Cost to Build a House in Gilroy California

Summary: The cost to build a house increases as the quality increases.

 Carl, I was wondering how much it would cost to build a 2000 to 3000 sq ft. home in Gilroy, CA 95020. Thanks, John

Hi John,

For those not familiar with the Bay Area, Gilroy is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, and in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Gilroy's nickname was "Garlic Capital of the World")

To find the current cost to build a house in the Gilroy area, I chose a contemporary house plan from House Plans and More that has standard 2x4 construction with a stucco veneer.

The house is built on a slab and I show several cost to build approaches, showing that varying the quality of materials dramatically affects the cost.


  • 2934 Total Square Feet
  • 1st Floor 1943
  • 2nd Floor 991
  • Width: 56'-8" Depth: 52'-0"
  • 4 Bedrooms
  • 3 Full Baths, 1 Half Bath
  • Foundation - Slab (Foundation Class #6 used for all the examples)
  • Garage 475 sq ft
  • Porch and Balcony 56 sq ft each
  • Pool not included
  • Local impact fees not included
Using the Cost to Build Calculator found on my Getting Started page on byoh.com, and using Quality Classes #6 through #1, a 6 corner shape to the slab foundation and building on a flat developed lot in the 950-951 Zip Code Metropolitan area, including the San Jose & Santa Clara area, here are 6 different approximate costs to build for 2015:

# 6 Quality Class = Total Cost of $309,569. Contractor Markup of $32,850.00 included.

# 5 Quality Class = Total Cost of $361,760. Contractor Markup of $38,793 included.

# 4 Quality Class = Total Cost of $419,321. Contractor Markup of $45,348 included.

# 3 Quality Class = Total Cost of $530,530. Contractor Markup of $57,774.00 included.

# 2 Quality Class = Total Cost of $760,567. Contractor Markup of $84,207.00 included.

# 1 Quality Class = Total Cost of $1,177,741. Contractor Markup of $131,712.00 included.

Until you actually start getting bids and entering them into your own spreadsheet (see my spreadsheet page for FREE spreadsheets), costs will always be approximate.

Everyone should keep in mind that the cost to build for this example, or any house plan, can vary considerably depending on the quality of materials selected, and with the actual bids for labor and materials.Also,the cost of building permits and fees can vary tremendously by locale. The costs of these permits and fees can be prohibitive. Investigate them early on in your home building planning.

Recommended reading: Cost Estimating and Home Building Permit - Home Building Fees - Home Building Land Survey

Carl Heldmann