Tri County Housing Report

The State of Housing, 2020

The Camp Fire Collaborative Housing Committee heard a summary presentation of the 283-page, in-depth study of the housing situation in the Butte, Glenn and Tehama county region.

This report was done by Peloton Research.
A copy of the 63-slide summary presentation is here. (Opens in new window)
The full 283 page study is here.  (Opens in new window)

What stands out is that “New isn’t affordable.” The cost of housing includes the direct cost (materials and labor), the indirect costs (fees, insurance, engineering, consultant reports, overhead, etc) and the cost of land.

  • $323,500: A small house in Chico costs about $135 per sf for materials and labor, totaling $175,500 for a 1,300 sf home. Indirect costs are about $148,000. Total for 1,300 sf home is about $323,500 without land.
    • Estimate land cost of $55,000 in Chico.
  • $187,850: The base price for a new double-wide manufactured home is ~$149,300. Installation cost is about $53,000 in Chico and $38,300 in Paradise. That’s $202,350 – $187,850 without land.
    • Estimate land cost of $30,000 in Paradise and $40,000 in Chico.
  • $140,000: The base price for a new single-wide manufactured home is ~$113,300. Installation cost is about $40,500 in Chico and $26,500 in Paradise. That’s $154,000 – $140,000 without land.
    • Estimate land cost of $40,000 in Paradise and $50,000 in Chico.
    • This is the low-cost option for housing.
  • $190,700: Rough total cost per unit in a medium density project. Land cost not included, 900 sf unit.

Land without improvements (utilities, sidewalks, roads) is less expensive to buy but very expensive to develop. Land with improvements is very expensive to buy but less expensive to build. Time is money; every delay – meeting, permit check, inspection, report – adds to the cost.

Builders and Developers will be interested in the overview of Development Opportunities in the Tri County area.  Read the summary (Appendix C) here.  (Opens in a new window)