Top 10 Ways to Build for Less
- Minimize site work like tree removal, grading, and retaining walls. Avoid installing a well, septic system, or roads.
- Design a 2-story box – half the cost for the foundation and the roof.
- Design a simple foundation because corners are expensive and eliminate interior shear walls.
- Size the building in 2-foot increments to make full use of building materials as delivered = less waste.
- Design simple gable or shed roofs – no hips = less waste.
- Stack plumbing over back-to-back 2×6 wet walls.
- Maximize windows for light, heat, and ventilation.
- Use 24-inch on center framing with minimum sized headers and single top plates with rafters stacked directly above studs.
- Use standard “off-the-shelf” building materials like composition shingle roofs and standard sizes of windows and doors.
- Over-insulate, caulk and seal, install fluorescent lights and buy efficient appliances to save in the years to come.
P.O. Box 388
• Aptos, California
• 95001
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