Controlling Costs During the Design Phase of Building a Custom Home in Dallas

Building a custom home is indeed expensive. With the cost of the property itself, then hiring custom home builders Dallas for the planning and designing part, decorating, furniture, and the list goes on. 

But, there are numerous ways you can control your costs when building your new custom home. These controlling costs are going to significantly reduce the total cost and expenses of your custom home, and help you stay within your budget, and even increase your rate of investment.

So, without further ado, let’s get you to those controlling costs during the design phase of your new custom home.

Budget

Of course, a budget is essential before you even plan out your new custom home. Without an effective budget, you really won’t have any clue how much your expenses are going to be, and you might even spend more money than you would actually need to. Therefore, having an effective budget, and then moving forward with a budget-minded plan is necessary when you’re controlling costs.

Therefore, during your planning phase and designing phase of your custom home building, you must set a budget limit. 

When your custom home’s construction initiates, you must overlook all the processes and compare them to your budgetary plan. For instance, if you have a fixed limit for the cost of labor, then hire a specific number of labor or workers, so that you do not go above your limit.

Change materials and finishes

You keep in mind that the labor you will hire and the materials you will use will be your main expenses. Of course, labor doesn’t come cheap, and there is a fixed hourly rate for the labor you are going to hire. 

Also, you really can’t bargain with the labor rate because going down the minimum wage rate is going to get you into trouble. So, you’re left with the materials you use.

You must replace your high-end materials with more affordable ones. But, this does not mean you have to downgrade. 

What most people don’t realize is so much money they waste on materials that they could have bought for much cheaper. Here’s advice- go for prefabricated panels, corrugated metal sheets, hand-made cabinets, bamboo, concrete sheets, stone claddings, reclaimed timber, economy grade appliances, and stock light fixtures. These are going to cost you much less than those high-end materials will.

Just remember to include sustainable construction processes in your new custom home. This way, you’ll be significantly reducing the footprint of your custom home project by eradicating excess waste, limiting energy and resource usage.

Simple design

The ultimate way of controlling costs during the design phase is to keep your overall custom home’s design simple. 

Minimalism is the key. Try eliminating complicated design features to your custom house, such as tall ceilings, custom windows, curved walls, too many corners, complicated trim packages, landscaping, decks, angles and curves, and so on.

The good news is, there are countless ways you can ask your custom home builders in Dallas to make your dream home come to life in a much simpler way. 

Also, you’re in luck because minimalism is in trend these days. Even luxurious home builders are keeping things simple and minimal. This is going to give a contemporary feel to your custom home too. 

Remember- the more complicated and time-consuming any design layout of a home will be, the more it will cost.

Reduce scope

Here’s another way of controlling the costs of your new custom home. When we say reduce scope, we mean eliminating certain areas or spaces in terms of square feet from your custom home design model. 

For instance, let’s say you are ready to eliminate 150 square yards from your custom home plan. When you do this, you’re not only getting rid of the 150 square feet space, but you’ll also be eliminating excavation, site work, floor finishes, insulation, roofing, and everything a space requires. 

Let’s also not forget the fixed costs that will be included in this area too. Therefore, here’s how only a 150 square feet space is going to add more to your costs and total expenses.

Here’s advice for you- try going for a compact design. For instance, if you’re going for a house measuring 2000 square feet, and you have the option to either build a 1-story house or a 2-story house, then you must go for a 2-story house. Why? 

Well, because a 2-story house in the same area will prove to be more cost-effective for you. The double-story construction will be more compact. 

Again, as discussed earlier, you’ll be eliminating the materials and expenses this way as well, as you’ll be needing lesser foundations, less roofing, less insulation, and less site work.

Controlling costs during the design phase sounds intimidating, but it is absolutely doable. You just need to work closely with your custom home builder. They will handle the rest.