New Construction & Custom Home Builders in El Cajon, CA

Build your custom home in El Cajon, CA

How much does it cost to build a home in El Cajon, CA?

The cost to build a custom home in San Diego County will vary based on many different factors. Lot location and size, permits and fees, and specific design choices will all impact the all-in cost to build a custom home in El Cajon. We estimate that the cost to build a home in El Cajon is approximately $400 - $500 per square foot, including some modest allocations for improvements and soft costs. If you’re interested in learning more about the cost breakdown, you can read our article about how much it costs to build a home in San Diego. If you would like an estimate for your project, use our Land/Build Calculator.

How much does land cost in El Cajon, CA?

Located east of La Mesa and south of Santee, El Cajon features a mix of in-fill lots and large estate lots in the Granite Hills area and beyond. There are many opportunities to build your dream house with plentiful land and opportunities ranging in size from 0.5 to 3+ acres. We estimate that a straightforward lot with minimal improvements will cost somewhere in the range of $250,000 - $500,000. This price is largely dependent on the features of the land and neighborhood.

Land in El Cajon includes the following zip codes: 92019, 92020, 92021, 92022, 92119

If you would like an estimate for your project, use our Land/Build Calculator.

Why El Cajon, CA is a great place to live

El Cajon is a suburb in the eastern part of San Diego with a population of over 100,000. Due to its population and footprint, El Cajon has a mix of both urban and suburban neighborhoods. El Cajon also offers residents a wide variety of perks, including multiple parks, a diverse population, and above-average public schools. El Cajon is also a reasonable commute to lots of other areas in San Diego — making it a great place to live for people who want to explore the city, beaches, mountains, or desert. In El Cajon, there are also plenty of coffee shops, restaurants, and great entertainment options, so everything you need is right in the neighborhood.

Things To Do In El Cajon, CA

El Cajon has plenty of local outdoor and indoor activities that will be fun for the whole family. For a fun weekend or summer day, you can take your kids to the local indoor amusement park, The Boardwalk. At this amusement park you can ride the carousel, play laser tag, and enjoy a slice of pizza with your whole family. This is also a great place for kids’ birthday parties. 

For a more educational experience, stop by the Olaf Wieghorst Museum to learn about this famous Western artist and view his works. The museum includes the artist’s gallery, the artist’s historic home and studio, and a beautiful southwest cactus/succulent garden. This is a great place to visit if you love art or history, or both!

If you’re looking for a relaxing day with family and friends, you can hang out at one of several local parks, such as Wells Park. This beautiful 18-acre park features a soccer field, large playground, picnic tables, and plenty of shady grassy relaxing areas. It’s also a great place to jog due to the path that circles the park.

For furry friends, make a short trip to the Canine Corners Dog Park, which features 3 separate areas for dogs of different sizes to run and play, along with shady places for owners to sit. This is the perfect place to bring your dog to socialize with other dogs and meet other local dog owners and lovers. El Cajon has a wonderful community and rich history to explore, ensuring you’ll never feel bored living in this area.

What's the process to build a custom home in El Cajon, CA?

The process of building your custom home with Buildable is straightforward when working with our team and our dialed process. We break down the process into 3 phases: Locate, Design, and Build. 

Locate Phase

During the locate phase, we will be finding the perfect location for your dream home. Our real estate team will provide you with a shortlist of options right for the project.

There are more properties than what you see on the web. Through Buildable’s proprietary Active Search process, we reach out to vacant landowners to create off-market opportunities. At any given time we may have 5-10 of these Buildable exclusive lots.

Once in contract, we will perform due diligence on the property to reduce risk and identify challenges. This includes the creation of a Land Report, which contains a 28-point audit to ensure you have all the relevant information to proceed with confidence. This step will also inform the land negotiation process.

Design Phase

During the design phase, we will procure the right designer and customize the home around all of your must-haves. We will identify the home requirements and develop a thorough plan and estimate to ensure we stay within the budget and on time. 

There are many options when designing a home, and you don’t always need an Architect. We will help develop a strategy that fits your needs.

Build Phase

We will be building your dream home to your exact specifications. The building process is straightforward but will require decisions at key times during the journey. Buildable aims to make the process smooth, easy, and adaptable to the level of effort and attention you desire.

How long does it take to build a custom home in El Cajon, CA?

Typically, in El Cajon, building a home requires about 12 months, but that’s only the construction of your home. The custom home construction timeline also includes finding the land, designing the home, developing plans, and permitting.

So, how long does it take to build a custom home accounting for all the steps? Building a custom home in El Cajon can take around 24 months when you factor in finding the land, designing the home, and building it. If you want to learn more about the time it takes to build a custom home, read our article How Long Does It Take To Build A Custom Home in San Diego?

How to choose the best custom home builder in Cajon, CA?

Finding a quality builder in El Cajon can be challenging because customers have trouble vetting them. At the beginning of a project, you won’t have the scope of the home tightly defined enough for an accurate estimate. Most builders will provide you with cost estimate ranges by square footage. The other complication is that you also need to include the improvement costs that are specific to the lot, as that will be a unique driver of cost. Buildable is an A & B licensed General Contractor and will guide you through the design to achieve your budget.

Once you have plans, you can bid out your project to get a real sense of costs. Ignore the builders who provide a “foot in the door” price far lower than other bids. You must know everything that's part of the bid, including your fixtures, finishes, and appliance specifications. That’s the only way to make an apples-to-apples comparison between bids.

If you would like to learn more about picking a homebuilder, read our article on how to Hire a builder.

Build Your Home With Buildable

Building a home in El Cajon takes an immense amount of time and effort, and can appear overwhelming to those who start the journey alone. However, building a home can be straightforward when you approach the process with experts by your side who can guide you through every step.

At Buildable, all of the people you need to have a stress-free home build will work with you to create the home of your dreams. Read about our team, talk to us, and get the answers to questions you may have about starting the custom home building process in El Cajon.

How is Buildable different from other custom home builders?

Buildable manages the process from start-to-finish. First, we help you locate and purchase the land ensuring that it’s capable of supporting your vision. Second, we help you design your home through a variety of cost-effective options. The most important part is having our experienced engineering team guiding you through the design process to ensure a cost-effective balance to meet your goals. Third, we bring your dream home to life by assembling quality craftsman/women to build your vision.

We are the innovators of this approach — no one else offers a similar guided process from start-to-finish.

Our Service Areas in San Diego

Buildable operates within 60 miles of San Diego proper, but we do consult nationally. If you would like to learn more about where we work, simply check out our custom home build service area.

Nearby service areas in San Diego include:

Want to see how much your dream home costs?