CedarCoast :: FAQ's

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Why do your homes often have a higher cost/sq.ft. than high-end city homes?

Cost per square foot is not an accurate way to analyze and compare building cost. There are many factors that can skew cost per square foot far out of proportion. There are also many realities that make the construction of a “one-off” home in cottage country much more costly than a city house. Finally, if you break down the costs of most “high-end” homes in the city, most of the expense is in the finishing – granite tops, trimwork, etc., but the structure of the house is built very inexpensively.

Here are a few of the reasons why most urban homes, even “high-end” ones, are actually less expensive to build:

1) They are usually large (3,000 to 5,000 s.f.) so the economies of scale have a huge impact. For example, a $30,000 kitchen is $15 per s.f. in a 2,000 square foot home and only $7.50 in a 4,000 s.f. house. These economies impact every aspect of the house. The furnace in a 4,000 s.f. house is not much more expensive than in a 2,000 s.f. house, etc., etc.

2) The large city house tends to be a full 2-storey (fairly ‘squarish’) shape, with a few roof line additions to take the ‘boxeyness’ out. It will have a truss roof and flat ceilings, for the most part. A 2-storey structure with a truss roof is much cheaper to build (even if it is “custom”) than most high-end timber frame homes. And, the fact is, most city home are not custom at all. They are duplicated and produced in quantity, not as one-offs.

3) Building in an urban center reduces material costs; concrete is about 25% less expensive; materials in general are slightly more competitively priced from lumber yards and deliveries are easier (shorter distance).

4) Urban homes tend not to have soaring ceilings with large timbers (making the living room a fraction of the cost of one of our great rooms).

5) Our entry doors in solid wood with glass and sidelights can be 2 to 5 times the cost of a steel entry door.

6) Building on a sloped lot with limited access around the home adds a lot of expense. A walk-out basement adds significant cost. Building on rock adds significant cost.

7) Urban homes will have aluminum fascia and soffits, which is about 25% of the cost of cedar. Therefore the impact is 4X the price with our homes.

8) Brick is not much different in cost from factory stained cedar. Brick may be slightly more, but when you add our architectural trimwork details, it is probably about the same.

9) Our homes also tend to have most of the high end items – solid wood doors throughout, high end windows, etc.

10) Our homes tend to incorporate large covered porches, which add significantly to the cost per square foot of the house, especially when they are made from timber.

There are other factors and the two houses really cannot be compared. CedarCoast competes in many markets. We are very competitively priced with similar quality offerings.

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