smart choices in design center upgrades - Building home (New Home: wood floors, loan)

[TrapperL]

A builder select center is also known to the builder as his profit center. He'll make huge money off of your selects. When making your selects, keep in mind that most likely anything you put in extra will go to the mortgage company as an additional cost of the house and you'll pay for those selects X3 over the next 30 years. Things to avoid, upgrade carpet. It won't last the length of the mortgage payment. You'll be replacing it at year 10 most likely. Upgrade the pad will make cheap carpet feel like expensive carpet. The pad can be reused when replacing the carpet. Avoid any fiberglas tubs if the house comes with them. The life expectancy of a fiberglas tub is 10 years. Opt for cast iron or tile. Most commonly a jetted type tub is a waste. Most folks never use them but a few times and then the thrill is over. They are a breeding ground for mold if not used often as the water stays in the piping and pump. Can't tell you how many I've turned on only to see black slime come out of the jets when folks don't use them. Avoid any upgrade appliances. They won't last the length of the mortgage payment either. Builders rarely will give you credit for the builder grade appliances and you'll be buying the upgraded appliances at full retail. No upgrade paint. Most often they charge you for the upgrade paint but not give you credit for the builder grade paint. Do the basics when it comes to the structure. If an option is a larger garage and you want it, do it then as it's a lot easier to do it during the construction phase. Opt for any energy savings things like windows. You want Low E Square windows. Avoid front doors with glass or large glass or sidelites. It makes it easy for burglars. Don't depend on a burglar alarm system as police response time usually is way longer than it takes a burglar to clean you out. Opt for radiant barrier decking. It will pay for itself in just a few years. Opt for as much masonry as possible- 4 sides brick preferably. Avoid any stucco even though it's the rage these days. It doesn't last long in our Texas expansive soils and you can count on it being a maintenance nightmare. Avoid any upgrades that will date the house. Things like Granite tops have been popular but are now becoming old hat. Stainless steel is another fad going away while white is back.
That 15 thousand you mentioned. It's more likely that that will put your appraisal at max. Anything more will need to be paid for out of pocket. That 15 grand is money you do not have to spend. It's there IF you want to spend it but know that it will be tacked on the price of the home. NO, it's not free money. You'll pay it back plus interest for the next 30 years. That 15 grand will be 45 grand by the time you get it paid back. Been in the business for 56 years now. I can't caution you enough about the builders select center. It gets a lot of folks in deep financial problems, quick. Get what you need, not what you want. Everybody always wants everything and that's what the builder is taking advantage of.
Choose wisely, grasshopper.

[emi_oasis]

We liked stucco for exterior but your point is well taken. Somehow the basic brick elevation and brick/stone combo dint look very nice to us. We were thinking stucco with some stone accents.

The 15K is sort of free as we negotiated it in the contract - to have 15K credits in design center, anything over that will either be added to mortgage or paid in cash. So we have to use at least 15K, no?
Even though I understand nothing is free and we probably paid for it in the house / build job base price.

We already chose the optional bed/bath upstairs which added 14K to the base price. so structural upgrades are not an option for the 15K.

our current thinking is to spend it in upgrading to quartz, extra wiring/outlets, cat5e/rg6 cabling, upgrade the cabinets, some backsplashes etc. and maybe get the same engineered hardwood in the study as well which is carpet right now.

So thats why I started the thread to know whats the best use of the 15K thats free in some sense

Originally Posted by TrapperL

A builder select center is also known to the builder as his profit center. He'll make huge money off of your selects. When making your selects, keep in mind that most likely anything you put in extra will go to the mortgage company as an additional cost of the house and you'll pay for those selects X3 over the next 30 years. Things to avoid, upgrade carpet. It won't last the length of the mortgage payment. You'll be replacing it at year 10 most likely. Upgrade the pad will make cheap carpet feel like expensive carpet. The pad can be reused when replacing the carpet. Avoid any fiberglas tubs if the house comes with them. The life expectancy of a fiberglas tub is 10 years. Opt for cast iron or tile. Most commonly a jetted type tub is a waste. Most folks never use them but a few times and then the thrill is over. They are a breeding ground for mold if not used often as the water stays in the piping and pump. Can't tell you how many I've turned on only to see black slime come out of the jets when folks don't use them. Avoid any upgrade appliances. They won't last the length of the mortgage payment either. Builders rarely will give you credit for the builder grade appliances and you'll be buying the upgraded appliances at full retail. No upgrade paint. Most often they charge you for the upgrade paint but not give you credit for the builder grade paint. Do the basics when it comes to the structure. If an option is a larger garage and you want it, do it then as it's a lot easier to do it during the construction phase. Opt for any energy savings things like windows. You want Low E Square windows. Avoid front doors with glass or large glass or sidelites. It makes it easy for burglars. Don't depend on a burglar alarm system as police response time usually is way longer than it takes a burglar to clean you out. Opt for radiant barrier decking. It will pay for itself in just a few years. Opt for as much masonry as possible- 4 sides brick preferably. Avoid any stucco even though it's the rage these days. It doesn't last long in our Texas expansive soils and you can count on it being a maintenance nightmare. Avoid any upgrades that will date the house. Things like Granite tops have been popular but are now becoming old hat. Stainless steel is another fad going away while white is back.
That 15 thousand you mentioned. It's more likely that that will put your appraisal at max. Anything more will need to be paid for out of pocket. That 15 grand is money you do not have to spend. It's there IF you want to spend it but know that it will be tacked on the price of the home. NO, it's not free money. You'll pay it back plus interest for the next 30 years. That 15 grand will be 45 grand by the time you get it paid back. Been in the business for 56 years now. I can't caution you enough about the builders select center. It gets a lot of folks in deep financial problems, quick. Get what you need, not what you want. Everybody always wants everything and that's what the builder is taking advantage of.
Choose wisely, grasshopper.

