Building a guest house?

Question

I would like to build a 900-1,100 sq. ft. single level guest house in the back yard for my mother. I live in an older, in-town neighborhood in Atlanta with no convenants, and I have 1/5 of an acre back yard to build on.

My target goal is 53$/sq. ft., including running the sewer line, water, and electricity to the back. My land sits above the sewer/water line, so that is not an issue. Is this a resaonable expectation, or should I increase my estimate? I am about to start contacting local construction companies, so any advice would be welcome.

Answer 1

Sewer lines have a "right-a-way" that gives them permission to dig up, or tear down anything within so many feet of one of their lines.  So keep in mind that you cannot build the building within so many feet of the line.  

Also, in some older neighborhoods there are historical restrictions and certain building codes instead of covenants.  You will want to do your homework at city hall before hiring a contractor because they will charge for the time they have to spend researching that information.  Look up the permits you will need to get also.

After you do some prep work, the price per foot will depend on the type of house you build.  Slab or with a crawl space will make a difference along with the layout and accessories.  One more thought, check with your insurance agent to see what he will charge for having two houses on one property.  

Answer 2

I think that that would be a fair estimate for your area.  A friend near st.louis built a 750 sqft lake cabin with central air / heat for 35k

Answer 3

I don't have an answer to your question but in reading the first post reminded me of the nightmare we got into when my first husband and I had our guesthouse built.  The contractor did not get the permits and after my divorce when I sought to rent my guesthouse out I began having problems with the septic tank.  They had run the leach (sp?) bed right on top of the ground and threw large gravel over the sight!  It cost me over ten thousand dollars to rectify the problem and my guesthouse was condemned until it was corrected.  It cost so much to fix because we have a lake, the house sits on a hill where everything drains down toward the lake.  A lift station had to be installed and goes about 3/4 the way back to our barn.  It was a flipping nightmare for me.  Just get the permits yourself, don't trust anyone else to get that part of the job done - it's not worth it if they fail to do it!