Building a house always starts with “pricing”. We carefully prescribe all stages of work and materials, put costs opposite each item so that we don’t forget anything and plan our budget as accurately as possible. After assessing our “strengths” and capabilities, we start designing, and after receiving the drawings, we recalculate for sure. Contractors create estimates for repair projects and engineering systems.
And for even more confidence in the correctness of our planning, we go to showrooms, construction supermarkets and various websites in search of the right materials, and when, as it seems to us, we have taken everything into account and calculated everything, we decide to start the project with a calm soul.
But …., can you please remember if your foreman or designer mentioned the cost of operating the house? But this is also a section of your estimate and a very important one. Construction costs will be a thing of the past, and you will have to deal with the budget for the house’s operation every month.
Therefore, I highly recommend asking your contractors:
- How much will it cost to heat the house?
- What are the options for choosing the technology for implementing my house project to optimize heating costs?
- How will the chosen design and wall material keep the house cozy cool on a hot summer day and what is the cost of air conditioning?
- How often will it be necessary to repair the house and engineering networks?
- How much will it cost to heat water and using what energy resources (in winter, summer and off-season)?
- How difficult and costly is it to maintain the created landscape? Can you do it yourself or do you need a gardener?
- How often and how much will the well and sewerage system need to be maintained?
These and other questions will help you to formulate a budget for the operation of the house. Believe me, the sooner you ask this question, the more chances you have to minimize this budget and save your money.
