Fresco @ Eastwood Village

[qwerty]

I?m with Danimal. You reach a point in life where peace of mind/convenience is worth the premium. Not sure what fresco is going for but probably close to $2M?  No point in sweating over 15k. 

Demo of existing floors will inevitably lead to fixing of cabinets, the whole first floor becomes dusty, etc. not worth the headache.

 

[sleepy5136]

I?m with Danimal. You reach a point in life where peace of mind/convenience is worth the premium. Not sure what fresco is going for but probably close to $2M?  No point in sweating over 15k. 

Demo of existing floors will inevitably lead to fixing of cabinets, the whole first floor becomes dusty, etc. not worth the headache.

It's definitely a person by person thing. I personally can't justify paying a 15k premium to the builder when it's flooring and not structural upgrades. 15k can be half of ones landscaping depending on the job. I'd rather use the 15k for landscaping. But I definitely can understand when one feels more comfortable having the builder do it.

 

[sleepy5136]

I?m with Danimal. You reach a point in life where peace of mind/convenience is worth the premium. Not sure what fresco is going for but probably close to $2M?  No point in sweating over 15k. 

Demo of existing floors will inevitably lead to fixing of cabinets, the whole first floor becomes dusty, etc. not worth the headache.

It's definitely a person by person thing. I personally can't justify paying a 15k premium to the builder when it's flooring and not structural upgrades. 15k can be half of ones landscaping depending on the job. I'd rather use the 15k for landscaping. But I definitely can understand when one feels more comfortable having the builder do it.

Also, keep in mind that doing upgrades through builder can increase your property tax bill as they are considered improvements to your home. so assuming home is 2m, you will either pay 2m or 2.035m in property taxes. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but it is something to be aware of.

 

[Ready2Downsize]

I?m with Danimal. You reach a point in life where peace of mind/convenience is worth the premium. Not sure what fresco is going for but probably close to $2M?  No point in sweating over 15k. 

Demo of existing floors will inevitably lead to fixing of cabinets, the whole first floor becomes dusty, etc. not worth the headache.

If the builder puts in tile as standard then it IS going to be noisy and very dusty (EVERYWHERE, not just the immediate area) removing the old tile. I recommend doing it when you are NOT there.

We removed tile and put in wood (saved more than $15K) and didn't have any cabinet damage at all but thin dust was in the air for quite a while. I don't think that is good to breathe, so wear your mask and be prepared to wipe down and shop vac everywhere.

These days it's harder to find workers with time slots available and prices are going up for labor and materials.

All depends on how much the builder is charging I guess.

 

[sleepy5136]

I?m with Danimal. You reach a point in life where peace of mind/convenience is worth the premium. Not sure what fresco is going for but probably close to $2M?  No point in sweating over 15k. 

Demo of existing floors will inevitably lead to fixing of cabinets, the whole first floor becomes dusty, etc. not worth the headache.

If the builder puts in tile as standard then it IS going to be noisy and very dusty (EVERYWHERE, not just the immediate area) removing the old tile. I recommend doing it when you are NOT there.

We removed tile and put in wood (saved more than $15K) and didn't have any cabinet damage at all but thin dust was in the air for quite a while. I don't think that is good to breathe, so wear your mask and be prepared to wipe down and shop vac everywhere.

These days it's harder to find workers with time slots available and prices are going up for labor and materials.

All depends on how much the builder is charging I guess.

Normally I would do a deep cleaning of the entire home before I even move in. In my case, the builder charged double than if I were to do it after close of escrow. They charged 40k and I only paid 20k after closing.

 

[CalBears96]

I?m with Danimal. You reach a point in life where peace of mind/convenience is worth the premium. Not sure what fresco is going for but probably close to $2M?  No point in sweating over 15k. 

Demo of existing floors will inevitably lead to fixing of cabinets, the whole first floor becomes dusty, etc. not worth the headache.

