How to Lower a Build Cost Without Losing Quality

Comments · 43

• SE

  @SEAN518848 · 2 weeks ago

  She definitely knows what she's talking about!

  4

• ZE

  @ZergZfTw · 4 weeks ago

  No talk about about bump outs and dormers? So many houses have tons of unnecessary bump-outs, cut-outs, dormers, and crazy complicated roof lines. There is a ton of money to be saved by using a simpler footprint and roof structure.

  28

• JO

  @joshduff8989 · 2 weeks ago

  This was so good.  I think my parents were priced out of their dream home build (in a $550/sq-ft area) because they were building toward a dream of hosting the whole family at Christmas.  That dream added 1,000 sq-ft of unnecessary expense, and they wouldn't compromise on finishes.  We're building in a $500/sq-ft area and we are consciously  building for our empty-nest season of life.  What we save on labor--by doing work ourselves--is reinvested in the the finishes (natural materials, craftsman details) we really value.

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• G.

  @G.I.JeffsWorkbench · 3 weeks ago

  Great discussion. My #1 target is labor. Since cheap labor isn’t skilled & skilled labor isn’t cheap, focus on simple, angular designs. Pass on complex moulding (save on trim carpenter labor); keep roof lines simple (save on complex sealing); right-size utility areas so HVAC folks can work smoothly. Final thought: buy the most efficient windows & exterior doors you can find. Labor costs to install cheap / inefficient products are essentially the same as ultra efficient, but you will bank the energy savings for decades.

  9

• OM

  @omegaplumbing · 3 weeks ago (edited)

  Let’s cut to the the chase here. This is what contractors do, they dont cut the budget.  They know what it takes to build something. They go back to the subs and beat them up or they get new subs.  Done. They will not lose profit believe me.

  2

• RI

  @richdobbs6595 · 3 weeks ago

  The problem with addressing cost by reducing footage for "high end" areas like kitchens and bathrooms is that much of the cost isn't really tied to the square footage.  Subtract out the appliances and plumbing for a kitchen, and square footage there isn't that much more than a bedroom.

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• DA

  @DavidUmansky · 4 weeks ago

  True wealth of knowledge and perspective.

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• HI

  @HistoricHomePlans · 12 days ago

  I&apos;m a designer. I recently priced out all the materials (at retail) for a small project. They came in at $65K. General contractors bids came back ranging from $250K to $405K.<br>Even at the &quot;low&quot; end, 6X over the materials cost seems excessive. <br>And beyond decent quality materials (Marvin windows, Hardie siding, metal roof) which were in my materials estimate, there was virtually no &quot;custom&quot; work to be done.

• WM

  @wmb9419 · 4 weeks ago

  Yeah. Interesting. Here outside of Boston I was quoted up to $400.00 dollars a square foot last year. &nbsp;Prices are just ballooning.

  3

• CH

  @cherylann6344 · 10 days ago

  What are your thoughts on Monopoly Framing vs Traditional house Framing ?

• AN

  @Anthony-tw9bw · 3 weeks ago

  Thanks for the video.

• OM

  @omegaplumbing · 3 weeks ago

  IDK after being in construction 32 years in 5 different states people simply want more but dont want to pay for it. I imagine there is a rare bird out there but people that have money, Don’t usually want to spend it. That’s how they got a lot of money. But I will also say the vast majority of the people that are building really have no clue about the building process and what things cost. I’ve only met one family in my life that had us do everything time and material but in return, they expected honesty which we gave but that was very unusual and expect a few questions. Otherwise they paid straight away and no intermediary funding.

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