Lots of threads on this forum dealing with allowances. Best course of action is to avoid allowances, make all necessary choices early and get them into the construction drawings and specifications. That's the only way for the construction bids to account for everything you want, the way you want it. Sounds like you have plenty of time to do this the right way.

I can't help you with local construction prices, but, generally speaking, new custom homes may cost more/SF than existing homes on the real estate market.

Good luck on your project.

It all depends on what area you build in Louisiana and what type of house you are going to be building. Louisiana is a great place because our architecture can go from Greek Revival, Acadian style, shotgun homes, and French country all on the same street with a few manufactured homes thrown in and around. Unless you will be building in the cities of Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, or New Orleans, where the prices are outrageously priced, you will probably find that it will be around that to build a 2200 square foot home. There are exceptions to the rule though. I am talking about a basic home with a few "luxuries."

I would speak to a builder from where you're wanting to build. If you are near Lafayette or even Baton Rouge, check out the home shows they offer. You can get a TON of information from them especially if you are thinking about building soon. The Habitat Home and Garden Show is March 9th and 10th at the B. R. River Center in Baton Rouge. The Home, Garden, & Lifestyle show is February 16th and 17th at the Cajundome. There is a LOT of useful information and you can get an idea of what to expect when you start building. There are vendors from all aspects of building.

Where in Louisiana are you? I grew up there and costs are radically different depending on the area. $100/sq. ft. can get you a basic home in north Louisiana/outside of the cities, but I'd expect to spend $150 on up near Baton Rouge and New Orleans. It also depends on whether you can be your own GC - my parents built a very nice house that way for about $90/sq. ft. near Shreveport about 10 years ago, but my father is in construction and knew what he was doing. You also have to factor in inflation and any increased construction costs into that $90 number considering it's far out of date now.

Thank you so much Tiffany! We are attending our first home expo in Monroe in February! We can't wait! You are so right about the different styles. Where we purchased land there are a few Acadian style homes and one or two colonial styles. :)

Texas Cajun- we are building in Mound. It is close enough to my family in Vicksburg, MS but still far enough to feel "away from the city" only 7 miles west of Vicksburg where we currently live. It is a new development. Most pieces of property were purchased by the home owners that currently live there so they would have a bigger yard. Once it's all said and done there shouldn't be very many houses built. There are about 7 now. 2 lots are left to purchase. We have to build and then one other family that just purchased will be building eventually. We have a bayou view and across from the bayou on the other side of the highway is a cotton and corn field. I can't wait to see this all come together. :)

What to expect? Expect to go at least 30-50% over budget, so plan your finances and house size accordingly....

We are currently building our new home and one thing I have learned is to not freak out over time frames. Our house builder said it normally takes them around 4 months to complete a home. Right now we are on track for at least a 5 month build (if not longer). We are building in the dead of winter so weather has become a factor several times.

It is VERY hard to see nothing happening AT ALL on our house for a whole week, but in the end it has just been too wet, windy, cold, or a combination of the three. So if you get behind in your schedule, just RELAX and think you would rather have them do it correctly as opposed to quickly.

Also as someone else said, try VERY hard to have most things picked out ahead of time if possible. We had allowances for lighting and appliances and kitchen cabinets, we went WAYYYYY over on all three so are now paying that out of pocket. No big deal, we had the money in the bank, but will just have to have a smaller down payment when we move from a construction loan to a mortgage. So try to have a pretty solid idea of what you want ahead of time if possible.

Most importantly BE patient, and scrutinize every last detail and don't let your builder/designer talk you into something you don't want just because it is easier for them.

Hope that helps!

and I thought I lived in Bugtussle, La.!
Mound is a village!

LSU Ag Center some great info.
here are a couple of their links.

Builder's Guide to Energy Efficient Homes in Louisiana
Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources
www.dnr.state.la.us/HERO

Builder�s Guide � Hot-Humid Climates
Builder�s Guide � Mixed-Humid Climates
By Joseph Lstiburek, PhD, PE
www.eeba.org

both are very good guides for building in La.

btw..just checked links for builder's guide
both are dead ends...
here is contact info to inquire about copy of
this guide.
Contact Info:
Phone: (225) 578-4161
Fax: (225) 578-4143
E-mail: web@agcenter.lsu.edu

Physical Address:
LSU Agricultural Center
101 Efferson Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Mailing address:
LSU Agricultural Center
P.O. Box 25203
Baton Rouge, LA 70894

if you can't get the guide through LSU ag center,
drop me an email. I have several copies & could
mail one to you.

best of luck.

I live in Alexandria, LA and we are getting to build a home within the city limits. Allowances are something you need to prepare yourself for. We just really started and have went over on the flooring allowance already. I'm taking a lot of advice from other people and picking this stuff out early.