One of the first questions many prospective clients ask is how much will my house cost to build?  This is a valid and important question but also is one that is difficult to answer.  Because every custom home is different, the cost to build them will also be different.  Many things effect the total cost.  The site location and topography for example is the lot flat or is it on the side of a cliff?  How many floors? Will there be a garage and if so is it attached or not, how big?  Is the design a simple one or more complex?  Then of course there are many choices in finishes that all come at a different cost.  Things like cabinets, counters, windows, doors, flooring etc…. all are available in different price points.  These questions and the decisions that go along with them are what makes building a custom home fun and what makes the house truly yours!  Do you want to build near Purgatory ski area? Engineer Village, Two Dogs, Twilight peaks? Or is in town Durango or Bayfield better?  In the city or out in the country?  These areas all have their unique features and we would love to discus them with you.

Our preference is to be involved from the beginning when helping you budget for your custom home.  If we can work together with the client and the designer we have a much better chance of meeting the budget expectations and creating a design that works well.  Once that design is complete we can gather accurate prices from the various subcontractor and suppliers we use to complete the budget.  Even at that point it is important to plan for contingencies.  It seems like there are always a few things that have to be changed or some other unknown circumstance.  If we can work together to create a comprehensive budget to go with the design and include a reasonable contingency in the budget it is very likely your total costs will come in at or under budget.

So while the costs vary considerably to build a custom home, proper planning can ensure that the finished product is exactly what you want and within the budget. The long term savings from building a green/energy efficient home needs to be considered as well.