Rosewood Homes Remodeling Sioux Falls, SD It’s Labor Day Weekend. Are You Still Waiting to Make Your Move?
Labor Day weekend lands differently when you’re in the construction business. For most people it’s the last long weekend of summer. For us, it’s the middle of a season that doesn’t stop — and a good moment to be honest with you about where people actually are right now in this market.
Move. Build. Or stay put and make it yours.
There’s no universal right answer. But there are real answers. And the only way to find yours is to look at the numbers, the options, and the plan — with someone who will tell you the truth about all three.
The Question We Hear More Than Any Other
“What does it cost per square foot to build?”
It’s a fair question. And we understand why people ask it. But here’s what we’ve learned after two decades of building custom homes in South Dakota: a square foot number without context isn’t an answer — it’s a starting point for confusion.
Right now we’re working alongside a family who came to us with exactly this question. They needed to understand what their options actually cost before they could choose between them. So we drew two completely custom designs — one with a finished basement, one slab-on-grade — and we priced them both. Same family. Same vision. Different foundation. Very different number.
That difference isn’t a mistake. It’s the reality of custom construction. The lot, the kitchen scope, the foundation type, the garage configuration, the finishes — all of it plays a role. We’re not a production builder running the same four floor plans on repeat. Every home we design is built around one family’s life. Every price reflects that. Quick answers aren’t honest answers in this business. Solid plans are.
Buy. Build. Or Settle for What’s Available.
Before most families land on our doorstep, they’ve already done the search. They’ve toured used homes. Gently used homes. New construction. They’ve looked at every direction the market has to offer — and nothing is landing. Not because they’re being too picky. Because what’s available doesn’t fit their actual life.
Location is wrong. Layout is wrong. The year the home was built matters. The size works on paper but not in practice. And the price — the price looks like a number that makes sense until you factor in what it actually costs to make it yours.
Here’s what most people don’t say out loud: at the end of that search, they settle. They choose price and sacrifice layout. They sacrifice quality of life. They take what the market gives them because the alternative feels too big, too complicated, too expensive. That’s the psychology of it — and it’s exactly what we want to talk about honestly.
Because cost per square foot is not the answer. Not when you’re shopping. Not when you’re designing. Not when you’re building.
Pick out a refrigerator that costs ten times what came standard in every home you toured — that shifts the whole number. Choose a slab-on-grade plan over a ranch walkout — that shifts it too. Swap Anderson windows for Marvin or Vector — different number. Now consider the land: one lot in one neighborhood costs $150,000. The same-size lot in a different neighborhood costs $300,000. That’s before a single wall goes up.
Every one of those decisions is a variable. And every one of those variables applies whether you’re buying something already built or designing something from the ground up. The question was never “how much per square foot.” The real question is: what does it actually cost to live the way you want to live — and what are you giving up when that number isn’t available to you?
We help people find the real answer before they make the wrong decision. That’s the work.
Where People Are Right Now
When we’re sitting across from families at different stages of this decision. Some have a lot. Some have a house to sell first. Some are still on the fence. All of them have questions we’ve heard before — and answers we’ve worked hard to give honestly.
One family is deep in the planning phase for a story-and-a-half loft home — a design built around the way they actually live, not what was available on the market. They’ve looked. Nothing fit. So they came to us and we started from scratch. They also have a home to sell before they can break ground, which means the timeline is real and the planning has to be intentional. That’s not a complication. That’s how this works when it’s done right. The design is moving forward now so that when the moment comes, they’re not starting from zero.
Another family closed on a lot this week. South Dakota sunset views out the back. The right location doesn’t wait — and when it’s there, you move. Custom home planning has started.
What a Remodel Actually Looks Like While It’s Happening
This project started long before demo day. We designed the home in 3D — full before and after plans — so every decision was made on paper first, not in the middle of a torn-apart kitchen. By the time the first wall came down, there were no surprises. That’s the point.
Demo began Monday on a main floor renovation. By Thursday, nearly three tons of debris had left the house. The interior doors went to Habitat for Humanity. The clients are living in the home while we work.
You won’t find dust on their kitchen table. We run Festool extraction equipment on every single tool — not as a courtesy, as a standard. That’s planned, not accidental.
Every selection was finalized before we opened a wall. Every product ordered. Every price locked. The paint color changed five times before we started — and we were there for every conversation, because every decision made before demo is a dollar saved during it.
Remodeling — cost escalation
Every season you wait, the same remodel costs more.
Labor, materials, and lead times don’t hold while you decide. The scope doesn’t change — the price does.
Cost index — today = 100
Relative cost of the same remodel scope
| Today |
| Your baseline | ||
| +1 season |
| Same project, higher cost | ||
| +2 seasons |
| Same project, significantly more |
Based on regional labor and materials trends in the Sioux Falls market. Every project is different — this reflects the direction costs move, not a fixed quote.
“The scope doesn’t change when you wait. The check you write does.”
When the Plan Changes Before the Shovel Hits the Ground
One of our clients was a week out from breaking ground on a custom build. The plan changed.
This used to be hard for me to sit with — the pause, the timeline shifting, the reset. I’ve made peace with it. If something needs to change, change it before the shovel hits the ground. A design revision before digging costs a fraction of what a change order costs mid-construction.
We shifted the schedule. We’re okay. More importantly, our clients are okay — because they made the right call before it became expensive. Patience is part of this business. Letting go of what I can’t control is part of it too.
The Honest Truth About Waiting
This one comes up in almost every conversation we have, and it’s the one we feel most responsible to be direct about.
That client who paused a week before breaking ground? That was the right call — and we’ve said so every time we’ve talked about it. Change it before the shovel hits the ground. But there’s a version of waiting that works against you — and most people don’t see it until it already has. Construction costs don’t pause while your savings account catches up. Materials, labor, and timelines move faster than most households can save. What costs X this fall will very likely cost more next fall. Not because anyone is being unfair. That’s simply how this market moves.
The smarter path isn’t to wait for a better number. It’s to pause, regroup, and modify the plan now. Adjust the scope. Phase what can be phased. Arrive at a plan you can actually execute today — not a version you’re hoping to afford in 18 months.
Waiting has never saved our clients money. We’ve watched it cost them more, every time.
Custom builds — cost index — today = 100
Relative cost of the same custom build
| Today |
| Your baseline | ||
| +1 year |
| $56K–$84K more on a $700K build | ||
| +2 years |
| $105K–$154K more on a $700K build |
A 10% increase on a $700,000 home is $70,000. That is a fully finished bathroom, a custom kitchen upgrade, or six months of mortgage payments.
Based on regional labor, materials, and land cost trends in the Sioux Falls market. Individual builds vary — this reflects the direction costs move, not a fixed quote.
Everything Under One Roof
Serving Sioux Falls & the surrounding area since 2004.
Custom Home Design & Build · Remodels & Renovations · Home Additions
Architectural Drafting · Interior Design · Real Estate — Buy & Sell
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We’ve been doing this since 2004. Come talk to us — no pressure, just real answers about your real situation.
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— Larry & Rachael Weissenburger
Rosewood Homes & Real Estate
Custom Home Builder · Remodeler · Designer · Real Estate Broker
Sioux Falls, SD | Since 2004
builtbyrosewood.com/the-rosewood-way | 605-310-4475
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