Purchasing upgrades on a new built home.

[fe9000]

I've seen enough HGTV that you have to remove the glass shower walls/door if you plan to retile... unless your walls are not screwed into the tiled area (which I doubt).

The tub is easier I think as there is usually no hardware and it's just the top area that needs to be replaced.

I think not only you have to remove the glass shower walls and door, you may have to replace it.  Well at least according to the contractor that we talked to.  So it led us not to change anything.

 

[Irvine2Irvine]

That's what I was afraid of.  I think I will upgrade the shower walls with the builder but upgrade the vanity countertops and oval top surrounds after the close of escrow.

 

[christinaa]

We want to let all irvine new home buyers know that Irvine Pacific design center did not and will not help their customers.  The floor we upgranded has squeaky/creaking noises.  They think it is normal.  We want their help and insisted it is normal and doing nothing.  My suggestion is "DO NOT USE IRVINE PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER".  You get all standard first in the new home, then you can hire contractor to upgrand.  It will save money and headache dealing with Irvine Pafici Design center people.  They are young and not experienced.  They gave bad advices.  They will lie and deny what they told you.

 

[usctrojancpa]

We want to let all irvine new home buyers know that Irvine Pacific design center did not and will not help their customers.  The floor we upgranded has squeaky/creaking noises.  They think it is normal.  We want their help and insisted it is normal and doing nothing.  My suggestion is "DO NOT USE IRVINE PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER".  You get all standard first in the new home, then you can hire contractor to upgrand.  It will save money and headache dealing with Irvine Pafici Design center people.  They are young and not experienced.  They gave bad advices.  They will lie and deny what they told you.

Sorry to hear that you've had a bad experience.  It's a shame that they aren't living up to their warranty.  Add to insult that they mark up their upgrades.  That's why if people can get upgrades done themselves (especially like flooring), they should do it with an outside contractor. 

 

[christinaa]

Our suggestion is "NEVER Buy any UPGRADE" from builder.

Especially Irvine Pacific design center, which did not and will not help their customers.  The floor we upgranded has squeaky/creaking noises before we move in.  They think it is normal.  We want their help to fix the noises and Irvine Pacific insisted it is normal and doing nothing.  My suggestion is "DO NOT USE IRVINE PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER".  You get all standard first in the new home, then you can hire contractors to upgrade.  It will save money and headache dealing with Irvine Pacific Design center people, who are young and not experienced.  They may not feel good for us to buy and upgrade new homes.  They gave bad advices.  Then they will lie and deny what they told you.

 

[navinarayanan]

I closed escrow a couple of weeks ago and had the entire flooring redone with travertine downstairs and in the toilets and hardwood throughout the 2nd floor with an outside contractor. Cost wise it was about 2 1/2 times cheaper and also when they started to demo the cheapo tile in the kitchen they stated to notice air gaps where there should have been thinset, it was very patchy and they had to grind the slab a bit to get it perfect for travertine, the guys said it was not up to par as far as being level. And i know they were not BS'ing because they did it at their cost to level the floor.

 

[christinaa]

Well Done!  We wish we read those blogs earlier, so, we could avoid to use the Irvine Pacific Design Center.  Hopefully, other people will not make the same mistakes we made, pay top price, get low quality upgrade material or installation.

 

[navinarayanan]

PM me if any of you guys need the installer info. They do stone,tile and hardwood, counters and back splashes. I do not stand to make any money of their business but i know how TIC scares you from using an outside contractor and also how difficult it is is to get one that does all the these three. To top is off they got the travertine (800 sq.ft + ~180 sq.ft toilets upstairs) , hardwood (900 sq.ft) and 58 sq.ft back splash done in under 6 days which i think is crucial to keep overhead to the minimum.

 

[thelinux]

Sorry for bring up this old thread but I did not want to start a new one.

I am considering to buy a San Mateo property. (560K - 570K)
Because I've never bought a home I don't know how much I will have to spend to get upgrades.
Can you guys just give me some rough numbers???
I am thinking to get standard upgrades and hire contractors to do real upgrade later.
How much do I expect to pay for standard upgrade? and How much do I expect to pay to do real upgrade.

I don't even know what's "upgradeable" other than flooring. So the problem is I don't know what I should or must upgrade. So....
Can you guys tell me some average upgrade cost??? Or minimum upgrade cost?

I just want to to know if I can afford these homes...
If I can spend 40K - 50K on top of that home price (560K-570K), am I going to be able to get descent upgrade???

 

[yellowplum]

The quote we got from the Irvine robots at San Marcos and Maricopa were about 5 to 7.5% of the base price. Not sure how accurate that is. They don't like giving out estimates by item, with the exception of Sevilla at PS - there is one lady there who would give more specific numbers. Good luck!

 

[shokunin]

What's a standard upgrade?  sounds like a contradiction?  There's a lot you can do, take the "upgrades" listing in the model to determine what was upgraded and what is standard. 

Flooring
Kitchen countertops
tiling/backsplash
cabinetry
cabinet interiors
hardware
appliances

Bathroom countertops
bathroom cabinets
hardware
tiling options
glass work

"designer" paint
upgraded baseboards
shoe moulding
casing
crown moulding

Electrical outlets
ceiling fan outlets
low-voltage options (cat 5 and coax)
flat screen outlets/conduit
surround sound prewire/wire
canned lights
closet organizers
garage systems / organizers
whole house vacuum
wallpaper
window coverings
etc..

They should have some kind of disclosure like this home as shown costs $xxx,xxx.    Only problem is the homebuilder charges nearly double the competitive rate.

