What a custom home costs
Most builders will not publish a rate until you are sitting in front of them. Here is ours, plus the arithmetic that turns it into a number for your house.
A custom home from South Texas Builders costs $115 to $120 per square foot in Hidalgo and Starr County, $120 to $130 in Cameron County, and $130 to $145 in Alice and the Coastal Bend. That is construction only, at our Fully Loaded standard, for single story homes with 9 ft plate height and a 30 year shingle roof. An 1,800 sq ft home therefore runs about $207,000 to $216,000 in the RGV core. Land, septic, utility connections and windstorm insurance are quoted separately.
What changes between counties is logistics and code, never the specification.
| Service region | Fully Loaded rate | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo & Starr County (McAllen / RGV core) | $115 to $120 / sq ft | Our closest trade base and shortest supply runs. |
| Cameron County | $120 to $130 / sq ft | Reflects coastal code requirements and longer crew travel. |
| Alice, TX & the Coastal Bend | $130 to $145 / sq ft | Distance from our McAllen supply base drives the difference. |
Construction cost only, at the published rate for each region. This is the arithmetic we would do on a napkin in the first meeting, done here instead.
| Home size | Typical layout | Hidalgo & Starr | Cameron | Alice & Coastal Bend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 sq ft | 3 bed / 2 bath | $172,500 to $180,000 | $180,000 to $195,000 | $195,000 to $217,500 |
| 1,800 sq ft | 3 bed / 2 bath | $207,000 to $216,000 | $216,000 to $234,000 | $234,000 to $261,000 |
| 2,100 sq ft | 3 bed / 2.5 bath | $241,500 to $252,000 | $252,000 to $273,000 | $273,000 to $304,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 4 bed / 3 bath | $287,500 to $300,000 | $300,000 to $325,000 | $325,000 to $362,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 4 bed / 3 bath | $345,000 to $360,000 | $360,000 to $390,000 | $390,000 to $435,000 |
Bathroom counts follow the published guidelines: up to two full baths on 1,500 to 1,800 sq ft homes, up to three on 1,800 to 2,500 sq ft. Seewhat is included in every build for the full allowance and upgrade tables.
If your estimate came back higher than you expected, the reason is almost certainly on this list.
Up to $45,000
difference on an 1,800 sq ft home between Hidalgo and Alice
The single biggest lever, and it is not about the house. Cameron County carries windstorm requirements and coastal logistics. Alice and the Coastal Bend sit further from our suppliers. Hidalgo and Starr are our densest build area, so they carry the lowest rate.
About 55%
of your cost sits in the kitchen, baths and mechanical systems
Price scales with area, but not perfectly. Kitchens and baths cost several times what a bedroom costs per square foot, so a 2,500 sq ft home with three baths is not simply 39% more than an 1,800 sq ft home with two.
$16,200
what a standing seam metal roof adds on an 1,800 sq ft home
The 30 year shingle is standard. Going to a standing seam metal roof adds about $9 per square foot, brick adds about $2, and a full Hebel block exterior adds about $5.
+$3 to $5
per square foot for 10 ft plate height throughout
Nine foot walls are standard, with a 10 to 14 ft ceiling allowance in the front areas. Taking 10 ft plate height through the whole house adds $3 to $5 per square foot, because it changes framing, drywall, paint and conditioned volume all at once.
Quoted separately
land, septic, utility connections and windstorm insurance
Not part of the contract price, but it is part of your budget. Clearing beyond the ten included dirt hauls, a septic system outside city sewer, long utility runs and a concrete pump on a difficult site all get quoted separately.
0.75% to 1.5%
of contract price allowanced for plumbing and electrical fixtures
Every finish category carries a published allowance. Staying inside them keeps you at contract price; going above is a documented change order, priced before anything is ordered. Going below credits you back.
We price every home the same way, one premium Fully Loaded standard, with the rate adjusted by service region. For 2026: Hidalgo and Starr County $115 to $120 per square foot, Cameron County $120 to $130, and Alice and the Coastal Bend $130 to $145.
