I realize there are a lot of variables in building a home, but can anyone give me a price range per sq/ft for College Station builders? I am in a very preliminary point of trying to make some decisions and have done some research but am wondering if College Station has any unique factors I should be considering.

In addition, could anyone recommend quality home builders in C.S.? Not looking at a luxury home (price point around 225k) but do want something besides a StyleCraft/Mainstreet builder.

Thanks for the thoughts

I believe it depends on what you are building. You could go with Froehling, who builds closer to $90/sq ft, though not sure what he would build for on your own land.

Or you could look into Ridgewood (more custom but no overly custom), IMO.

Or Heath Townsend and Blackstone, two of my personal favorites.

Where would you be building said house?

When I built with Heath Townsend in 2011, it was right at $120 a square foot for about 2000 sq. ft., and that was with very few upgrades/changes (his standard home came with a lot of nice features). The house was in Castle Rock, and at the time, this was on the high end of prices per sq. ft. in that neighborhood (I actually had a little trouble at appraisal). By the time I sold about 2 years later, he was still building there, and the price was up a few dollars a sq. ft. (maybe $122 or $123...I don't think it had reached $125). Magruder was in about the same range (also a good builder).

Prices have changed since 2011!

The nicer builders are 135-140/sq ft
Froehling is still cheaper i think around 105.

Blackstone is the way to go. They build standard with the upgraded items, and if you want to subtract things that 140/sq will reduce, but you get what you pay for.

A good example is David Weekly. They came into the market last year well under avergae price per sq foot b/c they were using Houston pricing (115-120). In novemeber when they realized that they could sell the same house for 20-25 more per sq ft, their prices shot up immediatly. (I receive a weekly newsletter from them)

Thanks for the insight. I have some land just outside of town (on Elmo Weedon). Have been debating for years whether to build an Aggie retreat. Sounds like the prices are a little frothy for me right now. Thanks again for the help.

depends what you want. on your land with you carrying the interest, you can get a basic no frills house for $80 sq ft.

if you build yourself closer to $70

the more frills you want the cost will go up

Are the houses you guys are quoting per square foot with or without land?

We plan on building in CS, custom home. Do you all have recommendations for other builders?

For custom, on the nicer end, Heath Townsend and Blackstone are two of my very favorites.

Others to consider: JP homes, Ridgewood, Eddie Green. I will think of more.

All of these build very nice homes.

My cost per sq ft included the lot. I did not own the lot when I went under contract to build and it was rolled into the final cost of the home.

Marriott is another highly regarded custom builder, but when I was looking, those were the most expensive per sq ft. I think around $150, and that was 3 years ago. Magruder homes are nice, as are Jimmy Pitman's homes.

What I found was that cost per sq ft is highly dependent on WHERE you want to build. New construction in Indian Lakes and Pebble Creek was much more expensive than Castle Rock, Creek Meadows, and other subdivisions. When Castlegate II opened up, the new construction there was also much higher per sq ft. The homes were very similar to those in Castle Rock but were going for $130+ per sq ft vs $115-$120-ish per sq ft in Castle Rock (this was less than a year ago when I sold my home).

The lesson I learned is to be very careful with the upgrades, if there is any chance you might have to sell in the next few years. Appraisals were a real pain, both when I bought and when I sold, because comps were all over the place. And, it was my experience that appraisers would not consider homes outside of your subdivision if homes have sold in your subdivision (ie, no comps. from Castlegate II were considered with my home in Castle Rock, even though the subdivisions are right across the highway from each other). When I sold my home in Castle Rock, I believe it sold for the most per sq. ft. compared to all of the other comps that had been on the MLS(not "custom" builds, as that sales info is typically not available), and I only sold it for $4500 more than what I paid for it.

Maybe things have changed a lot in the last 9 months...

Is it me, but when I compare costs to build in CS vs. Houston/DFW area it seems CS is well above those areas for what you are getting? Is this because of little or no competition? Or inability to get supplies or materials?

Depends on where in Houston...to get a comparable (comparable being the important word here) house in The Woodlands, I had to pay 30% more that what I paid for the house in CS. But, it looks like prices for new construction in CS are rapidly approaching what prices were in The Woodlands last year (they are continuing to go up, and there is the same problem with 1-3 year old resales vs new construction...HUGE variation in comps)

Chrisfield-
That's with lot/land included.

CS market is much more expensive than SOME areas of houston. until we get over built....that won't change

I probably wouldn't talk to anyone other than...

Heath Townsend
John Magruder
Matt Hamilton
Blackstone
Mariott



[This message has been edited by Mister mystery guest (edited 3/19/2014 6:52a).]

Thanks everyone.

Can anyone give me some feedback of homes they have lived in with these builders? The process etc? Looking for some people I can get some recommendations/feedback from. Using this forum to make a list of builders to interview, but would like to talk to some homeowners who also bought/lived in the homes of these builders.

