Building an accessible home is always a balance of creativity, practicality and care. Every project starts with a simple aim: to create a space that gives someone more freedom and makes daily life easier. But when it comes to keeping a build on budget, the truth is much less glamorous. It’s not usually the big design moments that save money; it’s the early, detailed decisions that no one sees.
Over the years, I have learned that cost control isn’t about cutting corners. It is about clarity. The clearer we are at the start, the smoother the build will be and the sooner a person can move into the home that is waiting for them.
Start with the right decisions and start early!
Some of the best-run projects I’ve worked on had one thing in common: the person’s team made clear, early decisions about how each room would be used. Not the decorative choices, but the things that really matter, for example, where equipment needs to go, how someone enters a room, where sockets are needed, how carers move and what the long-term needs look like.
These decisions may sound small, but they dictate everything behind the walls: drainage runs, pipework, wiring, structural load and accessibility equipment. If these aren’t pinned down until the build is already underway, changes become far more expensive.
I’ve seen it happen many times. A family moves in and quickly realises that an automatic door would make life easier. By then, the infrastructure isn’t in place, which means electricians back on site, walls opened up again, delays and more cost. If we had known from day one, we would have built it in seamlessly.
That’s why I always advise families and case managers to walk through the property literally room by room and talk us through how life will happen in that space. It is one of the most effective ways to keep a project on track.
The hidden costs no one expects
Some of the most expensive surprises are the things you cannot see. During demolition, you are always dealing with unknowns. You can carry out trial pits and investigative work, but there are limits to what can be uncovered until the build begins.
I’ve worked on projects where unexpected pipework, dated infrastructure or unknown drainage routes have added thousands to the cost. Not because anyone made a mistake, but because these things cannot be fully understood until the site is opened up.
And sometimes the hidden costs are caused by well-intentioned decisions. Families often think that supplying their own fixtures or fittings will save money. But if those items arrive late or incomplete, it creates abortive costs such as trades coming to the site, unable to install anything and needing to return. In reality, it usually costs less to let the contractor manage the supply.
What really drives costs up
There are three main reasons building costs rise unnecessarily:
1. Last-minute decisions
When decisions aren’t made early, trades have to redo work. Moving drainage, electrical routes or specialist equipment after installation is one of the quickest ways to burn through a budget.
2. Designing only for today’s needs
For a child who uses a powered wheelchair now, the lift they need at ten might be very different from the lift they need at twenty. Futureproofing isn’t a luxury; it is one of the most effective ways to avoid major rebuilding later.
3. Delays in decision-making
The longer things pause, the more a project costs. Getting trades back to the site is expensive. Clear, quick decisions save both time and money.
Whilst it is impossible to foresee every potential problem, there are steps which can be taken to mitigate the risk of unexpected problems once work commences. An in-depth PPR report will help to establish any remedial works required in their fullest and will help to ensure that, as far as is practicable, reasonable allowances are made for rectification at the earliest possible point. These can then be incorporated into the overall budget for the works, and do not become an addition as soon as the project gets underway.
Simple choices that save thousands later
Good cost control isn’t complicated. It looks like:
- Choosing hard-wearing flooring that lasts years, not months
- Deciding early on the exact accessibility equipment needed
- Making sure electrics, plumbing and drainage align with how the person will actually use the space
- Thinking about maintenance, not just installation
- In other words, design for the long term and not just for handover day.
How the client team can make the biggest difference
The client team plays a huge part in cost control. When OTs, case managers and families collaborate early and clearly, everything becomes easier to design and easier to build.
The most helpful information is often simple:
What equipment is needed?
Where will it go?
How does the person move?
What does independence look like for them?
What could life look like in five years? In ten?
These early conversations prevent expensive changes later and they give contractors everything they need to build accurately the first time.
The PLG way — carefully, quietly and thoroughly
At PLG, we try to protect the budget in ways that aren’t always visible. Suitability Reports, measured surveys and long-term thinking help us avoid costly surprises long before a builder steps on site.
We are detailed for a reason. If we get the specification right from the start, if we understand how the person will live in the home and if we think ahead for the next decade and not just the next few months, the project runs smoothly and the space becomes somewhere the person can truly grow into.
If I could give one piece of advice…
Visualise the space.
Walk through it in your mind.
Think about how the person will live in it, not just today, but years from now.
The decisions made early are the decisions that protect the budget later.
Because when a home is being built for someone with additional needs, keeping costs down is not just about money. It’s about helping someone move into the space they deserve, without delay and without the stress of unexpected problems along the way.
