Of the things that you list, changing the ceiling height and potentially the roof profile have the greatest impact on your budget. You could also explore having the long portion of the drive be 9' wide, and widen the drive as it nears the house only.

I don't know what brand cabinets you are considering, but there are a lot of ways to save in that area as well. I'd also consider doing a stock laminate now (no special order finish or edge), and plan on upgrading to stone in a year or so. If you buy the right kind of sink, it can be used as an undermount and a top mount. Kitchens and baths are the most expensive rooms, and taming your taste a bit in those areas can really make a big difference. For the kids bath, for instance, you could do the same Rittenhouse Square tile in a herringbone pattern instead of the running bond. Use inexpensive materials creatively, and it still is a "custom" look.

BMH ,

in the same boat as you - needed to loose 90K now down to about 25K also

I think this will make a pretty big difference in your world
"may change the whole downstairs to 10' ceilings rather than half 11 and half 12"

I dont think the 30SF is worth it , those are high ceilings , cutting down to 9' or 10' cuts tons of wood, drywall and insulation , painting , etc - its probably less labor as well

is something above your 12' section ? if so then it simplifies the upstairs plan also

I'd forgo backsplash, you can add it later.
On the driveway can you do a single lane that widens to accommodate 2 cars at the stopping point?
Ceiling height was already covered.
What about painting yourself?
Trim work?
I agree on not cheap finishes that your pulling out later.
I'd look at the quartzite/granite again for savings.

there is attic above the 12' section. 3 kid rooms and a bath above the 11' foot area, the front half of the house.

i suppose i should revisit the slabs again. the quartizite i like is 38/sf - materials only. i should probably go with ivory fantasy granite rather than quartzite. :(

i already scaled down the crown to none upstairs and none in the kitchen and breakfast room (kind of an organic yet modern look that i'm going for in there)

my cabinet allowance is 19,000. going with flush face inseam in the kitchen only. the rest of the house just shaker style not inseam.

drgruez, your post to cut 90 from your project is what inspired me to post this. i thought you were going to get slaughtered, but folks were surprisingly nice.

i'm going to post a pic of the driveway in just a sec. it's drawn as 11' wide on the plans, but the builder thought it was 12' so that's what he priced it as. i'll go as small as i can on the width. i know nothing about driveways.

one other thing we are going to wait on is tiling the back porch with the 2.61/sf blue slate.

The bricks at the front of driveway are required. A brick or slate sidewalk is required too. I wish they allowed a sidewalk edged in brick, but they don't.

Disregard the little motor court brick wall thing on the side of the driveway. We were approved to not have one - thank goodness- since our garage is so far back.

Here is the front. The door garage door we got a quote on is 1200. I'm wondering is a flush face door would be cheaper. If so, would that look ok on this house?

Are you going to be rebidding this, or are you stuck with this builder? Is this cost plus? I'm just wondering how you know you're getting full credit for these reductions.

We just got 2 other bids that were pretty close to our builder''s. My husband wanted to make sure the price was fair. one of the additional bids was from a friend of family that recently retired from contracting/buidling, so his bid was purely as a favor to us so we could compare or negotiate. His number was in line with our builder's as was the other bid.

Our builder said he's willing to work with us to get the costs down. Anything we cut or eliminate we will save on. He is making 40,000 on the project either way.

This post was edited by bmh4796 on Tue, Aug 27, 13 at 17:54

+1 to chopping the ceiling height in basement. Maybe even further than 10 ft unless you have a really tall family member needing that much headroom. Our builder encouraged us to go high end in the most used area (IE the main floor) and to skimp big time in the basement to compensate. It made sense for us but I don't know what kind of use your basement will get.

we are in South Louisiana, so no basements here. If I chop, it will be on the main floor where the main living areas are. I will chop to 10 if it will really save. I hope to keep the den 12, however. None of the houses in the neighborhood have 10 in the family areas, so I worry about resale if we have 10 in the family room rather than 12, which is the "trend" here and I really do like 12 in the den. It feels nice and airy.

The ceilings upstairs are 9 feet. Should I cut those to 8?

I could paint the 3 kid's rooms upstairs, the master bedroom, and the guest/study, but I'd rather leave the other rooms to the pros. How much would that save us?

We can get rid of this pair of fixed shutters if the design board allows it. I could some sort of vine on a steel trellis to fill in the space, maybe??

