re: What’s the current cost per square foot to build in the Lafayette / Baton Rouge area?

Better to buy a house that’s already built, if you can, than deal with expensive and trashy contractors.

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Red iron buildings and pole barn homes AKA barndominiums about to really take off in south LA.

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Would those meet the wind requirements?

My building and the architect said hurricane straps and shear walls were required in some areas. Oddly enough they didn’t require wind rated windows and doors.

Build in Denham Springs. You can thank me later.

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Would those meet the wind requirements?

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And then some. The red iron will obviously hold up better than the pole barn with wood framing.

You have to still get stamped plans that are rated for the wind load requirements.

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Sorry this thread is ruining your weekend baw.

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Yeah this isn’t the news I was looking for

It’s all good. We just purchased a lot in a damn good neighborhood. Worst case scenario, we pay off the land and sell it if we find a house that fits our needs

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until lumber gets more reasonable.

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Ummm...

Also, you can probably find a local sawmill to mill you some cedar pickets for the same price as you will pay for treated at a big box store. So many people sleep on checking local sawmills but you can find some good deals on misc lumber there.

I bought some cypress the other day for some vanities and beams I built for my house for $360. I could not pay the guy fast enough when he told me the price. I still have 18 boards leftover just because he made me a package deal. Not sure what to do with them. Of course, it was rough cut but I have the tools to mill it to what I needed. You can pay them a little more usually and have them mill it for you.

Little over $200 usually, but if you want to be an OT Baller it can run as high as $350

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granite

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Is this 2002? No one does granite anymore. Everyone wants some variation of Calacatta quartz aka faux marble. $35 per sq ft minimum. You can get some granite for around $22 since the demand has died down.

The pro packs at Home Depot with 10 boards per are around $100 for pine right now. Not sure about MDF but for some reason certain MDF trim has been more expensive than pine.

You probably have $400 to $500 worth and could get a few hundred for it on Facebook marketplace.

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I am building in Lafayette parish. The estimates I got were $230, $205 and $195 a sft. I was expecting $150 but was shocked at the costs.

Lumber prices and timing are a big player. It also depends on amenities and size. The bigger the home the less per Sft based on economies of scale and one time costs. Our home is roughly 2900 sft but we have another 2000 sft for garages, patios and porches.

I think $200 sft is pretty much the bench mark.

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Why didn’t you wait a little while to build?

I like where I live now, we are just outgrowing it (especially with me having a home office)