Building a new house from scratch is like any other major endeavor. It’s all about being prepared, and knowing exactly what you’re getting into. The more you learn about the actual process of building new, the easier this journey will be. Many people love the idea of building a home that’s completely customized to their lifestyle but don’t know where to start, that’s what makes it seem so intimidating.

So, we thought we’d put together this guide to some of the most common concerns about building new. We’ll start by answering the first question that often comes to mind: How much land do I actually need?

How Much Land Do You Need to Build New?

The amount of land you need for your new build can vary, depending on the size of your home. So, while we can’t tell you specifically how much land you’ll need if we don’t know the size of your home, we can give you the ballpark. In general, you should be looking at a lot three times the size of footprint you want your home to be.

Of course, this can vary wildly in reality – but the standard is for the main structure’s footprint of a single family home to be 35% of the lot.

As for the amount of space you need for different areas of your home, the rough starting point for homes is:

• Kitchen: about 15% of a home’s square footage
• Living Room: about 10% of a home’s square footage
• Bedrooms + Bathrooms: about 26% of a home’s square footage
• Primary Suite: about 24% of a home’s square footage
• Family Room: about 15% of a home’s square footage
• Dining Room: about 10% of a home’s square footage

These numbers of course can be adjusted to fit your family’s needs. Part One of this series delves into how much space you may actually need. Read it here.

How Much Does it Cost to Build New in Miami?

Miami-wide, you can expect to pay approximately $250 per square foot to build new. These are construction costs, so independent of buying the lot. It includes the foundation, the framing, the interior finishes, the major system rough-ins, the exterior finishes, the site work, the final steps, and the design.

Your biggest independent variable in the cost of building a new home is interior and exterior finishes, which include lighting, cabinets, countertops, appliances, flooring, and plumbing fixtures.

In another part of this series, we break down the costs associated with new construction homes in Miami.

How Should You Design a Home from Scratch?

If you’re building from scratch, you want this to be the home you live in forever, right? So, you’re not just designing a home for now. You’re designing a home that will continue meeting your needs for decades on end.

Designing a home with longevity in mind maximizes the value of the finished project. Many homes aren’t designed to accommodate senior citizens and growing kids, but this is exactly what you get to do when you build from scratch. Be sure to read about designing for the long haul, here.

This is why it’s so important to recruit an experienced architect early on. You can devote all the time you need to the planning and design phase, ensuring there’s zero flaws in the design you and your architect agree on. So, when you’re ready to build the home of your dreams, get in touch and we’ll walk you through each step of this life-changing journey.