Controlling costs and maintaining a budget when building your home
One of the first questions homeowners often ask is “How much does it cost to build a house in Charleston?” The answer obviously depends on many factors, but what it certainly shouldn’t feel like is a big blackhole that’s full of surprises and uncertainty. When embarking on a new home project, controlling costs and maintaining budget integrity is a major driver of satisfaction. A home can turn out beautiful, but if the budget process was full of ups and downs, it can feel like a not-so-great experience.
We believe the best process is a transparent one and our operations model puts a heavy focus on planning, budget checkpoints, communication, and discussing trade-offs in real time. Before you engage a partner for your custom home build project, make sure to dig into their cost control process, when budgets are presented, and how they manage the integrity of that budget throughout the building journey. Especially during these inflationary times.
Our strategies for cost control
It’s in both of our best interests to put extra emphasis on the budget process. Below are several methods we employ to maintain budget integrity throughout your Charleston home construction.
1. Value Engineering for Optimal Savings
Value engineering is at the core of our approach when savings are needed. Our team collaborates with you, your designer and architect to select cost-effective design, materials and specifications that maintain quality and durability. This early planning ensures your budget is realistic before construction begins.
Pro Tip
Engage with us early! When we’re involved at the onset of your project process, we’re able to collaborate with your other partners, provide construction insight, and share initial estimates or concerns, all steps that lead to a more accurate budget. Even if you’re just starting to think about building your new home, give us a call. We can help you explore potential lots and locations for your home and connect you with architect and realtor recommendations.
2. Negotiated Subcontracts for Quality and Value
We work with a trusted network of skilled trade partners. Instead of chasing the lowest bids, we negotiate fair prices with our top trade contractors based on detailed plans. These set costs are integrated into your custom home build budget, and our contractors are held accountable, ensuring high-quality work at predictable prices.
3. Securing Price Guarantees
Material costs, like lumber or copper, can fluctuate, especially in today’s dynamic market. To protect your budget, we secure price guarantees from suppliers as early as possible. Locking in costs for key materials provides certainty, helping us get to a final budget with greater accuracy and shielding your project from unexpected price hikes.
4. Detailed Cost Tracking
We tie every expense to specific project stages (e.g., framing or roofing) or materials (e.g., windows or appliances). This granular approach allows us to monitor costs against a detailed scope of work. Our Client Control portal gives you real-time access to the budget and invoices, so you can see exactly where your investment is going, fostering trust and transparency.
5. Milestone Budget Checks
Rather than waiting until completion, we set milestones to review costs throughout construction. We’ll collaborate with you on multiple budget checkpoints, before we get to a final budget. This proactive tracking catches discrepancies early, keeping your project within budget and on schedule once we break ground.
6. Managing Change Orders Effectively
Change orders can lead to cost overruns if not handled properly. At Structures | Alair, we have a formal process to manage change requests, ensuring clarity on costs and timelines. Whether you’re adjusting finishes or adding a feature, we communicate the impact upfront, minimizing delays and keeping your budget intact.