My personal experience is that using builder for flooring upgrade doesn't necessarily lead to peace of mind. Convenience, sure. But we plan to do all of this before move-in, so that doesn't make much of a difference. My current home is built by Centex and I must say that we aren't impressed by their job on our porcelain tiles upgrade.

And really, nothing justifies overcharging for the work. First of all, they save the unused material when we choose to upgrade. Secondly, there's less labor involved. After CoE involves taking out old flooring and then installing the new one. And somehow they still managed to charge half of what the builder charges?

 

[Ready2Downsize]

We did our own flooring twice.

First time we were allowed to close (with a loan even) without flooring and got a credit. We also took out the standard dal tile counters and replaced them with granite and paid a carpenter to match builder upgraded cabinets for entertainment center and island.

We also removed the master shower and area around the tub that was tiled and replaced with marble. We went to the tile guys on site and had some of them work on our place. They popped out some of the standard tiles in the shower and put in custom tiles to make patterns and replaced all the backsplashes.

Builder would have charged us $200K for what we did and I can't remember what we paid but save a LOT. The dust we got was from tile cutting but no removal, but it was still a real hassle. The kids HATED walking on concrete.

Second time was same builder, 17+ years later and even without a loan we weren't allowed to close without flooring. I know we saved money but part of the reason was we didn't really know what we wanted. That was a huge mess with all the dust. We wanted to get tile work done on the showers, tubs but at that time it was hard to find workers so that is why I'm hesitant to do it again with my next house (and there is no credit and no ability to close without flooring).

 

[usctrojancpa]

We did our own flooring twice.

First time we were allowed to close (with a loan even) without flooring and got a credit. We also took out the standard dal tile counters and replaced them with granite and paid a carpenter to match builder upgraded cabinets for entertainment center and island.

We also removed the master shower and area around the tub that was tiled and replaced with marble. We went to the tile guys on site and had some of them work on our place. They popped out some of the standard tiles in the shower and put in custom tiles to make patterns and replaced all the backsplashes.

Builder would have charged us $200K for what we did and I can't remember what we paid but save a LOT. The dust we got was from tile cutting but no removal, but it was still a real hassle. The kids HATED walking on concrete.

Second time was same builder, 17+ years later and even without a loan we weren't allowed to close without flooring. I know we saved money but part of the reason was we didn't really know what we wanted. That was a huge mess with all the dust. We wanted to get tile work done on the showers, tubs but at that time it was hard to find workers so that is why I'm hesitant to do it again with my next house (and there is no credit and no ability to close without flooring).

Yeah, I was able to close on my Quail Hill condo back in 2005 with bare floors but I think they changes the rules after the great recession so you have to take the standard flooring and then rip it out if you want to do flooring afterwards.

 

[Ready2Downsize]

We did our own flooring twice.

First time we were allowed to close (with a loan even) without flooring and got a credit. We also took out the standard dal tile counters and replaced them with granite and paid a carpenter to match builder upgraded cabinets for entertainment center and island.

We also removed the master shower and area around the tub that was tiled and replaced with marble. We went to the tile guys on site and had some of them work on our place. They popped out some of the standard tiles in the shower and put in custom tiles to make patterns and replaced all the backsplashes.

Builder would have charged us $200K for what we did and I can't remember what we paid but save a LOT. The dust we got was from tile cutting but no removal, but it was still a real hassle. The kids HATED walking on concrete.

Second time was same builder, 17+ years later and even without a loan we weren't allowed to close without flooring. I know we saved money but part of the reason was we didn't really know what we wanted. That was a huge mess with all the dust. We wanted to get tile work done on the showers, tubs but at that time it was hard to find workers so that is why I'm hesitant to do it again with my next house (and there is no credit and no ability to close without flooring).

Yeah, I was able to close on my Quail Hill condo back in 2005 with bare floors but I think they changes the rules after the great recession so you have to take the standard flooring and then rip it out if you want to do flooring afterwards.

