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Whoops, I didn't notice either!! :o Oh well, that's OK -- I'm sure the info in this thread will be helpful to somebody :)
DBD- I didn't notice it until you pointed it out! ?
~Hope she did all of the upgrades :)
well now dont i feel like a fool.....i didnt even notice the date.....im sure the house has long been built..... :laugh:
we are having a new house built but im likely not the best person to ask......we didnt upgrade on much as i was pretty content with the choices given to us. The home we purchased doesnt come with appliances, i dont believe any in our area do, so we are just bringing ours from the house we are in now. Our biggest reasons for moving was a more practical layout and dh wanting a garage.....counter tops and such is something that we can upgrade at a different stage in our life if we feel a need to, where as we felt layout is much harder to change. We are at our new house everyday, and fancy its not, but we love it. Good luck with your new home.
smiles
janetc
Anyone notice the date of this thread? Now how did something this old pop up or is it some sort of glitch (since the date is right but the year is off)?
I agree with most what has been stated
Definitely rough in or complete your basement. It's worth the time, and money.
Put a washroom in the basement
Check insulation etc
Central vac
Upgrade faucets
upgrade appliances
upgrade shingles
upgrade counter tops
Hardwood floors
wire all rooms for phone and cable
main floor laundry or up on the bedroom level
upgrade trim work including crown molding
be there when they wire for lighting!
alarm system
double garage
a GOOD sized deck in the back (some builders put in a little box and call it a deck)
Is landscaping included?
good windows! with warranty
WARRANTY is a MUST on all work
Ceramic tile in bathrooms
All of these will up the price of your home and will add to resale
Something else to consider when figuring out what you get the builder to do vs doing it later is warranty. If it's done through the builder, you get the builder warranty and any other home warranty that is on your house which may be better/longer than a store warranty.
The other thing (I had the misfortune to learn) is if something is defective (in my case the wood flooring) having a builder standing there while the mfg and store try to get out of it carries a lot of weight as they risk losing future builder business.
What you do need to consider is whether you are staying in the house long or intend to sell within say 5 years (as often happens with starter homes). Then you may want to look at what an upgrade costs vs it's resale value. As an example, I paid for hardwood flooring, upgraded all the lighting and appliances. When I sold 1.5 yrs later I didn't get a nickel more for that house than the ones selling with laminate and standard lighting and appliances. What I did get was a house that sold before all the others (I didn't even get a sign up while identical houses had been listed for months). So upgrades will make your house more attractive than others, but won't necessarily raise the price.
Certainly when I was buying in that same district (before deciding to go with a new build), the resale homes that had the builder grade carpet etc. looked a lot worse for wear after a couple of years than the ones that had upgraded so I could see where upgrading some things was important.
BTW, do upgrade the appliances. Typically builder grade are the lowest in the line. My neighbours didn't upgrade and their dishwasher was driving them nuts within a year and they were just generally wishing they had put some money in the appliances.
Also, if there are things you aren't totally loving (say cupboard door knobs) have them just put the basics on (or leave them off) and take the credit to apply to something else you do want. I did that and saved enough to just go buy the knobs I wanted and something like that is an easy fix.
I did change a lot of my lights through the builder. The prices the store gives the builder makes upgrading worthwhile as you will almost never find fixtures on sale as low as the builder price. Sometimes it's only a matter of $5 or $10 to get a much nicer light up. One tip I got that I was happy about was to make sure all the lights in places like hanging over the stairway had bulbs facing down. Trying to change a lightbulb when it's high up and has a shade under it is a real hassle. What cracked me up was my builder noticed my light in the stairway (he was over a lot thanks to the floors) and the next show homes they did had that light because the bulbs could be changed without trying to get a ladder onto the stairs.
Also a note: while they are building your house, get over there with a camera before they insulate so you can have a record of where all the wiring and pipes are. it will come in handy later .
I love having my laundry off of the garage. Just wondering why you would NOT conisder that option when building?
Also, I would say a double garage and driveway is a must if you have kids with all the "stuff" that goes with them.
Karen
My rule of thumb in upgrades for a new house is - get the builder to do anything structural, and do the rest on your own. At least that was what we found with our builder.
We realized, for example, that for the builder to upgrade our carpeting, it would have been more expensive than to just buy the equivalent carpet from a local flooring place and have them install it. It pays to shop around, but sometimes the savings is worth the minor inconvenience of having it done after you take possession.
A granite countertop may be the same... It really depends on how the builder charges for upgrades and changes. In the case of the countertop, if you found it from a local vendor for a more reasonable price, you could potentially have the builder leave out their standard countertop, and have the granite one installed right after you take possession. Builders often give credits for fittings that they leave out - so that credit could go towards the cost of the upgraded counter purchased elsewhere. Just worth some thought anyway...
it seems everyone is doing granite....I am actually tired of seeing it in every kitchen...sorry to those I offend ....I agree there are many other options as smoodgie said....how about soapstone, or corian...........but answering the original question......the builder does charge a premium for work ...but when you move in...its done and the addtional cost is spread out on your mortgage......so getting the upgrades can be worth it.....move in ready as they say........ :D
p.s...I do not have granite envy.....LOL....I actually have a slab of it for my vanity counter in my main bathroom....that the previous owner's installed....so I speak from having it....
- it’s better to place your washer&dryer in the basement or some other place than the room that has a door to the garage
Sorry to go off-topic, but I'm curious about this. Lila, what's the reasoning behind not putting your W/D in a room with the garage door??
As for upgrades.... I would focus on upgrading things that aren't easy to change after the house is built. For example, flooring, kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, countertops, light fixture & swicth locations....
There are a lot of different countertop options besides granite that are worth looking into. As hunnyb said, granite requires regular maintenance. And although people believe it's fine to put a hot pot down on granite, it can actually damage the granite.
I myself am considering granite counter tops all around in my home. I have to apply for a home equity through [URL=http://www.gmacmortgage.com]gmac[/URL] before I can go on with the remodeling. I need to pick out the prefect color for granite to match my paint and find a cheap contractor and I can get started.
Lynda has talked about granite vs. some other countertops. One thing about granite is that it needs some care. It needs to be sealed because it can stain. I have granite and find that I really have to use elbow grease to make it shine since I think I have cleaned it but if I look at it from another angle I see smudges. Personally, I think there are wonderful corian countertops if you are looking for easy care. As for what ask for when building... you might want to wire in sound/speakers before drywalling, think about what furniture you have and how it will fit into the rooms, a telescoping faucet for a tub is terrific for cleaning/rinsing. Good luck. Linda
Erica,
My husband and I purchased a new house a couple of years ago, here are a few things that I suggest for you to upgrade
- hardwood floor
- rod iron railing
- outdoor recessed lighting (wonderful upgrade hard to do once the house is done)
- cold cellar in the basement
- washroom rough-in in the basement
- flat ceiling, easier to paint later
- ask them where they will install lighting, some rooms don't have a ceiling fixture by default
- it’s better to place your washer&dryer in the basement or some other place than the room that has a door to the garage
Granite counter top is a great idea for your kitchen.
One more thing, double-check the list of your upgrades before signing it.
Good luck, it's a lot of fun to have a new home :)