Upgrade Costs?

[goat_killer]

Wondering if anyone knew any estimated costs of upgrades for new homes? I know that not everyone will have definite dollar values but i was just wondering how much people spent on their upgrades so i'll know what to expect when i add upgrades to my new house.

Basically we're looking for a deeper color (so more coats then the basic paint job), better kitchen cabinets, and granite counter tops in the kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms.

Any info you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[benyl]

I did granite in the kitchen.
9ft ceilings on the main
Stainless steel appliances
undermount sink
More hardwood than standard.
Tile bathrooms
Heated floor in the master bath
A bunch of other little things like upgraded doors for the pantry and den, etc.

$30K or so over what was standard. Didn't need to do much more as the standard finishings were decent.

[quazimoto]

Firstly dont do the granite through the builder unless you like being ripped off. I'm yet to see a builder that doesn't over charge for it.

1) Tile in bathrooms will range from $300-$1500 for most builders. The $1500 being a nice ensuite size and the $300 being the typical half bath.

2) Darker color of paint really shouldn't cost a whole lot depending on the type of paint you are using. Most builders will have it set out in group 1,2,3,4,5 and the price will just vary through each one. You'd be looking in the $2,000 range normally for more advanced paint jobs.

3) Hardwood, really depends how much you do and how nice the wood is. Birch, oak, and maple should all be cheap. I think we ended up spending around $10,000 on hardwood and we are doing some really nice American Cherry. It will just depend on the overall amount.

4) Cabinet colors you should have a good selection through the builder for this and shouldn't be charged.

5) Spindle railing. You make sure you do this and not the nasty stub wall. It can make a house look a lot more elegant and modern. We are paying a little over $5,000 for our spindles but we have a lot of it as well.

[benyl]

Originally posted by quazimoto

5) Spindle railing. You make sure you do this and not the nasty stub wall. It can make a house look a lot more elegant and modern. We are paying a little over $5,000 for our spindles but we have a lot of it as well.

Make sure you do a proper railing. It is worth the dollars.

[Z_Fan]

Our kitchen cabinets upgrades were about $4000.00.

Unless you know someone in the granite industry, it's only going to save you about $1000.00 over the builder pricing. I measured all our granite and got 4 independent quotations on a standard granite that was readily available from all 4 granite suppliers as well as our builder. I knew the builder would be fucking me on granite, but I wanted to know by how much.

While most of those granite suppliers were in fact cheaper, the price gets fairly close after you add up Demolition, S/S undermount sink and any necessary plumbing changes. Plus you have the hassle of having your BRAND NEW house being ripped apart to take out your standard stuff - and the kitchen is out of commission while another contracter is in your house after you've got possession. IMO, YES you can get it slightly cheaper, but you'd have to be nuts IMO to go this route all in the name of saving $1000 (or so) when you're purchasing a house that's $430,000.00 or perhaps MUCH more. So, just the other side of the coin. $1000 is not worth the hassle in my books - but I looked in to it anyhow because hey, I thought I could save some money - but it's not worth it for me. I think the builders price it about $1000-$1500 more than what you could get it elsewhere for so they can fuck you pretty reasonably but still be in the range where people will buy it because they don't want the hassle - at least, people who are serious about wanting granite...but let's face it, the bulider is fucking you on pretty much everything.

Anyhow, our house had $50k in options. That's if you include things like Upper Floor Laundry, Bonus Room Vaulting, 9 Foot Main, 9 Foot Basements, 9 Foot Uppers, Garage Extensions, Add'l Hardwood, Upgraded Carpet, Window Upgrades, Door Upgrades, Railing Spindles, Etc. Etc. Etc. We know someone who bought the SAME house and had $70k in options. Ugh.

I'd say if you pick your structural options immediately and they are all in the signing, then you'd still be easily able to spend $20-$30k at your design centre - but it does depend on what they give you as standards.

[Czar]

We're just building a house now. A good rule of thumb seems to be 10% of the house price.

My our case, we got totally screwed for our potlight upgrades ($225 per light + $65 per light to install).. :(

[sputnik]

Just something to consider before you go hog wild over upgrades.

Make sure you get the upgrades that you actually want in your house, because you really won't the upgrade costs back when you try to sell the house. So upgrading in hopes to increase the value of your house isn't a good idea.

[redblack]

When i built my place we had about 55k worth of upgrades. It adds up really fast

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by goat_killer
Basically we're looking for a deeper color (so more coats then the basic paint job), better kitchen cabinets, and granite counter tops in the kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms.

Any info you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Are you looking to paint the entire house in the deeper color or just an accent wall?

I used to work with a major builder in Calgary... upgrade to darker wall color was a 50c per sq ft upgrade... a little ridiculous if you ask me... I'm a painter and even I don't charge that much... not even close... lol...

Granite tops depend on what type of granite you want... it can range from $3K - $10K+ depending on the size of your kitchen and the type of granite.

Undermount sinks start around $200 for the basic... and go up in price depending on what you want.

If you need an accent wall painted, just give me a shout and I will do it after possession for much less than what the builder will charge you... ;)

[goat_killer]

Thanks for all the great info guys!

And masoncgy I'll keep you in mind!

[quazimoto]

I wonder what builder you went with. The granite cost might depend a lot on the builder/size/etc. Our builder quoted us $7,500 for the granite and we found a couple companies where the price was $3,000-$3,500. It also depends on the thickness of granite you want. You can do thinner granite and save a good amount of coin.

[Chandler_Racing]

Originally posted by benyl
I did granite in the kitchen.
9ft ceilings on the main
Stainless steel appliances
undermount sink
More hardwood than standard.
Tile bathrooms
Heated floor in the master bath
A bunch of other little things like upgraded doors for the pantry and den, etc.

$30K or so over what was standard. Didn't need to do much more as the standard finishings were decent.

I have basically the same upgrades on the main floor for the same price minus the heated floors, but got ceiling heights between 9-14 feet, all pot lights, and two skylights.

1250sq feet basement development cost an additional 40k.

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by Chandler_Racing
1250sq feet basement development cost an additional 40k.

If that includes the complete bathroom development as part of the package, that is a good deal... especially with a builder.

:thumbsup:

[ZorroAMG]

Originally posted by quazimoto
Firstly dont do the granite through the builder unless you like being ripped off. I'm yet to see a builder that doesn't over charge for it.



Builder upgrades are only a good idea because they are hassle free and can be added into the mortgage instead of paying out of pocket cash.

[Chandler_Racing]

Originally posted by masoncgy


If that includes the complete bathroom development as part of the package, that is a good deal... especially with a builder.

:thumbsup:

There is a bathroom, no tub though in the basement.