How To Save Money While Constructing Your New Home?

The Tampa Bay area is a preferred destination for people in search of affordable homes. However, building your own home is always a bumpy ride, and surprise expenses may often cause you to exceed your budget. To keep the construction cost really low, you need to plan your every move thoroughly. Here are five time-tested tips coming straight from some of the Tampa Bay area’s reputed builders who specialize in new homes.

Choose the Lot Wisely

Getting the right lot is crucial for keeping your construction cost low. If you want to build your home on a shoestring budget, investing in a narrow, hillside or in-fill property, which are not in high demand, would be a smart move. True that constructing a building on such a lot may be full of challenges. Nevertheless, with an efficient builder, you can easily remove the hurdles.

Buying a larger lot with any of your family members and then splitting it into two parts is another excellent idea to save money. Often, the owners cannot buy the best lots either because they are too big for their needs or beyond their budget. But, when the cost is shared, getting the site of your choice without burning a hole in your pocket becomes possible.

Go For Low Maintenance Materials

Use of low maintenance materials in construction reduces the chance of frequent repairs or replacements and so, saves money in the long run. Fiber cement, formulated from the cement, sand and cellulose fiber, is a popular choice because of its resistance to moisture, frost, and heat. Also, this rot and fireproof material comes with 30 to 50 years warranty and available in all shapes including shingles, vertical board-and-batt style, and horizontal lap board, all of which make it more investment-worthy.

Steel and aluminum roofing can be another great maintenance-free option for your affordable house. Despite being long lasting (the warranty period is of 40 to 50 years usually) and fire-proof, such metal roofs cost only $3.50 to $11 per square foot, ensuring a great return on your investment. Being a material with a lifetime warranty, concrete makes the next best roofing option. It costs approximately $4.50 to $10.50 per square foot. Therefore, you do not need to drain all the money out of your pocket to install these.

If a classy stone or wooden floor is your dream but don’t have enough money to go for it, the laminated floor would be an affordable yet aesthetically pleasing alternative. This material costs approximately $1 to $7 per square foot (the cost increases by $2 to $5 per square foot for professional installation) and has a life expectancy of over 25 years. Moreover, only sweeping or vacuuming or water-cleaning is enough to retain the appearance of a laminated floor, making it an extremely money- saving option for the long term.

According to a survey by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, 80 percent of the designers prefer quartz for countertops. Apart from being long-lasting, durable, scratch-proof and antimicrobial, quartz comes in various shades. The price starts from $40 per square foot. Moreover, quartz is non-porous, almost stain-proof and does not need seals, which keeps the maintenance cost low.

Although wooden windows are the first choice for many homeowners, for low-budget houses, fiberglass is the best option because of their lower price, tolerance to temperature, insulating properties, and long-lasting nature. Plus, the fiberglass can be painted like real wood which gives your house a classy look. The same thing goes for roof and porch railings too. Use PVC capped aluminum railings which cost $15 to $60 per linear foot only. Further, these materials have a life expectancy of more than 50 years, eliminating the cost of frequent replacements.

Right Selection of the House Type

Selection of the right type of house adds to your savings. The two-story houses are considered as more cost-effective than the ranch. A 3000 sq.ft ranch requires a foundation which is twice bigger than the foundation required for a 3000 square foot two-story house. This is because, in case of a two-story house, two floors together constitute the entire living space. Thus, such houses need smaller foundation and roof and cut down the total expense by $10,000 to $20,000. To reduce the cost further, pay attention to its size as every square footage is supposed to increase the total expense. Decide the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you will need at the least. Having more than what you really need only adds to the construction cost, so avoid adding to your plan the features that are not integral to your lifestyle.

Keep the Job Site Clean

The average cost for land grading is $0.47 to $2.28 per square foot; the brush removal tasks cost $20 - $200 per acre, whereas the amount for removing trees can go as high as $500 to $6000 per acre. Besides, if there is any existing construction on the site, you may have to pay $1000 to $2500 extra for removing that. It is clear that, keeping your lot clean before construction is an easy way to save money, which the owners often overlook. Even if you don’t get any immediate financial benefit for an advance cleaning, the organized lot will help to finish the construction work faster, which, in turn, will reduce the risk of increased interest payment and housing cost due to delayed work.

Collect Used Materials

Collecting salvaged material from the demolished building is an effective way to cut down the construction cost, as many times these are available at free. The most commonly used salvaged materials for the construction projects are Asphalt pavings, timer, plywood flooring, and so on. Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors to know about more options. Also, visiting demolition sites pays off when you want to collect some used stuff.

A construction project can easily burn a hole in your pocket if you take the plunge without planning your moves. If you are on your way to building your first home, it will be prudent for you to hire one of the Tampa Bay area’s reputed builders specializing in new homes. An experienced contractor can help you save a huge amount of money in construction costs.