What Things Can You Do to Cut Costs When Building a Home?

Sticking to a Budget

• The most important thing to do before you start to buy or build anything is to work out an exact budget and stick to it. This may take months of planning. Include costs of labor and materials, and research the cheapest way to attain these. Shop around and get several quotes.

Find Inexpensive Land

• Be careful when searching for your land. The cheapest building lot or plot may not be the most affordable. For example, if you buy a plot then have to level it, remove a lot of waste product, remove trees or dig up and remove excess stones, you may spend much more than on a plot that requires no work. The cheapest, easiest and most economical plots to build on often have access to electricity and public water lines.

Find Recycled Materials

• Builders frequently decide to use recycled materials to build homes. Products such as recycled wood, recycled steel, plastics, straw, glass, sawdust, sand and recycled copper can save you money. It is also eco-friendly to use these materials. Find these materials at reclamation yards and old wood yards -- you may be surprised at the array of materials you can find at a low cost.

Build a Small But Tall Property

• Large areas of land often cost a staggering amount of money, and they are usually sold in expensive large acres or square feet. Therefore, smaller but taller houses are more economical to build as you save on the initial cost of the size of the land. The most affordable houses tend to be compact, so by building a taller house, you can save on the building and on the heating and cooling bills.