With the real estate market as difficult as it is right now, many people are thinking about building their own homes. There are all kinds of options available to you with home construction. You can choose any design you can think of and can gear the home to your particular needs. This is why knowing shouse costs can help you decide if one of these homes is right for you.
People who work for themselves and need space for their jobs know how difficult it can be. Renting a workspace is just one more added expense to your cost of doing business. A shouse is a great way to combine your work and residential needs into one building. By understanding shouse cost and what goes into shouse construction, you can build your perfect building.
What is a Shouse?
A shouse is a portmanteau of the words “shop” and “house.” They are also sometimes called barndominiums, but there is a distinct difference between these two types of homes. With a barndominium, the home is primarily a residence with no other purpose built in. With a shouse, the workspace takes up most of the floorplan, and the residence is more or less secondary.
That being said, that doesn’t mean that the residential portion has to be sparse. Shouses can look like traditional homes on the inside with a little imagination and design. Even though shouses use post-frame structures like most warehouses or garages, they can be beautiful homes. Knowing shouse cost can help you decide if one of them is right for you.
What is the Average Shouse Cost?
When thinking about building a shouse, you must know what to expect price-wise. This will help you plan for your construction and decide if it is within your price range. However, it is important to remember that shouse costs will depend heavily on things like location and design. All shouses will be different, and not all of them will fit within a certain price range.
For the most part, you can expect to pay between $105 and $185 per square foot. This shouse cost can change, though, depending on the size of the building and your land. Also, if you plan on upgrading your shop, many other costs could be involved. However, this figure is a good place to start and will give you a baseline.
Permits
One of the often-overlooked costs that are part of the shouse building process is permits. While you will need to get several permits to get your construction, these will not be free. Plus, the cost of the permits for your shouse will depend on how your municipality handles them. All of them will have different costs, and you may have to save up more depending on where you live.
For the most part, a building permit will cost anywhere between $450 and $2,300. Some counties will give you a permit cost that is dependent on the appraisal of the potential home. However, shouse costs can be difficult to nail down, which can cause problems. Contact your local assessor’s office to find out what you can expect to pay for your permits.
Site Preparation
One part of shouse cost that should not be overlooked is building site preparation. When you purchase a plot of land to build your home on, it will not be ready to go right away. You will have to do things like clear trees and level out the ground. This will not be cheap and you should factor this in when figuring out your shouse cost.
You will have to get the land surveyed before you can start clearing it to figure out what you need to do. From there, clearing the land will cost somewhere between $3 and $15 per square foot. Tree removal is also not going to be free. Trees cost between $350 and $1,000 to completely remove so that they don’t come back.
Materials
Materials are going to be your biggest shouse cost no matter what kind of home you are building. Your foundation will be your first building cost and this will heavily depend on your style and preferences. Depending on the type of foundation, it will cost between $4 and $30 per square foot. If you want a basement, you can add another $30 per square foot to that figure.
The framing of the shouse will cost between $16 and $20 per linear foot, depending on the material you use. The roof will be, on average, around $2 per square foot. These numbers are based on size, so your shouse cost will change based on your design. Knowing this before you start is a great way to be prepared for your project.
To help save money on materials, you can use a kit provider when it comes to materials. Check out our 2000 sq ft kits. There are many other sizes available as well.
Labor
One of the biggest contributors to shouse cost is the labor involved with construction. Even if you are going to be doing some of the work yourself, some labor will be involved. However, if you use a post frame-type structure, your build time will be cut quite a bit. The less time involved in construction, the cheaper your overall shouse cost will be.
You can count on labor being around 40 percent of your actual shouse cost. This means that depending on how much you plan on spending, you are looking at a significant portion for labor. However, you can save money by doing some of the work yourself. Make sure that your lender allows this, though, as some institutions require licensed contractors for lending.
Conclusion
Shouse cost will always heavily depend on your particular project. However, knowing some of the average costs can help you get an idea of where to start. With the right amount of preparation and a solid foundation, you can try to keep your shouse cost low.
If you would like more information on amazing alternative homes, be sure to check out the rest of Barndos.com. There, you will find all kinds of tips and tricks from the pros. You will also find featured barndos and shouses to get you inspired and thinking about your own home.