How to Build a House on a Budget ?

Building a house on a budget doesn’t mean doing away with all the good looking luxury features you were dreaming of. There are many ways of building an affordable house on a shoestring budget that looks as aesthetic as its pricier counterparts without the formidable price tag.

So have a look over different ways of building affordable house :

Go for Cheaper Alternatives

If you can’t afford marble or travertine tiles, go for ceramic tiles. If hardwood flooring is beyond your budget, laminate or tiled floors can be good looking and durable options. An exterior stone façade at the front will increase your home building budget by a few thousand dollars. You can create the same aesthetic effect with a brick façade at a fraction of the cost.

Cut out the Frills

Shoestring budgets cannot accommodate useless frills and fancy items that look attractive but serve no purpose. So cut out these useless frills or postpone them and instead invest your money in things that really matter – such as granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms or top quality insulation all around.

These are the features that add value to your property and its selling price and they will prove to be highly useful, efficient and durable as soon as you start living in your new house.

Cheaper Cabinets

Most homeowners lust after solid wood cabinets, but they can add a substantial burden on your home building budget. You can create the same designer look at a cheaper rate by opting for stainless steel or open shelf cabinets with frosted glass doors.

Multi Story Houses

One storied houses are more expensive than two storied counterparts with the same building plan because of the larger foundation and roof area. So choose a two storied or three storied home with the same square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The additional bonus will be the view from the top floor plus relatively low expenses for ventilation and plumbing.

Pay for Actual Living Area

Choose a building plan where you are paying for actual living area or floor space instead of super built area or phantom space. Don’t get fooled by paying for empty areas such as closets, wall insulation and attics that cannot be used.

Give the Finishing Touches Yourself

If you are handy with tools and have some knowledge about construction jobs, you can complete or at least chip in with some of the building tasks yourself. If nothing else, you can easily take care of the landscaping and painting jobs. This will save you plenty of money.

Postpone Building the Less Important Areas

Suppose you want a nicely finished attic or a basement that you want to turn into a man cave or rent out for some extra money. Or your wife fancies an outdoor kitchen with a paved entertainment area and a pool. But money is tight. Instead of skimping on the essentials that you can’t do without, postpone building/finishing these less important areas and consider finishing them at a later date when you have enough money to spare.

Modular/Prefabricated House

You can save a phenomenal amount of money by opting for prefabricated or modular homes that are built in factories and pre assembled.

Submitted by : This article is contributed by Matthew Vinson, who is a freelance writer for ReadyChat, professional blogger and a real estate insider. He is from Toronto area and loves living in the New York City of Canada.