buying land to build....

$350psf + land

I have to disagree. We are building a 5 bed 3 bath right now. Including EVERYTHING (architect, structural engineer, septic, landscape etc, etc) it's way more than $350 per sq ft. It's more like $500. And that includes an Ikea kitchen - nothing special!

that is high and would then imply that building new makes no sense as you can buy current inventory at much less than that...ie no 4,000sf house should be less than $2mm before adding cost of land

You are basically correct AptBoy. A new 4,000 sq ft house of good construction (all in - including pool!) will cost you about $2M (excluding land). In case, I estimate that I would break even if I chose to sell after construction (excluding transaction costs). But of course I will have the house that I want in every respect, which is of value to me. Nowadays you cannot buy land, build a house on it and flip it for a profit unless you are a builder (in which case you are building at a substantial discount).

new construction in sag harbor, less than 500sf including land...

http://streeteasy.com/hamptons/sale/134710-house-sag-harbor-sag-harbor

or this nice one in EH...less than 500sf

http://streeteasy.com/hamptons/sale/525144-house-21-diane-drive-east-hampton-northwest-east-hampton

or SH...

http://streeteasy.com/hamptons/sale/520348-house-4-white-oak-lane-southampton-north-southampton

or this in SH

$2.295mm
5,600sf
1.5 acres

http://streeteasy.com/hamptons/sale/563937-house-southampton-village-southampton

These are all homes built by professional builders on land that they themselves purchased. That is a totally different animal. I am talking about a regular person building a home using an unrelated third party builder. To er1to9 - of course there are lots of factors that go into how much a house can cost. But I promise you will be absolutely shocked at the actual cost no matter what. And remember - is addition to the contractor there are many, many third party costs. Good luck.

I am just saying that these new homes are less than $500sf, even if the land is free...so obviously the builders did it for less than $500sf, and this includes their profit, which is likely more than if they build directly for a customer...so I think $350sf if done right is doable

East Hampton - New World Home, a rapidly growing and award- winning producer of sustainable housing, has earned Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED® for Homes program for a home built in East Hampton, representing the first factory-built home in Long Island to earn this designation. Additionally, the Hamptons project is the first home of any type in Long Island to earn a Platinum rating without requiring the use of any renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, wind turbines or geothermal systems. In 2009, New World Home produced the first factory-built LEED® Platinum homes in New York and Georgia.

The financial benefits to building a New World Home are particularly relevant to the Long Island housing market, specifically the Hamptons, where it is extremely expensive to build a new home. "Taking into account the high cost of land and labor, many would perceive building one of the greenest homes in the country in this setting to be cost-prohibitive" says Tyler Schmetterer, CMO and Founder of New World Home. "It is a fundamental objective for New World Home to develop a housing solution with minimal up-front premium for green products and features. Currently, we're able to build at a cost competitive range of $180 to $250 per square foot versus $400 to $500 for a comparable quality site-built home in the Hamptons."

Regarding the listing at 4 White Oak Lane, tried to see it last summer, broker never showed up, went inside and saw that nothing was anywhere near completion, no walls, no floors, they are not even half done. Also, it's being built on wetlands and you cannot put in an in-ground pool. Perhaps that's why the price is lower.

There are short sales and foreclosures in the town of east hampton, in which the price of a house + land is LESS than the vacant land itself.

So should we reconsider the values of vacant land in the Hamptons now?

do you know where to look for these short sales?

You can build for under $250/foot.... I am. Just bid it out. And shop around for all your fixtures, tiles etc. You don't need to buy your fixtures from water works and ship in slabs of marble from exotic locations to have a cool house.

I agree with cnfdbyr. I never built a house out there, but when I was trying to figure out how much to insure the house for, a close friend who is a contractor said that it would cost about 200-250/ sq. ft to rebuild it. This does not take into account costs of things like septic tanks or running lines into barren land.

only someone with industry experience (interior designers, architects, builders) can build for under $300/sqft. this entails doing your own buys of materials, knowing how to shop close-outs, etc. a person without this experience and source knowledge would really struggle.

