$5 sq. ft. didn't include windows are roof. Just outside of N.O. where prices are high because of Katrina last year.

Sorry guys, I tried posting where I'm located and it is in southern louisiana, outside of New Orleans

It really does matter about the what and where. I am sure with the construction pressure from the recent storms you guys suffered, good framers are at a premium. The size and complexity of the home is critical as well. My GC got bids that ranged from 7.50 - 11 sf and we are in the southeast. And I am sure you are aware that less is not always better. A good framer can make you or break you. Second only to the foundation, the framing is the single most important part of your house. How well it is built, how quickly it is dried in... can all have a huge impact on costs down the road.

All in all, its impossible to say whether $6 is good or bad but it does not sound like highway robbery no matter what the circumstances.

BTW...I recommend that you let them furnish the nails. Nails can be quite expensive especially for these nail guns. If you are buying, they will shoot 'em up (so to speak), drop them, lose them, not pick them up...and they run 70-80 bucks a box. Just my opinion. Get them to throw in the nails as a bit of lagniappe!

Good luck!

It seems you folks down in the Gulf area are really getting sr....... these days after the storms!! Here, Charlotte, framers run on average $2.50-2.80/sf if you're using trusses. If all stick built it runs $4.00-4.75/sf. Includes roof sheathing, ext. doors and windows installed.

In the Toronto GTA, C$8 sq. ft. and up. Fascinating about the roof sheathing. Are they afraid of heights there? And carpenters that don't supply their own nails would be laughable here. Every region has its peculiarities, I guess.

Watch out for "extras". It may sound elementary. But put everything in writing attached or referenced to the approved building plans and dependent on satisfactory inspection by the relevant building inspector. And no up-front deposits for labour.

Here are some of the variables I found between framers:

Some include trim, some don't
Some include install of windows and/or doors, some don't
Some include Tyvek, some don't
Some include roof felt/ice and water shield, some don't
Some included porch, but only if the flooring was PT (we did mahogany). Also watch out that they use stainless fasteners on porch floors
I couldn't find anyone willing to start to frame before the backfill was done

Make sure they will come back and fix things the plumber/HVAC guy cuts up

Don't forget strapping of ceilings

Average here in Houston burbs is $4 sq ft for framing labor only. Materials have really dropped lately.

Well, I guess all of this pretty well makes everything clear as mud right? There really is no simple answer. There are a lot of moving pieces...where you are, supply and demand, what is included (big one) and quality and experience (another big one).

If robinnc is distinguishing stick built homes as separate then I can only gather it is from modular/completely pre-fab slab to roof. Completely modular/prefab at 2.50 -3.00 would seem reasonable. Comparing that to a stick built home in the same type house as you might find in modular, then $4-5 doesn't seem so bad either. Add just a bit of a custom flare to it (attractive roof pitches and gables, bay windows or elevated ceilings...) and it just goes up from there. Add on working in conditions prevelant after a Katrina (been there, done that, got the t-shirt)and life and labor come at a bit of a premium.

txgal06 puts another demension on things as well. New construction and existing home sales are slowing rapidly. This will put price pressures on everything construction related but likely not as much so as the high quality labor/subs. They tend to stay busy good times and bad (generally) and price their work for the quality they deliver and less on supply and demand. But they also normally will only work for GC's and only the good ones at that.

Good luck with your project and check around for prices, quality etc. It all makes a huge difference and there is no perfect answer. Also keep in mind that GC's (good ones) normally pay for themselves because they do keep the best subs and discounts locked up. And no, I am not a GC.

gap....sorry...shouldv'e been more specific. The truss is for the roof only instead of stick building the roof. It's stick built until the roof goes on. Sheathing goes over both. This can be complicated and very time consuming is why they charge less for this. A stick built roof can takes days to finish where a truss roof can be finished within hours. I also should have added that you will probably pay around $400-500 for the crane when using trusses.

I am curious about the posted sq foot framing costs.

