How Much Does it Cost to Build a House in Savannah, GA?

Savannah is a great place to live! This southern city serves up Southern hospitality with lots of history, tradition, and fun. Dream Finders Homes builds new homes in the area and we often hear, “How much does it cost to build a house in Savannah, GA?” There’s no simple answer but we can explain what goes into the bottom line. The cost of building a home results from a long list of choices. You start big, choosing the location and then the lot. Next, you decide on the floor plan and, finally, the many details that have a price attached. And then there’s the choice of which homebuilder to use. Each builder will have their own approach to estimating the cost, according to their own process and their network of suppliers, vendors, and tradespeople. Let’s break it all down so you can better understand each factor in the cost to build a house in Savannah.

Location

Within any city or town, there are sections that are priced differently than others. From one street to the next, you might find the price going up or down. Areas that have amenities, like a good school district, are often more expensive to buy a new home. When you look within a particular community of new homes, you’ll see more consistency with pricing. The differences there are influenced by the location of the homesite, the size of the lot, and the floor plan you choose. The more community amenities you have, the greater the cost to live there, so keep that in mind, too. Drive around Savannah to see which areas appeal to you. Often, the farther you go from the heart of the city, the lower the price of the land, which means the cost to build a home will be less. Dream Finders Homes builds single-family homes and townhomes in Savannah as well as Richmond Hill, a short drive from the city. We can give you a range of options for building a new home in this region.

Homesite

The land where your home will be built impacts the bottom line. The size of the homesite or lot makes a difference, of course. You should also expect to pay more if you want a corner lot or one with a view, like overlooking the water. These are referred to as “premium lots”. You can decide if, in the long run, the additional cost for the right piece of property is an investment you want to make. The other factor, when it comes to the cost of building a home on a particular piece of land, is the development. Within a community, the lots are excavated and ready to build. When you choose something that needs excavation, there’s a cost associated with that step.

Floor Plan

Your choice of floor plan influences so many costs to build a house, like the square footage and number of levels, for starters. A larger home requires more structural materials and more labor. It has a larger foundation, which means more concrete, and a larger roof. Beyond those costs, you have systems like electrical, plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). There are ranges of products, materials, and appliances within each of these categories. The cost of insulation varies according to the material and its energy efficiency. In Georgia, you want your home well-insulated so the hot air isn’t seeping in and driving up your electric bill. The number and style of doors and windows will impact the cost of building a home. Thermal windows are more expensive but save you electricity usage every month. A pocket door or barn door in your home will be more expensive than a standard one, but even standard interior doors vary in style and price. Maybe you want to add a fireplace or add a bump-out window in your dining area. There’s extra materials and labor.

Details

Once you’ve made the choices for your home’s structure, you will sit with a designer who guides you through the choices for interior details. Dream Finders Homes welcomes homebuyers to our Design Studio where they can see and feel each product in a large showroom. You choose the cabinet style and color, the cabinet hardware, countertop material and color, wall colors, trim colors, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, backsplash material, flooring material and color, tile, and everything down to the hinges on your cabinets. This is the really fun part, as you see the vision of your home more clearly with each decision. Builders usually have packages with included options. You can choose anything within these offerings at no extra charge. Then there are upgrades. If you want to keep to your budget, then keep to the standard features.

The bottom line

As you can see, there are so many factors into what it costs to build a house in Savannah. Dream Finders Homes wants to help you find the home that fits your budget. We work with each buyer to determine the home that matches your lifestyle needs. Then we help you find your dream home. That’s what Dream Finders Homes is all about! Contact us so we can help you get started.

Categories: Blog, Savannah