I CAN close with no backspashes so I was hoping to get no flooring but nope.

 

[The Motor Court Company]

if you do all cash, can you close without flooring?

We did our own flooring twice.

First time we were allowed to close (with a loan even) without flooring and got a credit. We also took out the standard dal tile counters and replaced them with granite and paid a carpenter to match builder upgraded cabinets for entertainment center and island.

We also removed the master shower and area around the tub that was tiled and replaced with marble. We went to the tile guys on site and had some of them work on our place. They popped out some of the standard tiles in the shower and put in custom tiles to make patterns and replaced all the backsplashes.

Builder would have charged us $200K for what we did and I can't remember what we paid but save a LOT. The dust we got was from tile cutting but no removal, but it was still a real hassle. The kids HATED walking on concrete.

Second time was same builder, 17+ years later and even without a loan we weren't allowed to close without flooring. I know we saved money but part of the reason was we didn't really know what we wanted. That was a huge mess with all the dust. We wanted to get tile work done on the showers, tubs but at that time it was hard to find workers so that is why I'm hesitant to do it again with my next house (and there is no credit and no ability to close without flooring).

Yeah, I was able to close on my Quail Hill condo back in 2005 with bare floors but I think they changes the rules after the great recession so you have to take the standard flooring and then rip it out if you want to do flooring afterwards.

 

[usctrojancpa]

if you do all cash, can you close without flooring?

We did our own flooring twice.

First time we were allowed to close (with a loan even) without flooring and got a credit. We also took out the standard dal tile counters and replaced them with granite and paid a carpenter to match builder upgraded cabinets for entertainment center and island.

We also removed the master shower and area around the tub that was tiled and replaced with marble. We went to the tile guys on site and had some of them work on our place. They popped out some of the standard tiles in the shower and put in custom tiles to make patterns and replaced all the backsplashes.

Builder would have charged us $200K for what we did and I can't remember what we paid but save a LOT. The dust we got was from tile cutting but no removal, but it was still a real hassle. The kids HATED walking on concrete.

Second time was same builder, 17+ years later and even without a loan we weren't allowed to close without flooring. I know we saved money but part of the reason was we didn't really know what we wanted. That was a huge mess with all the dust. We wanted to get tile work done on the showers, tubs but at that time it was hard to find workers so that is why I'm hesitant to do it again with my next house (and there is no credit and no ability to close without flooring).

Yeah, I was able to close on my Quail Hill condo back in 2005 with bare floors but I think they changes the rules after the great recession so you have to take the standard flooring and then rip it out if you want to do flooring afterwards.

Nope, I asked CalPac for my dad and they said no.

 

[box]

Since we did our hw so the process was so fast i was able to get the quotes for phrase 3/4:

2) We want upgrade carpet for stair and entire 2nd floor, highest quality nylon carpet is offered for $8k. We will go with this.
3) Wife wants nice and simple white only countertops. Quartz countertop for kitchen and all bathrooms will total around $15k.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Had a few quick questions:

1) For the upgraded carpet that you quoted, is that highest quality nylon carpet what they have in the Fresco model homes?

2) For the white quartz countertop that you quoted, do you recall which manufacture and color that was for? Caesarstone? Pental?

3) Is flooring, countertop/backsplash, and shower/bathroom wall and mosaic floor tile all part of Stage 3? Or is some of that in Stage 4?

Thanks.

 

[Danimal]

Since we did our hw so the process was so fast i was able to get the quotes for phrase 3/4:

2) We want upgrade carpet for stair and entire 2nd floor, highest quality nylon carpet is offered for $8k. We will go with this.
3) Wife wants nice and simple white only countertops. Quartz countertop for kitchen and all bathrooms will total around $15k.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Had a few quick questions:

1) For the upgraded carpet that you quoted, is that highest quality nylon carpet what they have in the Fresco model homes?

