The framers finished up and headed out today. They left their mark on the house. Since I'd been taking pictures every day they probably guessed I'd get a kick out of this.The roofing crew was also at it bright and early today. The shingles came in and they wasted no time in tarpapering and moving the shingles up.
The garage doors came in and were installed.
Windows? Also installed.
French doors? Of course!
Front door? Check!
And, the boys' favorite part, the steps to the basement.
I don't want to get into your financial situation but... Did they really stick you with upgrade costs? I hear the classic or basic is really reasonably prices but to go to any other upgrades they price shoots through the roof.
ReplyDeletereally looking forward to seeing the finished home.
ReplyDeleteBefore I get into upgrades, I'll give you some completely unsolicited advice. Know what your spending cap is. Knock off around $10000 for unexpected expenses. We live in the country, so my number was higher- I took off $30000 for things like permits, septic & well, additional stone. This stuff can add up quickly! Did I set aside too much? Possibly. But I'd rather have too much in reserve than not enough. That gives you a good working budget.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go in to talk w/ one of the salespeople they will tell you about the current incentive package. This can also be found on their website or FB page. When we signed it was $10,000 off the top. Soon after it was getting the Signature upgrades included in the Classic cost. I think both were very good deals.
The first time you go through pricing your home, you'll get a very detailed printout of the options you choose and how much they cost. We went through ours with a fine-tooth comb and made changes. Heck, we made changes right up until our dig date. The staff is very good at working with you during pricing.
Okay- back to the upgrades. I don't necessarily think of it as sticking it to you, but there are definitely costs to upgrade anything. In one of my older posts I talked about wants vs needs, and this definitely came into play with us. A lot of the upgrades are cosmetic. Some we found were worth the money (ORB hardware, larger trim) and some were not (lighting package, granite countertops). We also went with inexpensive floors because that can easily be changed later, and I know my kids are going to be hard on them. A lot of our upgrade money went into structural changes, which would be difficult and very costly to change later. Our biggest upgrade expense was the Craftsman exterior. It added quite a bit of cost, but we really liked it, and it won't look like everyone elses house. I have seen some base models with "Craftsman elements" which also look really nice but wouldn't cost as much.
Again- work with your salesperson. They do this every day and really are a wealth of information.
Kudos to your roofers! It's been a year now and I hope you're not experiencing any problems with the installation of the shingles. You must conduct regular maintenance for your roof to make sure it won't cause bigger expenses in the future. How are you now? Did you move in already?
ReplyDeleteBelia Saltzman @ AmericasChoiceRoofers.com