Home builders map cost cutting

Home builders, pushed by the nationwide need to reduce construction costs without affecting work quality, are considering three specific strategies. According to a new survey by Professional Builder magazine, 71 percent of those interviewed would expand land use, where possible, by increasing the number of units to be built per acre. Sixty-nine percent said they could reduce costs by constructing homes with less overall square footage. And 39 percent said their cost cutbacks would be made by offering deluxe amenities only as options and not as standard, all-included features.

Seventy-five percent of these home builders report they build from on-site materials; the balance reported use of some precut components and some prefab materials. The survey said almost all respondents would not attempt to reduce or eliminate energy-saving features.