2) For the white quartz countertop that you quoted, do you recall which manufacture and color that was for? Caesarstone? Pental?

3) Is flooring, countertop/backsplash, and shower/bathroom wall and mosaic floor tile all part of Stage 3? Or is some of that in Stage 4?

Thanks.

1) It is a different design pattern  and lower profile compared to model homes I am a big fan of nylon carpet since it is more durable.  I am not sure the model home one is nylon or polyester.  Upgraded carpet comes with additional padding which is included.
2) I dont remember which manufacture it is. Quite frankly, my wife is more into simple clean quartz w/o any marble design than manufacture. Rep confirmed that the one we plan to pick uses Bretonstone pattern.
3) countertops, shower tiles are in phrase 3 and flooring/carpet in 4 if i remember correctly.

We talked about 3/4 upgrades at the end of our phrase 2 so we kinda have an idea and do more planning.  It was pretty high level.  For sure we will go more into the detail each upgrade as the next phrase progresses.

We still have 2nd appt for 2nd phrase to confirm phrase 2 items which we plan to do virtually. I recommend doing as much planning as you can b4 phrase 2.  Do in person meeting instead of virtual for 1st appointment so you can see some samples.  If you have extra time, ask about next phrase items. Take as much time as you like. IPDC is very accommodating.

 

[Irvinehomeseeker]

We just completed all stages for the upgrades @Fresco Plan 1. Happy to answer any questions.
For countertop upgrades - IP has prices for different levels of Quartz. We went with Bianco Levanto from AZ Tile. The appearance was grand for this quartz that was priced surprisingly low at Level 3. We visited AZ tile outlet in Anaheim to view the complete quartz slab to make sure we really liked it.

We have always done flooring upgrade with the builder. I comparison shopped and found that I was going to save very little relative to the hardship of tearing up newly installed floor ( easier with carpet but not so with tiles, and the potential damage to cabinets). Builder won't give unfinished floor. IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade - check with them.  Another thing to note is that you still at the mercy of the outside contractor if you do it after COE, so results could vary depending on who you go with.

 

[CalBears96]

We just completed all stages for the upgrades @Fresco Plan 1. Happy to answer any questions.
For countertop upgrades - IP has prices for different levels of Quartz. We went with Bianco Levanto from AZ Tile. The appearance was grand for this quartz that was priced surprisingly low at Level 3. We visited AZ tile outlet in Anaheim to view the complete quartz slab to make sure we really liked it.

We have always done flooring upgrade with the builder. I comparison shopped and found that I was going to save very little relative to the hardship of tearing up newly installed floor ( easier with carpet but not so with tiles, and the potential damage to cabinets). Builder won't give unfinished floor. IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade - check with them.  Another thing to note is that you still at the mercy of the outside contractor if you do it after COE, so results could vary depending on who you go with.

Does IPDC carry Cambria Quartz? My wife really likes this company.

We're planning to do a complete flooring upgrade: polished porcelain all downstairs + all bathrooms and laundry room, and Pergo on stairs and upstairs. If they offer us enough discount, we may consider going with them. The only thing is that my wife wants glass stair rails, which IP doesn't offer. If we did the stair rails after COE, it may damage the flooring.

 

[Irvinehomeseeker]

We just completed all stages for the upgrades @Fresco Plan 1. Happy to answer any questions.
For countertop upgrades - IP has prices for different levels of Quartz. We went with Bianco Levanto from AZ Tile. The appearance was grand for this quartz that was priced surprisingly low at Level 3. We visited AZ tile outlet in Anaheim to view the complete quartz slab to make sure we really liked it.

We have always done flooring upgrade with the builder. I comparison shopped and found that I was going to save very little relative to the hardship of tearing up newly installed floor ( easier with carpet but not so with tiles, and the potential damage to cabinets). Builder won't give unfinished floor. IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade - check with them.  Another thing to note is that you still at the mercy of the outside contractor if you do it after COE, so results could vary depending on who you go with.

