Most people know that the square footage of a house will affect the cost of construction, but many people don’t realize that how a house is designed and laid out will also affect the bottom line. And since many of us are unaware of what design choices we can make to reduce our construction costs, I’ve compiled a list 20 money-saving design and layout ideas.
The easiest way to save money DURING construction is to figure out how to reduce costs BEFORE construction even begins—during the design and planning phases. The cost to build two houses with the same square footage can vary greatly depending on how the houses are designed and constructed. Great savings can be hidden in small details, and a few dollars saved here and there can add up to thousands of dollars over the course of construction.
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As we plan to build our homes, I thought it would be a good idea to scour several blogs and forums to get advice from those who have built before. I specifically wanted to find out what mistakes people had made in building their homes—what they would do differently if they were to build again. So I’ve compiled an extensive list which details the things that homeowners would do and DID DO differently when building their second, third and even fourth houses.
Let’s learn from the experiences of others, so we don’t make similar mistakes. Now, some of what others consider “misses” won’t matter to you in the least. Some features you’ll hear about today should not be included in YOUR house plans because they won’t enhance the way you live. And many of the suggestions are pretty luxurious in nature, so they may not fit everyone’s budget or style. Take suggestions that resonate most with you and the vision you have for your home. But listen with your current AND future lifestyle in mind. Think about how you CURRENTLY live in your home AND how you might live in 5, 10 or even 20 years.
Our Pro Terms for today are Eave, Fascia, and Soffit. Two of the main parts of the eave are the fascia and the soffit.
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We talk about one of the main ways you can save money when building your dream home… by being your own general contractor or builder. But CAN you build your own home, are you allowed and SHOULD you? Some pros and cons of being your own builder are outlined. We’ll also discuss some things that owner-builders can do to increase their chances of success.
Show notes at BYHYU.com
Most of us want to get the biggest bang for our buck, and, if possible, we prefer making purchases when items go on sale. And that goes for things that we’ll need for our homes. So, I read a few articles on the best times to purchase certain homebuilding and household items.
To be honest, after reading many sources on this subject, I found no solid agreement as to the exact best times to find sales prices on different items. One source would say sales occurred most often in May, and another article would say November, but what I’ve compiled for you in this week’s episode, is a list of the most often sited best times for buying things for the home. Although there will be sporadic sales throughout the year for different homebuilding and household items, there are certain, predictable times of year when specific products and materials can be bought for significant discounts.
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As I go through my homebuilding process, I’ll be letting you know what I learn in my preconstruction and construction meetings and what tips I pick up on the job site from contractors. Last week I met with my architect and construction manager to clear up a few last details before sending plans off to more subcontractors for bids. Although my experience and my house will obviously be different from yours, I’m hoping what I learn through my process will help you with yours. So this week I have a short list of quick tips that I picked up in my meeting.
Show notes at BYHYU.com
Well, we’ve made some progress. We finally got our foundation and structural plan from the engineer and our building permit has been approved. Hallelujah!
I’ll tell you more details about our progress, plus review a couple of construction terms.
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Putting in some time and effort to get organized before we break ground will help the construction process go more smoothly and be less stressful, for us and our contractors. It’s important to get information out of our heads and out of our numerous piles of magazines and papers and off of our scattered sticky notes and instead, organize all of our design and construction information into an easy to use system. This week we’ll talk about how we can organize all the information we’ll gather before and during the construction process.
Show notes at www.BYHYU.com
During Design and Construction Week, the International Builders Show (IBS)and the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) come together for one huge trade show that showcases the newest products and materials for residential design and construction. This year the show was in Vegas and despite the very cold weather, I made my way to the convention center to check out most of the exhibitors. If you go to the show every year, as I’ve done in the last several years, you’ll see many of the same tried and true products on display each year. But there are a few things in this year’s show that caught my eye.
Show notes at BYHYU.com
Radiant heated driveways, also called snow melting systems, are installed just beneath a driveway’s surface and used to melt snow and ice without having to shovel, plow, snow blow or salt the driveway. They keep the pavement warm enough to melt falling snow so it doesn’t accumulate. They also keep the driveway too warm to allow water to freeze into slippery, dangerous ice.
Even if you don’t live in a region that gets lots of winter storms, you might consider a heated driveway if the limited amount of snow and ice you do get causes unsafe passage to and from your home— if you have a sloped driveway that would be difficult and dangerous, to drive on or clear, or if you have a sun-starved, north-facing driveway where snow and ice might not melt for many days, or even weeks. For those who get any amount of snow and ice, but don’t have the time or physical ability for adequate removal, you might at least consider a heated driveway. Keep in mind, in areas that get less snow, it’s harder to find someone to hire for snow and ice removal. A heated driveway could even be considered an aging in place feature.
Show notes at BYHYU.com
Last week, we went over 8 things you should never say to your contractors. I’m a little hoarse this week, but I want to do a brief episode so we can complete our list. This is, by no means, a comprehensive list. If you can think of some other things we should never say to a contractor, let me know in the comment section of the show notes at BYHYU.com.
Although communicating with our contractors is an important part of successfully building our homes, there are certain things that we should never say to them. This week, and next week, we’ll discuss some of those taboo phrases and questions that should never be uttered to our contractors.
Show notes at BYHYU.com
Last week we talked about whether a buying an extended home warranty is a smart idea. Those home warranties are offered by third party companies that will help pay for repairing, and, if necessary, replacing, covered appliances and home components, such a
If you’re like me, you’ve been seeing commercials for extended home warranties and wondering if they’re a good investment. These home warranties are supposed to go beyond the coverage that you get with the usual homeowners insurance policy. They are warranties that are offered by third party companies that will pay for repairs, and, if necessary, replacing, covered appliances and home components, such as plumbing, should problems arise. So are home warranties a good idea?
