Every homeowner to-be dreams of finding their perfect home. You can go to open houses, tour homes on the market with a REALTOR®, and hope that you walk in and say – yes, this home is the perfect one for me.
Sometimes, however, the perfect home isn’t out there, or you’re not willing to wait. Some people already know exactly what they want – and in order to achieve it, they’re going to build that “perfect home” themselves. Trying to build a house on a budget might seem like a daunting prospect, but here are some tips to get your started and how to build an outdoor kitchen on a budget :
1. Prioritize Your Costs
There are things in a home you can live without – but under no circumstances should you ever skimp on the basics, like the basic structural materials of the home. Start prioritizing your costs by looking at the absolutely necessary parts and getting the best you can there. Only when that’s complete will you know what you can spend on everything else.
Home Advisor has a lot of good advice on what can affect the cost of your home – we recommend studying this before you begin your planning.
2. Build For The Neighborhood
Having a better house than anyone else in a neighborhood may sound nice at first, but it’s going to tank the resale value – all a buyer will see is that there are less-valuable properties everywhere else they look, and that’s not the kind of home most people want to move into.
Similarly, don’t build lower than the neighborhood, either. The idea is to have a house that fits in with a given area, not stick out as an unusual property.
3. Provide Your Own Materials
In many cases, there are perfectly good materials lying around, often from demolished buildings located somewhere else. If you’re willing to move them yourself, it’s usually possible to get those materials at little or no additional cost… and that can quickly wind up saving you thousands of dollars in materials.
No joke, that – as pointed out by The Telegraph in a discussion on building with recycled materials, the actual parts and pieces of your home can be as much as fifty percent of what you’re paying. Anything you can do to reduce this cost means big savings.
4. Use A Stock Plan
There’s no need to get a custom floor plan drawn up, even if you’re having the house built to your budget. There’s almost certainly a pre-existing plan that fits your needs, and using that will cost far less than getting an original plan drawn up.
If you must have something that’s not in the stock designs, editing an existing plan is cheaper than having an entirely new one drawn up.
5. Consider Your Room Options
Why do you want a certain selection of rooms? For example, many people look for a three-car garage because of its extra storage space… but it would probably be cheaper to buy a shed or use another room in the house. Carefully consider your options for each room and figure out how you plan to use the space once it’s built.
Remember, changes to your order are expensive. You need to be absolutely sure you’re getting what you want before the construction process begins. It’s easier for the contracter, more affordable for you, and going to make everyone much happier. There are affordable custom home builders willing to help but you’ll have to do your homework to find the perfect builder that meets your needs and budget.
6. Get a Problem Lot
Problem lots are zones of land seen as somewhat less desirable… so when cost is a factor, they can be your best friend. Look for a lot that doesn’t require changes to the land itself (which are also costly), but would still be a good location for the kind of home you want to build. The money you save by getting this lot can be used to help pay for the rest of the house – or whichever improvements you want to get.
As you can see, building your own home on a budget isn’t as hard as you might think – what it really comes down to is having patience, creativity, and a willingness to explore your options.