They will make me keep the operable pair of shutters.

What's above the den?

Is the price fixed or cost plus?

It sounds like the GC is building at cost with a fixed fee of $40,000?

Cut all the main floor to 10, cut the 2nd floor to 8.

19K for cabinet allowance for the whole house is VERY low. I doubt if you'll be able to come in at that number. That would be low for just the kitchen with inset cabinets, but with the rest of the house cabinets, I'd expect that number realistically to be double at least. If it's not, then I'd highly suspect the quality of the cabinets being done.

$38 a square foot just for the stone, with the install on top of it is a pretty pricy granite. You can expect the install to be $30-$50 a square from any place that knows what they're doing. With higher priced granite comes higher priced labor to work with it because of the added risk. There are a lot of granites out there that are under $10 a square foot, and you can get the labor for those at the lower $30 a foot. They're not exotics at that price, but they'll be functional as a food prep surface.

Honestly, one thing that's really driving the price up that hasn't been mentioned is the garage. Pull it forward, and you can probably cut out almost all of your overage from that alone. Separate garages cost a LOT more than attached. You can gain the space above it as actual habitable living space. You also greatly reduce the cost of the drive. You don't have the separate electrical run to it, and it shares a wall or two with the house so that also reduces material costs.

I don't know what fixed or cost plus means. The builder gets 40k plus the cost of the materials and labor to build.

I compared my cabinet allowance to 2 other homes that were just built and they were the same, and they didnt go over. The cabs are quality but no bells and whistles. I'm not having lazy Susan's and no pull out shelves, and am going with paint grade. The closet shelving is plywood rather than custom cabinets.

Holllysprings, i think the electric will be ok with garage?? It's close to the house. I don't know how that works. But I worked soooooo hard in the beginning to get a garage in the back on this narrow lot. I can't undo that. I can go with cheaper stone counters and lower ceilings, but I've gotta keep the garage tucked in back.

My allowance is 83 per square for shingles. Are there atchitectural shingles that are cheaper than that?

I'm not saying have one of those houses with a giant garage nose sticking out. ;) Just pull it forward so that it's now a part of the house, but behind the front plane of the home. That will save you a LOT more money than you think it will. It's the elephant in the room when it comes to cost cutting with this design.

Holly...had to laugh...I always think of those houses
as snout houses...

you are getting good suggestions OP.
ceiling heights would probably save the biggest
chunk of change...IMO.
something I always wonder about is roof pitch..
do you need that much height?
could the pitch be lowered...what is that 18 on 12?
would a lower pitch work for your house?

I always wonder when I see people cutting budgets
before the first shovel of dirt has been moved...if
this is the right time to build. maybe paying off the lot,
getting $$ together and building in a few years would
be a better route.
most houses go over budget..if funds are tight now
dire straights 3/4's of the way through the build could
be a huge problem.

I've seen people save a lot of money when building...
but it is usually a owner builder who builds garage first
then stocks materials as they go on sale. and it works,
but I don't think this is an option for you or the cut $90K
folks.

things not to cut are better than code
insulation packages,
hvac system,
air sealing of house & mastic seal of ductwork.
cutting corners on these items..or just meeting code
(the legal minimum allowed by law) costs in the life
of the house...in high utility bills...and lack of comfort
which is difficult to put a price on.

instead of 13 SEER oversized hvac system..
price 15-17 SEER heat pumps with variable speed
air handler unit, that is sized with a load calc & not
rule of thumb sizing of 500 sq ft per ton.
this will be cost effective and humidity removal
will be achieved at a minimal upcost.
oversizing hvac results in short cycling..higher
utility costs, shortened life of hvac system...and no
dehumidification.

I hope you get your costs down & your build goes
well.

best of luck.

roof is 12 on 14. i would have to ask the architect about the roof pitch.

thanks everyone for suggestions. i'll get started with these suggestions and see how close that gets us to where we want to be.

i doubt we will be able to cut 30,000 without moving the garage.

Voting moving the garage too after seeing the plan. It also cuts down on your driveway cost, and possibly landscaping/sod. Can you post a better pic of the plan? I don't know if this is your first build but, rather than filling your home with finishes that you're not thrilled with you should each pick out something that you love that will motivate you or inspire you throughout the process. It could be the countertop or an entry light or even an antique find your incorporating. On the 8' ceiling height you won't miss it unless you have bunk beds. Ours are a mere 7'6", yes, too cozy, also too tight for proper bunks. Oh, what I'd give for a few more inches;)

This post was edited by houseofsticks on Wed, Aug 28, 13 at 13:40

I don't think 30sqft will equate to the savings that you are looking for if it is bedroom/foyer space. You might miss the space but not see the savings.

