“How many dollars per square foot does it take to build a custom home?” This is a question we hear nearly every day in the home building world. This week, Andy Stauffer wrote an article in Builder Magazine explain why this question is so challenging to builders, and offers a better way to have a discussion about pricing. Here’s an excerpt:

“…in residential construction, there is simply no agreed upon standard for what constitutes a square foot. No grocer would have trouble telling you what a gallon of milk costs, and what it contains. It is not so easy, however, to decide what is contained in a square foot of home. For example, do builders only include finished square footage in their estimates? Do they count unfinished basements? Does a square foot include the garage and deck? Therein lies the complication: it’s up to each builder to decide for themselves.”

Read the article here.