Point taken. I have a few close friends who are architects, and I know several builders. Real cost for most people is probably at least $350/foot, if not closer to $400.

I built my house in Sag Harbor for around $230psf, which included all permitting, site prep (septic, wells, wiring, line hookup, etc.), materials and labor. But then again, I GC'd the project myself. And as someone who had absolutely no experience in the building trade whatsoever, that was a bit of a mistake- I am still living with the legacy of unfortunate decisions... but you live and learn. My house is not exactly super high end, but it is ultra modern in style, featuring lots of glass, cedar and concrete. And I splurged a little bit on custom windows, glass railings inside/outside, European fixtures in the bathrooms and kitchen and "green" features such as a 4.6 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system on the roof and a ground-source heat pump. Still, considering all of the things that I had to re-do/undo, I think I did relatively well. I would say I need perhaps another $50 - 75K worth of work to truly finish the place to perfection (pool, additional landscaping, interior carpentry, etc.).

If I knew then what I know now, I could have probably gotten the costs down to around $200psf without sacrificing the level of finish. In hindsight, I had a lot of fun with my experience, but there were many sleepless nights, hurdles and endless months of frustration as well. This is not for the faint of heart, especially if you are not regularly on-site. Above anything else, before you even begin to seriously consider buying land, you need the following people in your life: 1) a master carpenter/jack of all trades and 2) a CAD software guru who can create/amend drawings on the fly without charging you an arm and a leg each time. You should also consider hiring a building consultant to help navigate you through the regulatory process (and both of the East End towns have horrific requirements).

Sometimes you can compromise. Buy and existing home on a lot you like and add on. Great bargains,and then you can revamp to your specs. Houses needing work are the best deal now.

Regarding New World Homes. Very Limited floor plans. I have checked them out. and when you add the cost for foundation and landscaping and pool in not as cheap as you think. Any pool backyard project with decking and nice landscaping etc,will set you back $75,000
You could rip out the interior of a home, do new foam in walls and all new geothermal and solar at the same time.this might cost $75,000 but think of this vs not having to do a pool or landscaping.

Anyone know some reasonable home builders for the hamptons?

I completed a 5000 sq ft home in East Hampton in 2012. All in for the house with cedar shingles, a great room with 27 ft ceilings, barn rafters custom built in Vermont, oak floors , marble tile bathrooms, custom glass railings, high end kitchen Sub zero fridge etc..., top end heating and cooling, 7 double exterior french doors, spray foam insulation, 10 ft basement, mahogany decks, second story deck off the master, custom designed steel fireplace, plus a lot more extras for just a bit over $1,000,000 including 15% general contractors fee. I started with a modular build and then modified it. I did keep a close eye on costs but didn't get anything for free. It all worked out to about $200 sq. ft. including everything. Don't let contractors tell you " it's the Hamptons, it's going to cost..." It is a competitive market even out here. Shop around and be tough and you don't have to get ripped off just because you are building in an area with a reputation.

popete...very interesting. Who was your builder?

Do you mind me asking who your contractor was?

You bought plans and then modified them? Who did the architectural work?

Thank You!

I hate these postings. popete will never tell you who the contractor was because he is full of it. Note he said "completed." Who knows what that really means? He is implying that he built it from scratch. Total, total BS. If it sounds too good to be true.....

Thanks Lkgsoh. Any advice / surprises / things you would have done differently? Any chance you would know a good landscaper that is reasonably priced? Perhaps a landscape designer that bills by the hour?

Nothing I would do differently I must say. The house turned out so great. For landscaping we use Laurel in Water Mill. They do a really nice job. We have over an acre that was not landscaped at all. We paid them about $75K to lansdscape it (includes about 30 trees, tons of plants, grass, 8 pts of lighting and full irrigation). Other guys quoted well into the 6 figures. We use them for maintenance too - about $8K per year all in. what I like about them the most is that they really aim to please. If you don't like something they will fix/improve it without "arguing." They definitely have the customer is always right attitude.

