Cypress Village - Options

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My kids are still young.  Most of the traffic will be on Jeffrey Road with students coming down from the overcrowded Stonegate community.
 
Hi Chairman,

Welcome to TI and Mulberry.  I?m in the Mulberry also.  I got a plan 2 and just completed all the stages from IP design center.

Regarding to your options:

Pre-wire for surround sound:  I did not choose this because I not sue if I want surround sound or not.  I can always do it after with outside contractor or use wireless speakers.

Solid Core Interior Door:  This would be a good option to have but at the end I decided not to have it.  I have hollow regular interior doors for many years and no problem with it. 

Frameless Tub Enclosure on 2nd bathroom:  I opt. out and decided to do it after with outside contractor.

Double-Sided, Mirrored French Wardrobe Door:  I want it but wife don?t like mirror facing the bedroom.  It would be fine if its only one-sided and facing the interior of closet. 

Optional Pot and Pan Drawers:  Did not chose it.  Worried about the quality and its kind of pricey.

Additional outlet and whole house insulation:  I add 2 more outlets in the garage for possible future use.  I also chose the whole house insulation, it is one of good option to have and it?s really hard to do it after.
 
qwerty said:
Chairman said:
Hi qwerty,

I did a rough approximate count of doors (not including bi-pass closet doors) and came up with 4 downstairs (garage, door under stairs, pantry (not sure on this one), bathroom) and 5 (3 bedrooms, 1 laundry, and 1 master bathroom toilet) upstairs. Also don't know how many panels will be on the door. I think the standard ones have 2?

What is your take on the surround sound 5.1 pre-wiring price? Seems really high for some wires and I am on the fence about doing it. Although $840 deceptively starts to look like a miniscule number when you add on numerous other options that are in the $2,500 plus.

I'm trying to go with the options here that I feel add more value to the home and are things behind dry wall.

$100 for solid core doors sounds fine to me. even if you can get them for 50-60 after escrow (not even sure how much they cost) then you have to pay someone to install them and then you spent more than $100 per door. with the electrical, 840 for the prewire may sounds on the higher side but when you consider you will end up spending upwards of $500 (if not more) after escrow plus possibly voiding warranties, its not wort it.

just do all the things you said through the builder. you are buying a $900K+ home, you should not cheap out on things you want.  you didnt mention lighting, i would highly recommend getting recessed lighting throughout the house as well

Thanks for your feedback. I did 2 pre-wire pendant lights over the kitchen, 1 pre-wire for hanging light over the dining area, 3 pre-wires for ceiling fans in the bedrooms. Have 4 canned lights in master bedroom. Trying to get info on doing 2 canned lights in 2nd and 3rd bedrooms since my friend said if the bucket can take LED lights then you only need 2 vs 4. 2 canned lights is cheaper than doing 4 and with LED lighting it will be really bright according to my friend. The IP buckets might not allow dimmer LED lights. Can anyone confirm this?
I also noticed on my design center site, they removed the option for 2 canned lights. Interesting...
 
Other than pre-wire for ceiling fans and lights, are there any other locations you would add additional outlets and why?
 
Chairman said:
Other than pre-wire for ceiling fans and lights, are there any other locations you would add additional outlets and why?

you are already getting one for your water softener, i would recommend a dedicated outlet/circuit for a fridge in the garage.
 
what do most people store in the second fridge in the garage? I've never had that growing up so just curious. Bigger families require more food storage than just one fridge?
 
Chairman said:
what do most people store in the second fridge in the garage? I've never had that growing up so just curious. Bigger families require more food storage than just one fridge?

- extra milk
- drinks
- frozen dog food - bones must be a good dog owner
- frozen food (costco chimichangas/ costco burritos/costco cheeseburgers/ bagel bites/battered taquitos)
- leftovers
- ice cream
 
bones said:
qwerty said:
Chairman said:
what do most people store in the second fridge in the garage? I've never had that growing up so just curious. Bigger families require more food storage than just one fridge?

- extra milk
- drinks
- frozen dog food - bones must be a good dog owner
- frozen food (costco chimichangas/ costco burritos/costco cheeseburgers/ bagel bites/battered taquitos)
- leftovers
- ice cream

You too!  I feed JFFD from newport. What do u feed?

i just read an article on CNBC today on how dogs eat better than kids and it refers to JFFD http://www.cnbc.com/id/101020237

i use my perfect pethttp://www.myperfectpetfood.com/docs/datasheet_StandardBlends.pdf

i get the boomers blend, all human grade ingredients, been buying it for about 4-5 years now. one of my little guys had a weight problem, nothing worked (i was already walking them 2-3 miles a day), i switched over to this stuff on a co-workers recommendation and the weight came right off and have used it ever since.

 
bones said:
qwerty said:
Chairman said:
what do most people store in the second fridge in the garage? I've never had that growing up so just curious. Bigger families require more food storage than just one fridge?