Does IPDC carry Cambria Quartz? My wife really likes this company.

We're planning to do a complete flooring upgrade: polished porcelain all downstairs + all bathrooms and laundry room, and Pergo on stairs and upstairs. If they offer us enough discount, we may consider going with them. The only thing is that my wife wants glass stair rails, which IP doesn't offer. If we did the stair rails after COE, it may damage the flooring.

I don't recollect seeing cambria quartz. You can ask the sales person or you may have been provided the name of the design center consultant by now.

With supply chain issues, some desired upgrade options( like flooring or countertop material) may not be available if really love it. For example, we liked one particular floor color but it was not available until after our COE

IP design consultants work very nicely with customers based on my experience.

 

[box]

Since we did our hw so the process was so fast i was able to get the quotes for phrase 3/4:

2) We want upgrade carpet for stair and entire 2nd floor, highest quality nylon carpet is offered for $8k. We will go with this.
3) Wife wants nice and simple white only countertops. Quartz countertop for kitchen and all bathrooms will total around $15k.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Had a few quick questions:

1) For the upgraded carpet that you quoted, is that highest quality nylon carpet what they have in the Fresco model homes?

2) For the white quartz countertop that you quoted, do you recall which manufacture and color that was for? Caesarstone? Pental?

3) Is flooring, countertop/backsplash, and shower/bathroom wall and mosaic floor tile all part of Stage 3? Or is some of that in Stage 4?

Thanks.

1) It is a different design pattern  and lower profile compared to model homes I am a big fan of nylon carpet since it is more durable.  I am not sure the model home one is nylon or polyester.  Upgraded carpet comes with additional padding which is included.
2) I dont remember which manufacture it is. Quite frankly, my wife is more into simple clean quartz w/o any marble design than manufacture. Rep confirmed that the one we plan to pick uses Bretonstone pattern.
3) countertops, shower tiles are in phrase 3 and flooring/carpet in 4 if i remember correctly.

We talked about 3/4 upgrades at the end of our phrase 2 so we kinda have an idea and do more planning.  It was pretty high level.  For sure we will go more into the detail each upgrade as the next phrase progresses.

We still have 2nd appt for 2nd phrase to confirm phrase 2 items which we plan to do virtually. I recommend doing as much planning as you can b4 phrase 2.  Do in person meeting instead of virtual for 1st appointment so you can see some samples.  If you have extra time, ask about next phrase items. Take as much time as you like. IPDC is very accommodating.

Thank you.

I will look into the nylon carpet as well. I was actually surprised that the quality of the standard carpet (it comes in a choice of 4 different colors I believe) seemed decent, but I do like the look of some of the lower profile carpets like nylon and the style they have in the model homes.

I wonder if you can get additional padding with the standard carpet...

One thing I dislike about IP: if you pick wood or vinyl flooring, they require the additional of this "base shoe" attached to the base board. It's supposedly because wood and vinyl flooring need room to expand/contract, but I thought that's what the whole point of the base board is - not sure why an additional "base shoe" is required.

IMO it downgrades the interior design a bit, as it is not executed very well at all.

Tile floors and carpet floors do not require the base shoe. I originally wanted wood or vinyl floors on 2nd floor (I'm going with upgraded tile on 1st floor), but I dislike that base shoe enough that it's making me consider carpet for stairs + 2nd floor.

 

[box]

We just completed all stages for the upgrades @Fresco Plan 1. Happy to answer any questions.
For countertop upgrades - IP has prices for different levels of Quartz. We went with Bianco Levanto from AZ Tile. The appearance was grand for this quartz that was priced surprisingly low at Level 3. We visited AZ tile outlet in Anaheim to view the complete quartz slab to make sure we really liked it.

We have always done flooring upgrade with the builder. I comparison shopped and found that I was going to save very little relative to the hardship of tearing up newly installed floor ( easier with carpet but not so with tiles, and the potential damage to cabinets). Builder won't give unfinished floor. IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade - check with them.  Another thing to note is that you still at the mercy of the outside contractor if you do it after COE, so results could vary depending on who you go with.

