{"id":14544,"date":"2024-07-22T14:05:48","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T14:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=14544"},"modified":"2025-05-01T10:13:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T10:13:35","slug":"buy-build-or-modular-which-costs-more-per-square-foot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/buy-build-or-modular-which-costs-more-per-square-foot\/","title":{"rendered":"Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs less per square foot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The price per square foot is one way to compare home prices.<\/p>\n

Real estate listings will tell you a home\u2019s price per square foot. This is the listing price divided by the home’s total square footage. Around us, the average price per square foot right now is $274, according to Realtor.com.\u00a0 Modular homes are so much cheaper!<\/p>\n

Home values in Hendersonville, NC
\nwww.realtor.com\/realestateandhomes-search<\/a><\/p>\n

It seems like the per-square-foot price for a finished house is much more expensive than buying a prefab, modular or manufactured home, but that is not really a fair comparison.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Price per square foot is the price of the house divided by the square footage of the house.
$425,000 divided by 1,150 square feet = $369.5652174 or $370\/sqft
Smaller houses are a higher price per square foot.
Larger houses are a lower price per square foot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A real estate per square foot price includes both the house and the land it is on<\/strong>.\u00a0 It is calculated by dividing the asking price of the house by the number of square feet in the house. It only includes the part of the house that is heated with a ceiling higher than 7-feet.<\/p>\n

The real estate agent measures the outside of the house to get the measurement and doesn\u2019t subtract the thickness of the walls, so the inside, usable space is actually somewhat less space than it sounds like.<\/p>\n

What is counted in the square footage?<\/h2>\n

As long as the space is heated and the ceiling is high enough, it is included in the square footage.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Only the center of the room counts as square footage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A finished attic or attached garage might count toward the home\u2019s square footage if the ceiling is 7-feet or higher and there is a way out in case of fire.<\/p>\n

There is a window in the log cabin attic to get out in case a fire blocks the stairs. But only the center, where the ceiling is over 7-feet high counts toward the square footage. Even though there is a lot of floor space, only the center counts.<\/p>\n

A loft most likely doesn\u2019t add to the floor space because the ceiling is not 7-feet high.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The finished basement is included in the square footage of the house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A basement may or may not count toward the square footage of the house. If the basement is finished and is only partly below ground, it might count toward the square footage. If the basement is completely underground, it doesn\u2019t count, even if it is very usable.<\/p>\n

My husband\u2019s house (before we got married) was on a slope. The front door opened level on one road. The basement level opened on another road. The basement was finished, with a 7-foot ceiling, a kitchen and bathroom. The square-footage counted for the real estate listing (and the amount the mortgage company would loan to the buyer).<\/p>\n

Decks, patios, balconies and porches don\u2019t count toward the square footage. It does count if the porch is closed in, like a sunroom, Florida room, 4-season room or whatever you want to call it. As long as there is a way to heat it, the space is added to the house square footage.<\/p>\n

Stairs are included in the square footage. A two story house includes the stairs in both the upstairs and downstairs square footage. Stairs are 9 to 12-feet long or more and usually at least 3-feet wide. \u00a0Some of the space under and over the stairs may be usable, but still, something to keep in mind. A single-story house with the same square footage will actually give you more usable space.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The two car garage with workshop and the two-story 700 square foot detached building, insulated with electric and gas heat don’t count in the square footage of the log cabin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Free” Square Footage<\/h2>\n

You may get a lot of usable space that is not included in the square footage cost.<\/p>\n

Sheds, garages, workshops and any other space that is not attached doesn\u2019t add to the square footage number. Un-attached space doesn\u2019t count, even if it is completely finished. A workshop, studio or ADU, no matter how finished, isn\u2019t part of the square footage.<\/p>\n

Our log cabin only counted as having a little over 1000 square feet. The garage with workshop and the Classic Manor New Day Cabin didn’t count, but doubled it. The 12×40 front porch didn’t count either. So the 1000 square foot cabin actually has way more space than it seems.<\/p>\n

Price and Cost: Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs more per square foot?<\/a>
\nLand and Labor: Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs more per square foot?<\/a><\/p>\n

Featured image Westwood Cabins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The price per square foot is one way to compare home prices. Real estate listings will tell you a home\u2019s price per square foot. This is the listing price divided by the home’s total square footage. Around us, the average price per square foot right …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[85,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adus","category-research"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-westwood_cabins.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14547,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/price-and-cost-buy-build-or-modular-which-costs-more-per-square-foot\/","url_meta":{"origin":14544,"position":0},"title":"Price and Cost: Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs less per square foot?","author":"Carla","date":"July 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Prefab, modular or manufactured homes and builders like Schumacher give you a price-per-square foot that helps you compare houses to each other. This price includes only the house, not land or labor. Westwood Modular Cabins can be is little as $109 per square foot. Deer Run cabins I looked at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-build.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-build.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-build.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-build.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14549,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/land-and-labor-buy-build-or-modular-which-costs-more-per-square-foot\/","url_meta":{"origin":14544,"position":1},"title":"Land and Labor: Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs less per square foot?","author":"Carla","date":"July 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which is the better deal? A lot depends on where you live. Buying a home costs less in some areas than others. If you live where real estate is still affordable, buying a home will probably be your best choice. A pre-fab home costs the same\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-shopping_land.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-shopping_land.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-shopping_land.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/featured-shopping_land.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12398,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/horizon-iv-2-bedroom-2-bath-1327-square-foot-modular-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":14544,"position":2},"title":"Horizon IV 2-Bedroom, 2-Bath 1,327 Square Foot Modular Home","author":"Carla","date":"September 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Premier Homes of the Carolinas has the Horizon II available to tour. It is larger than the plan we are looking at, the Horizon IV. Horizon IV is the smallest, most affordable modular home, with 1,327 square feet. It is listed as 3+ bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. But, it can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Modular Homes"","block_context":{"text":"Modular Homes","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/modular\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Horizon IV 2-Bedroom, 2-Bath 1327 Square Foot Modular Home","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/featured-heartlandIV.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/featured-heartlandIV.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/featured-heartlandIV.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/featured-heartlandIV.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12547,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/how-much-will-my-deer-run-cabin-cost\/","url_meta":{"origin":14544,"position":3},"title":"How Much Will My Deer Run Cabin Cost?","author":"Carla","date":"August 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We still haven\u2019t really hammered out the floor plan, but we are moving forward with getting some prices so we can compare a modular Deer Run Cabin with small modular homes from other companies. 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