Duplicable City Center Materials & Costs

This page is the open source and free-shared Duplicable City Center^® construction materials costs page that will evolve with the open source project-launch blueprinting of the One Community Duplicable City Center. The goal of this page is to provide precise materials needs and costs for every component of this structure. We share these details with the following sections:

• Duplicable City Center Materials and Costs Introduction
• Why Open Source these Materials and Costs
• City Center Materials and Costs Details
  • Cost Overview
  • Dome Structure Costs
  • Aesthetic Details Costs
  • Plumbing Costs
  • Electrical Costs
  • HVAC Costs
  • Eco-laundry Costs
  • Eco-kitchen Costs
  • Eco Swimming Pool, Pond, and Spa Costs
• Labor Costs
• Materials Sourcing Details
• Resources
• Summary
• FAQ

NOTE: THIS PAGE IS NOT CONSIDERED BY US TO BE A COMPLETE AND USABLE TUTORIAL UNTIL
WE FINISH OUR OWN CONSTRUCTION OF THIS COMPONENT, CONFIRM ALL THE DETAILS, AND ADD
TO THIS PAGE ALL THE RELATED VIDEOS, EXPERIENCE, AND OTHER UPDATES FROM THAT BUILD.
IN THE MEANTIME, YOU CAN HELP US COMPLETE IT ALL SOONER WITH THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:
INPUT & FEEDBACK | JOIN OUR TEAM | HELP US BUY THE PROPERTY

RELATED PAGES

DUPLICABLE CITY CENTER
MATERIALS & COSTS

One Community wants anyone interested in replicating the Duplicable City Center to know exactly how much it will cost. We also want people to know how much it will cost if someone is only interested in replicating a part of the structure like the kitchen, pool, laundry, control and automation systems, etc. We are open source sharing all these details separately and together to make replication of the entire structure and/or each of its components as easy as possible.

As part of our global transformation approach to Highest Good housing, we will continue to refine the materials selection process shared here until we’ve identified and selected the most sustainable, affordable, and replicable options possible. As we build the Duplicable City Center, we will double check and update all these details, add copies of our purchase orders, and include vendor contact details too.

The graphic below is a summary of our initial cost analysis*. You can read this page for more details. You can also click the image for the open source Google Spreadsheet with the most recent numbers, detailed tabs for each section, pictures, resource links, and other specifics:

Initial Cost Analysis Totals – Click for the open source spreadsheet with the most current data

* Note: Initial cost analysis was completed using 100% online resources (like Amazon). We expect these costs to come down as we further research commercial and bulk pricing, nonprofit discount options, local sourcing, etc. 

WHY OPEN SOURCE THESE
MATERIALS AND COSTS

One Community is open source sharing the materials and cost details for the Duplicable City Center to make replication as easy as possible. We want people to know exactly how much each aspect of this building will cost. We also want people to see what we’ve found as the most sustainable choices and providers. By sharing these details we hope to make replication easy enough, affordable enough, and desirable enough for rapid implementation globally.

In so doing, our goal is to support:

• Sustainability and construction best-practice
• Ongoing collaboration to identify even better options
• The creation of additional open source designs/plans and upgrades by others
• The success of the materials and equipment producers and suppliers we’ve identified as the best available

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CITY CENTER HEATING AND COOLING DESIGN

SUGGESTIONS     ●     CONSULTING     ●     MEMBERSHIP     ●     OTHER OPTIONS

CLICK THESE ICONS TO JOIN US THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

 

KEY CONSULTANTS TO THE CITY CENTER MATERIALS AND COSTS DESIGN

Anvita Kumari Pande: Civil Engineer (complete cost analysis research)

CITY CENTER MATERIALS AND COSTS DETAILS

The Duplicable City Center cost analysis consists of materials costs and labor costs. Materials costs are available through the various suppliers. Labor costs consist of on-site labor and the process of project management, obtaining financing, and escorting the project through the local development and permitting process. We discuss all of these with the following sections:

• Cost Overview
• Dome Structure Costs
• Aesthetic Details Costs
• Plumbing Costs
• Electrical Costs
• HVAC Costs
• Eco-laundry Costs
• Eco-kitchen Costs
• Eco Swimming Pool, Pond, and Spa Costs
• Labor Costs
• Materials Sourcing Details

COST OVERVIEW

Here is the cost analysis overview*, click the image for the most current spreadsheet and open source details. Initial cost analysis has been completed using consumer sources like Amazon, Home Depot, etc. We will update all these details once we are ready to place bulk orders from commercial vendors. We expect these will produce considerably better prices that we hope will offset any cost details we may have missed or forgotten.

City Center Cost Analysis – Click to open the spreadsheet with the most current details

* Note: Initial cost analysis was completed using 100% online resources (like Amazon). We expect these costs to continue to come down once we are ready to purchase materials and able to research commercial and bulk pricing, nonprofit discount options, local sourcing, etc. 

