4 Ways You Can Assist in the Construction of Your New Home
The construction of a new home is an exciting project and it’s only natural to want to get as involved as you can as the person investing in your life’s comfort.
You actually can contribute to the process even if most of the work will be done by your hired new home builders. Here are the four ways you can do so:
1. Be prepared with visual representations of your ideas for the home.
Print out your design inspirations and label them according to where you want them implemented. This will provide your contractor and design team with a clear idea of what you truly want and reduce the likelihood of confusion during the actual construction process.
Also, by providing your contractor and designers with a “visual” to refer to, you can effectively discuss the techniques and materials to use in ensuring the seamless application of your ideas.
Additionally, by doing this, it can be established early on whether or not some elements of your vision can be implemented. This means there will be no unpleasant surprises when the project is finished.
2. Conduct your own research on where to find the materials that you specifically want for your home.
Although contractors are strongly connected with suppliers, you still have the option to choose other sources, especially if you want a certain kind of quality or you want to stay on budget much better.
Therefore, research the best places to source your materials from online and perhaps even ask family and friends about their recommendations.
It may be additional work for your contractor to see if the materials you particularly want are good quality but it definitely would not hurt to help out in this aspect of the project.
3. Find ways to lower the cost of the project.
Staying within budget and perhaps even saving a bit of money may be goals you have attached to the project. You can do so much for staying on top of the financial aspect of the project by identifying the different creative ways you can slash costs or get more for what you intend to dole out. Listed below are four effective cost control strategies to try.
- Opt to purchase building materials using your credit card.
This is one smart move especially if your credit card comes with a plethora of perks, rewards, and privileges. One of the stores that you like to get products from may be partners with your card issuer. You may be able to get discounts, or perhaps, even pay for purchases using your reward points.
- Get certain fixtures for the home second-hand or used.
This is another strategy worth trying. Visit flea markets, yard sales, and even junk shops for quirky items that you would love to work into the structure and design of your new home storage buildings . For sure, the prices at these places are much lower.
Needless to say, these items should be in good condition and usable for your project.
- Find recyclable materials.
You may also choose to recycle certain materials such as floorboards, wooden pillars, doors and windows from an old building. Many of these would be given to you for free or at drastically reduced prices. Additionally, they may even have better quality than brand new options and, for certain, they’ll bring in more character to your new home.
- Do not overlook the cost-savings opportunity provided by green building techniques and solutions.
Insisting on green building techniques and solutions offers the possible benefits of rebates from the city or state, as well as tax breaks. You are also looking at long-term savings due to the energy efficiency green construction is known to provide.
4. Inquire about the aspects of the project that you can do yourself.
The popularity of home building programs on TV has proven that people who are building a home can take care of certain aspects of the project themselves. Painting, for one, is doable, especially if you have the right equipment. Sanding and polishing wood are also easy DIY efforts you can contribute to the process.
If you have a good relationship with your contractor, there should not be any issue with you taking charge of a few tasks. He or she knows the tasks that are simply hard to get wrong by completely amateur DIY-ers, and those are most likely what you will be entrusted with.
However, make sure you have time dedicated to accomplishing these tasks so you don’t end up delaying your own project.
These are just four ways that you can contribute to the process of your new home construction. To ensure positive results from these, coordinate well with your contractor. You never want your good intentions to get in the way of what the pros are doing. Get clearance for anything that you want to do to protect your working relationship.
These are not all that you can do. There are other ways that you can help out and they may not necessarily entail you doing something incredibly important.
According to reputable contractors, what they appreciate most about their clients is “understanding” for the parts of the job nobody has full control of such as the weather or the reliability of logistic services. Delays are inevitable and if you can stay calm and cool despite all these, that would already be a huge help to the project.
AUTHOR BIO
Ben White is the Sales & Marketing Manager of Danmar Homes. He has had a passion for home construction from an early age as he grew up in construction and followed in the footsteps of his parents. At Danmar, we believe in building great homes of value for families that want to build an asset and their financial future through housing and developments.