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The information in this week’s episode comes from an article that was recently posted on Houzz called 32 Home Design Trends That Will Rule in 2019. Houzz chose those 32 design trends after analyzing data from photos and articles that have been saved on the site, plus interviewing professional designers. The trends are those they think you can expect to see a lot in 2019. Many of them are features we’ve seen over the last several years but are still popular in new homes.
Now, To clarify, design features that are on trend can be very different than features that are trendy. A trend is defined as a general direction in which something is developing or changing. A design trend is often classic— something that will look good many years or even decades from now, like white or light colored walls. Something that’s trendy, has faddish appeal. It may look very interesting and current in the next year or two, but it will probably look dated in a decade— think of sponge-painted faux finishes on walls from the early 2000s.
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I was trying to wait until we actually started construction before I did another project update, but I know you guys have been wondering what’s been going on since my last update back in September. Well, as you know from the title of the episode, we still haven’t started construction.
Our site has been cleared and leveled, and it’s ready for construction. The floor plan is complete and Keith, the builder I hired as my construction manager, is ready to go. But, for several months, we’ve been waiting on the structural engineer to complete the foundation plan and the other portions of the plan that need to be engineered.
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As with most features in your home, the way you design your kitchen island should be a matter of functionality, personal taste, your budget, and your lifestyle. This week’s quick tips will help you design an island that is not only on trend style-wise but also functional and comfortable.
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You may or may not have heard of central vacuum systems, also called “central vac”. People who know of them generally love them or hate them. This week we’ll talk about the pros and cons of putting a central vac in your new home. We’ll also go over the cost of the system and who would benefit from it most.
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This week we’ll talk in more detail about a rain screen, which is a moisture control measure that can be used in new construction. I briefly introduced you to rain screens in episode 134 called “Learn to Control One of Your Home’s Biggest Enemies: Moisture”. But in this week mini-lesson, we’ll have a more in-depth discussion of rain screens and talk about when they are recommended.
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Hardware refers to all the metal knobs, levers, latches, pulls, hinges, and handles in a house. When building a new house, we’ll need to decide what style and color hardware to choose for the cabinets, windows, drawers, and doors. So, in this week’s episode, we’ll go over what’s trending in hardware and metal finishes. And we’ll talk about whether mixing metals is still ok.
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Most of us will include tiles in several rooms in our homes. Tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms are most common, but new homes today might have tiles as the main flooring in our living rooms, on fireplace surrounds, as feature walls, and as outdoor flooring.
As a material that will be used repeatedly in our homes and as a material that can be potentially pretty expensive, the last thing we want to do is invest in a tile that’s no longer in style. As with everything, going for classic favorites that have stood the test of time is always a safe bet, but choosing materials that are classic, interesting and current, all at the same time, makes the most sense for the longevity of your design and for the resale of your house.
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For those of us who want to make our homes as safe possible, incorporating some fire resistant features is a smart idea. Interestingly, many ordinary, everyday homebuilding materials are either naturally fire resistant or they can become fire resistant with a few tweaks. Although most building materials are not 100% fireproof, many materials that we’ll talk about today will give your house a fighting chance if it’s ever threatened by fire. Homes built with the right materials, the right landscaping layout, and smart detailing have a far better chance of escaping a fire with less damage.
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Since windows are one of the most important design features and expensive line items in our new homes, it’s important that we know what window trends are current, so we don’t make the expensive mistake of purchasing windows that will take away from our homes curb appeal and resale value. We want windows that will make our homes feel current and interesting and not tired and dated. This week we’ll briefly discuss 7 window trends that you might consider for your project.
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You can’t beat the durability and the low maintenance advantages of synthetic, faux wood materials. But I’ve seen lots of synthetic, wood look materials, and although a few of them look pretty realistic, some people feel like no synthetic material can match the natural beauty of real wood.
And for those people, that beauty is worth the extra maintenance required to use authentic wood for the exterior of their homes. So, for those of us considering using real wood on our new homes, whether as decking, or as exterior wall cladding, fences or garage doors, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most popular wood species used for exterior applications to help us decide which wood might be best for our projects. We’ll also briefly consider composite and plastic wood alternatives.
Show notes at BYHYU.com
Soffits and Fascia are parts of the house that don’t often get a lot of thought or attention from homeowners planning to build their dream homes. But they’re important not only as design elements for your home but also because they protect your house. And choosing the right materials for your fascia and soffits can reduce the required maintenance for your home. This week we’ll briefly talk about soffit and fascia options so you can make the best choice for your home. Let’s start by establishing exactly what and where soffits and fascia are.
Show notes at BYHYU.com
Last week I traveled to Austin TX for their Parade of Homes. I like going to different parts of the country to see what new homes features are popular in different areas. If we incorporate some of our favorite features from different regions, it can make the homes we build more interesting. As you know, too often designers and builders tend to do what they have always done and that can translate into all the houses in an area looking the same, void of character and uniqueness. Sometimes the only way to incorporate fresh ideas is for us homeowners to make fresh suggestions. A great way to get new ideas and inspiration is by looking at houses in areas outside our region.
This year’s parade of homes in Austin Tx had only 5 houses available to tour, and one was a tiny house. But even with such a small number of houses, it was one of my favorite Parades of all time. The homes were examples of casual, timeless elegance at its best. There were light, bright transitional interiors (remember transitional is a balance between traditional and contemporary features). There were lots of clean lines, both inside and out, but the houses weren’t so clean that they felt minimalistic or cold
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