DOME STRUCTURE COSTS

The Duplicable City Center dome structural costs include the sum totals of the costs for the following sections: Dome Structure, the Retaining Wall, Footing, Columns & Slab, Steel Columns, Structural Beams, Drywall and Related, and Floor Slab. Visit the Dome Structure Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

Dome Structure Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

Below is an example of the cost analysis process for just the dome structure itself. It is included here for two reasons: 1) to show the level of detail invested in this process and 2) to re-emphasize that we expect significant savings once we are ready start buying these materials and able to research commercial and bulk pricing, nonprofit discount options, local sourcing, etc. To demonstrate this, note the total bolt costs below equalling $.71 per bolt when purchased in packs of 12. We’ll eliminate packaging, reduce our carbon footprint, and save money by purchasing in bulk.

Dome Structure Costs (Ref Row 3) – Click to open the spreadsheet details in a new window

AESTHETIC DETAILS COSTS

The Duplicable City Center aesthetic details costs consist of the following sections: Carpentry and Furniture, Interior Wall & Ceiling Painting, Doors and Windows, Ceiling Moulding, Skirting Board, Staircases and Railings, and Miscellaneous Items. Visit the Aesthetic Details Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

Aesthetic Details Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

PLUMBING COSTS

The Duplicable City Center plumbing costs consist of the piping, emergency sprinkler components, and other bathroom-setup accessories like mirrors, partitions, etc. Visit the Plumbing Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

Plumbing Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

ELECTRICAL COSTS

The Duplicable City Center electrical costs consist of the sum totals of the electrical hardware, lighting hardware, and Control and Automation Systems components and hardware. Visit the Electrical Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

Electrical Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

HVAC COSTS

The City Center HVAC costs consist of the City Center heating, cooling, and air-quality hardware and related components. Visit the HVAC Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

HVAC Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

ECO-LAUNDRY COSTS

The City Center Eco-laundry costs include the estimated costs for the washers and dryers needed to service 300 people. We estimated 8 of each will be needed and used $600 each for the cost. This cost was chosen by using the high-end costs for the most energy efficient washer our research identified. Visit the Eco-laundry Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

Eco-laundry Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

ECO-KITCHEN COSTS

The City Center Eco-kitchen costs consist of the costs for all the kitchen components and appliances. Visit the Eco-kitchen Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

Eco-kitchen Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

ECO SWIMMING POOL, POND, AND SPA COSTS

The City Center Natural Pool and Eco-spa Design costs consist of the costs for everything related to the interconnected natural swimming pool and filtration pond plus the spa. Visit the Eco-swimming Pool and Spa Costs tab on the open source cost analysis spreadsheet for the most current details.

Eco-pool and Spa Costs Summary – Click to open the source spreadsheet tab with the most current details

LABOR COSTS

Labor costs are another significant expense for most construction projects. The One Community team will be building the majority of our structures ourselves, so these costs will be less for us. All labor hours will be tracked for each component listed above and shared on our open source labor page. Any additional labor expenses will be shared here.

Our hope is to have the skills on our team to build and open source the complete Duplicable City Center using 100% team/volunteer labor. We definitely see ourselves able to provide the team necessary to cover the less tangible and more difficult to quantify costs and labor requirements. These include project management, obtaining financing, and escorting the project through the local development and permitting process. The City Center permitting and licensing page will open source share those processes too.

For those wanting to estimate labor costs to duplicate our efforts with paid help, there are many things to consider. Skill level, experience, the work ethic of each individual, as well as the team dynamics, will each have an impact on the productivity of the labor force and thus the overall time investment for the labor portion of the project. Another factor that has a direct effect on the costs of any construction project is how it is managed. Making sure that the materials and labor needed to perform each aspect of the project are at the right place at the right time in the right amounts, requires a high level of organization and coordination.

With these things in mind, we are starting by identifying and quantifying all the material costs. As we build, we’ll updated those above and add labor specifics here.

MATERIALS SOURCING DETAILS

We will continue to refine our materials selection process until we’ve identified and selected the most sustainable, affordable, and replicable sources possible. As we build the Duplicable City Center, we will double check and update all these details, share here what we’ve learned, and also add all the contact details for the best vendors we’ve found. We’ll include copies of our purchase order details too whenever we determine they can be used to help with others ordering the same thing.

Our goals in doing this are to:

• Help demonstrate and teach sustainability and construction best-practices
• Provide our results for ongoing collaboration to identify even better options
• Support the materials and equipment producers and suppliers we’ve identified as the best available

RESOURCES

• Calculating costs as per commercial standards – (PDF)
• A general summary on how a residential electrical system is constructed
• Area-specific labor and overhead can be inputted in this web program
• The cost of building a structure from a setting the frames perspective
• Use this page (click here) if you have a resource you’d like to suggest be added here

SUMMARY

One Community is open source sharing the materials and cost details for the Duplicable City Center to make replication as easy as possible. We want people to know exactly how much each aspect of this building will cost. We also want people to see what we’ve found as the most sustainable choices and providers. By sharing these details we hope to make replication easy enough, affordable enough, and desirable enough for rapid implementation globally.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Why did you use internet pricing for your initial cost analysis?

Final cost analysis will include as much local ordering as possible. We don’t want to invest time in that kind of research until we’ve guaranteed our construction location by completing our purchase of the property.