 

[usctrojancpa]

There are certain upgrades that you should do through the builder because they will cost you more if you do them afterwards...some of these are cabinet upgrades, appliance upgrades, electrical upgrades, built-in speakers, additional cabinets, recessed lighting, and loft/bedroom options. 

Upgrades like flooring, paint, most fixtures, baseboards, crown moldings, bathroom counter tops, etc will cost you a lot more going through the builder than you can get done yourself after you close.

 

[thelinux]

The quote we got from the Irvine robots at San Marcos and Maricopa were about 5 to 7.5% of the base price. Not sure how accurate that is. They don't like giving out estimates by item, with the exception of Sevilla at PS - there is one lady there who would give more specific numbers. Good luck!

You mean the "quote" for standard upgrades (Upgrades that lender or builder force you to buy)?

 

[thelinux]

What's a standard upgrade?

I was meaning the upgrades that you have to purchase to close. I thought there are some upgrades (like basic flooring) that you have to buy or they won't let you buy the home.

 

[usctrojancpa]

What's a standard upgrade?

I was meaning the upgrades that you have to purchase to close. I thought there are some upgrades (like basic flooring) that you have to buy or they won't let you buy the home.

Basic flooring is not a upgrade, that's the cheap carpet and tiles the builder puts in.  You can't close with bare floors (i.e. no flooring of any kind).

 

[thelinux]

What's a standard upgrade?

I was meaning the upgrades that you have to purchase to close. I thought there are some upgrades (like basic flooring) that you have to buy or they won't let you buy the home.

Basic flooring is not a upgrade, that's the cheap carpet and tiles the builder puts in.  You can't close with bare floors (i.e. no flooring of any kind).

So you mean, I can buy it without ANY upgrades???? I mean, for the exact price that is printed on their brochure???

 

[usctrojancpa]

What's a standard upgrade?

I was meaning the upgrades that you have to purchase to close. I thought there are some upgrades (like basic flooring) that you have to buy or they won't let you buy the home.

Basic flooring is not a upgrade, that's the cheap carpet and tiles the builder puts in.  You can't close with bare floors (i.e. no flooring of any kind).

So you mean, I can buy it without ANY upgrades???? I mean, for the exact price that is printed on their brochure???

That is correct.  The majority of the upgrades through the builder are very priced and things you can do a lot cheaper after closing.  There are some upgrades that you should do thru the builder like cabinet upgrades, electrical, recessed lighting, and anything that involves opening up the walls to do. 

 

[thelinux]

What's a standard upgrade?

I was meaning the upgrades that you have to purchase to close. I thought there are some upgrades (like basic flooring) that you have to buy or they won't let you buy the home.

Basic flooring is not a upgrade, that's the cheap carpet and tiles the builder puts in.  You can't close with bare floors (i.e. no flooring of any kind).

So you mean, I can buy it without ANY upgrades???? I mean, for the exact price that is printed on their brochure???

That is correct.  The majority of the upgrades through the builder are very priced and things you can do a lot cheaper after closing.  There are some upgrades that you should do thru the builder like cabinet upgrades, electrical, recessed lighting, and anything that involves opening up the walls to do.

Sorry for keep asking but,...
if I buy without any upgrades and do the upgrades later with contractors, how much would I be spending??? I mean by average how much do people spend on a 570K home for upgrades after purchase???? I just need some number so I can see if I can afford a new home...

 

[usctrojancpa]

What's a standard upgrade?

I was meaning the upgrades that you have to purchase to close. I thought there are some upgrades (like basic flooring) that you have to buy or they won't let you buy the home.

Basic flooring is not a upgrade, that's the cheap carpet and tiles the builder puts in.  You can't close with bare floors (i.e. no flooring of any kind).

So you mean, I can buy it without ANY upgrades???? I mean, for the exact price that is printed on their brochure???

That is correct.  The majority of the upgrades through the builder are very priced and things you can do a lot cheaper after closing.  There are some upgrades that you should do thru the builder like cabinet upgrades, electrical, recessed lighting, and anything that involves opening up the walls to do.

Sorry for keep asking but,...
if I buy without any upgrades and do the upgrades later with contractors, how much would I be spending??? I mean by average how much do people spend on a 570K home for upgrades after purchase???? I just need some number so I can see if I can afford a new home...

That's a very open ended question...it all depends on what kind of upgrades you want to do.  I'd guess that maybe the average people might spend 2% to 5% of the purchase price on the upgrades inside the home after they close.

 

[thelinux]

What's a standard upgrade?

I was meaning the upgrades that you have to purchase to close. I thought there are some upgrades (like basic flooring) that you have to buy or they won't let you buy the home.

Basic flooring is not a upgrade, that's the cheap carpet and tiles the builder puts in.  You can't close with bare floors (i.e. no flooring of any kind).

So you mean, I can buy it without ANY upgrades???? I mean, for the exact price that is printed on their brochure???

That is correct.  The majority of the upgrades through the builder are very priced and things you can do a lot cheaper after closing.  There are some upgrades that you should do thru the builder like cabinet upgrades, electrical, recessed lighting, and anything that involves opening up the walls to do.

Sorry for keep asking but,...
if I buy without any upgrades and do the upgrades later with contractors, how much would I be spending??? I mean by average how much do people spend on a 570K home for upgrades after purchase???? I just need some number so I can see if I can afford a new home...

That's a very open ended question...it all depends on what kind of upgrades you want to do.  I'd guess that maybe the average people might spend 2% to 5% of the purchase price on the upgrades inside the home after they close.

Thanks. I think I am buying one from San Mateo.