Sweat Equity

Since buying a new house this last winter, I never seem to be able to catch up on my savings. New furniture, appliances, cellular blinds, fence, landscaping; it just never ends! I even sold my amazing BBQ just to seal the deal when we sold our condo (I'm not going to lie, I really miss it). I know these expenses are part of a new home ownership, but there are ways of cutting down on the cost. I'm talking getting down and dirty with sweat equity.

Time Is Money

The wealthy call it being cheap, but I think sweat equity is a smart way to save money. It's a good feeling to work hard all day and to actually see the fruits of your labor, but there are some limitations. Depending on your skills in construction, motor skills and coordination you may just want to sit this one out and supply beer to your less inept friends or co-workers.

I myself work in construction so I am right at home when it comes to home maintenance and home improvement projects. My neighbors are computer programmers and were going to have a fence built by a contractor. I told them I would compromise and have the 6x6 posts installed by the contractor and would rather build the rest of the fence myself. They agreed and I saved myself a pile of money by doing the work myself. My other neighbor got a quote for his landscaping at tally of $4000 for dirt, final grade and sod. I bought the dirt for $700 which included the guy spreading it out with a bobcat. It took me an afternoon to level it out for final grade inspection which cost me $200 from a guy who did it part time. Then I bought the sod for $1000 and by the afternoon I was watering my new lawn.

Grand total: $1900- A far cry from what my neighbor paid and there's money in the bank for shrubs, bushes and a shed.

Start Small And Work Your Way Up

You don't have to work in construction to put sweat equity in your home. Start small with easy tasks and as your skills progress, take on more challenging jobs down the road. The last time I checked it wasn't rocket science to shovel dirt or mix concrete. The internet is an amazing source for do-it-yourself'ers. There's lots of step by step instructions out there and you can print them off for easy reference. Take some time and learn each tools name and its function. Get comfortable with power tools and learn to use them safely. 

Home depot has drop in classes on the weekends to teach basic home renovation projects. If you do hire a contractor, get your money's worth and ask them lots of questions to help you learn directly from the pros and increase your overall know how.

I think building a fence and getting the landscaping finished is enough work for this year seeing as we only had our rough grade approved in July. I left a large area for a vegetable garden to be ready for spring and I look forward to having fresh produce next year. So that just leaves a deck,  brick fire pit area and shed for next summer. Time to start saving so that the only thing I have to worry about is the mosquitoes!

What have you done to put some sweat equity into your home?