Yourself vs. Hiring a Pro
The DIY reality of building a home yourself from start to finish heavily depends on the extent of your project, and doing too much yourself is one of the most common home building mistakes.
While you can cut down on up to 40% of your project costs by leaving out labor, not all parts of the home building process are doable without significant experience and even a license. Your home must be able to pass inspection to show it meets local safety and zoning codes, and most municipalities require that licensed professionals sign off on things like plumbing and electrical systems before you get a certificate of occupancy and can move in. It can also be extremely dangerous to attempt some heavy construction work without experience.
All this being said, the cost of building a home yourself will mean something different for everyone. Hire a construction manager over a general contractor, for example, if you want to work directly with each designer and specialist hired. You can also take on smaller-yet-significant parts of the process, such as learning how to install floor tiles, hanging drywall, painting the interior, or installing appliances like the dishwasher. Leave the rest of the work to a custom homebuilder near you.
Renovating vs. Building a New House
If you have an existing structure and are unsure whether it would be better to knock it down and start over or carry out a large-scale renovation to make your home conform to your ideas, the cost difference and limitations will likely be the largest determining factors.
First, consider the scale of the changes you want to make. If you have a slab foundation but want a basement and also want to change the entire floor plan of your home, you’ll probably meet your goals better by demolishing the old house and building new construction. If you’re instead looking for small alterations to the floor plan but mostly want new floors, a new kitchen, and new bathrooms, a home renovation will likely meet your needs and cost far less.
For comparison, the average cost of a home renovation is around $52,000, although prices can go up to $90,000 or more, depending on the scope. The average cost of new construction is {{nationalAvgCost}}, not including demolition. The bottom line is that building a new house will almost always be more costly, but you’ll have far more freedom in the changes you make, so it might be a better option for a total home overhaul. If you’re still not sure, hire a general contractor to help you decide what’s feasible as far as your renovation goes and which will be more affordable.
How to Save on the Costs of Building a House
So, how do you keep homebuilding costs under control as you launch into this large endeavor? While there are plenty of small tips to save cash in each category, there are a few things you can do to save thousands:
Choose a plot of land attached to utilities and the local sewer system. This alone will save you between $6,200 and $34,600 on the cost of setting up utilities.
Work with a general contractor familiar with your area and style of home to unlock local knowledge about permits, materials, and trusted contractors. They’ll also finish the job more quickly, so there’s less concern about how long your building permits will last before you need to reapply.
Set your budget in stone before meeting with your contractor, but keep a buffer for necessary changes and unexpected delays.
Consider building up instead of out to lower costs. An additional floor requires fewer materials than a larger ground floor with a wider foundation. By building up, you can add more square footage at a fraction of the cost.
DIY any tasks that you can like painting, caulking, driveway sealing, basic landscaping, installing light fixtures, installing flooring, and hanging drywall.
Opt for stock plans over custom plans. Not only will your general contractor be more familiar with the cost of materials, but you will significantly reduce the cost of an architect.
Project Pitfalls to Avoid
Unless you’ve been through the home building process before, it can be daunting (and even if you have, each build will look a little bit different). Hiring a general contractor is one of the most important things you can do to avoid the top mistakes when building a home. You can also avoid some issues by keeping the following pitfalls in mind.
Don’t move too quickly: Take your time when choosing the right location, general contractor, and building team. Speak with at least three general contractors that are highly recommended by friends, family members, or neighbors.
Don’t go DIY crazy: A great team leader will help guide your ideas toward the most budget-friendly and stylish options available, and they’ll also save you time and frustration. Feel free to DIY what you can, but don’t overdo it.
Don’t be too hands-off: While you don’t want to do too much, you should also make sure you’re involved throughout the process. Keep a consistent communication schedule with your general contractor, and always read and re-read contracts before signing.
Don’t underestimate time and money: Make sure you have wiggle room to spend a bit more when surprise fees or dream installations come across your desk.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed thousands of real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is almost always more affordable to buy an existing home than to build one from scratch. First of all, new construction mortgage interest rates are often higher than traditional loans. Also, when building a home, you're covering the cost of brand-new finishes, appliances, electrics, plumbing, utility hookups, and labor. Between the cost of labor and permits, building a home will often cost more in the long run.
Ranch and colonial-style homes are often the most affordable to build. They have a common layout with available designs that are easy to adjust in simple ways without having to spend too much on a structural engineer or architect. Both types of homes' symmetry, simple roofs, and often one or two-story plans mean they often fall in the $150 to $200 square-foot range, putting them right around average.
Above all, the downside to building a new house is a longer timeline. You need several months to finish the build, depending on the supply chain and labor availability in the meantime. Building a home compared to buying one is also more expensive, both in the building process and when it comes to mortgage rates and property taxes.