4 Ways to Save a Load of Cash When Preparing to Build a Home
Wednesday, August 30, 2017, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
Just like humans, animals, computers, and virtually everything else in life, homes are constantly required to be replaced.
Flood, fire, asbestos, lead paint, and personal desires all contribute to the construction of new homes.
In 2016, the United States Census Bureau calculated that more than one million homes were constructed in America. This is the highest number of new homes built per annum in the United States in more than a decade, dating back to years before the global economic recession of 2008 and 2009.
Unfortunately for prospective homeowners, the average home building process costs about $287,000 in the United States — and that’s not even counting the cost of land.
Saving money is important when building homes, as it’s easy to break the bank when constructing brand new places to live.
Here are four ways you can save cash when preparing to build a home.
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Strive for Open Floor Plans with Few Interior Walls
Many people fail to recognize what’s all inside the “guts” of homes. They contain electrical wiring that’s spread across their entire layouts, ductwork for conveying heated and cooled air, plumbing for fresh water and removal of waste, insulation to keep conditioned air from escaping, and much more. The more interior walls homes have, the more expensive they are to construct.
Prior to beginning the home building process, seek out blueprints that have limited amounts of interior walls. Walls themselves cost money, requiring studs for structural support, expensive drywall for their exteriors, sheetrock mud and supplies, and often-costly paint to finish them.
Even further, most walls have light switches and electrical plugins, and usually have ductwork to spread air around, alongside plumbing for the obvious human need of running water.
Seeking out floor plans with limited walls — and floors, too — will help you save money in preparing to build a home.
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Don’t Swear off Vinyl or Laminate Flooring
Many people commissioning the building of brand new homes desire tile, granite, and exotic wood flooring.
These options are often exorbitantly expensive, and don’t increase homes’ value that much. Laminate and vinyl flooring imitates these more-expensive materials, saving you money.
It’s also possible to place new flooring directly on top of these options, rather than spending more money removing them and then installing new flooring options.
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Tailor Homes to Their Location
Every climate in the world is different, sometimes changing as quickly as a few hours’ worth of interstate driving.
The west coast of the United States is hot and arid along the majority of California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.
Some Utah builders know this, so they build houses to suit.
Conversely, the upper portion of the west coast is often cloudy, rainy, and cold. As such, it’s important to tailor your in-process home to its area’s climate, rather than constructing a generic home plan designed with no particular location in mind.
If you’re building a home in the western portion of the United States, make sure to include extra insulation along exterior walls, the ground-level floor, and ceiling. This helps save money on utility bills, effectively slowing down the exit of cold air.
Having homes with flowerbeds or vegetable gardens on their roofs is also a good idea, as it helps block out heat created by unavoidable sunlight.
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Purchase Land That’s Well-Suited for Subdivision
Purchasing large pieces of land is often less expensive per square foot than purchasing smaller plots.
If you’re not tight on money, consider investing in large areas of land without homes built on them already. This will allow you to sell off unused portions of land, or even build rental homes to generate passive income in future years.
Most Americans care very much about their living spaces. Having a large home with a white picket fence is considered part of the “American dream,” although many people paying for new home builds aren’t conservative in their designs. Homes depreciate in value over time, requiring home improvements and repairs.
Rather than spending exorbitant sums of money now on a quality home, put these four tips to work, so you can save loads of cash in your home-building process.
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Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn’t on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Follow her on twitter and Facebook.
