how much does it cost to build a house
You still have to either poor a cement slab, or put in footings and foundations, which in the case of the later, go down to frost level. You still have backfill whether you have a basement or not. You still have sub-rough plumbing, with gravel before the slab. With a slab you will have furnace ducting to consider too.
Even though you have all the above items to consider in building a basement, it is still only a few thousand dollars more to add a basement, in comparison to the total cost of building your home.
Considering that your home may be worth $250 thousand to $400,000, your basement will probably only cost $7K-$10K+ added to the cost. All things considered, there isn't a better investment for that extra 10K in comparison to doubling the living space of the first level, that a basement adds.
As an example, consider the storage space it adds to your home. If you didn't have to rent storage space, what would it save you each month? Or wouldn't it be nice to park the car in the garage instead of using it for storage space?
In addition, the basement maintains an even temperature of around 59 degrees all year, so the cost of air conditioning in the summer is drastically reduced when compared with air-conditioning an upper story with the same amount of floor space.
If you build your home on a hillside, a walkout basement makes for a nice feature opening up the basement so it doesn't feel so "deep" in the ground.
Many people are putting home theaters in the area of the basement that doesn't have any windows.
The furnace, hot water tank and water softener can all go in the basement utility-furnace room and not take up precious main floor living space.
Some areas of the country are too close to sea level to have a basement, but if you live inland, having a basement is a real advantage when compared to the cost of putting one in. To dig a basement is a an economical way to increase the square footage of your home.
In reality, what is the cost to dig a basement? Very little, and the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
This could be your time to build. You've decided that the only way you're going to make this happen is by building a kit home. You understand the advantages of having the majority of the materials in one package with much of the framing labor done for you.
And, you appreciate the value of controlling your costs.
But, what is the price tag? You just want know! Well, you need to dig much deeper than that. First it's critical to set the stage a little.
The Kit Home Price Tag is Just Part of the Equation