Home Upgrades Advice

[anarchy]

I'm meeting with my Sales Manager tomorrow to pick out the upgrades for my townhouse but am torn on a couple items.

For stainless steel appliances, it costs $1,999 to upgrade. This includes an upgrade to a ceran top stove compared to coil, and they also give me an over the range microwave/hoodfan. I want to do this but my concern is that with the microwave above the range, it'll be very difficult to clean with all the oil and gunk.

Anyone have any experience with this and whether its an issue?

Also, it's $3000 to upgrade to a fireplace. It adds a lot to the look of my home and I've been told that's not too much for a fireplace, but not sure whether I'd need it. Will it be worth it for the resale of my home?

[sputnik]

$3000 is a good price for a fireplace. Most realtors add $3000-5000 for a fireplace when selling, so that would be a good investment.

$2000 for stainless steel appliances is a bit sketch. Either they are ripping you off, or the base appliances are REALLY crappy. I would get the model numbers of both sets and do some price comparisons to see if you are getting your moneys worth on that upgrade.

[Doozer]

We upgraded from the base appliances that the builder included, but we didn't go to stainless steel. We were able to find nice black appliances that matched the look of our home, and were cheaper than stainless. Additionally, our son likes playing with fridge magnets and they don't stick to stainless steel!

Our builder actually let us pick out our own appliances, as long as it was from their supplier - I think it was Trail - and gave us the value of the base units towards whatever we picked. I think this was the best option, and I'd recommend seeing if you can do that.

You definitely want to upgrade from whatever the builder gives you as the base model. Generally those things are the lowest/cheapest garbage they can get.

[TKRIS]

^That's what I've done in both my houses. Get them to cover the cost of the base appliances. Make sure you get them to get the store (Trail, whatever) to give you their builder prices. You can typically get 35% or so off the advertised prices from a place like Trail if you get the builder's discount.

Also, get a fridge with the freezer in the bottom.

[masoncgy]

Is $3,000 for the gas fireplace on it's own or does it come with some of tile surround or a maple/oak mantle? I would assume it's just the fireplace itself, but thought I'd ask.

That is a pretty standard price for a fireplace upgrade in a new home. If you are getting any other tile work done in the home, see if you can spend the few extra bucks and upgrade to a tile surround... it makes a big difference and is worth the extra.

Over-The-Range (OTR) microwaves are a standard feature in today's homes and are sought after in the resale market, so I would get one installed, no question. It's no more difficult to clean/maintain than a regular hoodfan.

Stainless steel isn't a critical upgrade for the most part as many people prefer black, it's stylish and easier to manage.

I agree with TKRIS... upgrade to a bottom freezer refrigerator, another highly regarded upgrade. Can't go wrong there at all.

Ceramic top stove is less critical to have, some purchasers don't like them, some do. If you prefer this style, go for the upgrade.

Some builders allow the homeowner to receive credit for the base appliances and then supply their own on possession, so check into your options before you commit to any of the changes.

[anarchy]

Thanks for the advice guys.

My builder is Cardel and this is for a townhouse, so my options in upgrading are very much limited compared to a Single Family Home. I don't have the option to choose my own appliances or go to their supplier and get my own.

Basically, they provide me with their basic appliances, I can choose to have them in white or black at no extra cost. For $2,000, I can upgrade to stainless steel and that will include an OTR Microwave and my stove becomes ceran top. My fridge remains a regular 18 CF fridge.

To upgrade the stainless steel fridge to a 21 CF side by side fridge, it's an additional $1,500 which I don't plan on doing. I don't believe any option has bottom freezer.

The reason why I'm not just going for the standard black appliances is because my colors are already quite dark (dark maple cabinets, black granite, dark hardwood floors), so stainless steel would be a welcome contrast. The OTR microwave was a cleaning concern but from the sounds of it, it's not that bad so I'll probably take that route.

