Cutting costs
Mark
11 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (56)
TheMasterGardener1
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoboulderbelt
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
were to cut cost
Comments (8)Here's a thought. I had my kitchen cabinets quoted online for $13,300 I thought it was reasonable. Big box stores, more. Custom, over twice as much. MIL was in a Re-Store a few months ago. Came across Hickory solid wood cabinets removed in a remodel. I would have never considered it!! Saw them and fell in love. We have adjusted our kitchen just slightly, and have only a 42-44" section that will be built once all walls are set and we know the exact dimensions. My kitchen is all straight stretches 14', 9' and a 9' island. We got it all for 1300, sold the island that was much too small for 500. We are going to have some work in painting them but I just shaved a ton off of the kitchen budget!...See MoreWhat decisions, materials, can cut costs when remodeling?
Comments (73)Having just finished the Total remodel of our house I will offer this. Define the scope of the job and then stay within those limits. It is funny (?) how job creep can get you. As to your doing some of it and having your son do the trim etc, I think will depend upon the contractor you employ to get this project done. He may not care and let you get in the middle and in the way or it may not suit him at all. He has to make a living and be able to plan and execute his work. On the diy side, I looked at insulating myself and found the installed cost from an insulting company to be less than I could buy the material. I was shocked...and pleased. I guess I would say do the demo down to the studs yourself, if you must. Then let the contractor do the rebuild to the point of finish sheetrock. Then you can paint and trim yourself. Also, you have to understand that you are going to be living in a construction zone. It will be dirty, dusty and frustrating. I think you best bet is to find the right guy to do the work, hire him and get out of his way. It will be done faster, better and quite possibly cheaper than what you will end up with doing some of it. That all depends upon finding the right contractor. We were fortunate and had a tremendously skilled guy, who is now building my new shop/garage....See MoreNeed Help cutting costs in Plumbing and electric
Comments (11)You can do a lot of the electrical work yourself if you have an electrician willing to help you do that. I'd never want to design my own electrical system -- setting up the circuits and the panel and all that -- I am sure I'd cause a fire. You want a professional to be the brains. But there are a WHOLE lot of repetitive tasks in an electrical install that you do not need to pay a professional's expensive, experienced brains to do. Have your electrician work out the electrical plan and go shopping with you to get the right wiring/boxes/switches. Once you have the right boxes on hand (from your shopping trip) and have been told where each should go, installing the boxes is a matter of measuring and screwing/hammering. You can do that. Maybe your electrician can show you how to install one box, and you do the rest. Once you have the right wire on hand and have been told where to run it from and to, running the wiring is a matter of drilling holes and poking wire through them. You can do that. Have the electrician check your work after to make sure you didn't mess up anything, but it really is quite simple if the plan and communication was clear. I had no issues at all. Once you have right outlets/switches/light fixtures on hand, installing them after drywall/painting is usually very simple. Most, if not all outlets/switches, follow the same pattern and actually come with little directions for how to install them. Your electrician can show you how to do one standard wall outlet, and you can do all the rest. Your electrician can show you how to do one standard wall switch, and you can do all the rest. Let him do the few 2-way or 3-way switches in your house or anything else less basic. For plumbing, let the plumber do the plumbing plan and the rough-in, but you should be able to install the fixtures (shower head, sink drains, shower trim, faucets, toilet, etc.) yourself without too much trouble by following the manufacturer's instructions and emailing or calling your plumber with the occasional question. Just find a plumber who is willing to work with you in that way. More than anything, the best thing you can do to save on plumbing and electrical is to get them right the first time. This means have a set, solid plan for your house, including all the finishes/design decisions BEFORE the electrician and plumber show up. Know and have finalized the entire kitchen layout, the bathroom layout, the cabinets (their locations and exact dimensions), the vanity, the light fixtures. Know and possibly already own and have on hand every piece that is going to be installed around this plumbing and electrical. Different vanities require the bathroom sink plumbing to be in different places. Different faucets require different things. Different light fixtures require different boxes or different box placements. Do not wave off ANY decisions as something you will decide later. That is how you realize four months later that what you really want doesn't work with the plumbing/electrical that was already installed and now you are paying the electrician/plumber twice to move things....See MoreHelp evaluating and cutting cost in our estimate
