Know Your Build.
A-103  Cost build-up  ·  in development

Know Your Cost.

The tax number is the easy half.

Every estimator on the internet will multiply your square footage by a number someone averaged in 2019. That is not an estimate, it is a guess with a dollar sign on it. This sheet prices the build line by line, at the grade you actually intend to finish it.

Preview  ·  600 sf addition, three grades

Illustrative figures. The live sheet prices against your town, your scope, and current CT supplier and labor rates.

LineBuilderMidHigh
Site & foundation$22,400$27,600$34,800
Framing & envelope$38,900$46,200$58,500
Roofing$9,600$14,400$26,000
Windows & doors$11,200$18,700$34,500
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing$28,000$33,500$42,000
Insulation & drywall$14,300$16,800$21,200
Interior finish$24,600$41,000$78,400
Construction subtotal$149,000$198,200$295,400
Per square foot$248$330$492
Resulting annual tax, Putnam$2,070$2,754$4,104
Why grade matters more than square footage

Between builder and high-end grade, the same 600 square feet swings by $146,000, and carries roughly $2,000 a year in additional property tax with it. Square-foot averages hide that entirely. Choosing your grade up front is the single largest lever you have on both numbers.