What we love…NOT! Estimated Cost of Construction…

Let’s be honest. When we first entered this wonderful profession called architecture we were not thinking “Wohoo! Excel spread sheets for days!”.

The numbers were not the exciting part (and not really highlighted in our schooling), but estimated costs of construction are important for every project we do. We need to know upfront what a Client’s budget is and what their expectations are. Do they want a 2,000 square foot single story home in Ojai California or a 10,000 square foot two story house with a basement in Malibu California.

In our office, we typically perform three separate cost estimates.

One: the Initial Construction Cost Estimate

This estimate is based soley on the program provided by the Client and our estimated cost of construction per square foot based on level of quality and project location.  This per square foot estimate is also based on whether it is new construction or remodeled space.

This first estimate is used to generate our fee for services.

Want to know how much it costs per square foot on average?  You can check out the United States Census Bureau for regional averages.

Two: Moving From Schematic Design to Design Development

At this point in the process we have a clear plan based on the Client’s program.  We know where the bedrooms and bathrooms are and how large the communal spaces are.  With this information we can break down our estimate even further.  Although still a cost per square foot estimate, it is more detailed in the fact that the specific spaces are calculated separately.  A kitchen and bedroom DO NOT cost the same per square foot!

This second estimate provides us with a check to make sure we are still on target with the project.

Three: Moving from Design Development to Construction Documents

During the course of Design Development we are adding another layer of detail to the design.  We are determining finishes and coordinating with our Structural Engineer to finalize our structural system (foundation and walls) which will inform our assemblies, i.e. roof, floor and wall assemblies.  This last in-house construction cost estimate is a sub-systems cost estimate, i.e. the cost of the assembly per square foot multiplied by the number of square feet in the project.

First calculate the cost of the assembly per square foot by looking at the cost of each layer of the assembly per square foot.

Next, take that assembly cost per square foot and multiply it by how many square feet of that assembly are in the project.

With most of our projects in Revit, this is where our material schedules come in handy!  We use our working schedules to help us complete this estimate.

At the end of construction documents we will issue the design drawings to Contractors for their bids…