- extra milk
- drinks
- frozen dog food - bones must be a good dog owner
- frozen food (costco chimichangas/ costco burritos/costco cheeseburgers/ bagel bites/battered taquitos)
- leftovers
- ice cream

You too!  I feed JFFD from newport. What do u feed?

i just read an article on CNBC today on how dogs eat better than kids and it refers to JFFD http://www.cnbc.com/id/101020237

i use my perfect pethttp://www.myperfectpetfood.com/docs/datasheet_StandardBlends.pdf

i get the boomers blend, all human grade ingredients, been buying it for about 4-5 years now. one of my little guys had a weight problem, nothing worked (i was already walking them 2-3 miles a day), i switched over to this stuff on a co-workers recommendation and the weight came right off and have used it ever since.

 
Anyone know how much it typically costs to install a farmhouse sink over a preexisting counter top they would have to cut in order to fit it in? Anyone done this before?
 
qwerty said:
Chairman said:
what do most people store in the second fridge in the garage? I've never had that growing up so just curious. Bigger families require more food storage than just one fridge?

- extra milk
- drinks
- frozen dog food - bones must be a good dog owner
- frozen food (costco chimichangas/ costco burritos/costco cheeseburgers/ bagel bites/battered taquitos)
- leftovers
- ice cream

I have 2 kids and a second fridge is an absolute must.  When I grew up in Lake Forest with the full driveway and 3-car garages, I don't know any family that didn't have a fridge in the garage.  Some families even had a 3rd fridge in the garage.

Just wait until you have kids, your first fridge will be all their stuff from chicken nuggets, baby food, milk bottles, ice cream, frozen dumplings, etc. 

My options list is quite long and I only just finished Stage 2.  Once I get a moment away from the kids I'll write more.  But I definitely added extra electrical ports and data ports in the garage for fridge and possibly a TV/computer there.

Definitely the prewire electrical outlet for the water softner. 

Anyhow, welcome Chairman to TI. 

Oh and I have already finished planning out my backyard with K&S Landscaping, as recommended on TI.  Andru is so awesome to work with.  He's on top of his work and knows the Irvine landscaping arena very well.  So many HOA regulations just makes my head spin.  But I've got Andru to help me through it all.
 
Chairman said:
what do most people store in the second fridge in the garage? I've never had that growing up so just curious. Bigger families require more food storage than just one fridge?
Mostly extra drinks, ice and frozen food.

24-packs of bottled water take up space so that goes in the garage fridge, same with Gatorade and Vitamin Water. Also we usually have about 4 gallons of water, 1 in the main fridge, 3 in the other, 1 backup milk and some cans of soda. The one in the garage is an old school top/bottom model so lots of stuff can fit in it (wider things).

I can't imagine life without one... even when we were kidless we had one.
 
Chairman said:
Options:

Pre-Wire Only for 5.1 Surround Sound System Includes: Pre-Wire for 5 In-Ceiling Speakers Pre-Wire for Subwoofer $840.00

Solid Core Interior Door Option Throughout Bi-Pass Doors to Remain Hollow Core *Opt Doors are not included $1,106.00

Frameless Tub Enclosure at Secondary Bath with Chrome Trim and Clear Glass *Bath 2 $433.00

Double-Sided, Mirrored French Wardrobe Door At Master Bedroom Walk-In Closet In Lieu Of Standard Door $349.00

Optional Pot and Pan Drawers on Each Side of Cooktop This includes two sets of 2 Drawers on Each Side of the Cooktop for a total of 4 Pot Drawers $338.00

110V Interior GFI Duplex Outlet On A Dedicated Circuit $315.00 (For future water softener in garage)

Additional Whole House Insulation Includes: #R-19 Between Floors #R-11 Interior Walls #R-13 Garage Exterior Walls  $1,380.00
Welcome Chairman.  These are my thoughts and every option is indivualized to personal taste, budget and priority.

