How to save money during construction Part 3

Before you start building

You think you know what you want your dream home to be, but do you really?   After scouring the home books, searching online, we drove around and visited as many homes as we could.  We even drove to towns 100 km away to get another perspective. If you can find a newly developed area, they may have some model homes that can give you tons of ideas.

1. Source Your Own Materials

It can be a huge cost saving to buy your own materials. Sometimes upto 70% cheaper. However, ensure you understand all the materials and the quality expected. Don’t wait until the project has started to decide what you will and won’t be sourcing on your own. Instead, sit down with your contractor before the project starts, and go through the budget line by line. You want to make sure you know when they will need each item on site, what the measurements need to be, and what the labor costs cover, if they are putting anything together for you. In the bathroom that we added, a sink base would have cost less to buy, but the labor to put it together made it more expensive than the one our contractors sourced.

2. Stay Organized

Unexpected hiccups can mean additional costs, so stay on top of your construction schedule. If you’re sourcing any materials yourself, have them on-site when your contractor needs them. Staying organized also means keeping up with any paperwork and staying on top of your contractor, if necessary. If your contractor is responsible for pulling permits, make sure you know what’s due and when, so you can check to see that everything is properly permitted.You can also use Manpro to …..

3. Build During the Off Season

Like many industries, the construction business has busy and slow times each year. You can save between 4 and 5 percent by starting your project when contractors tend to be slow — right after Christmas. The cost saving might be very minimal, but it can add up throughout the construction. Not only can you save money, but you’ll get better service from your contractors during the off season. Since contractors are less busy, they have more time to meet with you, answer your questions, and go through those budgets line by line to see where you can save some cash.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series!

To learn more about how ManPro can help you to save money in any construction project, feel free to Call or WhatsApp us on +254 720 712 233