1) Do you know if the Bianco Levanto tile works for the 90 degree turn from island counter top --> waterfall, or for perimeter countertop --> backsplash?

I was told that certain types of quartz countertop material with the "marble lines" cannot be used for waterfall or backsplash, because it is too hard to line up the lines from the horizontal piece to the vertical piece...

2) "IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade" --> How did you get this? What is considered a "complete flooring upgrade" and how much was the discount?

Thank you.

 

[Irvinehomeseeker]

We just completed all stages for the upgrades @Fresco Plan 1. Happy to answer any questions.
For countertop upgrades - IP has prices for different levels of Quartz. We went with Bianco Levanto from AZ Tile. The appearance was grand for this quartz that was priced surprisingly low at Level 3. We visited AZ tile outlet in Anaheim to view the complete quartz slab to make sure we really liked it.

We have always done flooring upgrade with the builder. I comparison shopped and found that I was going to save very little relative to the hardship of tearing up newly installed floor ( easier with carpet but not so with tiles, and the potential damage to cabinets). Builder won't give unfinished floor. IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade - check with them.  Another thing to note is that you still at the mercy of the outside contractor if you do it after COE, so results could vary depending on who you go with.

1) Do you know if the Bianco Levanto tile works for the 90 degree turn from island counter top --> waterfall, or for perimeter countertop --> backsplash?

I was told that certain types of quartz countertop material with the "marble lines" cannot be used for waterfall or backsplash, because it is too hard to line up the lines from the horizontal piece to the vertical piece...

2) "IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade" --> How did you get this? What is considered a "complete flooring upgrade" and how much was the discount?

Thank you.

Not sure whether Bianco Lavanto would work for a waterfall style of design for the island. You can look for it on the Arizona tile website.

For a total of 24K flooring, the discount was 2700$ in my case. To get this discount, you have upgrade the flooring throughout the house from the standard offering - All levels and bathroom floors.

 

[CalBears96]

We just completed all stages for the upgrades @Fresco Plan 1. Happy to answer any questions.
For countertop upgrades - IP has prices for different levels of Quartz. We went with Bianco Levanto from AZ Tile. The appearance was grand for this quartz that was priced surprisingly low at Level 3. We visited AZ tile outlet in Anaheim to view the complete quartz slab to make sure we really liked it.

We have always done flooring upgrade with the builder. I comparison shopped and found that I was going to save very little relative to the hardship of tearing up newly installed floor ( easier with carpet but not so with tiles, and the potential damage to cabinets). Builder won't give unfinished floor. IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade - check with them.  Another thing to note is that you still at the mercy of the outside contractor if you do it after COE, so results could vary depending on who you go with.

1) Do you know if the Bianco Levanto tile works for the 90 degree turn from island counter top --> waterfall, or for perimeter countertop --> backsplash?

I was told that certain types of quartz countertop material with the "marble lines" cannot be used for waterfall or backsplash, because it is too hard to line up the lines from the horizontal piece to the vertical piece...

2) "IP offers some discount when you do complete flooring upgrade" --> How did you get this? What is considered a "complete flooring upgrade" and how much was the discount?

Thank you.

Not sure whether Bianco Lavanto would work for a waterfall style of design for the island. You can look for it on the Arizona tile website.

For a total of 24K flooring, the discount was 2700$ in my case. To get this discount, you have upgrade the flooring throughout the house from the standard offering - All levels and bathroom floors.

My wife wants waterfall countertop for the island also.

Is the $24k before or after the $2700 discount? It's about 10% discount then? Bluffs 2 is bigger than Fresco 1, so it's going to cost me more, probably $30-$35k for flooring. Danimal said it cost him $35k for 1st floor engineered wood on Fresco 3.