CHOOSING UPGRADES IN A NEWBUILD

The day I had been planning for all summer finally came! We chose our design upgrades for our new home a few weeks ago, and we surprisingly kept within our budget! We spent significantly less time deliberating our choices for our first new-build house. This was because the timeframe in which we got our townhome was was much shorter (so we didn't have time to deliberate), and because we had a much smaller budget (of about $300), so choices were limited. We're hopeful that our second house will be our "forever home," so we decided to put a little more money into it and intend on doing some more custom renovations after we close.

When designing a new-build, not only do you have to decide on specific finishes (i.e., cabinets, tiles, cupboards  etc.), but you also have to decide on what areas you are willing to pay extra money to upgrade (i.e., add fireplace, add hardwood, etc). Builders generally charge waaaay more for upgrades than what you would typically pay to install upgrades yourself after you close. However, by going through a builder, you pay for the convenience of having a "move-in ready" home. Additionally, by upgrading through the builder, you may have the option to add the costs to your mortgage. A few thousand dollars divided over 25 years seems much more affordable than out-of-pocket after close.

When choosing upgrades, the best options, in my opinion, are things that will be harder or more costly to change after you close. We also evaluated our choices based on the price vs. how positive an an impact it would have on the home. Below are the options we went with and our reasoning for how we decided it was worth it to pay extra for them:

First Floor

• Smooth ceiling on ground floor - $1,000 (will give a cleaner look to the space and we can avoid the mess of a DIY popcorn ceiling removal after close) 
• Install hardwood flooring in lieu of tiles in entryway and kitchen to match rest of the hardwood home - $1,200 (the space will flow better; rooms will look bigger when they are not broken up by different flooring)
• "Carrara" style interior doors in lieu of standard doors - $275 (inexpensive upgrade that will make the home look more custom and modern)
• Square pickets on stairs in lieu of included round pickets - $100 (gives a more modern look to the staircase)
• Gas fireplace - $3,000 (self explanatory!) 

Kitchen

• Upgraded kitchen cabinetry and layout - includes fridge gables, extended upper cabinets, under-cabinet valance and pots and pans drawer - $6,000  (easier /more cost-efficient to upgrade now rather than buy and replace cupboards after close)
• Gas rough in for future gas stove - $600 
• Delete cabinet above stove for exhaust fan - $100 

Second Floor

• Rail and picket in lieu of knee wall in upstairs hall - $500 (opens up the space in hallway)
• Hardwood flooring in hall - $1,100 (hardwood will be easier to keep clean as hallway is a high traffic area)

Ensuite 

• Double vanity - $1,000
• Increase vanity height to kitchen counter height - $270 (more custom look)
• Upgrade cabinet style - $280 (cabinets look more high end) 
• Install quartz countertop - $1,700 (price of quartz comparable to market value)
• Upgrade tile grout colour - $70 (expensive for grout, but will better match tile and is much less money than upgrading tiles)

Main Bath

• Upgrade cabinet style - $60 (wanted a black vanity which wasn't an option in the cheaper line)
• Install quartz countertop - $1,300 (price of quartz comparable to market value)

Countdown: 249 days (approx. 8 months)

Talk to you later,