Biggest Impact in Up-Front Construction Cost (for average size house):
1. Keep Design Simple. Exterior walls should be set to 2' modules, roofs should be single-pitch and have very little variation. Laying out the house on a strong East-West axis will save energy. Think rectangular box for least expensive design. (savings up to $20,000)
2. Use Builder-Grade Windows in Standard Sizes. Aluminum is the absolute cheapest and for some purposes it works perfectly fine. Vinyl windows are more energy efficient but large windows tend to warp so keep to small sizes. I prefer using commercial grade aluminum windows when the budget allows but the cost can be prohibitive (savings up to $10,000)
3. Be Budget Conscious with Interior Finishes. Control yourself and don't splurge. Finishes can generally be high-quality without busting the budget because they are a relative small item in the overall building process. However, there are a lot of temptations out there to splurge. A solid surface countertop like Silestone in a base color can cost as little as $39/sf and that's a reasonable amount to spend for what you get. But upgrade to unusual colors or opt for soapstone or honed granite and you're suddenly you're up to $85/sf. That can easily add $5000 to a project right there. For countertops plastic laminate is the cheapest at $7/sf and can work perfectly well in certain designs.(savings up to $10,000)
4. Use Siding for Exterior Surfaces in lieu of Masonry or Stucco. Cementitious siding products (like Hardie siding) are durable, energy efficient and cost 40-60% less than most alternatives. FSC certified wood siding is also an affordable alternative but there's more maintenance involved in the long term. There's more design options for siding than just a traditional aesthetic. (savings up to $8,000)
5. When using Hardwood Flooring, go for Pre-finished Hardwoods ($6/sf installed). Having to finish the hardwoods on site doubles the cost but it looks better. However, if on a tight budget do you really need site-finished hardwoods? Pre-finished engineered hardwood floors are even cheaper but not by much. If you have a slab foundation then stained or simply sealed concrete floors are the cheapest option at $2-3/sf. (savings up to $6,000)
I post construction costs for every project on my portfolio page. If you want to see some affordable modern house designs, please visit my website.
Coming next: Biggest Savings in Long Term Building Operational Cost.
1 comment:
Since we're looking at ideas for saving money on construction costs, could we suggest LED lighting from http://LEDReplacementBulbs.net?
LED bulbs not only use - by far - the least amount of electricity than any other lighting technology available today, but it is also the greenest technology, since it contains no harmful chemicals (such as mercury) like fluorescent bulbs do, and they last significantly longer (typically rated for 50,000 hours).
The LED bulbs themselves cost significantly more than fluorescent technology, to be sure, but there is good news on that front as well.
First, unlike solar technology, for example, which can take up to 10 years or more to experience a payback, it takes typically anywhere from 9 - 15 months to recoup your investment into LED replacement bulb technology. Everything after that is pure profit going to directly to the bottom line of your home or business budget. Ask any investor; any investment that returns the investment that quickly and continues to pay off for years to come after that is simply a no-brainer.
Second, Austin sort of has an "inside track" on this technology, because a local Austin business, American Marketing Solutions, is the company actually behind the website being built at http://LEDReplacementBulbs.net. Through his work, Rick Upshaw, a local Austinite and the man behind American Marketing Solutions and hence, behind our website, has developed direct contacts with several manufacturers of this technology from all over the world. As such, NO ONE can get LED Replacement Bulbs to Austin (or anywhere else, for that matter) as affordably as he can! NO ONE!
Construction of the website is still underway, so our products section is not finished yet. However, we have a complete line of more than 300 different types of LED replacement bulbs for yor home or office, internal or external lighting avaialble right now!. We even have solar street lights and other types of exterior lights for walkways, parks, etc.! So even though we don't have the products section of the website completed yet, we are definitely already in a position to help you go green with LED lighting technology at the lowest possible cost.
If you would like a quote on this technology for your application, please send a list of the current bulbs you are using and the existing wattage to us using the contact form available here, and we'll get a custom quote to you right away:
Contact the LED Replacement Bulbs Team
We are ready and able to help Austin continue in its efforts to go green. Go Austin!
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