Hand Peeled Timber Roof System

 Maximizing quality and cost is the bottom line of nearly every home owner. From the layout to the finishing touches, there are many things a home owner can do help in building an affordable custom home. Just because your home is going to be new does not mean that there are not ways to save money wisely.  

There are many opinions on this, but when we contract for individuals with limited resources here are some of the things we suggest.  

1. For a more cost effective budget we have had good success with choosing a good double paned vinyl window that is not necessarily the most well-known name brand. Such windows cost even as much as a third or more less than the top of the line brands.   

2. This also applies to exterior and interior doors. We have used stock doors from Lowe’s and people think they were built in  

Interior doors and Carpeting

our wood shop. There is still quality to be found at the lower end of the price chain. But do keep an eye on quality. Some products are low quality. One just has to look and also consult your contractor.  

3. You can go broke on a kitchen counter top. We have had good success choosing a laminate Formica top verses a solid surface such as Corian or granite. Many laminate suppliers have a wide variety of finishes that even look like granite or Corian. I had a bank appraiser once look at one of our homes and she was sure that our $800 laminate counter top was really a $4000+ granite one. Solid surfaces are very classy and lovely, but sometimes you have to make choices where to spend your funds. And in the future, when you are rich and famous, you can always replace it with a granite top. It is also possible to spend wisely and economically for kitchen appliances.  

4. You can choose mid-grade carpet instead of hardwood floors throughout the house. Or just put the hardwood floor in the dining room and living room, or great room. You can always install top of the line carpet in other rooms, or upgrade to more wood floors in the future.  

5. Ceramic tile and vinyl flooring. Ceramic looks so nice that this is a hard choice for me. Also Mike (my husband and personal contractor   is very good at laying the ceramic. S0 here are a few tips for ceramic: watch for discontinued tile at a flooring store or even Home Depot. You can find some lovely tile for $1 to $2 per tile. Just be sure to buy a few more boxes than you need so that  in the future you can replace a tile if it gets cracked or damaged. That is a good idea no matter what your tile costs. Matching a dye lot in the future is almost impossible.  

THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO ECONOMIZE ON~  

Now that you have saved some money, here are some spots in your new custom home that you will want to think about upgrading: a timber roof system, cathedral ceilings, adding a loft, making a larger master bedroom, or great room. These are very hard to change after your initial building is completed. One should carefully think through these and other options.  

As a homeowner, sometimes you have to make a choice like this, “I want the vaulted ceiling over the great room. So I’ll spend a little more for that. But I am happy to walk on carpeted floors for a few years and the extra money into a vaulted ceiling”.    

But one thing you do NOT want to do is to consistently choose high end items and expect your custom home builder to keep reducing his prices. This can inadvertently make your contractor give your home less than the very best. Sometimes we see  

A lovely but economical kitchen

homeowners ending up with no warranties on the home, and other prolbems they have acutally done to themselves. If you think about it, this is your contractor’s full time job. How would you like someone asking you to take a pay cut on your job?…  

So all in all, think through your custom home, plan, dream, and also be wise.  

Sue

Related posts:

1. Custom Home~ floor plans