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We are in the process of deciding which upgrades to keep in the spec house we bought or get credit for other items like electrical stuff.
Builder has upgraded carpets in the upstairs area and the master bedroom to level 2 and the padding to level 2 also. This is a $900 upgrade for the carpet only. I am thinking of taking the level 1 carpeting and exchange them for optional lighting upgrades like adding more lights in areas that I think will be dark and more outlets.
When looking at the carpets side by side in the design center, I can see that the level 2 is more dense than level 1 although fibers look similar. Person in design center says that the level 2 will have more stain resistance. We are picking a very light colored carpet which we prefer over the other measly selections in level 1.
So my question is: do I just go with this builder's grade carpet and just replace it later? I feel that once it is on the floor it won't have much of a difference compared to the level 2 and I won't even notice it that much. We are still keeping the upgraded pad.
Or, should I just upgrade to the level 2 since it will be just a hassle to pull it out later with furniture on the floor and just a waste of money that was already included in the price of home.
Had anyone had this experience before? Please chime in and share your opinions. I just want to know if anyone regretted not doing this upgrade or you were happy that you decided to get your own carpet that you really liked at a later time.
Spend your money on the hard to do items... carpet isn't one of those. Putting the money towards electrical makes more sense. Obviously, it's better to buy the best that's available from the get-go (lasts longer, wears better, better resale, higher enjoyment, etc..), but we all have budgets to deal with.
Price it out separately. We have a second living room upstairs and our builder wanted more to put down laminate, after the credit for the builder-grade carpet, than what we ended up paying to have hardwoods put down. We hired HIS hardwood installer (who did the downstairs), who came out after we closed, ripped out the carpet and padding, and put in hardwood stained to our color choice. We also got a quote from the builder for the berber carpet that we wanted. Had Lowes come out and quote us the same carpet. Guess who came out cheaper? After closing, Lowes came out and replaced our carpet for less than the builder wanted for the upgrade. Get a second price quote on everything the builder is going to charge extra for.
Think of it this way: what things are you willing to pay for over the course of your life in the house? Spend money on the permanent things, or the things that are really, really hard to have done after the house is built. You can pretty easily replace carpet.
I crackup everytime I hear or see this "phrase". Technically, there is no such thing. The quality of the carpet is based strictly on the thread count/material.
For someone buying their first house, the BEST investment you can make regarding the carpet is to upgrade the pad. By putting the best pad available under the carpet you protect it from damage and extend its life.
Adding "cosmetic" upgrades and rolling them into the mortgage is not a "wise investment".
If I'm reading this correctly, it isn't a matter of taking that $900 and applying it to another upgrade, it's just an option for upgrading the carpet choice. If you do not upgrade, you don't have any extra funds from the builder to add other features, correct?
What I would do is first investigate upgrading to wood floors, preferably site finished wood vs engineered. You might find that the upgrade for that, even if it's just the main level, won't be much more but will give you a much greater home value. You might get a better price if you can contract with a flooring person and take the credit for the carpeting to do that, if your builder allows that. If that is not possible, upgrade the carpet, but pay out of pocket if you can. In the grand scheme of things though, $900 isn't going to make or break your overall cost of the house.
If I'm reading this correctly, it isn't a matter of taking that $900 and applying it to another upgrade, it's just an option for upgrading the carpet choice. If you do not upgrade, you don't have any extra funds from the builder to add other features, correct?
What I would do is first investigate upgrading to wood floors, preferably site finished wood vs engineered. You might find that the upgrade for that, even if it's just the main level, won't be much more but will give you a much greater home value. You might get a better price if you can contract with a flooring person and take the credit for the carpeting to do that, if your builder allows that. If that is not possible, upgrade the carpet, but pay out of pocket if you can. In the grand scheme of things though, $900 isn't going to make or break your overall cost of the house.
What other upgrades are you considering?
At this point, it will be $900 that we will shell out for the upgrade. We have pretty much used up the credits we got towards electrical items which I believe are easier to do and less costly at construction time.
The whole first floor is tiled except for the master bedroom. They are level 3 tiles and are really nice, has the look of hardwood.
Other upgrades I'm considering are:
1) adding more outlets. I would like the walls in all the bedrooms to have 2 outlets each. Outlet in the pantry, extra outlet in the utility room
2) Add more light in the powder room. It is L-shaped and has only one light by the pedestal sink and the commode area is behind a wall.
3) Add a light over tub area in 2nd bedroom. The only light source is on the vanity.
4) Extra light close to a linen closet so I can see what's in the closet. It's not a walk in closet so I wonder if I can put a light inside.
5) One more canned light in the kitchen.
Adding all of these can go over a thousand dollars.
I crackup everytime I hear or see this "phrase". Technically, there is no such thing. The quality of the carpet is based strictly on the thread count/material.
For someone buying their first house, the BEST investment you can make regarding the carpet is to upgrade the pad. By putting the best pad available under the carpet you protect it from damage and extend its life.
Adding "cosmetic" upgrades and rolling them into the mortgage is not a "wise investment".
We kept the upgraded pad, level 2. Have not really looked hard enough to know the difference. All I remember is that level 2 was thicker than level 1. Going up to level 3 will just be another $150. Might look into that.
I think at this point I've decided to keep the level 1 carpet and go with other permanent upgrades.
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