Six Ways You Can Save Money By Building Your Own Home

If you have a dream home in mind, why not take the project into your own hands? Not only is this option ideal for overly meticulous homeowners, but it can also a money-saving solution. Building your own home from the ground up can save tremendous amounts of cash that can later be used to purchase other necessities for the new abode like furniture and appliances. 

Avoiding Overhead Costs

An apparent way you save money from building your own home is you remove a third-party contractor. A typical rate charged by contractors range from 18 to 20 percent of the total expenses of construction and land. Furthermore, realtor fees can add 5 to 7 percent on your bill, depending on the total price of the house. By building your own home, you can easily cut the expenses by 30 percent. 

Exactly How You Want It

The only person who knows what you want is you. Sometimes, contractors are simply unable to make your home the way you want it to look inside out. When this happens, remodeling is usually necessary to alter the details. This leads to more costs for additional materials and labor work. Instead of a general contractor, you can hire professionals who specialize in certain areas that will work to make your home exactly the way you envisioned. 

Choice of Materials

Some contractors tend to use unnecessarily expensive brands for paint, wood, concrete, etc. Even worse, they can skimp on quality material to save a few bucks, meaning more repairs and replacements for you down the road. For example, for roofing, choose a company that offers quality material so you won't have leaks or problems in the future. Professionals can take care of the hard work for you, making it cost-effective for years to come.

Learn New Skills

If you stumble on something you don't know, you will likely learn the skill and eventually master it. This can save you money later on when similar problems occur, such as a leaking pipeline or replacing a filter. You can also save a ton of money when you complete do-it-yourself projects around the home, instead of hiring a professional to take care of the task each time. Who knows, you can even sell your newly found skills to neighbors who need help with their home's inner workings.

Energy Efficient

Being the contractor of your own housing project gives you the power to choose what appliances you'll be integrating into the structure. You can get long-term savings by using appliances with the Energy Star seal, which is a symbol of high energy efficiency standards. From windows and doors to kitchen appliances and energy-efficient washers or dryers, there many ways you can save money. Having these things will greatly reduce or utility bills. Aside from saving you money, you get to do your part in saving the environment as well. 

At Your Own Pace

If you have lots of time but are riding on a tight budget, you can choose to gradually build your home as you make the money for it. You can avoid steep interest rates on mortgages while seeing your hard earned investment slowly turn into your dream house. Things like the basement are a great place to remodel or finish at a later time. You can also add on rooms or bathrooms in the future when you find more need for them.

While building your own home has it's own unique costs, in the end, it can be a cheaper option for many. With these tips in mind, you can have the home of your dreams without putting a huge dent in your wallet.

Informational credit to Century Roofing Ltd.

Why Calling A Professional For Home Repairs Can Actually Save You Money

When it comes to home repairs, you may be tempted to do the work yourself to save money. However, this isn’t always the most cost-effective option. In fact, it may prove to be cheaper to just hire the professionals in the beginning. 

Specialty Tools Are Costly

Professionals like plumbers use a range of specialty tools to help them do projects quickly and safely. These tools can be costly. It’s not cost-effective for you to purchase the welding tools and other equipment to do one job, but your neighborhood plumber already has everything they need.

Accidents Can Be Avoided

Walking into any work site can be dangerous. Laying a vinyl floor may seem like an easy project, but have you considered the medical bills if you accidentally slice your hand with a razor blade? It’s impossible to foresee an accident, but you can easily avoid injury by letting the professionals do the work for you.

Better Prices On Supplies

Contractors get discounts and work with special supply houses. They can pass those savings on to you, so you’ll wind up paying less for the raw materials. You may be cringing at the thought of the labor costs, but you’ll be impressed with the high-quality work offered by the professionals.

Done Right The First Time

When you do the work yourself, you cannot be certain that you’ll be pleased with the finished product, or that it will pass any inspection. If you make a mistake and forget a key component, you’ll wind up paying far more to have the problem corrected later.

The Risk Of More Problems

The professionals know what steps to take to avoid further problems. They shut down water and power before working, call before they dig and put protective pads down in their work areas. You may not think to take these steps, and that can lead to additional damage and more costly bills.

Time is Money

Many people fail to account for the value of their own time. What takes a professional two hours to do will probably take you four or six hours. Compare the cost of hiring the expert with the value of your time based on your hourly rate. It’s also important to consider the fact that you may not ever have the necessary time to finish a job yourself.

You may not like the idea of calling in a licensed contractor, but it’s far cheaper to do it right the first time. You’ll save time and frustration. You’ll avoid higher repair bills down the road and costly accidents, and you’ll also be more pleased with the quality of work. In the end, you’re likely to decide that the professional was worth every penny spent.

Informational credit to Hill Crest Plumbing & Heating.