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Tag: new construction

High Lumber Prices Increasing Home Building Costs

Choose an Experienced San Jose Homebuilder

Creating an accurate budget for your home construction project has become more complicated in 2021. The rising price of lumber is increasing the cost of home building and renovations. In fact, the volatile lumber prices and short supply are making it difficult to avoid cost overruns and supply delays.

As you plan your new home construction or renovation, it’s important to choose a San Jose Area homebuilder with years of experience. To stay within your budget, you want to ensure that your construction company has a strong network of suppliers and vendors, and the skill to avoid costly errors. At Flegel’s Construction, we are working hard to expand our list of reliable suppliers. Our goal is to keep costs down and projects on track for homeowners in San Jose, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Mountain View.

Anticipate Higher Costs for Home Building and Renovations in 2021

According to the Wall Street Journal, the cost of lumber is four times that of historic prices. Lumber prices have exceeded $1,500 per thousand board feet (mbf), a square foot of wood one inch thick. What does this mean for homebuyers?

Let’s look at how the cost increase impacts your construction budget:

  • Although the prices vary by region, at $400 per mbf, it might cost about $9,800 for the framing lumber and structural panels for a 2,000 square foot home. At $1,600 per mbf, the cost of lumber for the same project skyrockets to over $39,000.
  • Surging lumber prices have resulted in an average price increase of $35,872 for single-family homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
  • According to a recent CNN article, the March median home price rose by 17.2%. At $329,100, that’s the highest price since 1999 when the National Association of Realtors started tracking home prices nationally.

What’s Causing the Lumber Price Spike?

Several factors contribute to recent high prices and the volatility of lumber in general. People held off buying or building homes during the pandemic. This led to a drop in lumber prices and the closure of several sawmills. Now that the housing market has heated up again, there’s an unprecedented demand accompanied by extremely short supplies of lumber.

As lumber production ramps back up, you can expect to see a drop in lumber prices at some point, but it is not likely to happen soon. At Flegel’s Construction, we’re looking for innovative ways to keep the total cost of construction down by looking at the following options:

  • Using alternative materials where possible
  • Providing highly experienced construction managers to help avoid cost overruns
  • Scaling down the complexity and scope of renovation and construction projects by focusing on the essentials

We can help you save money on your remodel by planning for realistic timelines and budgets

At Flegel’s Construction, we manage projects with time and cost saving measures in mind. Despite the rising prices for lumber driving up costs of home building and renovations, we can help you realize your dream home. Check out our portfolio of remodeling projects for inspiration.

Contact us to expedite your construction or home renovation project in San Jose, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Mountain View.

Steps in Building a New Bay Area Home

Custom Home Construction Starts with a Solid Plan

As exciting as it is to design and construct your dream home, building a new home from the ground up is a complex project that requires a comprehensive construction plan. Finding suitable land and a trusted contractor is just the beginning of your new home construction journey. The experts at Flegel’s Construction share the key steps in building a new Bay Area home.

Top Considerations for a New Build in the Bay Area

  • Land and contractor selection: If you are considering a teardown to rebuild your luxury dream home, you may already be a few steps ahead in your new home construction journey. However, if you are looking for a piece of land in the high-demand Bay Area, it is no easy task. The processes around regulatory compliances, land development regulations, and building permits can be tedious and time consuming. Hiring a knowledgeable and competent custom home contractor is one of the most crucial steps in building a new home in the Bay Area.
  • Design considerations: Seeing your dream home come to life can be an extremely satisfying process, especially when every aspect of the home caters to your specific needs, lifestyle, and preferences. While going through the design and planning process with your new build contractors, it is important to consider:
  • Architectural styles: Selecting your preferred architectural style is a critical aspect of planning your new build. Whether it is Craftsman, Queen Anne, Monterey-Revival, Eichler-inspired Mid Century Modern, Contemporary or some other style, your custom home can be exactly what you want it to be.
  • Privacy elements and views: Plan for practical layouts and natural light-maximizing solutions, without compromising on views, safety or privacy. Think skylights, atriums, sunrooms, or indoor – outdoor living with glass walls, outdoor kitchens and so on.
  • Aesthetic elements: Finalizing the aesthetic elements for a long list of features and fixtures in your home interiors and exteriors is exciting. It involves making color choices, materials, finishes, décor themes and various other aspects.
  • Fixtures and amenities: Plan for lifestyle-friendly solutions that enhance your quality of living. Think about modern conveniences and smart, Wi-Fi-enabled homes where you can remotely control lighting, entry-exit points, and appliances.

Hire the Bay Area’s Trusted Contractors for Your Custom New Build

Whether it is the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas or outdoor spaces and home exteriors, every part of your new build requires careful planning and execution. At Flegel’s we have over three decades of experience in constructing attractive, high-quality, custom homes to the exact specifications of our clients. Whether it is a tear-down and re-build, new construction, or a home addition, we take on projects of any scale and complexity.

Our new home building team consists of skilled and qualified architects, engineers, designers, and tradespeople who offer:

  • Comprehensive design-build services: We can partner with you from start to finish or at any point in your new home construction journey. We also offer construction consulting services to maximize the efficiency of your project.
  • High quality construction: We promise creative designs, superior craftsmanship, and professional finishes. Our 12-month post-build plan promptly addresses any adjustments required while your newly built home settles.
  • Efficient project management and execution: We have the local knowledge and expertise to ensure hassle-free permits and approvals. We are always mindful of your timelines and budget.

Check out how our past luxury custom home projects delivered on style, comfort and appeal. We offer design-build services throughout the Bay Area, including, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City, Redwood Shores, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Los Altos, CA.

For well-planned, stress-free custom home construction, partner with the creative and experienced new home contractors at Flegel’s. Contact us online to discuss your requirements. We can guide you on all the steps in building a new Bay Area home.

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TESTIMONIALS

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  • I would hire Scott again in a heartbeat

    I would hire Scott again in a heartbeat. He did our Eichler total remodel from roof to radiant. The workmanship is 5-star. Scott understands the uniqueness of Eichlers and modern design.

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  • I am confident that your expectations will be far exceeded…

    “Our home in Palo Alto was in need of help. Built in the early 1950s and barely updated since, there was a lot to do. Over 12 months and two phases, our home was transformed into the perfect mid-century modern oasis for our

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  • As easy for as us as possible…

    “We interviewed at least 7 contractors for our Eichler remodel and decided on Flegel’s construction and I am so glad we did! Working with Scott and his crew was such an pleasant experience. We had heard so many horror stories

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  • Stands by his work…

    “I cannot say enough about Scott Flegel. He is on the ball. He works on the project with his employees. He has very high standards and his employees follow his example. Our architect has come back to look at the project

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