Page 17 - June Mag Final

ON A BUDGET

4) Manage markups and overheads
While getting your hands dirty with projects you can handle, you might not be a jack of all trades.
There will unfortunately be projects needing a professional’s services. This however does not mean

you cannot try save costs. It is a common practice for contractors to mark up costs on the materials
required to complete the renovation or addition. By simply sourcing the stock yourself and
collecting the materials yourself, the only costs to carry would be the labour required to
complete the project. The cost of the materials can also be reduced by sourcing off cuts and
extras from old projects that would have otherwise been thrown out. There is no shame in
explaining to your local contractor that you have a small project that requires only a portion of
the paint you would have otherwise normally have bought from the store.

5) Find alternatives

More often than not, bargain hunters will search for a product from multiple locations hoping
to get the best price for the same product. Why not give your budget a break and find an
alterative that would meet your needs at a fraction of the price? Don’t allow yourself to
search with blinders on for a product you have convinced yourself you need, when the
same shop offers alternatives that are more than adequate.

6) Only work out of season
As with a most industries, the costs associated with a product or service are directly
affected by its demand. By taking on a contractor during winter time for example,
the demand for their services and the suppliers’ products are much lower. By

doing your research and simply timing the renovation well, you can get both the
materials and services necessary at a fraction of the price.

Build Smart, Buy Safe, Buy Seeff

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