[MurphyPl1]

TrapperL- paragraphs are your friend. It's entirely possible you have good info in your post. But I skipped the wall of text

[TheOverdog]

We liked stucco for exterior but your point is well taken. Somehow the basic brick elevation and brick/stone combo dint look very nice to us. We were thinking stucco with some stone accents.

You think bricks survive the expansive soils? Think again - or go around to the older neighborhoods and look for painted brick homes. They are the one with the *most* foundation problems. Your idea probably will look best and age best vs those really bad looking stone accents or dual brick colors that look mismatched that builders do these days.

trapperl: Avoid front doors with glass or large glass or sidelites. It makes it easy for burglars.

This is bad advice. You think glass in a front door makes it easy for a burglar? Do you mean easier than a huge glass sliding door in the back of your house that is blocked from view of your neighbors by a fence? I mean come on.

[panacea1982]

I actually prefer stucco. but the same floor plan with stucco in my subdivision cost average 30K more than brick/stone so I skipped stucco.

[emi_oasis]

Yes, we are paying 14K for stucco

Basic brick is included in home price - adding stone ranges fro, 4K to 10K - doing stucco is 14K

Originally Posted by panacea1982

I actually prefer stucco. but the same floor plan with stucco in my subdivision cost average 30K more than brick/stone so I skipped stucco.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by emi_oasis

We liked stucco for exterior but your point is well taken. Somehow the basic brick elevation and brick/stone combo dint look very nice to us. We were thinking stucco with some stone accents.

The 15K is sort of free as we negotiated it in the contract - to have 15K credits in design center, anything over that will either be added to mortgage or paid in cash. So we have to use at least 15K, no?
Even though I understand nothing is free and we probably paid for it in the house / build job base price.

We already chose the optional bed/bath upstairs which added 14K to the base price. so structural upgrades are not an option for the 15K.

our current thinking is to spend it in upgrading to quartz, extra wiring/outlets, cat5e/rg6 cabling, upgrade the cabinets, some backsplashes etc. and maybe get the same engineered hardwood in the study as well which is carpet right now.

So thats why I started the thread to know whats the best use of the 15K thats free in some sense

Upgrading your cabinets now is smart, since cabinets are very costly to change.

Be careful with the quartz...I love the look of it but I've seen some that didn't age well.

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by emi_oasis

LOL completely agree with saving the later headache.

wow from level 1 to 7?

The current engineered hardwood and kitchen granite is level 2 and master bath granite is level 1 right now.

We were thinking maybe do quartz for kitchen.. dont know what the price difference is but its based on the the internetz say quartz is non-pourous and doesnt stain and doesnt require annual resealing/maintenance?

I will have to spend some money on the CAT5e/RG6 cabling throughout the house, mounting TV requirements etc (functional upgrades)

Wife is interested in better backsplashes in kitchen / showers / fireplace, under cabinet lighting, outside lighting, and adding some glass panels to some cabinets and entry door, upgrading cabinets etc and granite in other bathrooms as well. Bigger/deeper kitchen sink and faucet upgrade, sliding door to backyard etc

Not sure how far will the 15K go.

I've been to the DC for Landon very recently with a client. The 15K will not cover everything you have listed above. You need to make your "must have" "would like to have" list before you go.

You also need to consider doing some things yourself post closing that are easy such as the fireplace tile. My clients were quoted $4700 for the tile they wanted.

Naima

[mikestrong]

If you can get your builder to give you a list of estimated upgrade costs, it would be helpful.
I made a cheat sheet for each floor plan that has every possible upgrade with "estimated" cost.
Customers love it. Its about a 15 page PDF.

[emi_oasis]

I asked a few times but to no avail builders are sneaky that way I guess.

Originally Posted by mikestrong

If you can get your builder to give you a list of estimated upgrade costs, it would be helpful.
I made a cheat sheet for each floor plan that has every possible upgrade with "estimated" cost.
Customers love it. Its about a 15 page PDF.