BUILDING a home from the ground up can be one of the most rewarding experiences for a family to undertake. Living in a new home that has never been occupied by another resident gives a feeling like no other. But times are tough, and building a house can be expensive. Use the tips in this article to save as much money as possible while building the home of your dreams.The Brick Bargain When it comes to popular building materials, few things can match brick for elegance, strength and endurance. But brick is also one of the most expensive materials, which is why many people choose to go with something a little less costly. However, since brick is rarely used for structural integrity, you can get away with using whats called thin brick, which is only 1/3 of the depth of a regular brick and costs much less. Using thin brick as a facade gives your home all of the outer appearance and beauty of brick housing without the exorbitant cost.Stock House Plans Have the perfect dream home in mind, but fear that having it all drawn up and created will be far out of your price range Then a stock house plan may be just what you need. Many home builders have reams of available blueprints for you to choose from. Find one that is as similar as possible to the home in your imagination, and you can save thousands of dollars. In the end, you may even find that the stock home plan is more practical and conceptually sound than the home you had originally envisioned.Be Your Own General Contractor If you have some construction know-how, being your own general contractor can save you money like nothing else on this list. Of course, there are sacrifices to be made. Youll have to be on the job site much of the time, youll have to order your own materials, and youll be in charge of all the subcontractors building your home. Its not an easy task, by any means, but if you have the time and the skills, the monetary savings will make it well worth the effort.Build Up One of the biggest costs of buying a new home is the land itself and the foundation upon which the home is built. If you want a big house, it is often advisable to build up, rather than out. A two-story house of 2,000 feet will cost less than a one-story house with the same square footage. While youre thinking about building up to the sky, also consider keeping your construction lines simple and clean. Complex geometry in a house design will cost much more than traditional shapes.Paint It Yourself Want to save yourself anywhere from N500,000 to N1.5million Paint the home yourself. Enlist your family or a few of your friends, and you can knock out a full house painting in a single weekend. Youll be able to save on materials, paint, and, most of all, labor costs. Also, youll be less tempted to fall for worthless extras the painting company will try to sell you on, all in the name of maximizing their profits.
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