How to Design a Home on a Budget

Designing your own house can be a very creative, rewarding process during which you get the chance to determine your own living environment. House building on a budget requires careful planning and discipline, but the result will be a great home specifically designed for your needs.

Instructions

1

Work out a realistic budget for your project. Have a budget for designer and engineering fees, and research the necessary building permits and approvals you will require. Some of these fees are expensive, and it is best to budget for them up front.

2

Research typical square footage costs for houses of a similar quality and size to the house you want, then work out the square footage of a house you can afford. The smaller the house, the less it will cost to build, and the less it will cost in the long run to live in and maintain.

3

Work out exactly what your space requirements are for your house, and stick to them. Ask yourself if you really need that additional bathroom or bedroom. In the design stage, it is easy to keep adding to the wish list of rooms for your house, but fitting it all into your budget may be difficult.

4

Design spaces to do double duty. Utilize an open plan space for your living, kitchen and dining areas to save on square footage and eliminate separate rooms that are not efficiently utilized. Introduce plenty of windows for natural light, which makes rooms appear more spacious.

5

Carefully select your interior finishes and fixtures to meet your budget. Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, appliances and plumbing items are expensive, and they are often selected early in the design process.

6

Identify what building work you are prepared to do yourself to save money. If you can you do painting or landscaping, reserving these tasks for your to do list will help to keep your initial house building costs down.