8 Essentials to Saving on Construction

Contracting, materials, planning – building a house takes a hefty budget with lots of planning. You can still save money on costs, though. A little cleverness can go a long way, and you don’t necessarily have to make sacrifices, per se. Read on to find out some essential tips to saving on money on your homebuilding project.

Plan ahead

Think about site preparation. This means being aware of all the stages of homebuilding, not just the straight-ahead construction. When you buy a lot, there’s likely to be plenty of dirt filling and natural obstacles that need to be cleared.

The more you take these factors into account, the better prepared you are. The key is to stay on schedule. While not every consequence can be accounted for or perceived, having all of the likely ones in check is crucial to sticking to your plan.

Work from Stock

Custom-drawn building plans can be expensive, but most custom home builders offer more affordable templates that you can adjust to what you need. You can save real dollars by sticking with a stock plan. Then, if you have your own ideas you want to execute, you can just customize off of the base idea. Don’t assume you have to start from scratch with your plan. Start with the basics and move from there.

Find your materials

Consider what materials you need and what materials you can save money on. For instance, you should get nice quality materials on the essentials, like doors and windows. Smart homebuilding isn’t just about aesthetics, you want a house that is safe and secure.

Other major materials can be changed, though. Like flooring – hardwood and ceramic flooring may be in the plans but it may not fit so well in the budget. For the meantime, you can install vinyl floors, instead. Metal roofing is another great low-cost option. It’s also fairly low maintenance, so you’ll save even more money in the long run.

Don’t be afraid to scavenge, either. Demolition sites, construction zones, junkyards – these aren’t glamorous places, but they are potential jack pots for salvaging raw materials, like bricks, old doors and wood. Some of the time, you may be able to get these materials for no money at all. Just haul it away. Make sure you have permission, though.

Avoid Changing Materials/Plans Mid-Build

You can’t always conceive of future circumstances, but changing your mind on what you want to build, while you’re building it, reeks havoc on a budget. Try not to change orders. Whenever the plan changes, the schedule gets delayed and the budget bleeds. This is why it’s best to know what you want to build and how you want to build it before you do anything, at all.

Think Realistically

Building a home can turn into a money pit if you’re not realistic about your needs. For example, be prudent about storage space. We all feel like we need more of it. This leads to people overbuilding, though. They end up sinking a fortune into a giant garage or an expansive addition.

Yet they could have gotten all this extra space through much cheaper means. If they have the lawn space, they could just build a shed and spend a fraction of the money. Or they could fix a nice alcove spot under their stairs. Plus, never underestimate the value of a good attic. There’s no need to fall into the trap of building costly structures for storage needs. You can find cheaper means to this end.

Be Around for Construction

It can be exhausting: getting all the plans laid out, the schedule determined, the materials found and the orders ready to go – but this doesn’t mean you should disappear when construction finally starts. You always need to keep on eye on what’s going on during the physical building of the house. Plans can change and problems arise. You should be around to handle these things. Don’t assume it’s all out of your hands just because the wheel starts rolling.

Maintain Accountability

Keep communication tight with your contractor. You should always check to make sure the plan is on schedule. If the budget is increasing and the work is falling behind, you should immediately address this and find out why. It’s your contractor’s duty to deliver the services you both agreed upon. If he or she isn’t delivering what you need, don’t cheat yourself with leniency.