How to Build A House ~ Things I Know
With the recent wheelbarrow full of building and renovating shows we have been spending a lot of time starting sentences with….In our next house…..
We have never renovated but currently live in a house that we built a few years ago. It was our first building experience and was a steep learning curve!
I know…. that the more you buy yourself, the more you save. We sourced and purchased everything we could ourselves and literally saved thousands. Don’t just rely on the costs and items the builder specifies. Ask if you can provide your own items and they can deduct them from the build cost. Internal and external doors, lights, floor coverings, bathroom fixtures including towel racks and toilet paper holders even the kitchen sink. Not only did we save money on the actual “builders cost” for these items but we got exactly what we wanted and not the limited range the builder provided.
I know….that the more you do yourself, the more you save. We did all the landscaping, mailbox, retaining walls, driveway, clothes line and even some cleaning ourself. This also meant that we could delay some costs until the end of the build time. For example, instead of outlaying for turf months before we needed it and whilst we had a lot of other expenses, we could wait until we had the money and were ready for it.
I know….sometimes bigger isn’t better. We really did our homework when it came to choosing a builder. Lots of the larger builders had beautiful display homes and cheap prices on display but underneath the fine print were long build times and hidden costs. We went with a smaller, family owned builder and had our whole house finished in under 5 months. Whenever we wanted to speak to someone we could speak to the owner of the company and not get referred to a random middle manager.
I know….little things matter. If that crooked tile is bugging you when it is laid, it will still be bugging you eight years down the track. Fix it before you move in!
I know…there are some things better to buy now not later. Putting in airconditioning was going to cost us a small fortune. With all the other budget blowouts it just seemed like too much money at the time. Now, a few years later, it is going to cost us double the price to get half the size airconditioners. What would have been a simple job whilst building is now almost impossible. The initial cost whilst building would of cost us a few extra dollars a month in our mortgage repayments and now if we want it, we have to find the money upfront!
I know…I loved every stressful, exciting, proud and exhilerating moment of it.
I know… don’t want to move house but
I know…I would do it all again.
Linking up with “Things I Know”
I know…that the house above is not mine. I know…that it is for sale if you have a spare 58 million dollars here