How We Saved Money While Building Our Dream Home

Everyone assumes building a custom home means going way over budget… but we were set on staying under $500k—and we did exactly that.

Here’s 3 ways we saved when building our modern farmhouse:

1. We did all the construction cleaning ourselves

Truly… I did not know what I was getting into 😂 (and yes, I was pregnant at the time).

This took up a lot of evenings and weekends, but it was one of the most important—and overlooked—parts of keeping our build on track.

Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: your contractors are there to do their job—and that’s it.

The floor guy lays the floor.

The brick layer lays the brick.

And they leave behind everything.

We were constantly sweeping, hauling debris, and getting things ready for the next crew to come in. I vividly remember cleaning up drywall dust late at night thinking… what did we get ourselves into?

But hiring this out over and over again would have added up fast—this alone saved us thousands throughout the build.

Also… great for marriage bonding 😂

And one thing I didn’t expect? Having the right tools makes this job 10x more manageable. Without them, it would’ve taken twice as long.

A few tools I think are necessary if you plan to do this yourself:

• Magnetic nail sweeper (you’ll be shocked how many nails are everywhere)

• Wheelbarrow

• Wide push broom

• A large dust pan (or snow shovel honestly)

• A couple shop vacs

• Heavy-duty contractor trash bags

• Work gloves

• Buckets or bins for sorting scraps

• Extension cords

• A speaker for music (non-negotiable)

2. My husband general contracted the entire build

First of all, my husband is an angel. Find you a man that lets you build your dream house and makes sure it gets done 🥹

He had never done this before, but he dove ALL the way in—researching, collecting bids, managing timelines, coordinating subcontractors… all on top of his full-time job and running his trucking business.

Un. Real.

This decision saved us a significant amount of money, since hiring a builder or GC typically adds a large percentage to your total cost.

But don’t let this step fool you—it’s simple in theory, not easy in execution. There were a lot of moving parts, a lot of decisions, and definitely moments where it felt overwhelming.

3. We lived with my parents for about 14 months

My parents are also ANGELS, and we do not take this for granted.

Could we have done it without living with them? Sure.

But it would have taken longer and cost us more, no doubt.

Not having a rent or mortgage during the build gave us so much more flexibility. We were able to put money directly into the house and keep things moving without as much financial pressure.

It wasn’t always glamorous, but it made a huge difference in the overall process.

And not that I have to explain myself, but I understand that not everyone has this privilege. Not only to live with your parents, but to live with them rent free. And I will just say, they would never let me pay them anyways. Truthfully, I hope someday they live with ME so I can return the favor. I will take care of them until thier last day. This honestly could be a whole blog post itself on how I think the unconditional love families used to have is dying, but I digress.

What we didn’t do

We didn’t DIY the house itself.

No cabinets, no painting, no major projects.

My husband and I both work full-time jobs, and we were really intentional about where we spent our time. For us, it made more sense to pay professionals and keep the build moving than to stretch ourselves too thin.

(We did hang our own mirrors though 😂)

Final thoughts

Saving money during a build doesn’t always mean doing everything yourself—it means being intentional.

If you’re willing to take on the less glamorous work, step into bigger roles where it makes sense, and make a few temporary sacrifices, it can make a massive difference in your final cost.

If we can do it, you can too.