Cut Your Remodeling Costs

Cut Costs Tips 1-5

1. Choose budget-conscious designers.
Your architect or designer should know your price limitations from the start. They sometimes get caught up in a vision for a space, and the price of the proposed design quickly climbs out of control. Talk to the designers' former clients for feedback on how closely they mind budgets. Another good option is hiring a design-build firm, in which designers work under the same roof as builders, giving them a strong grasp on exactly how every design change affects the bottom line.

2. Pick a remodeler you trust.
Too many homeowners make the mistake of hiring remodelers based solely on price. Ultimately, the least expensive remodeler is not the one with the lowest bid but the one you trust with your checkbook. To pick the best remodeler for you, talk to former clients and interview remodelers as if they were potential employees. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) provides suggested interview questions on its Web site at www.nari.org. Click on "Homeowners," then "Interview Remodeler."

3. Slow down.
Rushing into a project is not wise because you spend more time and money on back-end changes than if you had planned everything up front. Make sure to have a good set of plans and a clear scope of the work before you start. That means knowing where the windows should go, the flooring material you prefer, and the colors you plan to paint the walls, among other things.

4. Get a fixed price.
Most remodelers work on a time-and-material basis, often leading to differences between the quoted price and the amount you ultimately pay. If you're budget-conscious, you need to find a remodeler who will work with you on a set price rather than on a time-and-material basis. This puts you in control of the budget from the beginning.

5. Work within existing spaces.
You save money whenever you can improve existing rooms within their current footprints, rather than making structural changes.