Cut carpentry costs in half

As the recession bites, people are looking for ways to save money on their building projects. Here are 5 ways by which you can cut carpentry costs.

1. Provide labour

Labour costs are the most expensive part of a building project. You can save a huge amount of money by doing some of the work yourself.  For example, you may not be able to hang a new door, but you may be able to take off the old door and paint the replacement on your weekend.

2. Source materials

Tradesmen often get trade discounts on materials. However, it is still worth shopping around to see if you can get things cheaper. For example, two 128mm T-bar kitchen handles will cost you around £5 in a high street store but you can get twenty identical handles on e-bay for £20 – a 60% saving! Ask for itemised quotes from workmen to check prices.

Mitre Joint

Joining Strip

3. Find alternatives

You may be able to use cheaper materials or less labour intensive techniques to bring down costs. For example, rather than choose a hard wood for your internal doors, you could get them made from a cheaper stained soft wood. Using joining strips is less labour intensive than cutting joints in a kitchen work surface, for example. Ask your crafts-person for ideas.

4. Dump waste

Disposing of waste is increasingly expensive for builders.  A skip costs anything from £100 upwards. But many councils will allow residents to fill up their cars with wood or rubble and dump it for free at their local recycling centre.  However, remember that hazardous waste like Asbestos will still need to be disposed of by professionals and there are heavy fines for fly-tipping.

5. Save VAT

Value Added Tax (VAT) currently adds 20% to all bills, but this can be reclaimed in certain environmental and disabled building projects. Do get advice from your tax office before work starts. Some small businesses are also under the VAT threshold. If you employ their services, you will pay no VAT on any labour, only materials.

Some of these steps will take time, and savings in material costs need to be balanced against losses in the durability and appearance of the finished product. However, our money saving tips could halve your building costs.

Do speak to us at Oliver Gibbs Carpentry & Joinery for your free quote or to discuss your building project.