Building your own dream home is something many people have wanted to do for a long portion of their lives. The freedom to plan exactly what you want in a home instead of moving into a home designed by someone else is exciting and very rewarding. No longer will you have to compromise on little things you weren’t happy with, or spend hours – or even days – of your life viewing home after home trying to find one that’s just right. Sounds absolutely ideal, yet many of us never follow through. Many people are scared off by the commitment or the sheer expense of it. However, we have spoken to many experts and home builders and we’re here to give you some excellent cost-efficient ways that will help you build your dream home for less. Read on to find out what we discovered.
Start With Simple Design
We spoke to the experts over at GoldConConstruction.ca about how different designs lead to huge variations in cost. They told us that “Many people over-complicate their design, leading to unnecessary costs further down the line. Simple geometry can be just as beautiful and cost a fraction of the price.” They have a very good point, don’t you think?
When excited about designing our dream home the temptation to design something totally new, out there, and brilliant can take over. But, simple can in fact be beautiful, striking, and dreamy! Simple geometry leads to much lower construction costs as you’ll need less customization of materials and less expensive architects and experts to make your dream home a reality. People around British Columbia’s largest city are looking for the best custom homes Vancouver can provide when it comes to design and functionality, ensuring their dream spaces are both stunning and practical. Don’t worry, we aren’t saying your design has to be boring! We’re simply saying that avoiding unnecessary triangles, hexagons, or circles could massively reduce your overall budget.
Bricks and Mortar?
Until recently, most new homes were simply made from wood, bricks, and cement. Nowadays, the possibilities are quite literally endless when it comes to home-building materials. There is a lot to weigh up here. Going for the simplest and cheapest construction materials may seem like the obvious idea, but this could lead to further problems in years to come and eventually cost you extra money in maintenance and repairs. On a similar note, construction with poor materials could lead to increased energy costs down the line. You need to find the right balance for your area and how long you intend to live in the house. Don’t go too cheap and risk further expenses, but also there’s no need to buy the most expensive limestone bricks you can possibly find. Either way, ensure your home is fitted with proper insulation and solid doors and windows to make your home both eco-friendly and friendly on your wallet for the duration of your stay in this home.
Labor
Labour can account for a very high proportion of the overall cost of building your ideal home, but there may be some ways around this. Firstly, get quotes from various local companies and contractors. Some smaller firms will charge less for labor as they are competing with giant firms. On the other hand, bigger firms may charge less overall as they can buy materials in bulk. It is always best to meet your potential construction teams and receive quotes from each. If you are relatively handy yourself, you may consider building portions of the home to save money. Internal walls, plastering, and fitting of utilities can all be done by you if you have the confidence to do so. Be careful, though; never tackle any electrical or gas work that you are not qualified for!
Architects
Finding the right architect is key to building your home efficiently and cheaply. A clever architect will understand where costs can be saved in both the design and the materials of your home, and have the expertise to make use of specialized tools like a moment of inertia calculator. For example, you may wish for plenty of open-plan space, which can be expensive due to strengthening ceilings with steels. An architect could help you find clever ways to support this kind of space with well-placed beams or pillars. This is just one example; an architect is trained for exactly this sort of thing. It is an initial expense, but the money they will save you should easily balance out their fee.
So, with these four points in mind, you should be on the path to saving some serious money whilst building your dream home. If you do undertake a new home build, we wish you the very best of luck and happiness in your new home. Most of all, happy building, and enjoy the process!