How To Cut Costs During The Construction Stage of Your Build

The construction phase of your self-build is where everything comes together. You’ve spent months meticulously planning your design and receiving the right permissions, and now it’s time to turn your vision into a reality. It’s also the phase where mistakes can arise, and mistakes are costly.

We spoke in a previous article about money-saving tips to keep in mind as you begin your self-build, and now it’s time to look at ways to save money on the physical build itself.

Managing and reducing costs during the construction phase is critical to keeping your self-build project within budget. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 4 ways to save money during construction without compromising build quality:

SHOP AROUND CONSTRUCTION METHODS

If you’re doing your self-build research properly, you may have your heart set on a construction method before your project begins. You then get a quote from your kit supplier and it’s way higher than you expected. It might be time to consider an alternative method at a better price. In some cases, you may find another method that gives you the same performance values while being a considerable amount cheaper.

Always make sure you get like for like quotes across different suppliers and construction methods. You want to review different methods without compromising on performance. Make sure you are clear on the performance criteria you want to meet and any additional items that may be required to meet the spec, you might end up cheaper with one manufacturer but don’t realise some of the kit is supply only, and you need to consider labour costs for installation.

Take time to research kit suppliers in your area, and always ask for a quote. As self-build specialists, we can assist you in choosing a construction method that best suits your needs. Every method has advantages and drawbacks, so take time to assess each method against your requirements, and don’t rush into picking one.

You can find out more about common self-build construction methods here:

- Should I Build A Timber Frame Home? - With Fleming Homes

- Building With Izodom ICF Technology - With Econekt

- What Is SIPs Construction?

- Breaking Down Brick And Block Construction

In our experience, adopting the 'Fabric First' approach is a good way to save money in the long-run through lower running costs, even if your materials are initially more expensive. A wise investment for the future.

STICK TO STANDARD SIZES

Once you’ve made the choice of what construction method to use, try and stick to the standard sizes it comes in. In a self-build, time = money, and the requirement of custom construction materials is going to add a lot of time to your project.

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) is a common construction method with its own set sizes, generally a standard panel will measure 2.4m or 2.7m in height. Some offer a larger 5.1m panel, where you can use 2.9m for the ground floor and 1.2m for a half storey above. If your design requires panels at unique heights, these will need to be specially fabricated in the factory or cut from a much larger panel. Always be sure to check with your manufacturer for any cost saving exercises available

Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) comes in standard block sizes, generally working in 50mm increments in width and 250-300mm increments in height, there are standard cut blocks that can be used to offset coursing and the options available to you should be explored with the manufacturer for efficiencies.

Building your home with standard system sizes creates less waste and reduces the required labour from the manufacturer. This is true for all self-build construction methods.

This doesn’t just apply to your construction method. Keeping to cost-efficient window and door manufacturing sizes can help to cut down on costs. Avoiding bespoke design features in general will take some stress off your finances too.

On the subject of windows, listen to what options suppliers have available to you. The average cost of new windows ranges from around £600 to £3600 per unit, but new technologies, such as uPVC, can bring your costs down while remaining energy efficient.

EMBRCE VALUE ENGINEERING

Your design team should try to save you as much money as possible while delivering the highest quality product. This can be done through embracing value engineering.

Value engineering is an approach taken by our design team to find the most cost-effective solution to a problem while the necessary functions are still provided. This could involve the choice of materials, placement of design elements or working with your site constraints.

This approach can make significant improvements in your construction costs through simple changes. Value engineering should be considered from the early design stages, giving the client and contractor the right amount of information before the building is erected.

This all sounds great on paper, but in a lot of instances, it this can mean invovle significant changes to the design that you did not intend as a client. Compromises are inevitable in the self-build process, and if you’re prepared to listen to your design team, you can make informed design decisions that can save you time and money right from the initial design. Progressing without this advice can leave you making changes to drawings at a later stage in project, which can impact the project delivery and add additional drawing time and costs.

This is a staircase featured in our award-winning Gleneagles Self-Build Home from 2013. When it came to the design of the staircase, our team had two options. The first was to purchase a bespoke staircase from a stair supplier (which can cost up to £15,000!) or design our own staircase from scratch.

By embracing value engineering, our team managed to create a modern staircase that met the client’s expectations with a total cost of around £5000 (Two-thirds less than the supplier).Here’s how we did it.

The individual open stair treads are cantilevered from the internal load-bearing wall using a hidden steel structure, each cantilevered tread then supports a section of the glass balustrade. The steel elements were fabricated by a local ironmonger, and the treads were sourced from a timber company.

Once the materials were sourced and the design was reviewed by the structural engineer, the staircase soon became a standout feature of this impressive low-energy build. By investing in the right professionals, the client was able to make significant cost savings while still achieving the home they imagined.

Picking the right team of professionals can make the difference between a smooth, enjoyable process and a stressful, costly experience. If you have an experienced architect or project manager on the project, they can assist you in finding individuals for these roles, but even with their assistance, it will be up to the self-builder to decide who to hire.

When doing your research on who to hire, ask yourself these questions:

- Do they have experience in self-build projects?

- Do they have a good reputation in their community?

- If applicable, do they have the correct certifications?

- Can they communicate and collaborate with others?

- Have they built to your specification before?

- Do they use accredited installers for certification at the end of the build?

- Do they have a local build you can go see and speak to the client?

As specialists in self-build, many first-time builders use us for advice on a time-charge basis. This can be done online with one of our team members or they can bring their expertise on-site. This is a great opportunity for self-builders to listen to tailored advice to help them avoid common pitfalls during construction and save money where possible. Even 1 – 2 hours a week with one of our architects can be enough to steer the project closer to success.

The construction phase is one of the most important phases of your build, and through careful planning, simplified designs and hiring the right people, you can significantly reduce the overall expense of your project. For more self-build advice, speak to one of our experts today!