For those of you who posted prices based on sq footage, in your area is that based upon liveable sq footage or total square footage, that is, you add garages, porches, decks to the liveable square footage. In my area of SoCal, if you're paying $8 a sq foot for framing a 4,000 sq foot house with a 1,000 sq ft garage and 1,000 sq feet of porch/deck you would pay $8 x 6000=$48K

does the framer typcally do the interior walls too for their price?

Just signed a framing contract today in Toronto! $8.50 sf, which includes the gross sq. footage; garage space is not counted. If I were the hard-bargaining sort and this were subdivision work, I'm sure it would drop 50¢+. No invoices, take another $1.25 off.

To me, quality above all, then speed and consistency are paramount. I've seen their work on two homes they've just completed in my own neighbourhood and I was impressed. Can't say the same about some of the others going up at the same time!

3.50 sq/ft. north texas. Includes exterior 2x6 walls, interior wall, exterior Marvin windows, exterior doors, roof decking, soffit/facia/cornice,house wrap, exterior siding, numerous interior 'eyebrow openings', 10' and 12' ceilings with vaulted ceiling in great room.

We're nearly through framing and couldn't be happier with crew

Footage calculated by slab size.

D**n gald I'm building in Texas!!!!!!

tex4j,

Where in North Texas are you building?

We may pay more for labour. But I filled the pickup today with C85¢ a litre mid range gas (US$2.80 per US gallon). Bet you can't say that. :-(

Tex4j--Oh I wish I could come close to that deal in So Cal. $6 sq ft for all under roof is an Ok deal here and that means the garage and porches get added into the living sq ft area, then multiplied by $6. And on a stucco house, it wouldn't include house wrap and certainly never siding.

We may pay more for labour. But I filled the pickup today with C85¢ a litre mid range gas (US$2.80 per US gallon). Bet you can't say that. :-(

You pay around $3.38 US for a gallon of gas??

Mid-range gas in my area is around $2.40/gallon and my area has some of the higher gas prices in the state of Florida.

mavs_fan...I'm building on 70 acres near Possum Kingdom Lake. which as you probably know is 60 miles west of DFW area. Moved from Flower Mound.

We fortunate to be building in North Texas where labor is reasonable. Building in this rural community has been wonderful because the network is so tight and folks know who does quality work.

Our goal is $85 square foot for house (already owned land)...House is being framed now. One story, marvin integrity windows, 2x6 exterior walls, standing seam metal roof, all stone exterior, 2 trane 16 seer units, pex plumbing, silestone, knotty alder cabinets and int. doors etc...We're on track....so far.

Worthy...I paid 2.06 per gallon this morning but it's up from the 1.95/gallon I paid two weeks ago. Diesel's 2.59/gallon right now. Highway Robbery.

modhouse

I did both conversions--currency and litres to US gallon--which comes out to US$2.80 a US gallon. And that's for some of the lowest prices in the country.

Taxes account for the difference--35% of pump price vs. 20% in the US.

All this works its way into building material costs. Lots of trucking for all those materials.

tex4j,

We are building about 80 miles NE of Dallas....it's a small world!

I know it seems unreal to people located in other areas of the country, but the $85/sq.ft. is a very realistic amount in rural areas around the DFW metroplex.

Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our progress so far

anyone building in KY close to TN line -- price for framing? trying to put together a budget to build. we have house plan and trying to go from there

thank ogky

new to forum and love it so far.
thanks everyone for their knowledge

Mine costs $8 sq. ft. I don't know if that is a good price.

Here is a link that might be useful: Simpson Strong-Tie Wood Construction Connectors Catalog

housebuilder,
Stop advertising your crappy connectors on our site, you idiot.

Thank you Stumpy ! I was thinking the same thing. 10 one line posts by this guy about his connectors in under 10 minutes ...