As for the fireplace, for $3,000 I also get one row of ceramic tile as well. Mosaic tile around the fireplace is an addtional $430. I think I may pass on the fireplace as I don't see myself using it too much.

[lint]

The fireplace is worth it for resale value alone.

[quazimoto]

It's worth it unless it makes a small living room much harder to use. I find most builders position fire places poorly in living rooms. I mean seriously these corner fireplaces are very unpractical.

The house we are building has a fireplace built into the side of the house and a column of slate stone that goes all the way up to the ceiling. The builder is nice enough to let us custom the stone to the point where we can mount a LCD tv right above the fireplace and have all electrical and wiring needed for the tv, hdmi, cable, AV lines, component lines, etc.

Just make sure its not going to screw the design of the room up and make it harder to use. Having a TV beside a fireplace looks just plain ugly.

[masoncgy]

^ Most corner fireplaces, surrounding building material & top capping only reach up half the wall, and the remaining space can be cheaply upgraded to have cable/electrical outlets for placement of a television.

We used to sell a entry-level model that had the fireplace flat on the wall with the TV niche next to it... looked stupid and was a slow seller as a result.

I agree about the need for a fireplace in small square footage homes... if you only have 500-600 sq ft on the main floor, that fireplace is going to take up valuable living space, so think of furniture placements!

[Masked Bandit]

Cardel eh? That's too bad.


As for the appliances, DO NOT GET A BLACK CERAN TOP stove. I thought it would look great but it's a royal pain in the ass to keep clean and looking nice. To do it again I would just stick with white.

[atgilchrist]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
Cardel eh? That's too bad.


As for the appliances, DO NOT GET A BLACK CERAN TOP stove. I thought it would look great but it's a royal pain in the ass to keep clean and looking nice. To do it again I would just stick with white.

Do you use the glass ceramic cleaner? It's like a cream that polishes the stove top and makes it look brand new with minimal effort. I'm almost positive some voodoo magic is at work.

OP, I love the OTR microwave, as it leaves your counters that much less cluttered. IMHO, a worthwhile upgrade.

[Masked Bandit]

Originally posted by atgilchrist


Do you use the glass ceramic cleaner? It's like a cream that polishes the stove top and makes it look brand new with minimal effort. I'm almost positive some voodoo magic is at work.

OP, I love the OTR microwave, as it leaves your counters that much less cluttered. IMHO, a worthwhile upgrade.

Ya, we've got the cleaner but the biggest issue is for a black surface, every little mark or smudge shows up. If we got the white or cream you could just wipe it down with a dish cloth daily and then hit it with the cream once a week or something instead.

If kitchen space is limited then I think the OTR microwave is a great way to go to save counter space.

[HRD2PLZ]

I'd go with the fireplace for sure. And, with the colors you have in your kitchen, I'd go with the stainless appliances as well. Black appliances in an already dark kitchen can look drab. An OTR is really nice in a townhouse because it clears up so much counter space that a microwave would generally take up.

[quazimoto]

White appliances only look nice if you splurge on nice appliances. I find the basic white appliances look very ghetto.

As for the fire place like I said if its a corner fire place in a smaller space then don't do it. You literally want one in a side wall where you can simply build a spot to mount a TV above it. Those corner fire places can really kill the design of a living room.

[canadian_hustla]

I bought and sold a condo with Cardel and I totally recommend the following:

Must haves:
- Fireplace - absolutely positively must have. Great when it gets cold out, great ambience.
- upgraded 12x12 diagonal tile backsplash in the kitchen
- 12x12 tile in the bathrooms
- wood floors
- tile entrance
- BBQ outlet on the patio
- overhead microwave+hood fan (keeps your counter WAY cleaner and not as cluttered)

[canadian_hustla]

also get the free upgrade to black appliances. white looks cheap and shitty

[canadian_hustla]

triple post lol.

don't get stainless steel. it is a waste and doesn't handle very good against fingerprints

[quazimoto]

Mleh you can buy stainless steel that is coated so finger prints never show up. That's what we have and it looks awesome.

