Tips to save money on your custom home design

​When you set out to design your own custom home it can be rather daunting, especially
from a cost perspective. Over the past 20 years I've discovered and learned a few things about
design efficiency and cost savings. Here's a few ideas:


1) Before you approach an Architectural Designer (such as myself), it's
good to have an idea of what you would like your home to look like
as well as the overall room flow. There are many websites and magazines
that have floor plans that you can draw from. You can turn your ideas over
to your designer and work out the final design relatively quickly.


2) To get accurate cost estimates from your construction contractors, you
should have a complete Architectural drawing set for them to work with.
This will include foundation, floor plans, elevations, cross sections, roof plan
and electrical. Trying to move too far out ahead of the design process can
result in un-necessary expenditures for materials and confusion with the
construction contractors and building department.


3) It's good to avoid full basements whenever possible, concrete foundations
are the most expensive areas of home construction.


4) Use truss systems for the roof where ever possible. “Stick” built roof framing
is labor intensive and requires more structural design to ensure the design
is trustworthy.


These are just a few tips, but I will have more on this in the near future.