Ferguson, 1998
***Note to readers: The numbers shown in
this text represent costs from 1999. There was an approximate inflation
in prices of 3% from 1998 to 1999. You may assume there will be the
same such increase from 1999 to 2000. Please check back for further
updates on this subject.
R.S. Means Square Foot Costs, 20th Edition (Ferguson 1998) gives insight into the cost of what a "typical" house would cost. Based on average construction costs throughout the country, R.S. Means Co., Inc. has developed a comprehensive and easy to use guide for people to generate cost estimates on houses. Broken into four different residential house classes, economy, average, custom, and luxury, R.S. Means gives a nice look into the cost of building affordable houses. For the scope of this project, we will focus on the "economy class" house. The company describes economy class houses as ones usually built from stock plans. The materials and workmanship are sufficient enough to satisfy building codes. Low construction costs are more important than distinctive features. The overall shape of the foundation and structure is seldom other than square or rectangular. While this is a simple plan, it is a good start to begin design development for the East St. Louis neighborhood of Emerson Park. It is also important to note that while these calculations are based on average labor costs throughout the country, the houses we are designing will first be built by a faith-based organization.
Square Foot Costs gives 10
sets of specifications for their economy class housing. The following
chart presents this set of specifications and their components:
Ferguson, 1998
Now that there is a general understanding of the "typical" economy class house this book uses, a closer look can be taken at the actual numbers. The two living area sizes that we will be focusing on are 1,200sq.ft. and 1,400sq.ft. Four different exterior wall finishes are used in the calculations: 1)Wood Siding-Wood Frame, 2)Brick Veneer-Wood Frame, 3)Stucco on Wood Frame, and 4)Painted Concrete Block. The following chart lays out the prices for each of these exterior wall finishes:
Brick Veneer-Wood Frame 62.75 $75,300 58.70 $82,180
Stucco on Wood Frame 57.45 $68,940 53.85 $75,390
Painted Concrete Block
59.35 $71,220
55.65 $77,910
Included in the design guidelines
for this project is a garage, either attached or detached. Below
is a table that shows approximate costs for one or two car garage, built
either out of masonry or wood.
Ferguson, 1998
It is clear from this table that it may not be feasable to build a two car garage and still be able to keep the house at an affordable price.
Also included in the design guidelines are plans for two bathrooms. The R.S. Means design plans only include one bathroom. They do, however give estimates on adding additional bathrooms to the house. A full bath, including plumbing, wall and floor finishes, would cost approximately $2,824. A half bath, including plumbing, wall and floor finishes, would cost approximately $1,719.
While these charts and tables list the major factors affecting design and construction costs, the R.S. Means guide for square foot costs includes many other factors that affect the cost. One such table is shown below, while others can be studied in the book in closer detail.
Ferguson, 1998
On the whole, this book depicts what typical house might cost to build. However, there will be more factors affecting the projects in East St. Louis. For instance, the labor costs for construction may be reduced, due to the fact that most of the construction will be done by a faith-based group that may not require the money that a normal building company might. Issues such as these will have to be explored in greater detail once there is more communication with the developers and clients in East St. Louis.