Anyone use CraftMaster doors?
HELP! Shower bench too wide and it's a concrete issue
question on outdoor fireplaces and summer kitchens
Attn: Owner Builders: How much did you spend per sq ft on home?
Wood surround on/ in front of corner bath tub
Regular pvc for central vac?
Framing Labor Quote
HaHa-did you ever dream (good or bad) about your house?
framing a wall at 45 degrees.
Plumbing fixtures

$6.00 & climbing in Virginia this Spring.. gas is up to $2.65 for Regular.. looks like a $3.00 summer. Better grab the OSB while you can at under $5.00 now, Better grab the drywall at under $10 a sheet too. Spring storms may send these prices up, then where will we be ? Not looking for ward to another round of storms this year. This winter/spring is wacky enough..

Just to be sure I am on the same page here.... are the prices being quoted in this thread for labor only or does it include the lumber, wrap, sheathing and other materials as mentioned? If you used a GC does he select the framer or is this something you did seperately?

We're doing a moderately complex Carmichael and Dame plan (Kempton Court). It's 3094 heated sq ft. 650 sq ft 3 Car Garage. Two two-story rooms. Included is all Framing, Decking, Tar-Paper and Wrap. Set Exterior Doors and Windows. 20,500.00. Engineered Floor Systems throughout 7270.00. Remaining Lumber Costs 17842.00. Charlotte, NC.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kempton Court

I was just talking with my GC yesterday about quotes. I am wishing to use light gauge steel, not wood for framing. He told me framing will probably be $70-75k for wood, $80-85k for steel. After reading this post, it seems my cost is way higher than everyone else! I am located in Phoenix, Az.

Some specifics on my house: It is approx 5000 sq ft, 2500 on each level. The exterior walls are going to be block, with the downstairs exterior walls needing to be furred out inside, but upstairs will not be. I believe the price incudes the wood trusses for the flat roof. Also, all the interior walls would need to be done.

It seems to me like the prices I am being told are quite high for the work I am getting done.

Any thoughts from anyone?

Thanks!

That would certainly be an absurd price here, unless the exterior block walls are in addition to the conventional wood framing. It's sometimes done here to provide a base for real stucco, not EIFS.

I'd sure long for those "high" gas prices I was grumbling about in December. Today, for 89 octane, I paid C$1.14 per litre, (US$3.88 per US gallon).

JJ4444444,

I'm not downing GC's but without having a whole lot of experience with them and having heard and read from a lot of people who have I felt better about bidding out the work myself. I'm sure many GC's are making an honest living but at the end of the day there are too many places in the work to take a markup...profit, overhead, materials, labor........sure the subs can do the same but when you have 3 or 4 bids on each job it's pretty easy to see who is out to snow you and who is giving you an honest price for the work they are doing.....same with materials.....there are a couple of online resources that can be helpful. I started my estimates with Resi-Cost and built it out from there. While not 100% accurate they do tend to be "in the ballpark". Lastly, if you HAVE to use a GC and they give you a number your not comfortable with bid out the one job to a subcontractor or two. If they come in at 1/2 what the GC did bring the figure to him and open a discussion. Having said that $15/sq ft sounds about right for framing a 5000 sq ft home (assuming it's a turnkey job materials included).

Thanks for the comments so far. Just to clarify a bit, I am doing cost plus, so I see every bid and we have 3 wood bids and 1 steel bid so far, with 2 more in the works. I totally trust my builder to get me the best price he can, although I have called subs myself and actually got about 4k knocked off the plumbing bid, which made me quite happy.

I guess I am just questioning the $15 a sq ft or so when it is just inside walls, furring out the downstairs (2500 sq ft) and installing the tji beams (joists?).

The exterior of the house will just have a thin layer of stucco applied and then paint, so nothing more outside on the block walls will be needed as far as framing.

I'm in a booming growth area and have secured framing labor @ 7.50/htd sq ft and materials (inc engineered floors) for $9. Framing is fairly complex. Your cost seems high unless there is a lot of steel. We have only one I-Beam in the second floor frame and it's costing us $500. Since you have a fairly candid relationship with your builder I would ask him to break it down to the finest detail and look for any aberrations it may include. When in doubt bid it out yourself...if you saved 4K on your plumbing I would be certain to bid this piece out as well....materials and labor.

