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Building a new home is expensive at the best of times, but with inflation raging and material and labor costs soaring, your budget has probably taken a hit. While it’s natural to seek money-saving methods in such an economic climate, you must do so safely. To help you achieve this goal without sacrificing the integrity of your home, we’ve compiled the following tips:
Choose a Builder Who Knows the Area
Your location probably has a unique sense of charm, but there’s also a good chance it features its own set of challenges. Because of this, we suggest going with a local company when deciding who will create your dream home. For example, if you’re looking to build by the beach in Victoria, it would be beneficial to speak with Geelong or Ocean Grove builders. These local builders will better understand the climate and terrain, meaning they know how to adapt their style to suit. In turn, this equals lower costs for you as less investment will be required in the planning and tweaking stage.
Be Ruthless When Selecting Features
There are probably plenty of things you’d like to have in your new home, but that doesn’t mean you need them. If you’re having trouble keeping your build within your budget, it’s time to go over your list of inclusions and see what you can go without for the time being. Of course, you’ll want to ensure that the details you decide to sacrifice are easy enough to add later if you simply must have them, but don’t get so stuck on particular elements that you end up not being able to see the forest for the trees.
Go DIY
While many aspects of your home build will need to be carried out by skilled professionals in the interest of safety and meeting regulations, there are also plenty of smaller jobs you can do yourself. For example, painting is a task that can reasonably be done in a DIY fashion without causing safety issues, as is the construction of most flat packs if they’re included in your build.
You’ll obviously need to assess whether you’ve genuinely got the skill set needed to complete these jobs to the standard you want, but if you can, there’s no harm in going down this route. Even if you don’t possess the capabilities needed to do a job well, you may be able to swap services with a friend who does have those skills. For example, you could offer babysitting services, lawn mowing, or house cleaning to have a friend do your painting or other odd jobs.
Render Your Exterior
Rendering the exterior of homes has become popular in recent years. Rendering gives a lovely modern vibe with a sleek finish, and best of all, it can save you a significant chunk of change. Render is typically fast and easy to apply, meaning you’ll save quite a lot in labor if you go for this option. By saving money on this aspect of the build, you’ll have more to dedicate to the features that mean the most to you.
Saving money when building a new home is challenging. There’s so much to consider, and at the moment, it feels like everything comes with a high price tag. Thankfully, there are ways to keep your budget in check without sacrificing safety. Be careful where you go hunting for cheaper solutions, but don’t be afraid to explore your options. Happy house building!