Comments (23)I absolutely love being able to stick to a budget, but you really don't have a cost issue, you have a budget issue. Making the changes necessary to get any meaningful reduction in cost is going to drastically reduce some of the features that make building appealing to be begin with. My advice is to either not build or pony up the extra money. If you can't increase your budget then I wouldn't build. To echo what Charles Ross said, $ per square foot is a very inadequate measure. It can be used effectively to communicate finish levels in similar homes but can do little else. Homes are a mix of fixed costs, variable costs and premiums. Fixed costs are the things that every house has to have regardless of finish level, variable costs are the actual raw cost of square footage, and premiums are costs associated with finish level (granite instead of formica, etc.) Even the actual raw cost of square footage isn't really variable. Adding one more foot to an 11 foot room may cost almost nothing. While adding a foot to a 12 foot room may cost a fortune (carpet comes in 12' widths). Also note that all under roof square footage has a cost, whether it is heated or not. When you have a house with a very high finish level cutting square footage can make sense. In a home that comes in at $400/ft² cutting out 500 ft² may save you $100,000. But when you are starting with a budget build then cutting out square footage can sacrifice too much. At $125/ft² the square footage that can be sacrificed is probably around $50/ft². To make meaningful cuts you are going to have to lose like 800 square feet of heated space. At that point why bother building? Just my 2¢...See Moremyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMark
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoTheMasterGardener1
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMark
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agojrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agolittle_minnie
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agolittle_minnie
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoTheMasterGardener1
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agogama_garden_tx
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agojrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agogama_garden_tx
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agocdevries
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agohenhousefarms
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMark
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agohenhousefarms
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoboulderbelt
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMark
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agojrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoboulderbelt
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agopaflowers
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago2ajsmama
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agojrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agorustico_2009
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMark
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agolittle_minnie
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago2ajsmama
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agojrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago2ajsmama
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agobrookw_gw
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago2ajsmama
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agobruce2288
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agojrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago2ajsmama
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago2ajsmama
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agobruce2288
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agobruce2288
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomoon1234
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Related Stories
BASEMENTSBasement of the Week: Smart Cost Cutting, Beautiful Results
A stylish multipurpose basement for less than half the usual cost? See the budget-saving tricks that helped this underground space
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESCutting Edge: Futuristic Laser-Cut Designs
Intricate laser-cut works add dimension and surprise to interior designs
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen Remodel Costs: 3 Budgets, 3 Kitchens
What you can expect from a kitchen remodel with a budget from $20,000 to $100,000
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDES6 Cost-Effective Ways to Go Custom Made
Get a look that’s totally you — and possibly for a lower cost than you might think
Full StoryKITCHEN STORAGE13 Popular Kitchen Storage Ideas and What They Cost
Corner drawers, appliance garages, platter storage and in-counter knife slots are a few details you may not want to leave out
Full StoryINSIDE HOUZZHow Much Does a Remodel Cost, and How Long Does It Take?
The 2016 Houzz & Home survey asked 120,000 Houzzers about their renovation projects. Here’s what they said
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESThe Lower-Cost, Low-Tech Modern Home
See how to trim building costs and still get a home design rich in modern spaces and style
Full StoryWOODTry DIY Plywood Flooring for High Gloss, Low Cost
Yup, you heard right. Laid down and shined up, plywood can run with the big flooring boys at an affordable price
Full StoryWINDOW TREATMENTSEasy Green: 9 Low-Cost Ways to Insulate Windows and Doors
Block drafts to boost both warmth and energy savings with these inexpensive but effective insulating strategies
Full StoryMATERIALSMaterials Workshop: Polycarbonate — a Low-Cost Alternative to Glass
Looking for something lighter, stronger and less expensive than glass? Multiwall polycarbonate may be a good option
Full Story
4hleader