Today, finally, we began the process of building. Our cost to build
is currently estimated at $180/foot. We hope to bring that down a
little, but in reality I fully expect it to go up. Note that we are
building in a fairly expensive region of the country (Washington DC)
where contractors are in very short supply.

The biggest cost gap between Rocio's estimates and actual price is in
windows. Part of this is due to local efficiency code requirements,
part due to steeper labor costs, and part because, well, the windows
aren't as cheap as they used to be. Window costs (using Andersen)
broke down like this:

Windows: $8000
Exterior Doors: $2750
Installation costs: $8000

Overall, our cost is:

Kit: $34,000
Labor + Materials: 146,000
Contractor Fee: $29,000

That works out to $182 a foot. That is about on par with low to mid-
range new construction in this area, and our finishes are fairly high-
end. It still seems to be a reasonably good investment given the
beauty of the design.

You may note that in her Testimonails page, a Wisconsin LV'er
says, "In general, Rocio's cost estimates have proven lower than my
experience. Some of this results from price inflation with the
building sector, and some results from the greater expense of some of
my details. I'll be looking at $150/SF, excluding site work, before I
am done."