Many people love the idea of building their own house from scratch. It’s really the only way to get exactly what you want, where you want. 

Today, you can expect $250 per square foot to build new in Miami-Dade County as the starting point, and that can go up depending on the features you choose (that can go down a little too if we’re very strategic about how we build). 

Where does most of your money go when building from scratch? Here’s a breakdown of the biggest expenses, along with some suggestions for how to keep the total price tag at a minimum. 

The Cost of Land and Site Work In Miami

A significant portion of the cost of your new home will go towards land-related expenses. In addition to the property’s purchase price, this includes land preparation (e.g. tree removal, leveling), surveying, and water and sewer inspections. You’ll also have to secure the necessary permits from your city or municipality before your builder can begin construction. 

Since land-related costs are so high, you may be able to save by building in a less popular location outside of a major city. For instance, it’s much cheaper to build a new home in a smaller village like Weston instead of Miami-Dade County.

Foundation and Framing

The foundation and framing of your home will undoubtedly be among your largest expenses. Why? Because so much material and labor is required, even for a medium-sized home. So, there aren’t many opportunities to save in this area, though there are some (such as how we engineer the drainage system from under the foundation). Framing-related costs not only include the supporting framework of the house (a.k.a. the house’s skeleton), but also exterior finishes such as the home’s doors, roof, siding, and windows. 

Major Internal Systems

Another massive expense for building a new home is major systems, which includes plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. A home needs a lot of pipes, wires, and ducts to come to life, and it takes a team of skilled tradespeople to make this happen. Since you can’t do much about the cost of your electrical system and you don’t want your home’s pipes to be made from subpar materials, trimming the budget isn’t really an option.

There are options though to keep costs down that some architects don’t prioritize – for example, making sure we design your home so that standard-sized PVC piping works perfectly and doesn’t require custom PVC piping to be made will keep construction costs lower without changing the home. 

Interior Finishes

Interior finishes include drywall, insulation, painting, lighting, cabinets, countertops, appliances, flooring, and plumbing fixtures. These features give your home its personality, but unlike the previous expenses, you actually have some more control over your choices. You can spend more on what truly matters to you, and less on things that aren’t as essential to your lifestyle. 

For instance, depending on how you prefer to use your home, there are many places where you can save costs so you can splurge on the aspects that are the most important to you. 

Exterior Finishes

Depending on your vision, the exterior of your home can be very costly. If you want your home to have a patio, a deck, and a pool along with mature trees, plants, and a lovely garden, have your wallet ready. Landscaping can eat up a good chunk of these expenses, but you can complete this work in stages over longer periods of time. Still, this is very similar to interior finishes in that you should splurge on exterior elements that matter the most to you, then see what is remaining in your budget after the must-have’s are squared away. 

If you want to get an extremely precise picture of how much it will cost to build in your desired location, contacting a local architect is a great first step. We are happy to help you build a realistic budget for your project and walk you through each stage of this life-changing journey. Get in touch today, let’s work together!