Every tier includes the same finishes. Nothing is removed to reach a lower number; the difference reflects code requirements, crew travel and supply distance. Your final rate depends on your lot, plan complexity and any upgrades you choose. These rates currently apply to single story homes, ask us for a two story quote.
Building in McAllen starts at $115 to $120 per square foot for our Fully Loaded standard, the same specification on every home we build, with no stripped down base model. For a standard 1,800 square foot home that is $207,000 to $216,000 in construction cost.
That figure covers construction only. Land, site preparation, permits and utility connections are separate line items, and we walk through each of them with you before anything is signed. Rates shift outside the McAllen and Hidalgo, Starr core; see the tier table for your county.
Six things move the number most: your service region; roofing upgrades (an R Panel metal roof adds about $5 per square foot, standing seam about $9); exterior upgrades (brick accents about $2, a full Hebel block exterior about $5); ceiling height (a 10 foot plate throughout adds $3 to $5); lot conditions such as rocky soil, poor drainage or slope; and bathroom count on homes over 1,800 square feet that need more than three full baths.
Material prices for lumber, steel and concrete also move seasonally. We lock your pricing before breaking ground so mid construction swings are not your problem. Final figures for metal roof upgrades, oversized showers and front area plate heights are confirmed when your blueprints are finalized.
Each finish category carries a budgeted amount inside your contract. Plumbing fixtures are allowanced at 0.75% of contract price and electrical fixtures at 1.5%. Tile flooring is $2.00 per square foot for material, shower floors $3.50 and shower walls $3.00. Countertops are $700 per slab across the kitchen, pantry and baths. The front door carries $2,500, and 150 square feet of front elevation stone is included.
Knowing your allowance before you walk into a showroom is the whole point of publishing it. Choosing below one credits you back; choosing above it becomes a documented change order, priced before anything is ordered. The full table is on our what’s included page.
The common ones are priced per square foot so you can do the arithmetic yourself: brick exterior wall adds about $2, an R Panel metal roof about $5, a standing seam metal roof about $9, a 10 ft plate height throughout $3 to $5, a Hebel block upgrade about $5, and switching the exterior wall to metal about $5. Oversized showers beyond 3×6 and real cantera beyond the stone allowance are quoted individually.
In dollars on an 1,800 square foot home, that means a standing seam roof adds roughly $16,200 and a full Hebel block exterior roughly $9,000. Your project manager prices any upgrade in writing before it goes into the contract.
Yes, and the way to do it is smart planning rather than cutting quality. A well planned 1,200 to 1,400 square foot home can live much larger than its square footage if the layout is right, and features like a covered patio or an upgraded kitchen can be phased into a second stage.
On the financing side, the levers that matter most are FHA at 3.5% down, USDA at zero down in eligible areas, VA at zero down for those who qualify, and Texas down payment assistance programs. We will tell you honestly what your budget can carry before you fall in love with a plan it cannot.
It depends on the loan program. FHA construction loans need a minimum 3.5% down, about $8,750 on a $250,000 build. Conventional construction loans typically want 10 to 20%, so $25,000 to $50,000 on the same build. VA loans require no down payment for qualifying veterans and active duty service members. USDA loans require no down payment in eligible rural areas.
Beyond the down payment, plan for three to six months of reserves and closing costs of roughly 2 to 5% of the loan amount. We can introduce you to Valley lenders who close construction loans regularly and can prequalify you in a few days.
At 2026 pricing the two land in the same range. Existing homes in McAllen and Edinburg run roughly $160,000 to $280,000 for a modest three bedroom. A new 1,800 square foot home at our Fully Loaded standard runs $207,000 to $216,000 in the McAllen and RGV core.
The difference is what you get for the money: new systems, modern insulation, a plan drawn for your family, and every finish chosen by you rather than by a previous owner. Add free blueprints and building frequently wins on both cost and value, but the honest answer depends on your lot, your timeline and what you would have to compromise on to buy.
Next step
Once we know your square footage, your region and your parcel, the estimate stops being a range and becomes a document.
Prefer to talk to a person?(956) 594-6936
