Average cost drops for new home built in Jackson

All told, the city of Jackson saw about $29 million spent on construction for the second year in a row.

Single-family home construction dipped slightly, from 60 construction starts in 2014 to 53 in 2015.

The bigger change was in the average cost of those homes, however. In 2014, the total declared construction value for all single-family homes was $14.6 million, whereas last year's total was just shy of $10 million, the lowest amount since 2011.

Building and planning superintendent Janet Sanders pointed out in her report the slight dip in the average cost of new home construction indicates the Jackson area is becoming more affordable for first-time homeowners and young families.

New duplexes, apartments and townhomes made up only about a third of the total cost of single-family residence construction, at $4.8 million.

The next-highest total after new home starts, however, was the more than $8.6 million spent on new commercial buildings.

The largest construction project of the year was the $6.5 million Villas of Jackson assisted-living facility on Broadridge Drive.

A warehouse addition for Kohlfeld Distributing, self-storage units for K&K Storage and the Bank of Missouri remodel also were among the top projects.

The spec building, built by the Jackson Industrial Development Council, was the third-largest project overall at $1.4 million, but the JIDC hopes it will help facilitate more commercial growth in Jackson.

Forty-one residences were remodeled in 2015 for a total cost of $490,063. The previous year saw fewer remodels but about $70,000 more in spending.

A total of 149 excavation permits were granted in 2015. That's slightly less than the 160 of 2014 but still nearly double the number of permits in 2013 and triple that of 2012.

Jackson residents spent nearly $220,000 in 2015 on driveways, parking spaces and sidewalks -- more than they have in the previous five years, although the number of projects remained relatively unchanged.

Last year's discretionary and recreational projects remained comparable to those of 2014, with 19, 47 and 11 permits being issued for the installation of signs, fences and pools respectively.

Only nine permits for plumbing were issued last year, continuing a decline in plumbing projects from the 57 issued in 2013.

Sewer and water replacement or repair projects were nearly identical to 2014 figures, as were electrical projects, which totaled about $150,000.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627