The location alone is one of the most significant cost drivers for commercial buildings. The median construction cost ranges from $350 per square foot for small installations. Prices in areas like New York go up to $450 per square foot. Below is a table showing the construction cost ranges of different commercial buildings.
Location is a significant driving factor for construction costs as they vary from State to State. It affects up to 70% of the overall construction costs. Places like New York top the charts as the most expensive city to build in. Another location factor affecting prices is the climate. Buildings located in cold climates may need design considerations to factor in the massive snow volumes, which considerably drive up the costs. The local jurisdictions have different construction cost permits when it comes to the construction of commercial buildings. Below is a breakdown of the construction costs within various regions in the U.S.
The construction costs vary immensely depending on the type of building. We have given average estimates based on location in the U.S., but now we will tackle the breakdown of costs depending on the building types throughout the U.S.
When it comes to hotel and lodging facilities, different locations have different standards and modes of construction that affect the costs. For example, three-star hotels are cheaper as they cost $478 per square foot, whereas five-star hotels cost slightly more at around $691 per square foot.
Depending on the type of manufacturing or the use case of the warehouse, the prices per square foot vary significantly. The average cost for constructing a regional distribution warehouse is $214 per square foot. A light industrial warehouse is costlier, with the price hovering at about $238. Technology laboratories are more expensive as they average around $635 per square foot.
Healthcare facilities are a necessity in every city, and new facilities are constructed very frequently. The most expensive healthcare facilities are acute care facilities. These cost $888 per square foot. Medical office buildings are cheaper, and they average at around $498 per square foot. Specialty clinics, on the other hand, on average cost about $619 per square foot.
Retail shopping centers are grouped into neighborhood strip centers and regional malls. They are colossal ad therefore relatively expensive. The average cost of a neighborhood strip center is $371, while the average price of a regional mall is $537 per square foot.
In comparison to all other commercial building structures, parking lots are the cheapest to construct. For example, an underground multi-level parking structure costs about $143 per square foot, whereas an above-ground parking lot costs $71 per square foot.
Public and community facilities are among the most expensive structures to build as they serve many people. For example, gymnasiums and recreational centers cost around $403 per square foot. Government administration buildings cost about $591 per square foot, while police stations, on the other hand, cost $580 per square foot. The most expensive public buildings are performing arts centers and museums. These cost around $892 on average.
There are many factors to consider when it comes to the pricing of any commercial project. The different aspects of the project contribute and cost differently. We took data on the commercial construction breakdown by components from the National Association of Home Builders.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, the cost of constructing the foundation accounts for 11.3% of the total construction costs. This cost includes excavation, concrete fills, backfills, and retaining walls if necessary.
Labor costs in a commercial construction project range from 20% to 40% of the total construction costs. The factors affecting labor costs in a project are the direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are simple to calculate as they include employee wages. Indirect costs include employee benefits, taxes, training, and employee development. Also, depending on the labor burden, labor costs are likely to change.
Material costs specified by the design team, to a great extent, affect the building costs. For example, steel buildings that need a lot of fabrication are more expensive than regular concrete structures. This cost ranges from 17.3% to 25%.
Finishes tremendously drive up the costs. High-grade finishes cost way higher than lower or mid-grade options. Exterior finishes account for 15% of the construction costs. Some of these include walls, roofing, and windows. Interior finishes include insulation, flooring, cabinets and countertops, lighting, and other appliances. These are among the most expensive project costs as they take up 29.1% of the total costs. The cost varies with the type of finish.
Major systems in a project account for electrical installations, plumbing, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning). There is no fixed percentage for the cost of major systems in a project as the cost varies with the scope and complexity of the project. Except for fixtures, plumbing takes up to 4.3% of the construction costs, whereas electrical installations take up 4.2% of the costs. HVAC takes up an overall of 4.4%, which totals up to 12.9% of the construction costs. The cost of utilities on smaller projects varies, and the average percentage cost in smaller projects is 8.5%.
The final step in your project is landscaping. As a rule of thumb, landscaping takes up to 6.8% of the overall construction budget. It includes driveways, cleanups, outdoor structures such as porches, and other outdoor aesthetic features.
Construction costs vary from project to project. The prices also differ from one location to another. When estimating construction costs, the key determining factors are the building quality, design and architecture, materials, labor costs, permits, mechanical and electrical systems, and finishes.
The factors that affect the pricing of a 10,000 sq ft are; the location, size, flexibility, design material prices, construction type, material supply, and inventory. To estimate the cost to build a 10,000sq ft, we have to calculate hard, soft, and operational costs. These prices are not fixed and tend to fluctuate.
Hard costs are linked to the building process of a warehouse. They include; labor, foundation, material, concrete foundation, landscaping, utilities, land leveling, LEED certification, and equipment.
Long-term or operational costs are incurred over an extended period. After construction, care is required to guarantee a longer lifespan. Maintenance, insurance, bills, and general everyday expenses are some of the costs one can incur.
Maintenance Costs entail; paint touch-ups, building inspection for pests and climate control, repairing of damages, etc. Repair and maintenance of warehouses can be done yearly and range from $1.50 and $2.00 per sq ft.
Whether you are an experienced or prospective commercial building owner, asking the right questions gives you a better perspective to educate and prepare yourself on the expected commercial construction costs. Below are some of the frequently asked questions concerning commercial construction costs.
Commercial build-out refers to the work done on a building before a tenant moves in to occupy it. They can be big or small renovations depending on the functionality one wants to add to the building. The catchphrase when it comes to the build-out is negotiation. The owner might agree to foot the costs, or the owner might cost-share with the tenant. It depends upon the type of renovation and how they negotiated the deal.
A commercial building of 10000 feet takes between 4 to 6 months to build. However, for complex structures of up to 50000 feet, the construction takes anywhere between 8 to 10 months. When the budget is not a constraint, projects that last year-long usually are valued at over 1 million dollars.
Commercial construction is heavily impacted by numerous factors such as location, labor, and materials. It would help if you planned your costs properly to avoid putting the contractor under tremendous pressure during construction. The current construction costs show a growing trend in the industry.
As additional details are known about a building, a project team can develop a Modeled Square Foot estimate based upon previously composed model projects that have been developed in the Gordian Guide for SF Estimating with RS Means data. This method focuses on identifying the building type, and a small number of core building parameters (exterior facade and structural system) to define an estimated cost per square foot. Additions can then be included within the estimate.
The descriptions contained in Figures 1 and 2 show a description of the content contained on the 2 pages for each building type that are contained in the Square Foot Estimating Guide. These descriptions are referenced from the beginning of the estimating Guide. This Guide is simply composed of a series of Square Foot pages per building type. The initial part of the Guide is for residential buildings (houses), and the latter section is for commercial buildings. There are also some individual assemblies included toward the end of the guide, along with other tables and information.
A square foot estimate can be performed at the early stages of a project, for example, during schematic design. To perform the estimate, you will need to have as a minimum an approximate footprint for the building, an understanding of the type of structural system, a proposed facade type, and an estimated floor to floor height. If you do not know any of these items, you could still develop an estimate using various assumptions.
In contrast, the Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) method presented in the previous chapter is based on the Reported Square Foot costs from a data set of many previous building projects. The Reported Square Foot method that we used for the ROM estimates simply uses average building costs across the dataset. The average costs are not calculated from any detailed characteristics or system types within the building. Therefore, the Modeled SF Estimating approach can be much more accurate than the previous ROM approach.
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