How to Lower Costs When Building a House

Although house construction is a capital-intensive venture that can leave you penniless, here are a few innovative ways to cut costs when building a home.

1.) Size of house

The size of a home greatly matters when it comes to construction costs. Carefully examine the needs of your family and choose a home that meets those needs.

A small house may seem expensive when you compare costs per square foot. However, this house is more affordable to build and maintain compared to a larger house.

When measuring the sizes always stick to even numbers to help reduce wastage of resources. In addition, consider reducing the number and size of windows as this can help to reduce the cost of building a house.

2.) Ordinary floor plans

Floor plans usually determine the simplicity or complexity of a house construction project. The more complex a floor plan the more expensive the project.

Choosing a simple house plan can greatly lower your construction costs as you will not be required to employ additional workers and machines for curved walls.

You will also use materials more efficiently since your house has fewer angles.

3.) Building materials

Materials account for a huge chunk of a construction budget. Many homeowners often assume that expensive materials are durable but this is not always the case.

Some material sellers take advantage of this assumption to sell ordinary materials at higher prices to unsuspecting customers.

To avoid falling into this trap, always shop wisely for your building materials and preferably go for materials that are common since they have a high rate of supply.

Thanks to the law of demand and supply, these materials usually cost less. However, be sure to spend your money on durable low-cost building materials.

4.) Build taller

Building up as opposed to building across can help lower building costs. When given a choice between a one-storey house that spans across the lot and a two-storey house of similar size in square feet, always go for the latter.

Both houses have the same amount of living space but the foundation and roof of the two-storey house are smaller – and of course cheaper. Besides, plumbing and ventilation are less expensive in taller houses.

5.) Roofing style

The roof, being the first impression of a house, should be chosen wisely. However, this does not mean going overboard and installing very complicated designs.

Going for less expensive roofing designs such as gabble and hipped roofs is indeed one of the easiest and most practical ways to cut costs when building a house.

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