Building a Modernist Home on a Budget

I think one of the biggest hurdles facing anyone who wants to build a modern design home is cost. There are a number of reasons that seem to increase the cost to build a modern design. For people who have deep pockets, this higher cost is not very relevant, they are going to build what they want. But, I think there are a large number of people who would like to own a modern design, but when they start looking at the project’s building cost, it seems out of their reach. I do not believe this is completely accurate, but it is what people perceive.

I think there are a number of things that drive up the cost of building modern, among them are: a perceived smaller potential resale market, unforeseen problems perceived by the contractor, more expensive building materials and, higher design costs. These are just a few things that come to mind.

I do not agree with the perception that there is a smaller resale market for modern homes. In reality, there are fewer people who will be interested in purchasing a modern design, but this group may only be looking at modern and not at other styles. So, yes the group is smaller, but it is more specific. I do not have any numbers to backup my position, but I have talked with so many people that like modern design that I am convinced that a demand does exist.

I also know people that are so concerned about resale value that they would never buy a modern home. I do not agree with this logic. My thinking is, buy what you want and what you will enjoy. If you will be happier living in a house you love for the next 20 years as opposed to just another house, who cares about resale value. Quality of life is so much more important than a little more money. The bottom line is, buy or build what you want.

Another issue that limits the number of modern designs being built is fear of the unknown. Developers and builders need to make money on their projects. So, anything that is different from what they know will be perceived as costing more. A developer will charge more for modern because he thinks it will cost more to build and that there is a smaller potential market. The builder will charge more for a modern home because he thinks there may be problems with building something that uses unusual materials or has an unconventional design. I believe both of these positions are wrong. We already discussed the potential buyers market.

As far as increased building costs, why should a modern design cost any more than a conventional design to build. They both utilize mostly the same materials to create the structure and many of the same materials and fixtures for the interior. Modern design homes can also use exactly the same mechanical systems and probably be built on the same lots. A modern home may use different and more expensive exterior siding and windows and the roof system may also be more expensive depending on its configuration.

The siding used on a modern design may or may not be more expensive than materials used on a conventional home. The typical siding options for a modern home are wood panels such as T-111, fiber cement panels, stucco, wood siding, or even galvalume metal siding if that is the look you want. Most of these have about the same cost as other inexpensive siding materials, wood being the exception.

Modern home designs do typically have more windows than a conventional home. So, yes, this does increase the base cost, but by how much? All homes have windows. So, a modern design will have more windows and maybe there is an increased cost of $5K or $10K. That is fine, it will increase the cost of the home but not substantially. You can spend $50K on windows, but that is a more extreme example and not what I am talking about.

Depending on the roof configuration, this may also incrementally increase the total cost of the home. But again by how much? If the materials required for the roof add an additional $10K to the home, it increases the total cost $10K. The extra $10K is 4% of a $250K house.

What I am trying to say is that a modern style home does have to cost significantly more than a comparable contemporary home. You may just have to work a little or a lot harder to find a builder that agrees with this. Depending on your budget, you may also have to compromise about the finishes you utilize both inside and outside the home.

When you build any home, it is most important to get the bones of the house right the first time. This means the structure and layout that you want. You want to build a good, strong, well insulated, energy efficient home regardless of the style. After the bones, everything else is just window dressing. To keep within your budget, you can compromise and use some less expensive finishes and fixtures initially. These can always be upgraded at a later date. You may even find that if you use some materials in an unconventional way, you get a unique modern look and save money. And no, you may not be able to have quite the same look at the super slick designs you see in Dwell, but you can still have a nice, unique modernist home for a reasonable price.

It is all relative. Here in the Kansas City area, you can have a contractor built home for around $120 per sq ft including the lot. I know that is much cheaper than in some parts of the country, but cost is all relative to where you live. If you are willing to work very hard and do a substantial amount of the building labor yourself, you could even get a modernist style home for less than $100 sq ft (or even possibly less), again in the Midwest.

My point is, if you really want a modernist home, you can have one for a reasonable price, it just may require more work and tenacity on your part.