I'm in Ottawa Canada, I got a quote of about $50K for:

"Installation of Framing, Roofing, Window and Exterior Doors including garage" This includes shingling the roof

The building is a 2500 sq foot bungalow with walk out, so back wall is framed (2x6 exterior). also 1000 sq ft garage and a 620 sq ft. cedar deck.

The home is a Viceroy kit with panelized option. I assume this means pre-assembled framed wall sections.

Anyone else think this is outrageous? comments please.

I just finished building my own home in NJ. My house is about 2500 sq.ft. plus a three-car attached garage with 500 sq.ft. of bonus space above it. I also have a covered wrap-around porch that is another 600 sq.ft. The roof pitches are 12/12 and 14/12 on the house/garage and 5/12 over the porch. My framer charged me $25,000 for labor. That included the framing, sheathing, and stair and window installation. It comes out to about $7.00 per sq.ft. I am just wondering how good of a price I paid. Thanks.

I think you got a pretty fair price though I don't know prices in nj. As a framer in utah I would have bid a little higher on something like that.

I would sincerely hope that labor prices have increased in the six years since the last post. Or the seven years since the first post.

I,m looking for a framer in Ms to frame a 3200 sq ft single story home with 847 sq ft garage , porch 400 sq ft , deck 286sq ft and patio 716 sq ft. Can anyone help me. I I'm building between Fayette and Natchez Ms .

Has anybody gotten a recent framing quote for their future home?

I am feeling lucky after reading these rates! We are in San Antonio, Texas. We paid $3.50/sf in January. That includes windows, exterior doors, roof decking. Our lumber package including the flooring system for second floor was $26,000, Anderson 100 series windows were $8600 (we have 29 windows), and exterior doors were $3.250. Our house is approx 2500 on first floor and 600 on second.

I've received two quotes to frame 1,541 sqft of addition space (extending existing gables, 4:12 roof) and about 100 linear ft. of interior walls within existing home (no structural walls are being touched).

First quote was $115K, second was $92K. I'm 30 miles outside San Francisco, which I know is expensive...but ~$60 to $75 sqft seems like a really high premium? Waiting on bids from two more GC's, but I was expecting to pay closer to $20 to $25/sqft in this area.

bcs1974 - we are also in the sf bay area. ~$125k (so far) for framing for a rebuild-remodel - 5700sqft +/- house. I'd guess about 1500sqft "new" and most of the remainder of the interior walls replaced but shell retained. Note that this is *only* for the framing sub who handled the bulk of the work. Our GC has his own crew that does smaller touch ups, so I wouldn't say that our number is all-inclusive. The framing sub is back on site now doing siding/decks. I am sure that will be an additional expense. Lumber and nails were supplied separately by our GC and are not included in these #s.

It might be worth considering the total $/sqft of your project to put framing into perspective.

bcs.....is that JUST for the labor framing and NO materials??

I am in New Mexico building a 400 sf cabin (straw bale) with a 200sf loft. Although it is straw bale filled, it needs to be framed, and openings for windows and doors, roof, etc. I am assuming the prices discussed for framing do not include price of lumber (I hope I am wrong!). Please advise current estimated labor costs for framing in NM and approximate lumber costs. Thank you!

Thank you lukehouston. That is good information to estimate my framing labor. Although I only have 400-600sf, I can assume the price per sq.ft. for labor to be comparable.

ralph, I wouldn't base your budget off mine. This topic asked what people paid for framing labor. I simply answered the question. Like someone else said, labor rates depend greatly on your area, and who you know (in my case). Please obtain your own bids and do not assume.

Will do! Thanks!

lukenhouston who was your framer. i am in houston and i have three proposals on a 3300sqr living area house. From 20k - 40k. the lower quote has the best reputation.

I would rather not post online. If this site has a private message system, please shoot me a message and I will send my contact info. Will be happy to help.

Anymore framing bids in 2016?