When you hire a general contractor for a residential or commercial construction project, you’re making a major investment. If you aren’t careful, it’s easy for costs to spiral out of control. Fortunately, by taking a few basic precautions, you can be sure to stay within your construction budget.

Your General Contractor’s Recommendations for Budgeting

1. Have a Detailed Plan

The more realistic your budget is from the beginning, the less likely you are to run into nasty surprises later. Lay out your expected itemized costs, factoring in the scale of your project, the expected timeline, and the type and quality of materials you intend to use—then give yourself some wiggle room for unexpected costs.

2. Choose the Right Contractor

You may be tempted to go with the company which offers the lowest bid, but cutting corners in this way can actually increase costs later because work may have to be redone. Instead, choose a general contractor with a focus on quality to do everything right the first time.

3. Get Confirmed Estimates

As you work with your contractor to plan your project, make sure to get an itemized estimate guaranteed by your contractor. Then, as you proceed to each new step of the project and make any needed changes, have your estimate revised to reflect them.

4. Make Few Changes

Ideally, you should make as few changes as possible to the plan and the scope of your project. The more labor and materials you add, the higher the cost will rise. This is especially important later in the project, when the cost of completed work is already set in stone and it’s harder to reallocate funds from one area to another.

5. Keep an Account

Rather than tallying up your costs at the end of the project, keep track of the money you spend at every stage. This way you’ll have an early warning if you’re going over budget and can take steps to correct the problem.

If you’d like to discuss your project with a general contractor to get an idea of what the budget should look like, Americom Construction Co in Mountain Home, AR, is the company to call. Serving Baxter County for over 20 years, they offer superior construction and excavating services by skilled providers to create results you’ll love. To get started on your home or commercial building, call (870) 491-5001 or visit them online.