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We had to go and select our floors yesterday. The builder has only so many choices, so we did not like any of the level 1 oak, hardwood colors (very light) and also the fact that they are narrow strips and we like wide planks.
So level 2 you can hardwood but they are little wider than level 1. and we has a choice of darker color I believe it was mocha which was shiny and the floor rep said that the builder discontinued because too many scratches could be seen on that color, but he could still get it for us ($200-$500 more than level 1)
then we saw level 3, which had dark colors and wide planks but the floors rep said that wider hardwood floors cup and something else that that don't have longer warranties or something but the builder would cover it.
Then he showed us engineered hardwood (level 3) wide 5" planks and were had the hand-scraped look and in dark colors. We really loved it and went with that.($1500-$2000 more than level 1)
for the rooms that we selected level 1 was coming out to be about $4800, level 2 was about $$5600 and level 3 about $ 6800.
Now I am thinking did we make the right choice going with engineered floors.
Bruce is probably the standard by which almost every flooring contractor uses for pre-finished flooring. That in itself speaks volumes.
As for the pricing; you'll need to do some math but it's relatively easy to figure a sq/ft price with one material by backing out the standard over the upgrade price.
Your locations sound pretty typical except for the mud room- wouldn't tile be more appropriate?
As for price point- I wasn't actually meaning the sale price (sale prices for "X" house can vary all across the country) but, if this house is in your zip Odessa, DE that price puts you in the top bracket of price point. So, is adding these upgrades common within this price point? Or could you be pricing yourself out of the market?
Only your buyer agent will know for sure; they're the ones who have the pulse of what the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are. And if you don't have a buyers agent, and you've already signed the contract well...
Good luck-
Although new housing is starting to turn the wheel again, it's not what it used to be- nor will it ever. So, even today negotiating power is "King"! And that's what good buyer agents do!
We had to go and select our floors yesterday. The builder has only so many choices, so we did not like any of the level 1 oak, hardwood colors (very light) and also the fact that they are narrow strips and we like wide planks.
So level 2 you can hardwood but they are little wider than level 1. and we has a choice of darker color I believe it was mocha which was shiny and the floor rep said that the builder discontinued because too many scratches could be seen on that color, but he could still get it for us ($200-$500 more than level 1)
then we saw level 3, which had dark colors and wide planks but the floors rep said that wider hardwood floors cup and something else that that don't have longer warranties or something but the builder would cover it.
Then he showed us engineered hardwood (level 3) wide 5" planks and were had the hand-scraped look and in dark colors. We really loved it and went with that.($1500-$2000 more than level 1)
for the rooms that we selected level 1 was coming out to be about $4800, level 2 was about $$5600 and level 3 about $ 6800.
Now I am thinking did we make the right choice going with engineered floors.
You should have picked the CHEAPEST floors included in the base price of the home and then RIPPED THEM OUT after settlement. The builder markeup on flooring and upgrades is ridiculous. You would save THOUSANDS going to a flooring store instead.
If it is a new home I hope that when it was built they used modern methods..that consist of "glue and screw" Meaning that the plywood under the underlay is screwed and glued to the joists. This provides a floor that will last forever and never move or squeak...as for engineered floors...providing you have a good base as I just mentioned - use the real thing...
Go back and fix your error.
Even if you will put carpet down... have real hardwood floors.
So you're saying you'd rather have carpet than engineered hardwood floors?? I disagree. I really have no idea why so many people are against engineered hardwoods. The top layer (and not a typical veneer-thing layer entire) is solid, real hardwood. We got ours done and love them. They sound the same as hardwood (ie not like laminate), and ours is thick enough to be sanded and refinished once (i know because I have helped a friend do his a couple months ago now) which should be PLENTY seeing how we have 0 visible scratches on the floor from us or our dog 8 months later. We also were able to get a wider plank than we would have been able to in a solid floor with the length of runs we needed. For all intents and purposes, engineered hardwood is "real hardwood" and can be listed as such on an MLS listing; it's just not a solid SLAB of real hardwood
I doubt 95% of the people who we could bring into our house would be able to tell the difference between pre-finished solid hardwood and the pre-finished engineered we have down. The people that installed our floors also just installed several thousand square feet up at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville (really nice hotel) and they had a guy come back out and take pics of our house to use a few weeks after installation because they liked the Birch product we picked so much and they do floors in a lot of nice houses for a living.
What horrific drawbacks do people on here foresee other than not being able to sand and refinish multiple times? (and really, people put WAY too much emphasis on that...how many of you have put down floors and then sanded and refinished them multiple times while living in the house?).
I really don't understand.
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