During our building process, I will have several blogs about cost-saving tips. I will try to separate the posts into specific stages of the build. I already shared a few ways to save when choosing your elevation and floor plan on my Instagram if you want to check that out!
Today I will be covering choosing your truss and framing package. This advice is very straightforward and simple! PRICE SHOP! My husband called the local vendors he works with, as he is a contractor, and got quotes based on our floor plans. We were a little dismayed at how high the quotes were so he handed the job to me to see what I could figure out as he knows I am a researcher and am going to find the best deal possible. So I started researching. My husband thought there were about 5-7 vendors who could provide our truss and framing package. I ended up finding 20! I sent our floor plans to each one and waited. What had originally come in as a $53,000.00 framing package we were able to get for $22,000.00 and the truss package, which includes our roof and floor joist as we are building an off-grade with a crawl space, went from $19,000.00 to $14,000.00! Every single vendor except one priced out the floor plans for consumers, only one required a licensed contractor to get a quote. So if you are an owner-builder or if your contractor will allow you to try to lower some of your prices, start doing your research! It does not hurt to call any vendors in your vicinity. Depending on the size of your project, it could be worth their while to ship! I found vendors down in Miami, which is 5 hours away, willing to deliver to me. Of course, if you are in Florida, I’m happy to provide the list I created!
In short, do not just accept the prices handed to you. Also do not only call the vendors in your city, but also expand your search. The more bids you receive, the better your chances of getting a lower bid will be. You will find this advice can apply to more than just your framing and truss package, but I’ll get into that on another post!