10/26/2026
A 3,000 sq. ft. house could cost $900K, $5M… or $100M.
Square footage alone doesn’t tell you what a custom home is going to cost.
Architectural details, ceiling heights, window packages, structural decisions, millwork, lighting, the list goes on. Costs can climb quickly before you’ve even selected a single finish.
And when a builder is asked to price a home before those decisions have been made, they can only base that number on assumptions and their experience with past projects.
But custom homes aren’t one size fits all.
This is why I believe design and budget need to develop together.
Ideally, the design is developed first and then accurately priced by the builder and trades. Even better, and how I prefer to work now, is bringing the builder into the conversation during the design process so we can continually check that what we’re designing aligns with the client’s budget.
Design. Price. Adjust. Keep moving.
It’s the most effective way I’ve found to protect the budget from the beginning of a custom build all the way through to the end.
Because a budget isn’t just a number you establish at the beginning.
It needs to be part of the design process.
……………
““But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’”
Luke 14:28-30 NLT