Our surround sound is being wired in for about $25 worth of cable/wire but we plan to purchase system later. Might be worth having it wired but not installed yet.
I looked into ceiling heights and saw a couple of posts on here arguing that anything over 8 gives the open airy feel. 8' and 9' ceilings were the same cost for us but anything higher was going to start jumping the price up. 9' is becoming more standard but isn't as costly as 10+. Roof pitch on second floor may help determine the the ceiling height on second floor. Less steep=easier to build/easier to shingle=less ceiling height.
Would building the garage later be an option? That would be a huge chunk.

Jen

I would look at the kitchen cabinets again. Are you getting just the standard base cabinets? Really try to get all drawers. If you have stopped by the kitchen forum I encourage you to do so.

i talked with the builder. we've got 16,000 off. he doesn't see how we can get another 14 off.

we have to have a 2 car garage - required by the neighborhood. i personally prefer carports because they are easier to keep clean and you don't have to fool with a door, but the rules are the rules :(

jennybc, that's a good idea about the surround sound. it is something that i'd really like to have in the future for music outside while entertaining.

i asked about the ceilings and he said that they would end up having to build a separate knee wall or something (not sure i'm quoting him correctly) and that lumber comes in 12 feet anyway, so that it wouldn't be much of a savings. he didn't want to go down to 8 upstairs. we do have bunk beds, so I didn't fight him on that.

all in all i think he wasn't comfortable with 10 downstairs because the standard in the neighborhood is 11. should i push him on this? what kind of savings are we talking about if i did 10 everywhere downstairs except the den. 3,000? 5,000? i think he's stuck on 11ft because he likes nice things - earlier in the process, he was trying to encourage me to use a big professional range when i'm just fine with a 32' KitchenAid architect series. a couple of months ago he was voted builder of the year from the local parade of homes, so he wants to keep his work impressive, i guess.

i need to look at the plans to see about moving the garage. it might not be possible on our narrow lot. it's like a rubik's cube trying to fit everything.

i know what i wanted to ask, and i forgot - air conditioning. in the house we live in now (built in 2006), we have only one AC little air vent thing in each room except for the den,kitchen, and master bedroom. those rooms each have 2 vents. i noticed on our plans for the new house that there are 2 vents in every room. even the super tiny kid's rooms. should we switch to one vent in those 3 rooms as well as the small formal dining room and small guest/study room? would that save money by eliminating the big octopus arms in the attic?

these are the cabinets i have in my house now, and this is what i want in the new house, except with straight edge trim on top.

As far as ceiling height....I don't get why your builder would think that having an 11' or 12' ceiling would automatically equate to "nicer." There are drop dead gorgeous, top of the line homes within all different ceiling height ranges. It has more to do with the scale of the rooms than anything, and the overall quality of construction. I have seen homes with soaring ceilings that were not high quality homes, and I have seen absolutely stunning homes with 8' ceilings. FWIW, most of the new custom homes around here are built with 10' ceilings and 8' doors. We have 10' ceilings. In some of the smaller
rooms downstairs (powder room, laundry, etc) 10' almost seems TOO high.
Your plan is lovely, but I don't recall that any of your rooms are really
huge...you might find that 11' and 12' feels out of proportion.

I feel really bad that you are having to cut so much...and I really wouldn't change things like roof lines or HVAC ducts...you want your home to be comfortable, efficient, and pretty! I would be more inclined to change out interior finishes...could you do an IKEA butcher block counter? They are quite pretty, but not so expensive that you would feel bad changing it in a few years. I think you can even stain them a darker shade. Not sure what you are doing for the kids baths...but I was very close to doing a white cultured marble countertop for each of their vanities because it was durable AND inexpensive. I ended up using granite remnants (which is another cost saver) but would have been happy with the cultured marble for them. Plumbing is very expensive....do you have a free-standing tub? They are much more expensive than a built in tub. Do you have multiple shower heads in your shower? The hand held one in our shower was ridiculously pricey. Take a good look at your plumbing, and see if you can find any $.

