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Construction Cost Data Request Questions

Preview of questions appearing on EOHLC's construction cost data request form

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) is seeking assistance from Massachusetts housing developers about the cost and financial feasibility of new housing. To that end, EOHLC is collecting financial information from developers who are willing to share data with EOHLC on the cost of recent or upcoming housing development. We plan to include our analysis of cost data from non-profit and for-profit developers as part of EOHLC’s statewide housing plan to be published in early 2025.

EOHLC has prepared a survey form to collect standardized information from developers. Since the survey includes multiple sections, this web page provides a preview of all questions on the form so that respondents can collect necessary information before commencing their response.  

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Section 1: General Project Information

1. Developer Name

2. Contact Email

3. Project Name

4. Municipality

5. Address

6. Year of construction start  (Actual or anticipated)

7. Please indicate source of construction cost estimates

  • Budgetary pricing
  • Final contract pricing (construction not yet complete)
  • Final costs (construction complete)

Section 2: Development Characteristics

8. Number of units

9. Total number of bedrooms

10. Tenure (actual or anticipated)

  • Rental
  • Ownership
  • Mixed

11. Percent Income Restricted

12. Average affordability of income-restricted units (Expressed as a percent of AMI)

13. Maximum stories

14. Gross square footage (All built square footage including commercial square footage, if any, but excluding square footage for any garage, podium, or underground parking areas)

15. Net residential square footage

16. Gross square footage of leasable commercial space (if any)

17. Type of Parking Provided

  • Surface Parking
  • Garage Parking (above ground, freestanding or attached)
  • Podium parking (above ground, within/under building)
  • Subsurface / underground garage

18. Gross square footage of structured or underground parking areas (if any)

19. Number of parking spaces for residents (include shared parking)

Section 3: Construction Practices

20. Project type

  • Ground Up Construction
  • Rehabilitation of Preexisting Residential Building
  • Conversion of Office to Residential Use
  • Adaptive Reuse of Other Nonresidential Building
  • Public Housing Redevelopment

21. Construction Materials / Methods 

  • Wood construction walk up
  • Wood construction with elevator
  • Steel or concrete podium and wood
  • Light gauge steel
  • Steel or concrete high rise

22. Does the project utilize offsite construction methods (including volumetric or panelized components or service pods)?

23. Labor strategy

  • Union Labor
  • Prevailing Wage Requirements
  • Open Shop

24. Provide any additional detail or explanation on project type, construction methods, or labor strategy, if you feel it is important. 

Section 4: Development Costs - Overview

25. Acquisition costs (land and buildings)

26. Total soft costs  (Excluding capitalized interest costs.)

27. Capitalized interest costs

28. Total hard costs (Including site work, parking, vertical construction, contingency, and insurance.)

29. Total development cost (Should equal the sum of the above four line items: acquisition, soft costs, capitalized interest, hard costs.) 

Section 4: Soft Costs - Detail

30. Entitlement and Permitting  (Including consultant and legal fees, permit fees, studies, community engagement.)

31. Mitigation Fees, offsite improvements, voluntary contributions (Including any in-lieu affordable housing payments or payments to municipal funds, or organizations related to the project.)

32. Utility back-charges and/or utility reinforcement fees

33. Developer’s fee (Include both fee and overhead, if carried separately.)

34. Provide any explanation or detail on soft costs that would be helpful 

Section 5: Hard Costs - Detail

35.  Site Work (Including earthwork, site utilities, roads, landscaping, demolition, stormwater, geotechnical conditions.)

36.  Vertical construction (All hard costs, excluding site work costs.)

37. Parking construction costs (That portion of structural and/or site costs associated with parking.)

38. Contractor's general conditions, general requirements, and fee

39. Insurance costs (Builder's risk and general liability)

40. Provide any explanation or detail on hard costs that would be helpful 

Section 6: General Observations

41. If the development includes commercial space, please summarize the tenant fit-out cost (actual or estimated) as well as assumptions or actuals about lease-up time, vacancy assumptions, and rental income.  

42. Please comment on the cost, time, or complexity involved in meeting building codes and energy codes 

43. Roughly how long did it take to get the project fully permitted?  Was a zoning variance or special permit required?   

44. If your project includes income-restricted units, can you provide estimates of a) any costs associated with restricted units for year one of occupancy, and/or b) the Net Present Value of all lost revenue/unit subsidies over the life of the operating budget? You are also welcome to provide other information about the costs, benefits, and logistics of inclusionary zoning in your development.  

Date published: August 20, 2024
Last updated: August 20, 2024

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