I would only pre-wire for the back 2 channels of a 5.1 surround system.  I highly recommend using regular speakers up front and a dedicated stand alone subwoofer.  Sound will be a billion times better as the majority of movies/music use front channels, especially the center.  I find dialogue coming from the ceiling annoying.  Back channels get less than 10% of soundtracks and even then mostly special effects and the back speakers are the most difficult to place aesthetically.  JMHO. 

Yes to additional insulation and any electrical.  I highly recommend prewiring for ceiling fans in every possible location.  I would also opt for all the canned recessed lighting that you think you need.  Garage insulation makes a big difference for the bedroom above.

I think solid doors are a worthwhile upgrade, but this can be done after COE.  At the very least, it'll dampen the sound of someone taking a piss.

Everything else is personal choice.

One thing to consider is adding a dedicated 220V outlet to the garage if you have an interest in a plug in vehicle for the future.
 
This is just my opinion of the options.  I base all my decisions on my needs with kids in the house.  Please customize to what works best for you.  :)

Chairman said:
Pre-Wire Only for 5.1 Surround Sound System Includes: Pre-Wire for 5 In-Ceiling Speakers Pre-Wire for Subwoofer $840.00
We declined all surround sound system.  We are not big fans of speakers in our ceilings.

Chairman said:
Solid Core Interior Door Option Throughout Bi-Pass Doors to Remain Hollow Core *Opt Doors are not included $1,106.00
We considered this.  Spoke with Heather.  The price per door was reasonable.  It wasn't too bad.  However the only benefit would be a more sound-proof room.  We don't normally close our doors anyway so it wouldn't be a big benefit for us.  Should a room need a solid door down the road we can always buy one just for that room later.

Chairman said:
Frameless Tub Enclosure at Secondary Bath with Chrome Trim and Clear Glass *Bath 2 $433.00
This option was not available at our location.

Chairman said:
Double-Sided, Mirrored French Wardrobe Door At Master Bedroom Walk-In Closet In Lieu Of Standard Door $349.00
Yes, I took this option.  Except our price was $553!!!  How come you got a discount?!!

Chairman said:
Optional Pot and Pan Drawers on Each Side of Cooktop This includes two sets of 2 Drawers on Each Side of the Cooktop for a total of 4 Pot Drawers $338.00
We thought about this and decided not to.  We plan on using our upgraded pantry instead.

Chairman said:
110V Interior GFI Duplex Outlet On A Dedicated Circuit $315.00 (For future water softener in garage)
Yes we chose this option as well.  We were only charged $203 per outlet in the garage.

Chairman said:
Additional Whole House Insulation Includes: #R-19 Between Floors #R-11 Interior Walls #R-13 Garage Exterior Walls  $1,380.00
Yes we chose this option as well.  Ours only was $1,322.  Since you have the larger house the price increase is reasonable.  Heather also said if we had to spend the $1000+ somewhere, she recommended us pick the whole house insulation over the solid doors.  She said the whole house insulation is better sound-proof barrier than the solid doors.  We agreed with her.

===

Some extra stuff we chose are:

DSS Satellite Pre-wire *Pre-Wire Will Be Terminated Behind a Blank Plate

HVAC Upgrade - Option #1 Honeywell Media Filter Model F100 Series - we sucked this up because of warranty issues.

Upgrade Interior Door Hardware

Upgraded Soft Close Doors and Drawers Throughout House

Upgrade Glass At Master Bath Shower Enclosure to Rain Glass

Ceiling Fan Prewire in all bedrooms

Prewire for 2 Pendant Lights for the Kitchen


 
Tyler Durden said:
Chairman said:
Anyone know how much it typically costs to install a farmhouse sink over a preexisting counter top they would have to cut in order to fit it in? Anyone done this before?

Not sure but TIC wanted 2K for that upgrade when I bought... so I decided we should bypass it.

One thing to consider, if you wear belts, that will scratch the metal over time.

I don't mean belts like the Rock or Floyd Maywether, but regular acoutrements.  This happens to my guitars (buckle rash).

TIC offered a white Kohler cast iron farm house sink for $2100 for our model.  We declined.  Cast iron gets scratched very easily.  We picked the Kohler single basin stainless steel sink for $500 instead. 
 
I think the modern white cast iron sinks are more sturdy than before. Additionally, if they do get scratched or chipped, you can always reglaze, can't do that with scratches/dents in stainless.
 
We must be lucky... have had a white sink for over 10 years (even with 4 years worth of tenants) and it's still white... just a small dent from a big pan that can be easily repaired.
 
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