Building a Budget Friendly Modern Home
If not all, aren’t most of us of the opinion that building a modern home requires a heavy wallet? Well, although this is partially true and makes sense under the ambit of today’s rising costs, there are ways to execute big ideas on a tight budget. Let's look at how to modernise your home on a budget.
Building a budget friendly modern home! This topic has all the potential to be a million-buck question in the coming days. After all who doesn’t want to reap more with less expenditure? But for those who are genuinely running on tighter budgets, this article will act as a strategic guide.
Today, the average cost of building a 3-bed house in the UK is £2,30,000. A rough estimate of the same ranges from £1,90,000 to £3,00,000. In today’s article we are going a step ahead as we decipher concrete strategies through which you can build a modern home on a limited budget. Before we dive into the main matter, let’s understand the idea of a modern home.
What is a Modern Home?
Defining a modern home can be subjective. It depends on how one perceives and beholds the idea. While for some, the idea of a modern home may be the range of luxury amenities inside their house, whereas for some it may be a matter of comfort and convenience. For some it is a matter of being sociable and accessible while for some it is about having a minimalistic approach to living.
£125,000 – £150,000
In its true sense, a modern home can be characterised by three aspects, functionality, aesthetics, and comfort. In today’s era of escalating costs, can we really dream of building a modern home with tighter budgets? After all what is the minimum budget with which we can modernise our home? Extension Architecture breaks down –
Average Cost of a Budget Friendly Modern Home in the UK –
£125,000 – £150,000
A lot of elements add up when building a new house. The following will take you through each of those elements and deducing on how much you can spend and save to make realise your modern home –
1. Foundations
Look for ground conditions that are good and conducive for a lasting build. Ensure that they don’t succumb to any environmental challenges or complications. Soil becomes the prime mover that affect foundation costs. Watch out for slopes, soil density, purity of land, water table (shouldn’t be high). All these if in excess will mean levelling up the land and extra work, which means, a major chunk to set right only the foundations.
Pre-emptive actions such as inspecting the soil condition, the level of land if done at an early stage will save you a lot of money.
2. Bricks
Bricks are integral to the UK’s residential heritage. If you are looking at quality, then you shouldn’t mind investing on red bricks which cost around £1 – £2 per brick. But if your built-in area is large and you really are particular about the cost, then concrete bricks still are a good option which may cost about £0.5 – £1 per brick.
3. Cladding
When it comes to cladding your home, arguably it comes down to the aesthetics, while a good consideration is given to insulation and related factors.
Considering a budget friendly home, a uPVC cladding though may not look fantastic in terms of aesthetics, they are certainly insulative, durable, and offer great resistance to changing weathers, while also offer less maintenance. UPVC cladding can last up to three decades if maintained well.
The types of uPVC claddings you can consider –
White shiplaps (£20 – £40 per sq mtr)
White & Coloured V-joints (£30 – £60 per sq mtr)
While, fiber cement and vinyl siding claddings are still good options, they are priced a little higher relatively with a fiber cement cladding ranging from £60 – £100 per sq mtr.
4. Roofing
Like cladding, roofing too should be considered based on its insulating properties, durability, and maintenance. When it comes to budget friendly roofing, there are a lot of options one can try.
Bitumen sheets
£5 – £7 per sq mtr (lasts 12-15 years)
EPDM Membranes
£9 – £11 per sq mtr (longevity up to 40 years) but mostly suitable for flat roofs
Concrete Tiles
£10 – £12 per sq mtr (longevity up to 50 years) if you plan to use reclaimed concrete tiles, they can be available a lot cheaper
Asphalt Shingles
£30 – £40 per sq mtr (lasts up to 40 years) one of the most popular roofing choices but are relatively higher than the aforementioned types
5. Structural Support
We now enter the inners of your house. This is where you should be wary about the costs.
Structural support is an area where you shouldn’t take chances and set aside a contingency as this is a critical part of your house construction.
If you are to install a structural support such as a beam or a pillar, you can then plan for engineered supports such as I-beams or I-joists. The cost can range between £15 – £40 per linear metre which you can then estimate based on the area to arrive at per sq metre cost.
Softwood joists can cost about £5 – £10 per linear metre. Typically, softwood joists are preferred for budget friendly homes and are quite reliable and are more than good for small residential projects
Engineered wood joists cost about £15 – £45 per linear metre. They relatively are of higher strength and are ideal for higher loads.
06. Kitchen
So, what does a modern kitchen look like? An island, with a kitchen unit & cabinets, a worktop, a sink, oven, and a fridge, sums up what’s required of a kitchen. But what matters is the type of materials used for those units.
In this article, because we continue to set our focus on the budget, let’s assume the conception of a modern home to be more about function while the aesthetics can play second fiddle.
On this regard, choosing a simple layout is always a wise decision. Laminate worktops with standard appliances and lighting can cost you an average of £14,000.
If you add a little more flare such as the use of granite worktops, and branded appliances then the cost can touch up to £25,000.
7. Bath
A functional bathroom includes a sink, bath, WC, shower, doors, plumbing accessories, including the wall and floor tiles.
If you are planning for a bare minimum budget with basic bath fixtures, and minimalistic approach to tiling and walling, your bathroom can be furnished within £4,000.
You can expect to spend about £8,000 for a standard quality bath which also includes underfloor heating. For an upgrade with branded accessories, the cost may go up to £10,500.
8. Energy Efficiency
Energy efficient homes are now typical of a modern home. So, there is a dire need to make your home a energy efficient one.
Wall insulation, solar panels, roof lights will all definitely add to the upfront cost but are huge long term cost savers and will drastically reduce your energy bills.
Solar panel: £12,000
Wall insulation: £1,000 to £3,500
Skylight: £1,700
Dishwashers make use of less water than the conventional hand washing means. Ovens if used instead of microwave will reduce your energy consumption drastically. Heat pumps are recommended instead of boilers for better energy efficiency from a heating point of view.
9. Flooring and Painting
Vinyl and laminate flooring are cost-effective yet standard options for flooring. While a vinyl flooring costs you £12 per sq mtre, a laminate flooring may cost you £35- £45 per sq mtre.
10. Additional costs
There are of course additional costs that add up to a new home such as labour costs, topological survey, planning & building regulations fee, structural engineer fee.
Conclusion
The key is to simplify your home layout. Trying small yet effective solutions is critical. Not everything needs to be extravagant, especially when you are planning a home within a budget. Be selective in your choice of materials, there are a plenty of them to choose from. Hire professionals such as structural engineer and vent out your challenges and limits to them, they are the best minds who can help you cut down on your budget yet help realise a structurally sound modern home.
A great example of a modern home is how it makes you feel when you start living. Modernity is more than bricks & stones and advanced technologies; it is in the comfort you find.
If you are looking to build a home, or are planning to renovate your existing house, and are within a limited budget, do not worry; Contact us today, we have the resolve to help you realise your dream home.
