Of the million things to think of while going over building plans for your custom home, budget is usually number one. Going over budget can stop a build in its tracks, or keep a project from ever being started. Here are a few tips to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you.
Licensed and Insured Contractors
This may seem like an obvious tip, but always make sure your contractors have licenses and insurance. Using uninsured contractors can put your budget at risk. If someone gets injured while working at your building site, and they are uninsured, you can potentially be sued. In this case, you could be stuck with a large medical bill and maybe more. If your contractor has insurance, though, you have no need to worry.
Another upside of having a licensed contractor is knowledge. They may have some cost cutting ideas you may have not thought of that will help reduce the cost of your build. They may also know of places to get discounts on materials you need for the project.
Time Saving Materials
Time is money, so if you can find materials that cut your time down, you will also cut the cost. One way to do this is with Insulated Concrete Forms, or ICFs. ICFs will help you build an energy efficient building and save you time. These strong and secure blocks interlock and stack together seamlessly and quickly to save you a lot of hassle. You can even save time on the smaller aspects of projects, like painting. There are now many speed-dry paints on the market that will help you fit more coats in during one day than you would have thought possible. This will save you many hours of man power, and the less money you spend on man power, the more you will save.
Plan, Plan, Plan
The more you go over your plans and ideas with your builders, the less time you will spend changing things later. People change their building ideas often, so it is good to stay in contact with your builder frequently so you can exchange ideas. It is also good to walk through the build when it’s safe to do so to make sure you and your builder are on the same page.
If you are interested in starting your custom build and would like to go over plans and ideas, please contact us.