I'm confused as to how you are getting any useful "bids" without actual buildable plans. At best, all anyone can give you are wild guesses. That can be wildly off.

Sorry, let me re-phrase. Estimates, not bids. I don't see the sense in spending $4000-$6000 on plans if it is not feasible to build the home. I have seen where some have had the plans drawn up, just to scratch them and go with something else. We are looking for a cost to build estimate, and online programs are wildly off too. The online calculators show a basement our size costing $60-$70k. It's not correct.

I'm not saying that the $60-$70k is or isn't correct, but what makes you think that it isn't? I'm in SW Indiana and just received an estimate for a poured concrete basement of 2500 sq ft (not simple rectangle, but nothing extravagant) for just over $70k. Then I was quoted another $45k to finish 3/4 of the basement.

There is no way anyone here can give you an estimate. Not even a ball park. There can be all kinds of problems digging a basement....rock, ledge. etc.

Rather than getting bids/estimates on scores of discrete items that have no validity since they are not based on approved plans, get estimates of the $per sq. ft. price for the type of home you're interested in. Experienced builders, designers, architects and lenders should be able to give you guidance.

THE BELOW IS FOR REFERENCE AND EDUCATION ONLY

They just finished removing the forms from mine , just to give you a rough Idea here are some details of phase one on the basement .(again location,contractors etc vary greatly )
Oklahoma Price: Includes Basement excavation with 180 car sized Sandstone boulders at top of hill.
39' X 39' square
10' walls 8 " thick
Two sides open to daylight w/ 3 10' garage doors
Other open side has 4 3 x 4 windows and a 36" door
Also has one 36" safe room door (safe room not poured yet)
10" deep 4' X 6' elevator pit.
Center 4' X 6' concrete room around elevator for stressed main floor concrete.
4"floor all rebar & concrete included
labor included.
Plumbing or electrical not included.
Total so far $34000.00 1521 sq ft or $22.00 sq ft

Phase 2
Remaining work to be completed
Install stressed concrete main floor.
Build attached 12 x 21 safe room w/concrete top
70 ' of retaining walls
water proofing ,backfill and rough grade.
Total finished bid $62000.00 + $40.76 sq ft.
Add in rough plumbing and rough electrical at $2000.00

My grand total ready to frame on is $42.07 sq ft.
Remember Oklahoma & Texas can be as much as half the price of some locations so your MMV.

You're approaching the project in reverse. Design first, in collaboration with paying for a builder's input if you want the costs to be well grounded.

Hire an architect to create a design.

Floorplans aren't home designs. And they usually lock out the most creative thinking as they tend to lock in a customer to one viewpoint that isn't necessarily good.

Pricing that you might be getting at this stage is too far out to be useful, and since it's not based on actual plans, isn't binding, or even useful to your builder. Put your efforts into a more productive channel. Such as finding the right architect.

Here is a priliminary estimate I received for my 122x62 basement plus other pieces; I'll be putting it to bid soon as my design/permits are finalized. Hope it is readable.

Activity Quantity Rate Amount
8660 Drayton View Lane - New
residence

Mobilization - equipment mob 1 1,000.00 1,000.00T
Erosion Control: 1 1,200.00 1,200.00T
Installation of construction
entrance, silt fence will be
required downhill from land
disturbance, straw on site for soil
cover, and plastic to cover soil
piles as needed, all work to be in
compliance with Whatcom county
specifications and WSDOE BMP
methods. We also have our own
CESCL (Certified Erosion and
Sediment Control Lead) that will
over see this project.
Foundation Excavation: 1 2,640.00 2,640.00T
Excavation for the building
foundation, estimated at 3' cut (no
walk out) all materials to stay
onsite and graded into the front
portion of the lot(except where the
driveway will be installed)
Export Materials: 1 2,200.00 2,200.00T
All excavated materials to be used
onsite and leveled. Charge is for
moving materials on site, site
grading, spreading and placing
excavated materials.
Foundation: 1 42,000.00 42,000.00
Concrete footings and foundation
walls, bowling alley pit, concrete
slab in basement, garage. (estimate
only until plans are available)
Import Gravel: 1 7,875.00 7,875.00T
import pitrun gravel for backfill i
the garage (under the proposed
patio), driveway (approximately 300
cy pitrun 6" depth)
Footing Drain: 1 1,750.00 1,750.00T
Installation of footing drain with
drain rock and fabric cover connect
to storm.
Roof Drain: 1 1,200.00 1,200.00T
Installation of tightline around
building connect to storm.
Building Backfill: 1 950.00 950.00T
Backfill around building and site
grading.
Driveway: 1 21,000.00 21,000.00T
Installation of concrete driveway a
shown on preliminary sketch,
approximately 8400 sf. Price is
for broom finish concrete. Other
options available such as stamped,
stained, colored, ribbons and
exposed aggregate.
Water: 1 750.00 750.00T
Installation of 1" 200psi Poly line
from existing meter box to building
Sewer: 1 22,500.00 22,500.00T
Installation of septic system
(estimate only)
Storm: 1 900.00 900.00T
Connection to existing storm line
stub to property.
Common utility: 1 2,120.00 2,120.00T
Trenching and conduit for cable and
phone from road to building,
trenching for power (power company
to install conduit).
Excludes: Permits, survey,
geo-technical, engineering, rock
excavation, over-excavation,
hazardous materials.
____________________________________________________________________________
SubTotal: $108,085.00
Tax (8.5%): $5,617.23
--------------------------------------
Total: $113,702.23

Just finished building a 2400 sft house with full unfinished basement in West Central Indiana. House was roughly 65x40 and had 12 exterior corners. The price for the basement, attached garage foundation and slab (26x28), front porch foundation and slab and back porch foundation and slab (18x16) was $47,000. That included all concrete, excavation and labor. It was installed in dense wet clay.

We had another quote during bidding for the same work and it was $55,000.

Underslab plumbing, sump pump and exgrees window were not included in that pricing.

Thank you for the replies with your bids and estimates!

This is exactly what I was looking for. I have since talked to my neighbor, who still has his bid from the basement that was poured a few years ago, which specs out everything. Granted, concrete was $90 a yard then. His basement was $32,000, walkout, 9ft walls, 4 car garage (flatwork/footer). He also had extra backfill, due to lifting the house a bit for his walkout. He had 102 L ft 4' walls, 100 L ft 6' walls, 55 L ft 8' walls, 8 L ft 6' walls, 99 L ft 9' walls, 9 corners at 9 feet, 27 cu yrds footer mix, 65 cu yrds of wall mix.

We are getting estimates based on our layout. $32k is quite different than $100,000. Why would we take everything to an architect to work specs up for a house that we could not afford? We have talked to him about our plans, and we have drawn them ourselves to this point and estimated the house line by line. Again, thank you guys for your help, this site is a wealth of knowledge.