Upgraded back splash is one of the biggest rip offs in homes these days. I'm never really going to understand it and it quite simply doesn't make sense. Nice tiny small tiles cost a lot more to install yet for some reason the builder charges you more to put 12x12 tile there. I know with beattie some of our standard options the tile is $20 or so per SQ foot. Yet it costs more money to install 12x12 tile where the tile is maybe $3 per sq ft.

I'd also skip ceramic in the entrance way. Do as much hardwood as humanly possible. Many people do not like ceramic at all. You'll find a lot of people find it extremely hard and cold. Hardwood with area rugs is always the way to go.

[canadian_hustla]

Originally posted by quazimoto
Mleh you can buy stainless steel that is coated so finger prints never show up. That's what we have and it looks awesome.

Upgraded back splash is one of the biggest rip offs in homes these days. I'm never really going to understand it and it quite simply doesn't make sense. Nice tiny small tiles cost a lot more to install yet for some reason the builder charges you more to put 12x12 tile there. I know with beattie some of our standard options the tile is $20 or so per SQ foot. Yet it costs more money to install 12x12 tile where the tile is maybe $3 per sq ft.

I'd also skip ceramic in the entrance way. Do as much hardwood as humanly possible. Many people do not like ceramic at all. You'll find a lot of people find it extremely hard and cold. Hardwood with area rugs is always the way to go.


i somewhat agree however if you have seen cardel's 6x6 shitty white tiles you would understand why it is better to upgrade to the 12x12

[quazimoto]

That's why I wouldn't build with Cardel though simply because their standards are crap. If anything ask them how much money they'd give you if you do the backsplash yourself. I mean backsplash is a super easy install.

[tictactoe2004]

Originally posted by quazimoto
That's why I wouldn't build with Cardel though simply because their standards are crap. If anything ask them how much money they'd give you if you do the backsplash yourself. I mean backsplash is a super easy install.

I'd never buy a Cardel home again... I've given up on trying to get them to fix anything under warranty. Terrible, terrible, terrible and i'm in one of their nicest models they build.

Never again with Cardel..

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by quazimoto
Upgraded back splash is one of the biggest rip offs in homes these days. I'm never really going to understand it and it quite simply doesn't make sense. Nice tiny small tiles cost a lot more to install yet for some reason the builder charges you more to put 12x12 tile there. I know with beattie some of our standard options the tile is $20 or so per SQ foot. Yet it costs more money to install 12x12 tile where the tile is maybe $3 per sq ft.

There's far more waste involved in an 'executive' tile installation, which is why the cost is increased. However, it's a total cash grab on the part of the builder. These sorts of upgrades are where they make a good chunk of money.

At the builder I worked for, basic backsplash was a 6x6 off-white tile. Upgrade to builder's standard 12x12 was $10 sq ft extra, and then a $700 charge for 'executive' tile package, so that you can have the off-set/45 degree/etc installation.

A rip off of epic proportions... ;)



Originally posted by quazimoto
I'd also skip ceramic in the entrance way. Do as much hardwood as humanly possible. Many people do not like ceramic at all. You'll find a lot of people find it extremely hard and cold. Hardwood with area rugs is always the way to go.

Disagree. Tiled entrances are by far more popular simply due to durability. Hardwood scratches, gets ridges, warps & buckles under entrance way traffic. Lots of moisture, lots of movement, that's why tile is the preferred choice... it's easy to clean, very durable and gives some contrast to the adjacent living space.

In fact, almost all of my former clients upgraded their entrance ways to tile. Hardwood installs in that area were virtually non-existent. It was always either lino or tile in the entrance ways.

Plus, most hardwood is that pre-finished stuff that is very difficult to sand down and re-stain. It's not like the old school hardwood boards... different product.