The Japanese-style houses gained popularity because of being smart with space and size.
Tatami mat flooring, wooden verandas characterize traditional Japanese houses.
They also have an entrance hall where people remove their footwear.
The traditional style Japanese house’s color pallet is typically neutral.
One of the appealing characteristics is that they have a large roof and deep eaves that protect that house from hot summer.
But it can be a little challenging to build a house in Japan as there are many things to consider as a location to build the house, time requires for the construction, choosing a housing style, and many more.
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Cost to Build a Japanese style house
The cost of building a Japanese house can be different depending on different factors, including the house’s location.
If you are going to make a Japanese-style house in Japan. In that case, it may not cost much as the contractors in that area are familiar with the important construction features of Japanese-style homes, and they will do this job in minimal time at a reasonable cost.
But the cost to buy land in Japan can be very high, specifically in major areas like Tokyo.
However, you can also buy an existing Japanese house and then can renovate it. It could be a cheaper option to buy an existing home than building a new house.
But if you are building a Japanese-style home other than Japan, you must be very careful about all the construction features that a Japanese-style house must possess.
You will need to hire a trustworthy and experienced contractor who can work according to your needs and install all the important features that a Japanese-style house must-have.
On average, a simple wooden–framed house can reduce the cost by about $337,000, but the price can vary depending on different factors.
Factors Affecting The Cost to Build Japanese Style House
Location
This is the most obvious factor that affect the cost of building a Japanese-style house.
If you desire to build a home in the major areas of Japan like Tokyo, then be ready to pay the high price.
But if you want to build a Japanese-style house is in any other location, the cost can vary depending on the area’s demand.
Purchasing a house plan
After deciding the location for your house, you have to decide the layout and design of your home. You can choose any from online websites, or you can also provide your layout to the constructor.
The online house plan can be available at the price of $2,000 or $6,000. But the price can vary greatly depending on the design.
There are many important features that a Japanese-style home possesses, and you can arrange and change them according to your choice and budget.
You can also hire an experienced architecture who will guide you and will make your house beautiful.
However, hiring an architect will add extra cost to the actual cost.
Preconstruction Cost
There are many important things to consider before starting the construction of a Japanese-style house.
Some of the important things may include;
Buying land: it is an important and major factor of the cost that can vary depending on the location of the land.
Excavation Cost: excavation is important to prepare the land for construction.
If you have not bought the land in the housing development, then add the extra amount to the actual amount.
Excavation and grading the land can cost between $1,500 and $2,000.
Construction Permits: it is the authorization by the government that you need before the construction of any building.
Construction permits can add $1,200 to $1,500 to your estimated construction cost.
Materials Needed For Japanese Style House
Japanese-style houses are generally built by using timber and clay. Timber is used to make a framework, and clay is used to wall the framework.
Tatami flooring is also an important Japanese-style houses feature.
The cost of buying tatami flooring can be different depending on their size.
If you also want to install Shoji – Japanese-style doors, which are a Japanese house’s significant feature, you should be ready to pay money to buy them.
The Impact Of Size On The Final Cost
Typically Japanese-style houses are considered small-sized houses compared to other houses, but they possess all the necessary parts that a house is a must-have.
If you want to build a bigger house according to your need, you can build.
However, the larger size of the house will cost higher.
Cost To Customize a Japanese house ( In Details)
Japanese-style houses have many features, including shoji, garden, tatami flooring, and entrance hall.
When you are building your own house according to the Japanese style, you can choose the design and details that you want to add or skip for your home.
Customizing your house is an important part of the construction as it can affect your budget a lot.
Wood Construction
Commonly, the houses in Japan are made with wood in response to Japan’s humid environment.
The woodwork also proves beneficial in the warm, wet summer months.
Woodwork is given great importance in Japanese-style houses, which are not usually covered with paint or coatings.
But if you are building your Japanese-style home in an area other than Japan, then this is totally your choice.
No doubt, woodwork can be costly, so you can decide to skip the option of using woodwork, or you can use it for fewer parts of your house.
Tatami floors Cost
Tatami floors are an important feature of traditional Japanese-style houses.
Mostly the traditional Japanese-style houses have all the floors covered with tatami.
But you can choose tatami floors only in selective rooms according to your budget demand.
Warm Ofuro Cost
Ofuro – the bathing tub is a refreshing feature in Japanese-style houses.
The Japanese bathing room is separated from toilets and is usually attached to the wardrobe.
These Japanese bathtubs are made with wood that can cost about $5,000 to $10,000.
If you are interested you can take a look at the cost to build a victorian style house
How Much Does it Cost to Buy House in Japan?
Japan is a beautiful place to live in with vibrant art scenes. It is a bustling economic hub and a very popular place for living.
In Japan, there are not any restrictions for foreigners whether they have Japanese nationality or not.
Japanese homes have been developed over the years by combining traditional shapes with modern technology to improve their comfort.
However, it is much better and cheaper to buy a house in Japan than construct a Japanese-style house.
However, the cost of buying a house can also be different depending on the area of your house like if you will buy house in Tokyo it will cost high.
When it comes to choosing Japanese style housing style, two options are included; modern style and traditional styles.
Traditional Japanese homes Style Cost
Traditional Japanese homes are also called “Minka.” They include sliding doors, wooden verandas, and tatami flooring.
They have minimal furniture where the wooden tables are low to the ground, and there are usually no beds and chairs for you to use.
Modern Japanese Style homes Cost
The modern Japanese-style houses are greatly different from traditional ones.
The idea of a consistent “practice” throughout Japanese architecture is to make homes more efficient without requiring much space, as is the case with traditional Western homes.
If you are curious to know more about the cost to build house, you can take a look at : Cost To Build a House in Beverly Hills, Cost to Build a House in Brisbane, Cost to Build a House in Bali.
Main characteristics of Japanese style houses
Nature’s involvement
Traditional Japanese houses make use and particularly highlight the nature in their homes.
Plants are common elements of Japanese houses. Almost every room in the house opens outdoors to the garden, giving a very appealing and natural look.
Shoji
Shoji is a sliding panel that is found throughout traditional Japanese houses.
Shoji is made with wooden lattice frames with thin paper wicker or cloth as screens.
The sliding doors are used for both interior and exterior walls. Shoji doors are thick enough that provide privacy without blocking the sunlight.
Entrance
Entrance, which in Japanese term known as Genkan, has a lower level flour where one removes his shoes before entering the house. In Japanese culture, this area is considered an extremely dirty area.
The Genkan is an important feature of traditional Japanese-style homes where the guests are greeted. Entering the home with shoes is regarded as a shocking breach of manners akin to splitting on the floor.
Tatami floors
Usually, the Japanese have tatami floors, which are made of rice straws.
This is one of the most common Japanese-style houses that represent a traditional lifestyle involving sitting and sleeping on the floor.
They give a very natural and soft feeling on feet, and even the guests sit and sleep directly on the tatami floors.
Low to ground furniture
Chabudai, in Japanese culture, are the short-legged tables that are used while sitting on the floor. These kinds of tables are usually placed on tatami floors.
Ofuro
Ofuro is a bathroom term in Japanese which are usually in separate rooms from the toilets. The bathrooms are commonly joined with dressing rooms.
The baths are deep but short that are mostly wooden made. In Japanese culture, it is necessary to clean yourself before entering the tub.
For Japanese, their bathrooms are important as they take them as their leisure activity and tend to take long baths
