Customizing your home significantly increases the comfort and amount of enjoyment. Adding a new pool or deck allows you to enjoy the outdoors more. Customizing your kitchen space converts it into a functional room. Similarly, a master suite addition allows you to enjoy a private sanctuary.
While these customizations are possible, budget is the main challenge facing homeowners planning a custom home remodeling project. Small-scale renovations, such as adding a wooden deck, cost almost $10,000. Installing composite surfaces can double or triple these costs. Below are a few tips that can help you save your custom home remodeling costs.
1. Hire the right builders
While DYing your home renovation can help you save on remodeling costs, some renovation projects can only be done by professionals. Fortunately, you can still save on custom home renovation projects by hiring the right custom home builder. Gathering quotes from Excel builders and other contractors is important.
However, you should go beyond comparing different contractors’ quotes. Initiating upfront conversations with your contractor helps you understand the services included in their bids. You can also clearly evaluate the contractors’ level of expertise.
In most cases, you should avoid remodeling contractors with the lowest bids. Unrealistic low offers might be tempting, but they are a subtle sign of poor construction and the use of inferior materials. The contractor may have also not included all the costs of your project, which can lead to unexpected surprises as the renovation progresses.
A quality custom home renovation bid should account for everything, including minute details. This includes the specific valves and faucets to be used, the type of roofing shingles, window frame size, and more. If your preferred contractor hasn’t listed the specifics, ask them to highlight the details, especially the fixtures, and materials they intend to use.
2. Focus on efficiency instead of size
Regardless of your intended customizations, you can save on renovation costs by focusing on efficiency rather than room size. For instance, consider reorganizing and equipping the available space instead of blowing out walls to increase your kitchen square footage. This might mean replacing old-fashioned shelves with pull-out drawers and other options.
Outfitting cabinets with pull-out trays and dividers can also help you shell thousands. Practically, it costs up to $90,000 to add at least 200 square feet to your kitchen. However, reorganizing and installing custom-designed drawers and cabinets won’t exceed $35,000.
3. Don’t change your home’s layout
You shouldn’t think about changing your home layout if you want to save on remodeling costs. While customizing your home might mean changing the floor plan, you should consider alternative options if you are on a tight budget. Changing your home’s layout means moving the electrical and plumbing components, which can significantly increase renovation costs.
As you hire an expert to draw your renovation plan, ensure they balance your custom desires with plumbing fixtures, ductwork for HVAC units, and other important components. You should evaluate extensively how a specific change can affect the entire project’s bottom line. For instance, moving a wall with HVAC ductwork one foot can increase renovation costs by $2500.
4. Decide where to skimp and splurge
While high-end renovation projects can certainly break the bank, it doesn’t mean you should ignore making expensive home customizations because of a limited budget. You can still complete expensive upgrades by identifying where to splurge and where to skimp. Ideally, you should splurge on permanent home installations, such as cabinets, windows, and bathtubs.
You can also choose to install high-quality and costly finishes in high-traffic areas, such as the kitchen, entry porch, or dining room. Most homeowners and guests spend much of their time in these rooms. As for renovation materials, choose materials that fall between the lowest and highest priced. Mid-range priced materials are of better quality and won’t inflate your budget.
5. Go big on recycling
Homeowners can also save a lot by opting for recycled and lightly used building materials and home fixtures. Several organizations currently have recycling centers that stock and sell salvaged materials affordably. Using recycled materials saves on costs and the environment. However, ensure that you have an understanding with your contractor because most of them don’t use salvaged items because of liability issues if anything goes wrong.
Endnote
Planning a custom home renovation project is unavoidable if your current home and its installations don’t fit your needs. While building a custom home is an attractive option, you can avoid the costs of constructing a new home by renovating your current home. Like other renovation projects, planning goes a long way in ensuring that you don’t have to deal with financial surprises later.
