First thing to do to save money is not use an architect. Most states dont need an architect that can stamp plans. Most of the time a home designer will work and is much cheaper.

Thanks! We are actually looking at some of both. I've been saying "architect" for so long that I've been using designer and architect interchangeably. But you're right, not the same thing. And we're building on a flat site which I'm pretty sure means we don't need sealed plans.

I disagree 1000% with 8 mpg. If I had an architect instead of "designer", I wouldn't be having some of the issues I'm having now. And I'm a designer/artist so am very visual and can read a plan!

A residential architect will save you money for the things you don't know you don't know. My neighbor used an architect and her architect specified things like insulation around the exterior walls of each bathroom. My draftsman/designer left that info off so when I realized I wanted and needed it, it cost me more because not only did I have to pay for the price of it but I also had to pay the builder's percentage on top of that.

Are there good designers? Yes of course, but overall, I've been less than impressed with most I've seen.

As for once you start building, a lot depends on your builder. My builder gets discounted prices and passes them on to me. So I got his discounted prices for the appliances and plumbing he purchased at Ferguson as an example.

golden2smith I'm about 30 miles south of Asheville and we moved into our new build 4ish months ago. If you're in a position to buy things ahead of time when you find a good price and just warehouse them, like light fixtures, door hardware, faucets etc can net you some savings. But the big money in a build is in the actual construction materials and that's going to be at market price at the time you are building. I don't recommend buying your appliances too far out because once you take delivery the clock starts on your warranty. We bought a great deal online for our build not just for the savings but for the convenience and sometimes that was the only way to find what we wanted. We did owner/builder so any time spent going out to look at things for the house was time not getting it built so online shopping was critical for us. Amazon made daily stops for months.

This is one of my favorite topics. We designed and built our own house, and did save a lot of money. BUT- (There's a;ways a 'but')- it takes a lot of skill and time. Our design cost nothing but time, lots of time. I used Sketch-Up, which is free. Our house is very specifically designed for us, though, and would likely be hard to sell. Enough about that.

I did work with a contractor, who did our site work and concrete. He was a valuable resource, telling me the best places to buy materials. He freely admitted that he marks up materials 15%, so I ordered my own stuff, even if he was the one using it.

The rest of it was shopping and research. Research, because you have to know what to buy, and what the current prices are. I spent lots of time on craigslist and ebay, and they hoofed it to go get my latest bargain. I got fiber cement siding for 25 cents on the dollar. Hardi fiber cement trim for 30 cents on the dollar. Bought 10 matching antique doors for 10 each. I bought a lot of antique light fixtures on ebay and re-wired them. I found reclaimed flooring for $2.25 a square foot. On and on it goes, throughout the house.

If you're going to do this, make sure your contractor is OK with using your materials. Some are very fussy about what they will use, and what they won't.

First thing to do to save money is not use an architect.

In lieu of a massive retype please scroll down to my 1/9/16 post on this thread: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3598813/we-fit-an-architect-into-our-budget-and-it-was-so-worth-it?n=17

And whether it's an architect or residential designer, the bottom line is making sure you're getting decent design talent. I know some architects personally that I wouldn't trust to design a house for my dog and other residential designers that are pretty good. Individuals aside, taken as a whole, the former group has a higher level of design talent than the latter. And while some design/build firms are pretty good on the design end, for the majority the word "design" is just a six letter marketing term painted on the side of their pick-up truck that folks buy in to.

But good luck with your build. Exciting times are coming!

"Much of the cost to construct a home is dictated by the design. Accordingly, your biggest opportunity to economize is to design for economic use of materials and labor. To this end, involving construction professionals in the design phase is a worthwhile investment."

That needs to be a header at the top of this forum along with an equally concise explanation of how/why a design professional fits a house to the occupants, lifestyle and land.

@DLM2000, I'd also suggest a discussion of the value added by a design professional in fitting a house to the owners' lifestyle needs, the constraints of the site, and their budget. Too many times folks look to save a couple of thousand in the short run and end up living with a compromise they didn't expect.

Along with CPartist, I'm going to disagree with the first comment, strongly. We're in the design phase on a "farmhouse" style home of our own. (using that term a bit loosely). And it's being designed by an architect. In so doing, we can decide WHICH things that increase construction cost (bump outs, rooflines, etc) we give a high enough priority to include, and which we do not. A good architect can explain why certain features will cost more to build. He/she can also save you building unnecessary square footage by making the entire plan more efficient.

For the most part, cutting the fee for an architect is penny wise and pound foolish.

What Architectrunnerguy, Charles Ross and DLM said!

A good home designer can do most of what an architect does including explain what is expensive and what is not. If they can't, dont use them. I have two cousins that are architects and they recommended using a home designer as an architect's fees will add too much to the overall budget. But hey...to each his own.

As I've said, I've found GOOD home "designers" to be few and far between. Most are just glorified draftsman.

