per sq ft costs

What is it you're planning to build? A house?

I am building an addition in Delaware and have experienced the same problem. I received bids from 25 to 125 per sq ft. It was crazy. After a year of planning I have found that you have to first get a good set of plans so that every one can bid on the EXACT SAME THING. Then get several bids that are broken down into the individual elements of the project. (i.e. foundation, rough carpentry, HVAC, electrical, finish carpentry...etc.) This way if one company is bidding $100/ft and another is $75/ft you can see really find where the difference is in the bids. Is the pricing higher on all facets of the project or is it in one individual area? (i.e. doors and windows can cause a big difference in your bids) YOu have to make sure you are comparing apples to apples in the bid. Some contractor are just more expensive for labor than others.

This just leaves the contractor. Make sure you check them out. You can't base your decision completely on price; and, conversely, you do not want to pay too much for the job. The secret is to find a good combination of price and quality. (Not at all an easy task)

I do not know where in rural PA you are; but, if it is close to Delware I can refer you to a good contractor.
Jim@BrotherstonHomecare.com

Good Luck

Melanie, it is even crazier from the builder's viewpoint. Pricing by Sq Ft is like buying a car by the pound or by the number of seats.

I have built from 57/ft up to 380/ft, according o what is included. I don't bid but these are actuall costs derived from expenses. Bidding is a gimmick with ways around set prices. When I used to bid, I found that I lost the war to builders who wrote contracts to deliberately exclude items or to have "allowances" that were unrealistically low. Then the change order express got on the tracks after construction was begun and the final costs wwere higher than what I had bid to include in the first place.

What you need to do is seek out a repuatable builder and work with him to negotiate a successful completion. That way you are working together.

It is only real estate agents and insurance people after the fact who deal in terms of Sq ft pricing.

But if you do want a firm price, you need a firm set of plans and a commitment that his is what you are going to build. It takes me a week to come up with an accurate estimate and I won't do it fro free.

The range you have now is as good as you can expect without firm committments.