What are the most expensive building materials when building a house?

Question

What are the biggest expenses material wise?

Im talking about general materials every house must use. Nothing special

Answer 1

I take offence to the real egals's fan answer. It sounds to me that he didn't do any priceing or research on what he was buying, and if he really spent 55,000 on fixtures then they seen him coming from along way away.

I just finished building a custome house for a family of 4 and they new just about everything they wanted, and had it picked out and waiting for me. As a builder and general contractor I was in seventh heaven. One week I had them go and pick out there bathroom fixtures (toilets, faucets, ect...) they came back with some realy nice delta fixtures all around, they only spent about 2000 for every fixture in both bathrooms.

In answering your question the frame of a house is usualy the bigest check you will have to write.

Answer 2

Hmmmm. An immediate simple answer would be Platinum, currently selling at approx. $1300 per ounce. Assuming that one needs both items you suggest, what possible difference can it make? The cost differences in those two are negligible BTW; most especially noticed in the labor. Given that we live in a society; in 2007, where everything is increasing in cost exponentially; EVERYTHING is overpriced; but in your case a house with neither; or a choice of one over the other seems a bit abstract. In a very realistic sense; Both are expensive; but probably equal depending on Fixtures and appliances you attach to wiring and plumbing. Gotta have em though.,, At least I do. I was raised with outdoor plumbing and Kerosene lamps. I got over it. Steven Wolf AN ADD ON: After some calculations, PLUMBING comprises between 17 and 20 % of house construction costs

Answer 3

All valid suggestions so far. I'll just add my two cents, especially since you note "In a general sense"

In some measure it does depend on location; which in turn might dictate supply and demand. Design of a house certainly; beyond just size and aesthetics.

In 2007 there are negligible differences in materials costs; due in part to shortages; environmental issues; contractor choices; and an exponential increase in the cost of everything. Even gasoline prices are figured into the cost of materials.

Beyond initial costs however; are the values of certain materials in how they serve a homeowner over the life of a house. R-Values of insulation; insulating properties of wood/ block/ poured; pre-formed concrete panels/ Steel housing/ alternative materials; Roofing materials/ finishes/ etc. are factors that should be addressed in planning, for the long term.

Steven Wolf

Answer 4

Depends on the design and architecture of the house. In just about any material, there are cheap and expensive versions. Generally, if there's any stone or masonry work involved, that will be your biggest expense. That's why cheap houses never have any, just a little generic brick accent at most.

Answer 5

Everything. The copper you use for wiring and plumbing is expensive, your heating/ac is expensive, windows and doors are expensive, etc. Think about the cost of bulding this way; how much will it cost per square foot. Most builders will provide you with a cost based on the square foot, which itself is based on the amenities you want in the house, such as countertops, flooring, etc. Excluding the contracter who gives a lowball price just to get the job, the contracter who comes in with the lowest square foot price is the one who probably makes the least profit, which is to your benefit.

Answer 6

Everything. The copper you use for wiring and plumbing is expensive, your heating/ac is expensive, windows and doors are expensive, etc. Excluding the contracter who gives a lowball price just to get the job, the contracter who comes in with the lowest square foot price is the one who probably makes the least profit, which is to your benefit.

Answer 7

fixtures!!! if you have a building company build your house you get MAJORLY screwed on these!! when i was looking to get a house build AFTER we put our money down we got to go to the "fixture" store and there is no prices on the stuff, u just pick and chose, so we did and we went midline stuff, when i got the total i found out it added 55K to the price of the house i dam near broke the womens table lol. so i went home and searched the internet and saw they were charging me in some cases 200-300% over the price of the item i foound online, exaples, some pricephfiser faucets, they charged me 780 bucks per tub fixtures, found same fixtures at online plumbling places for 280 bucks, celing fans, same brand! i saw online for 220 they charged me 390. sink they charged me 550 same sink 345. i ended up cancelling my house contract and just ought a ready made.

If your building it yourself, the most expensive for me years back foundations and HVAC systems, and framing.