Construction fencing is one of the major investments you'll need to make, and an easy investment to overlook when you're doing your initial budgeting. It's a standard safety requirement to surround all construction sites with heavy fencing of whatever material--plastic mesh, wire, chain, or whatever--in order to keep out haplessly curious pedestrians or other people that you can't assume liability for.

Orange fencing is usually the best, if for no other reason than that the bright color is highly visible and sends an instant message of danger. But depending on the needs of your project, you may need to invest in something a little bit more sturdy. If you're doing some welding work, for example, and you're worried about throwing off sparks, you'll want to use an opaque metal fence or barrier in order to keep the eyes of passers-by safe. If you need to store valuable materials on your construction site, an opaque face or a highly-threatening fence (one lined with razor wire, for example) is vital. Find your needs and calculate your costs accordingly, but expect to pay at least $60 for every hundred feet of fence (if you're going with the cheap orange option.)

Valuable materials play into another issue when calculating the expenses of setting up a construction site: the need for security. There are plenty of squatters and transients out there who use construction sites as free housing during the night. This wouldn't be that much of a problem if it weren't for the serious liability issues transients bring. If someone uses drugs on your property, gets into a lethal brawl, or simply wanders around until he or she falls off a girder, your site and your construction project will face legal troubles and fees. The cost to a security company of paying a security guard for an hour's work is about $9. Expect to multiply that by at least three for the costs you'll bear, and expect to pay for at least eight hours a night for a single shift. But think of the money you'll save in potential legal nightmares.

One of the most critical pieces of equipment for a construction site is the fire extinguisher trolley. This is simply a rack for storing fire extinguishers of various types, designed with wheels for easy transport to different parts of your site. Fire is the construction project's ancient enemy: don't mess around with it, and make sure your trolley is adequate for your project's needs.

Doing your own construction work can help defray a lot of the costs of getting professional work done. But there are some additional costs and issues to be aware of as well. Just remember to keep it safe, and to keep it affordable.