Guest Blogger: How to Save Money on Your Home Addition Project

 Entry #1803, November 8, 2012

When it comes to home renovation projects of any type, you can assume that there is going to be some major time, effort, and expense involved. In the case of adding a room, a level, or even a rental unit to your home, you can multiply this by ten, or a hundred. The point is that you need to go into the process with the right expectations. You can’t build an addition from the foundations up and expect it to cost the same as the tile replacement project you did in your kitchen last year. That said, you can always find ways to cut costs, no matter what kind of home upgrades you undertake. So while the starting price may be significantly higher with a home addition, there are definitely ways to whittle down the price tag until it falls within an affordable range. The trade-off, however, is usually in time and effort involved. In any case, here are just a few ways to save when it comes to pulling off an amazing home addition.

Before you put on an addition to your kitchen, look at these tips

Planning beforehand for a home addition

The very best way to ensure that you stick to a strict budget is to engage in extensive planning beforehand. If you leave all the details up to your contractor, make last minute decisions, or change your mind midstream, there are definitely going to be overages and the price could skyrocket. Here’s why. If you look for materials and comparison shop ahead of time, you can save a lot on everything from foundational materials like concrete and wood to finishing touches like flooring, drywall, cabinetry, and fixtures. Now, you might think that your contractor can get better deals on some of these materials. And you could be right. After all, he does this for a living and he probably has some special deals set up with vendors.

Save money where you can

The only problem is that anything you leave to the contractor is going to result in a charge. If, for example, he has to bring you tile samples and then pick up the ones you select, he’s not only going to charge you for the cost of his time and the materials, but he’s also very likely to tack on a “finder’s fee” of some sort, which usually amounts to a percentage of the cost of materials added on top. Such fees can quickly add up, so you might be better off heading to the lumber yard or hardware store on your own. Armed with measurements you should be able to find the right amount of materials at discounted prices. Anything you can do on your own is going to save you money.

Before you start your bathroom addition

Of course, the materials you choose could drastically affect your price, as well. Luckily, there are often many options to consider. For example, you don’t necessarily need a granite slab when you can get the same look with faux tiles at a fraction of the cost. And for flooring and cabinets you can look into reclaimed options. On the plus side, this will not only save you money but also help to reduce your carbon footprint by saving natural resources and stopping used items from going to the landfill. You might not be able to slash the rental price for earth movers and zoomlion cranes, but when you do the legwork of finding materials on your own and look for ways to DIY, you stand to save a lot on your home addition.

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