When we built our own home, way back in 1983, we did a lot of the work ourselves.  From finishing the hardwood floor (I will NEVER do that again! lol) to painting the inside walls and outside trim.  But we were younger back then!!  In building our Modern Farmhouse for a vacation rental, I decided maybe not do as MUCH of the work, but still save money where we could!  That’s what this article is about!

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Saving money when building a house!

Building a house is expensive, yet you can get exactly what you want instead of buying an already existing home and transforming it into what you desire!  So here are some of my tips for you to think about if you’re looking into building your own dream home.

First, when you’re talking to builder candidates, make sure  you can pick your own fixtures and better yet, purchase your own instead of relying on their distributors.  A lot of times, you can save hundreds of dollars by doing this one thing!  But some builders won’t allow this (or don’t like it and try to discourage you!) because they do miss out on that percentage mark up.  I’m a business owner myself, as is my husband, so we know and support other small business owners and understand we all need to make a profit!  But at the same time, I’m a consumer!!  So I do want to save where I can.

Now I’m not saying start  hiring out all the contractors.  That would then make YOU the General Contractor!  If that’s what you’re looking for, good luck my friend!  Been there, done that back in 1983!  That is a lot of work, hiring, scheduling etc.  And many of the trades have a working relationship with the builders in your area, and believe me, you will be put to the LAST of the list on scheduling!

What I’m suggesting is less work, still saves you money and works well for the contractor if he is willing.  So how did I save money you ask?  I did my homework!!  I am a BORN shopper!!  I love looking for deals, I know what brands are top notch and I scour the online market as well. So here’s some of the ways I saved!

LIGHTING

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you know I scored some awesome lighting for our Modern Farmhouse.  I found the perfect barn lights for both inside the house as well as outside!  Click on these awesome deals I found  on Amazon for pricing info!

I also found some amazing large glass pendant lights from Wayfair as well as the vanity bathroom lighting.  So shop around online and see what sparks your interest!

Ceiling fans

Not really lighting per say, but under the electrical umbrella…..ceiling fans!  We bought all our ceiling fans from Home Depot (and no, I don’t get paid for saying that, nor am I an affiliate for them!).  We have ceiling fans in the bedrooms, as well as two large ones in the open living area, and one on our back porch!  And here’s a nifty trick for you….have your electrician install two switches for them.  One for the light and one for the actual fan.  It’s so much nicer not having to pull those pesky chains!  We also had a slider speed control installed for our two large living area fans, and both operate on the same switch.  They came with a remote, but this is a vacation rental, so we knew it wasn’t a good idea for that!  Someone would misplace it!

 

Kitchen Items

Did you know that once or twice a year all the big box stores will offer 40% off appliances?!!!  I discovered this awesome fact from Consumer Reports!  So I signed up for both Lowe’s and Home Depot’s email subscription, so I would get all the sale notices.  When that 40% off sale came along, we ordered all our appliances at the same time!  Since this great deal wasn’t exactly when we needed them to be installed, we had them delivered and stored them in our garage until we were ready to move them into the house.  Was this extra work?  Maybe.  Was it worth it, you betcha!

 

I also found the farmhouse sink I absolutely LOVE on Amazon.  Click HERE for pricing info!  I have to say, this was the first for me, ordering a sink online.  But I did my research, read the reviews and I am so happy with this sink!  Check out my previous blog on this awesome Farmhouse Sink!

I also found the perfect kitchen faucet at Home Depot.  Our builder, who we’ve known for many years, has always told us, buy Delta brand faucets!  Lifetime warranty, parts are easy to replace….if not, Delta will replace the faucet, no matter what!  I’ve owned other brands in the past and I have to agree, nothing ever really goes wrong with a Delta!  So, we saved money by buying our own faucet from Home Depot.

FLOORING

Do your research here my friends!  Check reviews of the flooring companies.  We decided to give a locally owned place a try instead of going with the recommended establishment from our builder.  I regret it deeply.  I love the look of the flooring, but the installation was a nightmare and honestly, I don’t think we saved any money in the long run.  Next time, I’m going with who my builder recommends!

So, there you have some simple ways to save money.  It’s not rocket science.  It may not seem like a lot, but these little things added up in hundreds of dollars and it only took a little research online to find what I wanted. Plus, like I said before, I am a BORN SHOPPER!  It’s my thing!  I find joy in the hunt!!

What ways have you found to save money, either in building a new home or remodeling your current place?  I’d love to here from you!  Send me a comment below!  And be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook!  Just click the little icons to be taken to my page!