thanks nini. i agree that we shouldn't mess with the roofline. the scale looks right.

i also totally agree with you about ceiling heights. it's a trend around here that is really taking off. some of the million dollar homes in the perfectly centrally located neighborhood in town have 9 foot ceilings. you don't even notice the ceilings because they are decorated so perfectly and so beautifully. i really don't have a problem with lowering the ceilings. i will try to work on that again. i wish he would admit that it would save money. my husband doesn't think it will either??

plumbing is scaled down pretty much. single head in the shower. we are doing a freestanding with a wall mount faucet for the tub. the tub i found is 1400, so not too expensive. i think the faucet was around 400.

the countertops work out to where there's enough left in one of the slabs to do the kids vanity.

anyone know the price per square of landmard certainteed versus owens corning duration shingles? i forgot to ask about that.

I would do 10' in the downstairs except the den assuming it works with the plan and lowers your upstairs down as well. Then you cut all that lumber out, drywall, painting, trim, stairs etc. I think this will require your architect to make changes to the plans though. I would keep upstairs at 9'.

I think your roof works with the house as is, but you could check with the architect about a 12:12 pitch, but don't think it will save much.

What about windows? Can you go with a less expensive window? I know windows can be a really expensive option.

I would not move the garage. I think you'll appreciate where it is at long term.

What exterior materials are you using? Can you switch there for any savings?

For the size of your kitchen I think you have a good allowance for average quality cabinets and if you don't want bells and whistles now, at least consider so they could be added later.

This post was edited by lyfia on Thu, Aug 29, 13 at 11:09

Since your builder "likes nice things", is it possible you don't have the right builder?

If you could find a builder who is more comfortable building the kind of home you can afford, he might be better able/willing to help you figure out how to get your costs where they need to be.

I would worry that he's pushing you to build the kind of home he wants his name on, even if it's not what you want (or want to pay for.)

Could you ask your family friend for recommendations of builders who are not as high end as the person you're working with?

thanks courtney for your input! so going from 9 to 10 was 6,000!? then i definitely will insist that we do 10 everywhere downstairs except the den. we have about 1600sf downstairs not including the den, so that's similar to yours. i actually like lower ceilings in my kitchen, especially since our cabs won't be going all the way to the ceiling.

around here everyone uses the local wood shops for french doors to the patio and for the front door. i guess i can ask which shop he uses then shop around the other local woodshops.

we are already going as cheap as we can on windows with aluminum clad in the front and vinyl on the sides and back.

we have found and decided to buy a cute little house in town that get's us across the river, out of the suburbs, and INTO town. we will keep our lot and hope to start building within the next 2 years.

courtney you mentioned considering long pulls for kitchen cabs. coolknobsandpulls.com has great long pulls for the best price. i shopped around and went with there stainless steel long bar pulls in my current kitchen. they are great! i'll be using them again in the new house.

bmh4796,
I have been following your posts with lot of interest as we were/are trying to make some of the same decisions as you around the same time.

So good luck with buying the house in town. I think it is a very wise decision to step back and wait on the build. That way when you are ready to start you may be able to have most of the finishes you want and not try to scale down on them.

I think it is a better choice to build later.
now use this time to refine your needs vs
wants list.
educate yourself about what works well in our
climate.
learn about windows, how to shop all brands
to compare apples to apples (nfrc label).
investigate insulation options. foam sheathing
on exterior of walls/conventional insulation & air tight drywall...foam for the roofline.
and hvac options.
while all are importang...the hvac issue is critical
for south La. too much hvac & no dehumidification, higher equipment cost & operating costs.
too little hvac...well that just doesn't happen in our
area.
here is a link to my local utility co-op's design one
energy efficient home. while I'm not in 100%
agreement with it...it does cover the main bases:

http://www.slemco.com/uploads/SLEMCO_Design_One_checklist2010.pdf

we will encourage good choices for you
as you take the time to learn what works for your home.

best of luck.

thanks everyone! i really do appreciate all of you and your input - and it's been A LOT of input. i've been posting questions on here for 6 months now. of course, i will continue, as there are ALWAYS questions ;)

even though we are waiting to start the build, i'd still love to hear from others who saved by lowering the ceilings. it's bugging me that my builder is acting like it won't really save anything. i can't switch builders at this point. he's been working with us from the very beginning - even helped us with which lot to pick. he's been great with everything except this one ceiling issue.