How much did a house cost in 1776?

Answer 1

It is difficult to give an exact figure, due to a number of factors. For one, some people who built houses already owned the land-- they were wealthy merchants or upper-class elites and the land was in their family. If a person had to purchase the land in addition to building the house, this would add to the total cost. For another, some people preferred a simple brick or stone or wood style, where others wanted an ornate Georgian home that indicated their wealth and status. And sad to say, some of the labor in homes of this era was done for free by slaves or indentured servants, while other owners-to-be hired and paid skilled tradesmen (such as bricklayers or stone masons) to do the work.

As a result, costs for building a house varied from colony to colony, depending on the need to pay wages, what the various master craftsmen charged, etc. And it should also be noted that based on newspaper articles of that time, the currency was still in pounds and shillings, rather than dollars, and it is difficult to compare today's currency with the currency of the 1770s. That said, some sources assert that, as a general rule, prices then were approximately 25 times lower than they are today. Thus, today's $ 100,000 house would have cost around $4,000 in the currency of the late 1700s. It is also safe to say that the vast majority of the men who owned their own home in 1776 were well off financially and could afford to have a house built, no matter the cost.

Answer 2

around 4000 dollars