Design Process
How much does it cost to build an eco-friendly home?
*Update: Please contact our team for current pricing.
To determine the cost of building an eco-friendly home, it is necessary to consider the entire process, from acquiring the land to moving in.
Regarding our total budget, the main factors to consider when calculating the cost of building an eco-friendly home are the following:
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30-50% Land Cost.
Today, the cost of land can represent between 30% and 50% of the total housing budget, depending on the location and characteristics of the land (a plot with a gentle slope is much more favorable than a steep plot, for example, as earth retention costs will be lower).
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10% Architecture Project
The technical project includes the fees of the architect, quantity surveyor, structural engineer, geologist, etc.
The price of an architectural project is calculated based on standard rates established by the College of Architects. Although each architect follows their own method, it is generally considered normal for the cost of the architectural project to represent between 7% and 11% of the total construction cost. Some architects apply the percentage to the total construction price. In our studio’s case, we do not work with percentages but calculate costs based on working hours, drawing on previous project experiences. This allows us to optimize costs as much as possible.
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8% Licenses and Permits
The architectural project for building an eco-friendly home does not include licensing costs. These are calculated by the city council and the College of Architects based on the construction budget of the home.
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40% Construction Cost
The actual construction cost of the home accounts for approximately 40% of the total budget. However, this value largely depends on the construction system and the quality of materials. Generally, a very economical home can be adjusted to 1,800 euros/m², a standard home to 2,000 euros/m², and a high-quality home from 2,500 to 3,000 euros/m², although the limit is, of course, set by the client and the quality of the materials we use.
LET’S LOOK AT AN EXAMPLE
Example of the price of a 100 m² home in a town 20 km from Barcelona.
(1) Land
To illustrate the example of how much it costs to build an eco-friendly home, we have selected a plot in a residential area in a town 20 km from Barcelona.
The selling price per square meter of the land is 150 euros/m², and the plot is 600 square meters. To this cost, approximately 10% in transfer taxes must be added if it is privately owned, or 21% VAT if it is owned by a company.
- Land Cost: 90,000 euros
(2) Architectural Project
As an example, we will estimate the architectural fees to determine the cost of building an eco-friendly home based on a percentage, as calculating the hours dedicated to a project depends on many factors.
Assuming the client has a tight budget and wants to build a 100 m² eco-friendly home, we establish a construction price per square meter of 2,000 euros/m².
Therefore, the base construction cost is set at 200,000 euros. Based on this cost, we roughly estimate fees of 10%, which corresponds to 20,000 euros.
- Architectural Project Cost: 20,000 euros
(3) Licenses and Permits
The two most important costs in this section are the cost of:
– Endorsement from the College of Architects, which guarantees that our architect is properly registered as a professional and that the submitted project includes all integral documentation in accordance with regulations.
– Building Permit from the City Council, which is calculated based on the construction budget and the local regulations applicable in each municipality.
As each College and City Council have their own calculation procedures, we generally consider that the total of both costs represents 8% of the construction price. Therefore, for an example construction cost of 200,000 euros, the cost of obtaining licenses and permits is approximately:
- Cost of Licenses and Permits: 16,000 euros
(4) Construction Price
Finally, the construction price, which for our example we have considered as economic-standard, is 2,000 euros per square meter. However, this cost is very relative, as this price is guaranteed by the builder for the home itself and not for the foundation, which will depend on the type of land available. We should add a 10% provision on the construction cost for foundations.
Therefore, the construction price is obtained from the construction of the home itself plus the cost of the foundation. For 100 m², we have 2,000 eur/m² x 100 m² = 200,000 eur + 10% for foundations (220,000 eur).
- Estimated Construction Price + Foundation: 220,000 euros
(5) Additional Projects
In addition to the architect, we must consider that an architectural project involves several technical professionals whose role is essential:
– Technical architect, a figure mandatory by law and present mainly during the construction phase
– Geologist and surveyor, who will provide us with information on the subsoil’s resistance and its topography
– Installations engineer, who calculates the efficiency of our home and the operation of its systems using energy models
– Structural engineer, who calculates the structural stability of the house.
The total cost for technical professionals is estimated based on the studio’s previous experiences.
- Estimated Price for Additional Technical Professionals: 14,400 euros
(6) Additional Taxes
Finally, we must consider taxes such as ICIO (Tax on Installations, Constructions, and Works), or procedures like the Property Registry and corresponding administrators.
Roughly, and for the example case we are proposing, we will calculate approximately an additional 3% to 5% on the total construction cost.
- Estimated Price for Taxes: 8,000 euros
FINAL PRICE: 369,000 euros
(including land)
In our studio, we help you find the land, design your custom home, and build it at a fixed price starting from 2,000 eur/m².
No prefabricated elements, with designs fully adapted to the client, natural materials, and a fixed price from day one.
You can contact our architecture team and we will explain in detail how we work.