When the idea of a dream home is there, glowing brightly inside your head, it can be impossible to shake it out. No listing you look at will be quite right and no open home will be nearly as good as what you can see in your mind. Unfortunately, with the cost of building in addition to rising property prices, many people decide against building their own home to settle for something that seems “good enough”.

If you have the drive and the passion to start a home building project and see it through till the end, it doesn’t have to be as expensive as everybody says. By following a few tips, watching your budget and with a lot of planning, you can drive the cost of your own home build down quite a lot.

Design your own house plans

Unless you have the skills to come up with a professional draft yourself, you’re going to have to talk to an architect at some point. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t do a lot of the work yourself. Collate all your ideas and plans, organise them by room and find out all the associated costs that you can. Set yourself a budget that’s a fifth lower than what you can afford.

Plan as much as possible by yourself – if you have the ability to sketch out your ideas or design them using architecture software then do so. Anything that you can take with you to make it easier for the architect will save you time spent with them and money spent on them.

Follow your budget

One of the hardest parts of any build is following the budget. You’re always going to find extra ways to spend and new expenses are almost guaranteed to show up, especially when things get started. Cutting down an extra 10 – 15% after you’ve budgeted is the perfect way to prepare for the unexpected. Knowing what you can afford means better knowing what to say no to, but it will allow you to say yes a lot more often.

Find alternatives to save

Doing things a little differently is one of the easiest ways to save during a build. Look for alternative and recycled materials to use; visit demolition yards and enquire with companies that reclaim things like doors, floors and fittings. Using refurbished materials is one of the easiest ways to save.

Instead of hiring painters and movers to transport appliances or materials, figure out what you can do yourself and do it. Labour costs are one of the biggest expenses that you’ll face – minimizing them will have a huge impact on the final cost of your build.

It’s a big expense, but the results are worth it. Design your own home and create the ultimate place to come back to each day after work.