An architect is educated, experienced, and licensed to design buildings. I don't know what the requirements home designers have. If I were to spend a lot of money on something, I would want to make sure the odds of a positive outcome to be in my favor.

Now I have to get back to work before any of my clients see I am taking a break from working on their project.

I'm always amazed at people who want to save money on an architect (include myself in that camp because I believed our builder), when they are spending 6 figures of their hard earned money. As I've said numerous times, if I had it to do over, I'd have hired an architect.

As mushcreek noted , be sure your builder is okay with you sourcing materials. In many/most of the cases - actual construction supplies.. he can come up with builder discounts... although whether he or you are supplying anything, go for longevity quality even if at the outset some things cost more. But there are other things you may more readily find.

Overbuild infrastructure, - extra insulation will save on heating and cooling, for instance. And don't worry if you choose laminate countertops now. Some look pretty good, and you don't ever have to seal them. My current home has laminate counters, in white, and after what I suspect is 40 years, there's only one permanent stain. (No, I would Not recommend mine, as back then they did not know how to edge the things aesthetically!)

Scratch and dents are fine... I picked up one for the home I am selling, and it has a good warranty for the ability to cook properly -- and I really have to look hard to find the scratch.

Periodically all the major appliance outlets have sales - Presidents Day weekend is an example of a big one.

I have friends who sourced their interior doors thru Habitat for Humanity stores, there are many of these around. Or, Craig's List. I recommend you find doors this way that are NOT painted, but stained - Just to be cautious about lead; you can always paint them yourself. I'm currently looking for two myself, for within my basement. You can find other useful items this way... for lights, make sure they are properly wired, and to current standards.

I gave myself a small square foot price budget for tile.. except for some accent mosaics, it was easy to find things that were less than this limit.

Oh, consider principles of passive solar. Unless you are in the Yukon, you don't want a home facing westwards... too hot much of the year. Have your roof help shield your window exposures in the summer, but allow winter sun to come in.

Speaking of roofs... keep your roofline simple and avoid most gables. You can still have an attractive house.

OMG--another one of these recurring threads! Perhaps the most important thing for any consumer to remember is you get what you pay for.

PS, the above post I made is mostly independent of whether or not you go the architect route. You have specific needs (budget). You probably have other needs.

I'd actually check one out, or a true design specialist. Do.

If I can ever get Windows to finish updating my computer, I may well discuss my experiences pro and con. Hunt and peck on a phone keyboard destroys all attempt at nuance.

It would be difficult for an architect to know local costs of a builder in your area. Bring the GC on board. I think that what Charles Ross Homes was saying. Good draftsman could do better than some architects. If both are talented, they could equally do a good job.

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cpartist I am sorry, I have such a hard time believing you. If you want architect - you can hire one now [post phase] to represent and act like your agent.

"It would be difficult for an architect to know local costs of a builder in your area."

No, it would not be difficult at all. On most projects architects are involve throughout the project and communicate regularly with the general contractor and subcontractors, even reviewing and approving all invoices to the Owner. Granted there are those Owners that do not wish to engage an architect post construction document phase, but they do not reap the benefit of the experience and education architects have.

It is a good idea to have the general contractor involve early in the design process to reap the experience they can bring to the table and enhance the construction team.

I have a hard time believing, in most cases, a draftsman could do an equally as good of a job as an architect. Many architects that design residences have the experience of designing many different building types and have a vast formal education to perform the service you wish them to provide.

Beware of those with limited experience offering advice. Take note of their experience, but weigh it before acting.

Hi, I'm the original poster in the thread Architectrunnerguy referenced ( http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3598813/we-fit-an-architect-into-our-budget-and-it-was-so-worth-it?n=17 )

Originally we thought an architect would be expensive and time-consuming, and we thought we didn't need an architect because we already "knew what we wanted." In hindsight, all of these assumptions were wildly inaccurate.

We've been in our new house almost 11 months now, and continue to reap the benefits of working with an architect. As we enjoy our first summer in our home, we are still discovering new things to love, such as the way the exterior shape shelters our backyard from our region's extreme winds, or the way the summer light and shadows play across the deck, or the fact that I can keep an eye on the kids playing in the backyard from several of my favorite "perches," both inside and outside.

OK, hopefully we've put to bed the "don't hire an architect, designers are just as good and cheaper" mentality. Now we can get to the subject of economies and cost savings.

Every time one of these threads appears (which is often), the poster asks about savings--but it's almost always addressed to the issue of fixtures, finishes and equipment. Where can I buy the cheapest: countertop, range, flooring, "scratch and dent" stuff...Consumers miss the point (or perhaps they simply don't know or recognize) that the truly expensive stuff lies elsewhere.

What one may save on fixtures, finishes and equipment is peanuts compared to the cost of the rest of the custom home design and construction!

For example, the type and configuration of the land and how the design of the house accommodates the land, and its characteristics, is the very first place to start looking and analyzing for economies and savings. There are sites easy to develop and build on, and there are site which are just the opposite.

