FACTORS THAT SAVE COST WHEN BUILDING YOUR HOUSE
I have compiled this post from my recent observation on practices and adjustments which can help reduce the cost of building.
After looking into factors that minimize and increase building costs, I came up with these tips to reduce the cost of building a house.
10 Ways To Lower/Cut Building Costs
==> Choose Site Location Carefully
Apart from increasing your total cost of building, your choice of site will affect how much getting a building plan will cost, how much omo onile people will charge, and what rates artisans will charge.
Choose wisely between low, medium, and high-income earners settlements so you don’t get stuck in the process of building your house.
==> Assess The Soil
Also, the nature of the soil can influence how much your building foundation will cost. Constructing a foundation in muddy, swampy, or soft soil need is more capital intensive than that on strong sand.
In Lagos, some foundations may run into tens of millions which is enough to finish building a house in some other parts.
==> Use Project Management Professionals
Project managers are important if you want to maximize spending on a project. They are trained to plan and execute projects. Getting one will help you get better value for your funds and prevent wastage.
So save yourself the stress and hand it over to a building expert who would help oversee the project better and prevent waste.
==> Stick To An Affordable Design
Save money by defining what you really want in and from the building at the start. Some adjustments can cost you quite a huge sum e.g a terribly designed roof.
Make sure you employ the services of a professional architect to be able to get the best in quality and design.
==> Use Local Materials Where Available
Nigerians have a huge craving for imported materials. Because a building material is imported does not guarantee that it is of top quality.
Except where the need is based on specification or necessity, use locally available materials in your construction to save overhead costs. It is also important to note that reducing the cost of building your house at the expense of quality is dangerous.
==> Buy Or Mould Blocks Yourself
Calculate cost analysis in choosing whether to mold cement blocks yourself or to buy already made ones. Some people discover that it is cheaper to buy bags of cement, loads of sand and employ people to mold the blocks on the site while others, on the other hand, prefer to buy already produced blocks from block-making industries considering the stress involved in molding it themselves.
==> Build In The Dry Season
Starting a building project when the rains are away will help let your project set/dry faster. Rain will not be around to disturb your workers or stop their work.
A major disadvantage is that cost of building materials increases in the dry season while the price crashes in the wet/rainy season. However, you will discover that what you have saved by constructing in the dry season beats these price differences in building materials completely.
==> Get Price Quotations Ahead
Even before getting price quotations from artisans, make sure you go to the market yourself to find out the current prices of the materials you will need on your site.
If possible, go with the worker who would use the materials so you can buy according to specifications. You will get a better price as you become more familiar with the sellers of these building materials.
==> Create Suppliers Competition
Initiate competition among people supplying building materials to your site. Get as many building materials suppliers as possible because this will give you the power to negotiate prices in your favor.
This method is very effective especially if you buy building materials in large quantities.
==> Re-Use Materials
Some building materials can be used more than once before they get spoilt totally. Look for such materials and re-use them on your site. For instance; wood, steel rods, etc can serve many other purposes on your site.
Other steps to cut building costs include:
==> buying only necessary materials to reduce waste
==> improving your pricing skills
==> Not giving your workers the impression that you have much money to throw around as they may start cheating you when buying the materials or even increase their charges.
These are some practical steps on how to reduce construction costs. Share.