How Much Does It Cost to Build a Custom Home on Your Lot in North Texas

Do you want to build a custom home on your land? Below, we provide the tools needed to determine a ballpark price for your total project in the North Texas area.

What Should I Expect to Pay When Building a Home in Texas?

The cost of building a home in North Texas depends on a wide range of factors, including: size, location, design and materials.

Here are some quick tips to give you a ballpark estimate of what you can expect. 

How Do I Budget for Building a House?

If you are having a professional home builder construct your home instead of building it yourself, you should consider these four categories for your house-building budget. 

Land cost is easy to figure out, so we don't need to spend much time on it, except to say: be sure to include the cost closing, loan fees and property taxes while the land is held. 

How Much Do Empty Lots Cost in North Texas?

There are two primary types of land purchases you can make in Texas: 

In Fort Worth, Texas, and surrounding cities, empty lots for your custom home typically cost between $70,000 and $150,000 - not counting the super custom neighborhoods because those can be $200,000 plus per lot.

When looking at North Texas, as a whole, subdivided lots can range from $20,000 for a typical mobile home lot to over $100,000 for a 1-acre lot in a developed community. The cost for raw land in the same area—from Fort Worth to Palo Pinto down to Stephenville and north into Wise County—can range from $7,000 per acre for larger, rural tracts to over $50,000 per acre for small parcels in some cities, such as Aledo, TX. 

Subdivided Lots

Subdivided lots have been broken up into lots by an owner or developer. They may have put in roads or utilities. This land is platted and recorded at the county level and may have deed restrictions attached to it, or a HomeOwners Association (HOA). It may also have a common entrance feature or shared community green space or amenities. 

Raw or Unplatted Land

Raw or unplatted land has never been divided. Typically, raw land will cost less to purchase by the acre but more to develop in terms of grading, utilities and roads. Subdivided property will cost more initially because this work is usually done and is ready for construction. 

How Much Does Site Development Cost?

Site development can vary widely depending on the site. We do not include site costs in our pricing because they can vary so much from lot to lot and depend heavily on owner preferences; however, we will work with you to assemble a budget and a plan for site development and provide the resources and support you need to accomplish it.

Here is a typical site work scenario: 

Site development costs are typically lower in Fort Worth than surrounding counties because you usually won't need well and septic and the lots are usually more developed already. 

However, it can be higher depending on the particular lot you want. For instance, if you find a lot in Fort worth that does not have a water tap or meter on site or a sewer tap, that can be $7,000 - $8,000 more in site development costs. If the lot you want has a house on the land that you want to tear down, the cost to tear down the house will push your site development costs up. If it's a raw piece of land that needs replatting, that changes the equation, too. 

Whatever land you find in Fort Worth or surrounding cities, consider talking with a builder you're interested in working with or who you've already decided to work with about that land in question to give you a better idea for what site development will be needed. 

What Are the Best Areas in North Texas for Site Development?

There are a few things to be aware of in North Texas as you look for a good site for your home:

What Is the Cost to Build Only the Home in DFW (Custom Home Building)?

The cost to build a typical custom home in DFW, not including the land or site work, could be anywhere from $80 per square foot to $155 per square foot. 

In North Texas, Hedgefield Homes generally cost between $115,000 and $300,000, with the home square footage ranging between 1,150 square feet to 2,700 square feet.

We service the North Texas area and have provided a few rough pricing examples from the cities we serve, such as: Weatherford, Burleson, Mineral Wells, Fort Worth and others: 

We would add that this can be a tricky question because every builder's base package is unique. The best advice we can give to new home builders is this: 

• Get a detailed list of everything that is included, and not included, in the quote
• Get everything in writing

What Is Typically Included with the Base House Cost?

Base or standard house costs typically include:

• Foundation
• Roofing
• Flooring Lighting
• Frame
• Exterior Cladding (Siding, Stone, Brick)
• All Fixtures & Hardware
• Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing
• Drywall & Paint
• Mirrors & Glass
• Insulation
• Cabinetry & Counters
• Appliances
• Windows & Exterior Doors
• Trim & Interior Doors

How Much Does Just the House Cost to Build with Hedgefield Homes?

With Hedgefield Homes in North Texas, our homes generally range between $115,000 to $300,000, with square footage ranging from around 1,150 square feet to 2,700 square feet. 

See more included features. 

How Much Should I Budget for Custom Home Options and Upgrades?

Many clients opt to wait on upgrades for a few years and focus on the base house with a few key options. Both options make sense; it all depends on your needs and desires!

A fairly typical number many owners budget is 10% for custom home options and upgrades. So if the base house price is $175,000, then options and upgrades may fall between $17,500.  But again, this amount differs greatly by family and needs. 

We recommend prioritizing architectural options like larger patios or luxury master baths over upgrades such as flooring, counters, tile, etc. Architectural options will bring more value to you in the short-term as you live in the home, and more value on the market if you ever decide to sell it.

Here is a general idea of pricing for some of the more popular architectural options:

What Custom Home Upgrades Should I Consider?

Upgrades are features that you already have, but you want a nicer version of that feature. Some examples of components we see owners upgrade more often include:

• Flooring (wood)
• Tile flooring, showers or backsplash
• Luxury granite or quartz
• Fixtures (lighting, hardware, plumbing)
• Appliances
• Cabinetry features like taller upper cabinets

How Does Financing Work with Custom Home Builds?

Most people will choose to finance their home building project with a one-time close mortgage.  This means that the lot and the home are both financed by the mortgage company before construction begins, instead of afterwards. This method saves you money in closing costs with the bank and title companies. 

We cover finance in another article, but be aware that there are closing costs you pay out-of-pocket, and there are interest payments during the construction period that are paid to the mortgage company each month. 

Building Instant Equity

At Hedgefield Homes, we are one of the few companies that will offer our clients an opportunity to build Instant Equity in their custom home. 

Instead of charging you to do everything, we help you to manage up to 20% of the work - the simplest and least technical parts - and earn equity in the process. Our customers can save up to 20% on the cost of a home by using this program. 

We expect most customers will spend $130,000 - $345,000 for an Instant Equity build, with a large majority falling in the $130,000 - $260,000 price range. 

Want to see about how much that cost will be with all of your favorite plan options and design features?  Use our Design and Price Tool to walk through your options and get an approximate price!