The second place to look is at the design concept and how the design can be developed into a final design which addresses the site, the needs and wants of the owner and the budget, while still making good, appealing and envigorating architecture. For example, a simple, well-organized house is always less expensive than a rambling, undisciplined and inexperienced design.

Where are the major costs in any custom home: site development and improvements, foundation, exterior building shell, structural elements, and the building systems: HVAC, electrical/signal, plumbing service and waste. All the stuff that HGTV never, ever films or has their stars discuss. What do they discuss? Building custom tables for the dining space and putting lots of pots and pillows everywhere.

The design concept and the developed design and construction documents are where all of these things are explored and resolved. This is one of many reasons why experienced architects offer much more professional service than designers who sit at a CAD keyboard.

The third place to look for savings is the extent and quality of the design and construction documents--the drawings, specifications and bid documents. Skimp on these to save a few bucks, and in many--most--cases the consumer will wind up paying much, much more through misused and inappropriate allowances; through construction oopsies (a technical architectural term) where the builder or his subs use their own ideas and experience to fill in blanks in the drawings; and on and on.

And then there's the situation where skimpy documents leave the consumer to spend many, many hours trying to make decisions about stuff which is necessary by not specified--door and drawer pulls, paint and stain colors, yada, yada.

When it comes to design and construction documents and services, you get what you pay for. There is thread after thread on this forum of consumers with bidding and construction woes; consumers venting about all of the decisions and selections needed once construction starts.

So...the point here is to shop for saving on flooring all you want. But if you really want to economize, pay attention to the truly expensive stuff, and the professionals who can best guide your through these sorts of decisions.

Good luck on your project! :-)

One area where we saved a lot of money on our build: talking through different roof/ceiling pitches with our builder.

The original design called for a gently sloping roof, and a ceiling slope to match. The gently sloping roof required a metal roof (way more expensive than shingles) and the corresponding ceiling height required special insulation (way more expensive than traditional insulation). By raising the roof pitch, and decreasing the ceiling pitch, we were able to go with traditional shingles and traditional insulation. This change immediately took $80,000 off the bid, without compromising the end aesthetics.

The point isn't "change your roof/ceiling pitch," the point is to keep talking to your builder. Have him look at your architect's preliminary floorplan and ask, "Do you see anything wildly expensive here?" When you get the itemized bid back from the builder, go through it and ask "Is this the normal cost for X? If not, what makes my X so special, and how can we make it more affordable?" (My conversation about the roof started with "HOLY BUCKETS THIS IS INSANE" and then him explaining the insanity.)

Here's a thousand words or so...

I suspect that this ain't no architect's boat...

The very first way we saved a ton of money was by building (and living) in an area with a low cost-of-living. What we did in rural SC would be wildly out of reach in New York or San Francisco. The second way we saved a ton of money was by building a small, practical house. We didn't need 4000 square feet to retire in- in fact, we raised a family in 1600 square feet, and had plenty of room.

I'm not getting in on the architect /no architect conversation. I'm tired of that conversation popping up in every thread.

To save money on any build in general, regardless of your choices, location, and degree of luxury:

- Build a simple shape in a moderate size with a simple roof

- Opt for a front facing garage (which doesn't have to mean protruding /first thing you see) and a simple, straight driveway

- Choose a flat lot with utilities already in place

- Pay careful attention to your windows /sunlight -- we react positively to natural light, and often this is a matter of planning rather than spending

- Choose standard sized doors, windows, appliances, etc.

- Stack your walls, especially those that contain water

- Do not duplicate things "just because" (staircases, bathrooms, living spaces) ... but DO spend money and square footage on your functional spaces (laundry, pantry, entryways) because they make a difference in your comfort each and every day.

- Do not skimp on a solid house with good electrical and good plumbing. These things cannot be changed later (or would be very expensive to change).

- Limit your built-ins.

- Kitchens and baths are your most expensive rooms; keep them modest in size

- In general, choose middle-of-the-road products rather than bargain basement items or latest-and-greatest stuff ... the bargain basement stuff will not last, and you'll just spend more to replace it ... the latest-and-greatest often is more for show than for function, and you pay a premium for that small difference

- Spend ample time on your plans; do not make changes halfway through ... seriously consider every item in your build and ask WHY you want that item; personally, I've decided that a number of today's must-haves aren't things I actually want.

Now I have to get back to work before any of my clients see I am taking a break from working on their project.

I just presume that, to unwind between grueling design sessions, you come here to cruise the boards.

I don't understand that, mind. I certainly don't cruise pet care or animal BB's in my spare time, watch "Emergency Vets," "The Incredible Dr. Pol," or "All Creatures Great and Small," etc. In fact, I should be doing some CE right now, and can't be bothered. (Fun fact: the producers of the first season of Vet School Confidential approached my alma mater about centering it on my class. The Dean very nearly choked on his coffee and responded something to effect of, "Good Lord, you can NOT put that bunch of maniacs on TV! We'd never get another application!")