Choose the building route first
A custom home on an existing lot, a plan in a new community and a completed inventory home package different costs. Establish the land and scope you are comparing before using any advertised price as a benchmark.
Benchmark describes customer-owned and builder-supplied lots. Executive Homes offers semi-custom and owner-land construction, while Homes by Whittaker markets community plans and inventory in New Town. These are useful distinctions when choosing whom to approach.
Investigate the site before fixing the estimate
For an established-neighborhood lot, ask how the proposal handles existing structures, access, utilities, trees and drainage. For undeveloped land, identify the required site preparation and service connections before assuming a plan is ready to build.
Ask which surveys, investigations and design services are included, which require a separate agreement and which are allowances. Record the assumptions with the estimate so a later change can be understood.
Include the correct review process
Kirkwood distinguishes architectural review from the building permit and subsequent stormwater/engineering review. Chesterfield’s development code requires municipal zoning approval before a building permit. The cost and sequence depend on the parcel.
Ask who submits each application, responds to comments and schedules inspections. A building permit line in the estimate may not include every design or approval task.
Compare the same drawings and selections
Ask each builder to price a dated set of plans and specifications. Put land, site work, house construction, allowances, owner purchases and approval costs in separate lines. A lower price may reflect less included work rather than a lower cost for the same home.
- Confirm the definition of finished area and the garage, basement and porch scope.
- List allowance quantities and finish standards.
- Ask how changes and substitutions are approved and priced.
- Separate the builder’s fee from other charges where the contract uses cost plus.
- Review payment milestones, closeout documents and warranty terms.
Use award budgets and listings carefully
An HBA award’s budget category describes the submitted project. It is not a current company starting price or a metro-wide cost range. Likewise, a listed home price applies to that property and its specifications.
This guide supplies no market-wide cost-per-square-foot estimate because comparable current bids have not been collected. Obtain site-specific written estimates and compare their assumptions.
Sources & dates
- Benchmark process · checked 2026-10-28
- Executive Homes routes · checked 2026-10-28
- Whittaker community offering · checked 2026-10-28
- Kirkwood review sequence · checked 2026-10-28
- Chesterfield development code · checked 2026-10-28
- HBA award categories · checked 2026-10-28
Questions or factual corrections: send a sourced correction.