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False advertising?

March 9th, 2010 at 09:04 pm

I have a friend who wants to build a small rental house in another city. Of course, she wants the house built as cheaply as possible.
People always think my husband is too expensive because he builts everything so perfectly and does all the work himself.
Of course, she said, I can't afford your husband.

She got a bid from a large company that builds in many, many states.(in the south) Their ad says that they can build a house for $48 a square foot.

The house she wants to build is simple and about 1600 square feet. We usually estimate a plain house at about $100 a square foot; a fancier place at about $110 a square foot. So, I told her it would cost about $160,000 to build the house. (if we built it)

If they could build the house for $48 a square foot, it SHOULD cost $76,800.
However, when she got their quote, the total came to $160,000. You see they don't tell you about all the things you DON'T get for your $48 a square foot. You don't get permits, a septic tank, grading, excavation, crawl space or basement, concrete, or even the floor put on the house. Plus anything extra like hardwood flooring or hardiplank all cost you extra.

When my husband quotes a house at $100 a foot, that includes everything, even porches. (does not include landscaping or driveway paving)

I am sure she will go with this company because she considers them to be such a bargain. To me, it is just false advertising.

Actually, to be considered the best builder in the area, I think my husband is quite reasonable.

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “False advertising?”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    March 9th, 2010 at 09:30 pm 1268170208
    1268170208

    Yep, your husband sounds very reasonable. Too bad your friend doesn't realize it. Smile

  2. dtjunkie Says:
    March 9th, 2010 at 09:41 pm 1268170898
    1268170898

    Thanks Ima for giving us the info on realistically what it takes to build a house. Very useful information!

  3. Analise Says:
    March 9th, 2010 at 10:59 pm 1268175562
    1268175562

    You are absolutely right about the hidden costs. It is like a "bait and switch" deal in some ways. If I were your friend, I would want to go with your dh, an honest, high-quality builder. But he may not want to travel to another city and maybe it's best to not deal with friends who are this clueless about the real cost of things.

  4. Ima saver Says:
    March 10th, 2010 at 01:46 pm 1268228798
    1268228798

    Analise, I have to agree with you. It is hard to deal with friends who will not take your advice. I advised her against buying a time share; she bought two. I advised her against buying her first house here because of the huge power lines; she bought anyway. Now she has dropped her price by $130,000 and still can't sell. No one wants to look at the huge power lines.

  5. Homebody Says:
    March 10th, 2010 at 03:55 pm 1268236544
    1268236544

    $100.00 a square foot here is a pretty good deal.

  6. Mary Ann Says:
    March 10th, 2010 at 05:54 pm 1268243658
    1268243658

    That sounds like a real good deal. How do you figure the footage? I have a one story house that is 46' x 26' with a full basement.Would that be known as 1170 sq feet or 2340 sq. feet?

  7. Ima saver Says:
    March 10th, 2010 at 07:59 pm 1268251189
    1268251189

    The main floor of the house is figured at $100 a square foot, 1170 at $100 per foot. the basement is figured at $50 a square foot finished, 1170 at $50, so your 2340 finished home should cost $175,700 to build. We figure garages at $25 per square foot.

  8. Wonderlake653 Says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 05:18 am 1268284697
    1268284697

    I think you should let your friend go with the big pockets company. She will in the end come back to you and have your husband fix their mistakes. At the outset it is better she not hire your husband because then she would probably want "comps" along the way - sort of like the house your husband has worked on over the winter where the guy wanted to do a lot of his own work but use your husbands tools. Let your friend make her own mistakes so your husband can fix them. Good luck!

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