Ready to save some money on your next remodel? You’ve come to the right place! No matter what your budget is, finding smart ways to cut costs on your home renovation or addition can put you at ease. Let’s face it—getting the lifestyle you’re dreaming of without overextending yourself financially means you can enjoy the remodeling journey and its finished result. Sounds good, right?
Everyone has a budget. And let’s be honest, most of us want a little more than we can comfortably afford. If you have expensive taste and a limited budget, we can help! Here’s how:
You Can Save Money on Your Home Remodel
Clearly Define Your Needs vs Your Wants
Everyone has a list of needs that are driving their project, and a list of wants they add on top of that. You may need a bedroom and a bathroom, but you want a family room with a covered deck too. Before you begin the addition or remodeling process, make a list of the top priorities you’d like to include in your upgrade (your “needs”). Next, write out your “wants.”
Making firm decisions about your (non-negotiable) needs early will save you money. At Action Builders, we work together to get your needs met and then figure out how to squeeze in as many of your wants as possible.
The Bottom Line: Design to what you need and then figure out if you can include some of your wants too.
Be Realistic with Size
Look at the size of your current house and compare it to the size you are envisioning for your addition or remodel. Is the scale proportionate? Do you need all that space? Instead of a 25×25 family room, could one that is 15×20 give you the function you need? If so, you’ll appreciate a lower cost for your remodel.
The Bottom Line: Build to the size you need, and you’ll save money.
Keep the Design Simple
If you want to save on your home remodel, keep both your roof line and your home’s footprint simple. The more bells and whistles you add to your addition or large renovation project, the more complicated the design. If you choose a complex design, your project will be more time-consuming and costly to build.
The Bottom Line: When it comes to your design—go with simple and save!
Touch Less of Your Existing Home
The more you touch your existing house, the more it adds to the budget. This is also an area that can snowball and be a source of surprises and cost increases during construction.
The Bottom Line: Keeping construction limited to just the addition or renovation helps you to manage your overall cost.
Do Some of the Work Yourself
Sometimes the bank will put stipulations on what work homeowners can do, but if you are not doing a bank-financed project, any of the labor is up for grabs! Designating a weekend to do some of the labor your upgrade requires pays off big time!
Painting can be fun while lowering your addition or remodel’s price, so grab the needed supplies and go for it! Tile work is also a great place to trim cost from your project by doing it yourself. Some eager homeowners even do their own drywall and trim work!
The Bottom Line: Sweat labor can pay off!
Keep Your Priorities in Mind When Making Material Selections
Many times, an inspirational picture you’ve been dotting over will include items that are unknowingly expensive. We get it—you want a certain look. But it’s important to discover what that look’s components will cost upfront.
It’s easy to distract yourself when you spot beautiful, shiny objects during the materials selection process! Of course, that quartz backsplash and waterfall countertop look amazing, but are they worth spending $5k+? Think about it and weigh the pros and cons of your choices. Can you achieve a similar look with a more cost-effective material? Most of the time you can, and it’s typically worth the tradeoff to stay in budget.
The Bottom Line: Choose your materials wisely.
Watch Out for Cost when It Comes to Fancy Appliances
Appliances are another area where you can spend $10k or you can spend $100k. Decide what is important to you and what you want to spend your money on before you walk through showrooms or look online. This will tailor your expectations and help your choices align with your budget.
The Bottom Line: Weigh the cost of luxury features on appliances before adding them.
Collaborate with Your Design Team so You Get the Most Bang for Your Buck
It happens all the time. We meet with a homeowner to discuss their addition project. After a great meeting, we calculate and email them a ballpark budget cost for the project based on our discussion…and we don’t hear a word back. Radio silence. Were the numbers we provided for the project they outlined perhaps too difficult to digest?
Here’s the good news: The ballpark figure doesn’t have to stay as it is. At Action Builders, we work to design to your budget. We allocate funds to your top priorities prudently, so you get the most bang for your buck.
The Bottom Line: Sticker shock is common, especially at the early stages, when you are still figuring out the cost of your project and what you get for the money. But remember, estimates can be fine-tuned!
Enjoy the Addition or Remodel of Your Dreams While Staying Within a Comfortable Budget
Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of remodeling your home? At Action Builders, we can help identify what you want to achieve with your addition or renovation project, and then offer budget-friendly ways to accomplish it. With over 30 years in the industry, our design-build company is here to help with the home addition process from start to finish. Contact us today for more money saving tips, and let’s get started on bringing your dreams to life!
