re: Builder Asking About Budget on House?

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I've been looking at builders in the Baton Rouge metro area but not specifically Prairieville where my property is located.

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BR to Prairieville may not be too bad depending on the builder. A few years back a friend had his house built by a contractor that lives/lived near Zachary. This guy was building houses in Zachary, Central, BR, St. Francisville, & Prairiville at the same time. In my opinion, that is too much time on the road, and I'd rather a contractor that can check on my house daily. The builder would try to convince you that he could handle it b/c he has good subs, but I'd never let someone stretched that thin build my custom house. Ftr, this builder (far as I know) was a one man band. Some contractors have superintendents/foremen that allow them the ability to spread out some.

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The price per square foot thing seems to be a useless metric to me. It refers to living area correct?

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You are correct on both accounts. It is what most people use even though it's a terrible method. The problem is there really isn't a better metric to 'ballpark' costs. This is why detailed bids are so important.

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I've already had this first builder come back and say look I think I'd have to bid this project at $125 a square foot so apparently builders think it's worth using.

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It's useful only b/c there isn't a better way to do it, and it's the same language that everyone speaks. When bidding a single project, the price per ft isn't a bad method. The problem is people get hung up on it. Dig through old threads on here and the OT and everyone loves to brag about their price per sq. ft. It's virtually useless when comparing separate houses. My house was about $10/ft more expensive than one of my neighbor's house. Take one walk through each house and you'll understand why the difference: (higher ceiling, better finishes, custom shower, bigger porches, outdoor kitchen, unfinished bonus room, etc).