Building your own property is undoubtedly the best way to get the home of your dreams, but as anyone who has built their own home will tell you, staying on budget and not spending a small fortune can be pretty difficult. How to Save Money When Building?

The good news is, you can learn from their past experiences to minimize your chances of overspending should you decide to build your next house from the foundations up…

Collect lots of bids

You should, when building a house, always get as many bids from as many contractors as possible. If you go with the first contractor you find, chances are they aren’t going to be the most affordable, and you won’t have any other bids to compare them with, which means you could end up getting ripped off.

As well as getting lots of bids, you should be sure to look into the background of the contractors you’re interested in before hiring them. If they have lots of positive testimonials and a decent number of past projects, they’re probably a safe bet, if not – don’t touch them with a bargepole no matter how favorably their bid compares as you could end up with a whole lot of costly problems on your hands.

Buy ready-made plans

Did you know that you can buy everything from farmhouse plans to schematics for modern condos ready-made? These are often far cheaper than hiring an architect to draw up plans from scratch, and you do have the option to customize them further until they meet your needs, so it’s always worth checking them out as a first option. Only if you can’t find plans you love should you think about drafting in a dedicated architect to draw up plans for you, if you want to save money, at least.

Choose a more forgiving style

If you choose to build a home in a rustic farmhouse or industrial style, it will be far easier for you to finish your home on a smaller budget than if you choose a super-polished style. That’s because rustic homes do not have to look quite so perfect, so you can take your time finishing them and cut down on your budget while still achieving a decent result.

Take on some of the work

There are some things like electrics and plumbing, that you should absolutely pay a contractor to do for you when building your house, but there are others like pouring concrete floors and plastering, that you could do yourself after watching a few instructional videos. If you’re looking to save money on the cost of your build, this is a great way to do so.

Use recycled materials

It is often possible to find recycled materials, particularly when it comes to wood, which have their own unique look, and which can typically be purchased cheaper than new. You’ll need to ensure that recycled materials are still of a high enough quality to be safe, but other than that, they are a great tool for any self-builder to have at their disposal.

Good luck with your building project.