We're using Jimmy pitman with pitman custom homes right now. He's been awesome. We chose him after a very thorough process of interviews, meeting with, and bids from a number of builders in town. In our opinion, the value and quality of his houses is second to none. Happy to visit more if you want. Chris at mercyproject.net

I mentioned above that I had a Heath Townsend home. I worked with him to tweak one of his existing floor plans and build a "semi-custom." The process went very smoothly, and he was very easy to work with. I don't know if he still does this, but I had some light fixtures that I already owned, and he hung them for me and also gave me a credit at the lighting store in the amount of the fixtures that I did not need. This allowed me to upgrade LR fan and master bath fixture at no additional cost. I also upgraded to HW floors all throughout the house (except laundry and baths) and he only charged me the difference in his price...no upcharge. The mega-builders here in Houston DO NOT do this. He also upgraded the dishwasher and only charged the difference in his builder cost, and went ahead and got the fridge that I wanted at his builder cost, and I just paid for that at closing. My point here is, he did not nickel and dime me. He also used mostly local vendors that made it very easy to make selections, changes, and I knew where almost everything in my house came from.

I did not really have any problems with my house while I lived there, but a couple of neighbors did, and he corrected the problems immediately. Even bought one neighbor a new garage freezer becauuse the problem caused some damage to their old one.

I had his cell phone number and texted him anytime I had a question or problem during the building process (the subs do make mistakes...you have to visit the job site on a daily basis, especially if you make any changes to a "standard" plan). When appraisal time came, there was a problem, and he went above and beyond to provide information that allowed me to have the appraisal adjusted in my favor. I also really appreciated the fact that he talked to me about NOT going overboard with upgrades. He understands the issues in College Station with new builds vs. resale, and he is not going try to sell you a bunch of crazy upgrades. If you want it, he will build it, but he will give appropriate, helpful advice.

The downside is, you're not going to get concessions like you (might) get on a spec home or with a big builder (ie, Weekley). I had to pay all of my own closing costs (but the lender he was using at the time was VERY reasonable) and didn't get any concessions like a fridge. But, that house was beautiful and solid. I enjoyed every second that I lived in it and selling it was a very difficult decision. When it came time to sell, there were buyers who looked at my home because they knew that Heath Townsend built it. I like the house I have now, but it does not have the craftsmanship that his house does. Also, I don't have a builder that I can text when I have a problem...LOL!

I also knew Jimmy Pitman...he was my neighbor. He and his wife are great people and he also builds a beautiful house. I would not hesitate to work with them, either.

[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 3/19/2014 8:40a).]

I live in a Heath Townsend now (similar to TXTrans').

We have been here a month and absolutely love it. It's obviously not perfect as we are not the original owners but we have been impressed so far. We agree that the only thing we would change is one light fixture - and I believe it's because it was an afterthought or something.

The things we point out as being above average - beam in secondary bedroom, intakes in bedrooms (becoming more standard but not necessarily for this age home), size of our porch, quality of cabinets, attic space, all stone fireplace...and frankly, it just feels solid.

Id invite you over but.... We still need a few weeks to settle!

Just curious...do any of these builder do totally custom builds? Like something designed by an architect, more modern/contemporary, etc.

Our builder is true custom for our house. Architects drew it up, and he's building it.

Another option is Travis with Lyon Homes (lyonhms.com). Im currently working with him to build our custom home here in town. He does work with an architect to do a totally custom home, which is what we are doing.

His contact information is on his website, I know he'd be happy to talk with you.

Magruder is building ours right now.

I'd encourage you to simply meet and sit down with a few of the builders mentioned and interview them. Remember, there will be quite a bit of interaction and you will be working with them for approx. 6-8 months or longer when it's all said and done. We visited with 3 different builders individually and toured their homes. While all of them built high quality homes, we knew the moment we met with the 3rd guy on our list (John Magruder) that it was a perfect fit. After meeting with them for a few minutes you can generally get a good sense of their character and who you might want to work alongside for that duration.

Willis Custom Homes

+ 1 for Travis Lyon of Lyon Homes. He built our house in Castle Rock three years ago. He did a great job and we had no issues during the whole build process.

One name that I have not seen mentioned but have been impressed with when my wife and I do the Parade of Homes (coming up the last weekend of April and first weekend of May, by the way) is JMV Custom Homes (Jason Marek).

My wife and I have been impressed with the craftsmanship and finishes in his homes.

We love Heath Townsend's work, as well. A couple of years ago his own newly constructed home was on the Parade of Homes, and it was phenomenal.

they probably use the same subs

I always forget about Marek. He finished out a spec clients of mine had under contract and went above and beyond. It was beautiful and he busted butt to make sure it was finished for an important event.

For resale homes, how are you able to look up the builder? Would like to do this in college station.

Go to the Brazos CAD website (www.brazoscad.org). Click on Property Search and do a search by property address. When the property comes up, click on View Details. On the screen that comes up next, click on Deed History. That will give you the last three deed transactions. If the property has not been sold more that three times, you can see who the builder was. Just know that builders change the name of their companies for various reasons, so the name shown in the deed transaction may not be the current name of the builder's company. But, this should give you a good indication of who built the house.

How has Schaefer Custom Homes not been mentioned?

BCS Home Builders Association President and Builder of the Year for 2012 & 2013.

Thank you transplant!

We close on our custom home built by Schaefer Custome Homes on May 1st. Michael is a great guy and the experience has been very good. Would highly recommend!