With any construction project,
the old saying "Time is money" really is true. If quick completion
is a priority, plan to pay
for it. If you have lots of time then you may need less money.
This is probably the most frequently underestimated aspect of farm planning.
Costs vary greatly by geographical location
and it is best to research your particular project with local
contractors, material suppliers and other farm
owners. Again
your list will be helpful. Begin breaking the list down into as
many components as you can foresee. Then start adding a budget
to each
item.
You may start with the bigger items as rough
budget figures and then begin
to itemize, for example:
Land clearing - $2,500 an acre
Grading for arena & barn - $5,000
Then interview grading contractors and ask how
much they charge per day
(plus move in and move out) and ask how
many days they think your site
might take.
Bulldozer – move in/move out - $500
Rough grading roads – 4 days @ $600
Rough grading building pads – 2 days @ $600
Rough grading arena – 5 days @ $600
Adding sub-base gravel at building pads
and arena – 3 days @ $600 plus 250 cubic yards of gravel @
$10 per yard.
Total for Grading = $11,400.00
Oops! Unfortunately, this is not unlike how budgeting for a
large project goes in real life. That is why it is important to
have a budget for each component before you start your project. It
isn’t fun to get halfway done and then to realize you’ve already spent 90%
of your project budget.