10 Effective Tips to Reduce the Construction Cost of an Eco-Friendly Home

When clients come to our studio, most have a maximum budget in mind. Our job as architects is to optimize this budget to achieve the most eco-friendly home possible without exceeding the established maximum.

However, it is often overlooked that the construction cost is not everything—there is a percentage of around 20% of the total budget that corresponds to related costs such as land purchase taxes, mortgage costs for an eco-friendly home, building permits, or the cost of the architectural project itself and other technical consultants.

For this reason, it is important to adjust the construction cost of the home to ensure we do not exceed the maximum budget, leaving a cushion for necessary additional costs.

So, what strategies should we follow to adjust and reduce the construction cost of our home?

In today’s post, we have summarized the 10 most important tips for building an affordable eco-friendly home without compromising quality.

1. Contact the Architect First

“Okay! This is the first home I’m building and it will probably be the last since it’s a home for life, so I’m completely lost and don’t know where to start.”

Many clients start by contacting the builder—this is a mistake because the builder cannot prepare the architectural project and will refer you to their architect, with whom they likely have a commission agreement and who will be entirely subordinate to the builder since their work depends on them.

We need our architect to be independent and to have no hesitation in negotiating construction costs.

The best approach is to start by comparing architects, visiting two or three firms, and comparing prices and teams.

2. Define Deadline Limits

Time is money—each month of construction delay represents an additional cost for the client, whether because they are paying rent on another property or because they cannot sell their old home to move into the new one.

Agreeing from the outset on maximum deadlines for design and construction and defining financial penalties under a signed contract in case of delays is key to avoiding surprises, and is one of the most important points for reducing the construction cost of an eco-friendly home.

3. Require a Fixed Budget Before Starting

As they say, “paper accepts everything,” but once construction begins, changes are expensive.

Therefore, we must require our architect to provide a detailed breakdown of work items (measurements) so that construction can proceed at a fixed price without surprises from items that had not been accounted for.

4. Energy Efficiency Is a Lifelong Investment

Care must be taken when evaluating costs—sometimes a higher investment now will pay for itself in a few years and represents energy savings forever.

A clear example is insulation—saving a bit of money now by reducing insulation thickness means higher heating costs forever. The construction cost and maintenance cost must always be considered together to make appropriate decisions.

5. Build in Phases

If the budget is tight, an ideal strategy is to leave elements such as plot fencing or pool construction for a second phase that can be included in the initial project but built after a few years.

6. Use Local Materials

In addition to being a way to save costs, building with local materials is more coherent and sustainable.
If using wood, there are options at local sawmills building with smaller sections and solid timber light-frame structures. In the case of brick, there are good local eco-friendly alternatives such as pressed hemp brick Cannabric.

7. Participate Actively in the Design Process

Participating actively in all meetings, understanding proposals, and making coherent decisions is the best way to take control of the project and its costs.

Seeking advice from good professionals, asking questions, and raising concerns continuously will be a key factor in being satisfied with the final result.

The construction options for an eco-friendly home are many, and it is important to understand and participate in the decisions being made. The best way to reduce the construction cost of an eco-friendly home is to stay informed about the project’s progress throughout its development, thereby avoiding possible confusion or unforeseen issues that could delay construction.

8. Always Request Comparisons

It is logical but not always done—from selecting the architect to awarding construction to the builder, including materials or the geotechnical study of the land itself, it is important to always request budget comparisons that allow us to evaluate several price options and adjust when necessary.

9. Reduce Square Footage

Large homes are more expensive to build but also to keep warm.

We must again remember that energy maintenance costs must be taken into account.

10. Think About Flexible Spaces

In relation to the previous point, it is important to think of a home as a flexible space that over a lifetime can be inhabited by a single person, a couple, a family with several children who, when they become independent, will once again leave a couple, etc.

We should think of flexible spaces such as a study or reading room that also serves as a guest room and can be connected to a living room, a covered outdoor porch that in summer adds square footage to our living area, etc.