Thanks!

Lkgsoh, could you give me an idea of what's Included in the $8000 you pay for maintenance? After a long search, I finally bought a home in Water Mill about a year ago, and my lot is about 1.3 acres. I'm not happy with my present gardener (for ease, I kept the former owner's gardener), and am now looking to make a change. Any help you could provide would be appreciated.

Lkgsoh: "If it sounds too good to be true....." - Agree 1,000%

$200/sq ft is impossible for a high end reno. You get what you pay for.

NeedAdvice - sorry I haven't gotten back to you. Am vacationing (in the hamptons of course!) I need to look at my contract which is in the city. Will get back to you after the holiday...

Lkgsoh---thanks very much. Your postings always seem well informed and helpful, so I'd appreciate your input. Enjoy the holiday.

0% chance any house can be built for $200 a foot.

Id say average for "decent" quality is $350-400 before you add anything. If you add in basic landscaping, maybe some bluestone patio (instead of mahogany), you are looking at $500+

If I could build a house for $200 a foot; i would be doing that left and right… and then trying to sell them

Someone said it above…you DEFINITELY pay for what you get. I would be very specific with the plans and what you are putting in the house; then get quotes from a few contractors; and just ask them what are they making on top of the cost of materials and labor.

NeedAdvice- I was going through some paperwork and found my landscape maintenance contract. So sorry I completely forgot to get back to you. On the off chance you are rechecking this post here is the info. I pay $12K for annual maintenance. (Sorry this is more than I thought!) This includes grass treatments and mowing, bed checks, fall and winter cleanups, sprinkler programming/adjustments., etc. In short, everything you need to keep your property looking clean and neat all year round. They do a nice job and are very good at replacing any plantings they have done that do not make it through the first year. It does not include turning sprinklers on and off at the beginning and end of the season. We use an irrigation company for that (Rain Dance). Laurel could do that too but they charged more. Again, so sorry for the delay!

We build ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) homes that use 50% less energy, are hurricane, fire & sound proof (see the landscapers but don't hear them), can be poured all year round (just poured on Wed 14 degs) with concrete floor system that can span up to 40' for between 350-500 sq ft. With radiant flooring, polished concrete floors whatever.
We currently have two going up on Lumber lane in Bridge, one on water in Napeague near white sands hotel, one on Noyac rd and about to start another on NW Landing road on the water.
They are easy to design with and go up fast, they also are VERY easy to get LEED's certification on.
Our website is www.HamptonsICF.com and our office number is 631-725-2404.
I help with architects and design concepts if that is required.
Best
Jay

has anyone recently built a high's end house? Curious what pure new build high end is right now on price per foot. I'm doing my basement and a 750sq foot reno. I'm guessing its $400-500 all in with decent landscaping, nice pool (which i think has to be $80,000 for a nice pool at least)

I have been in the trades my entire life. I moved to the hamptons after completing a very high dollar project ( i was based in Northampton MA). I have been a high end Cabinet/furniture maker for most of my career, but totally understand and know how to build a house.

The national average for new construction is hovering around $200 per square foot. Key words: National and Average.

People who think they can build in the hamptons for $200 or $250 a square foot can, but it is NOT high end. You get what you pay for, and it shows in the final product. I think to get a reasonable "build" out here the cost is @ $500 a foot. When I say reasonable i mean a house that has all the expectations and "appointments" appropriate to what a "hamptons" house should have.

$200 a square foot works on the west side of the shinecock canal. One of the scariest things I have seen while working out here is the labor. It is all over the place from good to bad. More on the bad than good. I have seen projects that cost $1500-$3000 a foot some good and some bad. I have also seen $500 a foot jobs that put the aforementioned projects to shame.

Get a good builder and a good architect. Its not rocket science. The best thing you can do is NOT try and GC your own job.