Looking to build a new home or maybe even renovate your current home? That is great, but before you rush right into your new project, there are some things you will need to know to save some money.
- DIY (Do It Yourself) Okay, so not everybody is a wiz with tools or can rebuild a staircase by hand. The things you can do can still save you quite a bit of money.
- Go Over Plans Line by Line In the beginning, your contractor should discuss the build plans with you thoroughly. During this early planning, make sure to go over everything in fine detail. Be sure to ask questions about things you are unsure about.
- Budget in Extra Money Some projects can be most expensive than at first thought. If these issues arise and you do not have some sort of buffer in place, you will only be hurting yourself.
- Get Your Own Materials In many cases, it may be cheaper for you to purchase the materials needed than it would be to go through your contractor. You cannot buy all materials yourself, but things like blocks, cements, roofing sheets, tiles, and counter tops may be cheaper from a major home improvement store.
- Reclaimed Materials While you are looking for good prices on building materials, keep an eye out for reclaimed materials. Habitat for Humanity ReStore for example, is a great place to check for commonly reclaimed building materials.
- Finalize Your Home Plan The first step in planning a building project is the planning stages. After all of the time and work you put into this planning, don't make last minute changes.
- Hire a Licensed Contractor When you hire a licensed contractor, you are ensuring quality work. This will avoid having to redo the work yourself, or hire another contractor.
- Put Off What You Can You may want to get everything done all at once, but there are plenty of things that can be put off until after the main construction.
- Green Makes Sense Go Green! It is not just a recent fad, but a great way to save money. Try new Energy Star appliances or ask your contractor about structural changes to help save energy.
- Build Off Season Raining season is a slow time of year for contractors and builders. Start shopping around during raining seasons for lower estimates and start your project off raining season.
