Home & Garden Building A New Home: Follow From The Beginning

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#61
dr. twiggers said:
Thanks k2....I agree re plugs! Right now it is looking like at least 1 plug on every wall in the house!!

luved - That is good to know re pendant lighting....I thought it might be really complicated. I will ask about them possibly just wiring it and then blocking it off (like they do for ceiling fans) to save money later :smile: Regarding the blinds...they are just a standard feature and I'm fine with them....TBH, it's one less thing to worry about when moving in and then I can upgrade later (I want wood plantation shutters). But good to know re price matching!
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Double that number for your living room and bedroom. I'm looking at just my TV wall right now and I count 6 electronics (stereo, TV, DVR, DVD, Wii, lamp). Or, think about areas that will have heavy use, and ask them to install some 4 plugs instead of 2 plugs in those areas. You'll have to think of this beforehand, because it requires a different box in the wall to accomodate the 4 plugs.
 
#62
lol k2...we have one of those big Monster cable things for our TV area! I think it has 8 plugs and we use up every one of them. But that is a good point to ask for extras in those heavy use areas. Sometimes those power strips have big plugs that fill up everything!
 
#63
dr. twiggers said:
Thanks Mree!!! I'm excited for this part....I don't know that it will take 2 hours, I pretty much know what I want already. Just need to choose the colors and be on my way.
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Twiggers, that is great that you pretty much already know you want. Sometimes, all the options can be overwhelming. I helped my mom when she was building her place and there were times were she was completely overwhelmed. She did a few upgrades too. Her main concern was her closets! HA! She did custom closets in every closet and they really came out awesome! In fact, I love her closets. Planning those was so much work, never realized how many different ways you could design a closet.

Best of luck to you!!!
 
#64
Swanky Mama Of Three said:
Be patient about the outlets, they have to be a specific number of feet from doorways, from one another, etc. . . Make sure your thermostat is in a room that you want very accurate temp control in. They'll pop them in wherever they want and it's not always a smart location due to ceiling height, near a door, etc. . .

A thing to keep in mind about choosing which upgrades is resale value. If you aren't planning on being in the home a long time and you know you'll be selling in the next so many years then choosing certain things could be more important than you think.
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There are very few things that I would change in my house, but that is my number 1! The thermostat is in the living room between the front door and fireplace. It is a pain to keep temps maintained.
 
#65
One advice I'll give is go there during construction and make friends with them. I was able to get the electrician put extra wiring drops all around the house for free. We just bought them a case of beer ( hopefully they don't drink it on the job ;) ). Also, if you're particular about where exactly your chandeliers go, make sure you mark it on the ceiling. It's a fun process. Good luck with everything.
 
#66
Thanks Cool! I didn't think about marking things for lights and stuff.

Beer is a great suggestion LOL

Mree - I would love custom closets one day....I think this is the problem with a production builder, you don't have a ton of customization available. Well, at least at our price point!
 
#67
I have always been told to upgrade the padding on carpet. My thoughts on this are why bother to spend the extra money on the padding when the carpet is still builder grade. I'd rather not spend any money on the carpets through the builder, then replace them when they start to look worn. The upgraded padding doesn't increase the longevity of the carpet.
 
#68
Hubby and BIL are SO hard on carpets....and I know the way we are...we won't want to replace because of the hassle/expense. So I'm thinking a 1K upgrade might not be too bad if it buys us a couple extra years.

I'm hoping that I can go at least 5 years before having to start doing repairs/replacements.

Of course we'll have the painting, little touches....but then I just want to kick back and enjoy. I'm not really a DIYer.
 
#69
Tomorrow is design center day!!! I have to work late (I really can't afford this 4-5 hours that this whole thing will take - beginning of the semester is always rough)....so I'll try to post either tomorrow night or the next day.

We have been assigned a consultant for two hours and they asked us to fill out a little questionnaire.

Little do they know the amount of research I've done....I hope to be in and out pretty quick. There really aren't a lot of upgrades to go through.
 
#70
dr. twiggers said:
Tomorrow is design center day!!! I have to work late (I really can't afford this 4-5 hours that this whole thing will take - beginning of the semester is always rough)....so I'll try to post either tomorrow night or the next day.

We have been assigned a consultant for two hours and they asked us to fill out a little questionnaire.

Little do they know the amount of research I've done....I hope to be in and out pretty quick. There really aren't a lot of upgrades to go through.
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The design appointments are always so much fun, Don't forget to enjoy it!!
 
#71
I'll try....it's a bit annoying since I have to drive to Dallas for it, which means over an hour in traffic each way :sad: Hopefully they don't try to do too much hard selling of the upgrades.
 
#72
The visit at the design center went smoothly. We were in and out in just over an hour.

Here are some pics:

We went with a lighter granite to contrast the dark cabinets. I didn't want to go all dark in the kitchen.

photo.jpg


We upgraded to the brick pattern tumbled marble backsplash. I didn't choose a really light color because I wanted some contrast against the granite. So we went for a medium color. This was a $550 upgrade.

counter.jpg


We chose a ceramic tile that had some depth to it. Not just a flat boring beige. It is a lighter color that has some gold/brown within. A nice complement with the cabinets. We will have tile in the kitchen, entry, breakfast nook, bathrooms, and utility room. We did pay a $200 upgrade fee for them to do the tile in a diagonal pattern in the master bath floor and shower surround. I couldn't justify the price for the rest of the house.

kitchen.jpg


I elected a darker grout to hide any dirt! I will seal the grout every year though.

tilegrout.jpg


Here is a pic of everything we chose:

everything.jpg


We opted for a level 2 carpet, which was $1000.

everythingbig.jpg


The last things we did were to add two ceiling fans to bedroom 2 and 3 (comes standard in family room & master). We also went with clean steel appliances. Turns out stainless was a whole lot more and I was trying to stay under budget. We've had clean steel before and like the look of them.

Our consultant was very helpful. Turns out this center does the design for 30 builders!!!! There was SO much stuff in there....it would have been fun to pick out every last detail, but I'm glad we were in and out.
 
#73
A few other notes:

We came in $400 under budget so our final contract price was under 135K, which was great!

Mortgage guy was calling all day asking for docs. Just for an explanation of employment history (I don't have 2 years at current job, but have been training for career for 11 years) and residency history. So at least it sounds like it is working its way toward underwriting. He said he ran the number on a lower salary and our ratios were good, so I'm not too worried.

I need to contact builder about electrical outlets, etc. I was thinking of having them install the TV outlets halfway up the wall. We have a 60" flat screen that we will eventually mount on the wall. Yay or nay?

Also need to check on outside electrical outlets....could always use more outside for decorations. And on garden hose connections. I want one in the front and back.

The start order should be here in about 10 days!
 
#74
Not sure if anyone cares, but here are the specifics of everything in the home, in terms of colors and brands:

Cabinets - Seacrest 36" square recessed flat panel (twilight)
Carpet - Main Event 503 Briarwood
Granite - Crema Pearl Bullnose edge
Ceramic - BX01 - Bone 12"
Grout - #135 Mushroom
Backsplash - T311 Noce 3x6 tumbled marble
Exterior paint (trim) - SW7032 Warm Stone
 
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