5 Tips to Save Big on a Custom Home
Our primary focus as a home builder is to make quality custom home building approachable; therefore, we want to help our clients save big so that quality custom homes are accessible to more and more people.
There are several ways to save big on a custom home WITHOUT affecting the overall quality of the finished product (and possibly allowing for even more budget allocation to enhance the finish-out of the home). It really is possible! Below are five tips for cost-saving changes in your home that can allow you to splurge on the finish-out of your home or simply save more money.
Lumber selection: choose 2”x4” lumber as opposed to 2”x6” for exterior walls. There is no significant difference in structural integrity between the two sizes. Make sure you hire a structural engineer and tell them you want 2”x4” walls to cut costs. This one swap could save anywhere from $12K to $30K.
Roof selection: choose a shingle instead of a metal roof. A metal roof can cost (on average) 3x to 4x the price of a shingle roof. Would you rather have an extra $30K to spend on the roof or the dream kitchen? I think you already know the answer.
General Contractor selection: Hire a home builder that minimizes overhead and focuses on a personal experience for significant cash savings. This is an intentional priority here at JD Rock Construction. As previously stated, our mission is to make beautiful custom homes approachable. We believe one way to accomplish this is to maintain a low level of entry through thoughtful consideration of all overhead expenses.
Exterior wall selection: For the walls that are viewed less often (the back and sides), consider Hardie board and batten or siding instead of solid rock or brick.
Number of plumbing fixtures: Plumbers always charge per fixture, NOT per square foot of the home. Therefore, it helps to be conscious of the number of plumbing fixtures you have in your home. Does a secondary bathroom really require two sinks? Giving every spare bedroom its own bathroom or additional sinks in a secondary bathroom will definitely cost more money. You can ballpark about $2,400/fixture (including labor and material). So, a standard bathroom with 3 fixtures (sink, toilet, and shower) would cost around $7,200.
Our hope is that these ideas inspire more people to consider that a custom home is possible for all kinds of budgets!
