Build your house without burning a hole in your pocket.

Owning a house without liability is everyone's dream. Some spend their life saving to build their home. If you manage to cut down your expense in construction, you are reducing your liability. At these times where the land cost, labor & material cost is shooting up, we need be vigilant in each step put forward to achieve this dream. These are some thoughts put together which can help you reduce the cost in each stages of construction of your new house.

1. Select your Land carefully.

Think about cost of foundation, cost of land filling, water availability at the time of choosing your land.

Hard soil will help you reduce the foundation cost. Identify the quality of soil, enquire with the locality about the foundations done nearby your plot or take help of a specialist. Look for any recent filling activity.

Level of the plot in relation with the road is very important. The plot should not be too high from the road level, this will increase the cost as you need to built retaining walls. The plot should not be too low from the road, you need to spend on land filling in this case. Choose plot a feet higher than the road level. An ideal plot should be slightly higher at the back and slope towards the front.

Look for nearby wells to understand the water table in the area. The deeper the well, more you spend on its construction. The quality of available water determines how much you save on your water bills. Water availability in the plot reduces the cost of construction.

If your are buying as small plot give importance to the shape, give preference to a square or rectangular plot. Odd shape small plot will lead to increased construction cost & reduces space utility.

2. Finalise your requirement.

Do your homework, discuss within your family and finalise your requirements for the new home. Stick with it till the end of construction. Keep your requirements simple and to the bare minimum. Please keep in mind each extra square feet drains your pocket. Make a checklist of each and every feature required for your house.

3. Choose a specialist to design & manage your construction.

Once you have your requirements ready approach an architect who can design and manage your construction. Choose an architect from your locality, this will give you considerable time savings. Better planning and management of the project will reduce the duration of construction. He will be able to suggest cost effective materials of good quality. An architect will also get better discounts from suppliers on the materials. This will give you a good saving all together.

4. Finalise all drawings, building materials, fitting before starting construction.

It is very important to finalise each and every materials and exact quantity requirement for your construction. For this all the detailed drawings, accurate bill of quantities should be ready before the start of construction. This will help in reducing construction duration.

Keep a check on the materials used. Give consideration to reduce the weight of the building, each unnecessary element you cut from your structure reduces your cost & reduces weight of your structure. Heavier the structure more you spend on its foundation. There are lot of quality alternatives in building materials which is noted below.

Foundation

Solid concrete block masonry – properly designed according to the loads of the structure, will be a cheaper option than random rubble masonry.

Rubble masonry – is the traditional method for foundation, It is cheaper than concrete foundation. But is over designed if you are going for light weight house construction.

Reinforced Cement Concrete - is one of the most expensive and heavy material used for construction. Try to reduce concrete to a minimum in your construction.

Walls

Solid Concrete Block Masonry – Solid concrete block masonry is the economical option if you are thinking of plastering on two sides.

Hollow Clay Bock Masonry – This is a great option if you are considering exposed masonry look. Need skilled labour. You will cut on plastering and painting cost. All electrical works to be coordinated at the time of masonry, to avoid patchworks at a later stage.

Aerocon Block masonry – Even though the rate of Aerocon blocks are higher than competitors, the load on the foundation is considerably reduces using this extremely lightweight blocks. Workability also increases.

GFRC Panel Walls – This method of construction reduces the construction cost by 25 -30%. The panels are smooth finish allows direct painting reducing plaster. MEP & Structural coordination at an early stage required.

LGSF walls – Light gauge steel framing construction reduce the overall weight of building more than 50%. This gives you cost saving from foundation. Overall cost saving is around 30-35% compared to conventional construction techniques. This is fast, efficient & extremely flexible technique in construction. The material used in recyclable & hence eco-friendly.

Compressed Stabilized earth block Masonry – This is a very cost effective and eco friendly option if the right quality soil is available locally or in the construction plot. Skilled labour and adequate protection from rain is required.

Door Windows

Steel– An economical option among the competitors has benefit of stronger material and free of distortions due to climate change.

Aluminium– This has only a marginal cost increase from steel windows. But it is light & long lasting.

Upvc– This has all the advantages of aluminium windows, but gives a better thermal resistance. Cost increases by 20% compared to aluminium windows.

Concrete – Even though concrete frames are cheaper, it is prone to damage. It chips off easily in the corners. Fixing of shutters can loosen in due time.

Wood– Wood is the conventional option for doors and windows. Since quality local wood in rare these days the prices are shooting up. As an alternative imported woods of same quality are also available.

Slab

Reinforced Concrete – Conventional methord of construction, expensive and heavy.

Filler Slab – This alternative will reduce the amount of concrete used in roof slabs, makes the structure marginally lighter. gives better insulation.

GFRC slab – Results in faster construction, crane access required to erect these panels. Reduces concrete usage by 60%. Does not require shuttering & form-works.

LGSF slab - Light gauge steel framing also results in faster construction. These truss can come factory fabricated of can be easily assembled at site, good grade marine ply is laid on top of the truss for the floor finish instalation. It can completely avoid usage of concrete and screed, makes the building lighter.

5. Involve in each step of construction.

If you want to cut down your cost of construction get involved in each step of it. You should study and understand the drawings received from architect. Check all your requirements are included in your drawings. Request for more drawings is something is not clear.

Never give a lump-sum contract for construction, always go for an itemised labor contract. You have to approach different contractors to compare rates. Purchase all material for construction from your side. Approach different suppliers for a bargain. Approach your architect as well, they can get a better bargain with the supplier.

Assess weekly performance, in construction time is money. Agree with the contractor duration of each activity and plan your material purchases accordingly. Secure your site and your materials. You will purchase material as bulk to get a better bargain. Keep a log to issue only the materials required for daily construction, to avoid unnecessary wastage.

Keep your focus and you will achieve the dream in a fast pace. Good Luck.