Trying to keep costs down when building a house is no easy feat; the seemingly endless list of expenses associated with this type of project can make even the most generous of budgets seem inadequate. Read on for some ideas on how to save money and stick to your budget when constructing a residential property.
Consider buying a less-than-ideal plot
Plots of land in highly-coveted locations tend to be enormously expensive. If your building project budget is relatively small, buying this type of plot could result in you either going over-budget or having to compromise in other areas; for example, you might have to use lower-quality building materials, or make do with a cheaper, but less reputable contractor.
If you're concerned about overspending, and would prefer not to make these kind of compromises, it may be worth your while looking for plots of land in less appealing locations, as these usually come with much more competitive price tags. As long as you're willing to put some extra time into the planning process, a cheap plot could still end up being a great location on which to build your property. For instance, whilst a piece of land situated on a slope might be somewhat difficult to build on, the challenges it presents are not necessarily impossible to overcome, provided you hire an experienced and creative contractor.
Monitor the use of heavy construction equipment
Building a house usually requires the use of earthmoving machinery such as forklifts and excavators. A significant portion of your budget will probably be spent on renting or buying this equipment. Whilst this particular expense may be unavoidable, there are steps you can take to keep the costs of running your chosen machinery relatively low. For instance, you might want to consider speaking to your contractor about monitoring equipment usage, so as to cut down on the amount of time that the machines are switched on (and therefore guzzling up expensive fuel) when they don't need to be. Keeping track of idle times could dramatically reduce the amount of money spent on fuel.
Use recycled or salvaged materials
In addition to making your construction project more eco-friendly, using recycled or salvaged building materials can save you a lot of money, and allow you to create a unique home that's full of character; things like stained-glass windows, ornate exterior and interior doors, reclaimed bricks and timber will all add a touch of originality and beauty to your new property. In many instances, these items are either completely free or offered at a huge discount. Look online for information about collecting materials from salvaging warehouses and demolition sites.
Share10 October 2016
Heavy construction equipment can be quite expensive to replace, so it's important to maintain it properly. That involves doing some regular maintenance according to the correct service schedules as well as making sure that your operators know how to operate the equipment correctly. If you maintain your equipment, this maintenance can end up saving your business a lot of money down the track when you can extend the usable life of the equipment that you rely on. This blog has some tips on how you can easily maintain heavy construction equipment, including how you can train operates to extend lifecycles with sensible machine operation.