HOW MUCH DOES IT COST PER SQUARE FOOT?

This is probably our most frequently asked question. And it’s a great question! Most folks have some idea of how much space they are looking for, or at least a ball park, so they are “just wondering if I could afford it.” We get it! It’s not that simple to answer though, and no two houses are alike. The price per square foot can be very different depending on what you are looking for in your home. The most expensive rooms in the home are the kitchen and bathrooms – so if you are looking at a 1,500 square foot home and one has three full bathrooms, all with tile showers, and the other has a powder room and a master bath with a standard tub/shower unit, even though the homes have the same number of square feet, one is going to cost significantly more per square feet than another. This principle also means that a smaller house typically has a higher cost per square foot (a higher percentage of kitchen and bath square feet in the home), whereas a larger house with more bedrooms most likely will have a lower overall cost per square foot, as bedrooms in general are among the less expensive per square foot areas of a home.

OKAY, SO “WHAT IF I DON’T GET ANYTHING FANCY, HOW MUCH WOULD THAT BE PER SQUARE FOOT?”

Great question! The challenge with this is everyone’s idea of “fancy” is different. For some going from carpet to hardwood floors in their living room is “fancy” where for others they would have it in their mind that it should be standard. Everyone comes into the building process with a different perceived level of what should be included. This is why with every home, we have a purchase price, Construction Specifications, as well as Home Plans that are signed off on before we start to actually build your home.

Lastly, with many of the homes that we build at Sterling, especially the ones that are in neighborhoods, we are selling land with the home. This changes what the price per square foot of the actual home is versus what you will actually end up paying. This is why, the long and the short of it is, we do not say what our cost per square foot is – because it changes with every single home that we build.

WHERE DOES STERLING BUILD HOMES?

Sterling builds homes in Chittenden County, Vermont.  Take a look at our Available Sites to see what we currently have available in one of our neighborhoods. We are also happy to build a custom home on your own land.

DO YOU ONLY BUILD HOMES IN NEIGHBORHOODS?

While Sterling is known for building award winning neighborhoods, we are happy to build outside of a neighborhood. Typically if we are building a home outside of a neighborhood it is on land that the homeowner has purchased. Most often these homes will fall into the Design/Build category, where we will listen to your needs, wants, and wishes, take into consideration your budget, and the topography of the site that you have, and work to design and then build you a home that works just for you – wherever that may be.

IS DESIGN/BUILD MORE EXPENSIVE?

While Sterling does have a wide range of proven home plans, we absolutely understand that those do not fit everyone needs or wants, which is why we offer a Design/Build Option. We are happy to work through the Design/Build process whether you are building in one of our neighborhoods, or on your own land. The good news is – Design/Build is not inherently more expensive! At Sterling we work hard to make sure that you are spending your money on what is important to you. With the Design/Build process we are able to take the time to design a home plan from scratch with you in mind. Do you want to make sure that your kitchen window faces east with a back deck facing west? Do you want a wine cellar and space for a pool table? Whatever it is your thinking of, we will listen to your needs, wants, and wishes, as well as your budget, and then work to make it a reality. Big or small, with tiled walls or vinyl floors, we work to make sure you are getting the product that you want and spending your money on the things that you want to. We do have you sign a Design/Build Agreement, which will include payment of the Design/Build Fee, however, that fee will be applied towards the purchase price at closing!

WILL MY HOME BE READY IN A REASONABLE TIMELINE? CAN I AFFORD THIS?

Concerns like these are significantly lightened with the Love Your Home Plan. The Design Build process is our favorite way to deliver the best experience YOU will ever have building a new home. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It should be fun. A lot of fun!