Saratoga Upgrades

[socal78]

Also really like the soft-close cabinets and drawers throughout the house. They work well, but you have to make sure they really installed it on every drawer and door because I found several they missed.

Should just be a matter of removing the standard mirror and it's little supports.

Bathroom mirrors with tabs usually have adhesive on the back in addition. Might have to do some drywall repair if it's pulled up.

Soft-close mechanisms need a door that gives it enough of a "running start" for it to close. A narrow door may not have one because it would prop open. Angled cabinets may not have enough clearance for the parts and also not enough of that "running start".

 

[Irvinecommuter]

True. If you really want the toilet cabinet, $600 isn't too much perhaps, but for me, I couldn't see the benefit to having it for that much.

Yes, the baths are all very expensive. What we did is make the shower floor in bath 4 and the master bath small tiles and sort of a beige color. Also for bath 4 and master shower is where we have the rain glass. The glass is great in bath 4 (which we prettied up since it's the only one guests will see) because the window (to the outside) is also rain glass standard.

For all the shower walls we left the standard white square tiles. But around the master tub we have a mosaic liner with a decorative edge and two mosaic liners on the shower walls. Those things really improve the standard white tiles without being overly pricey.

We left baths 2 and 3 standard since our children don't need rain glass or fancy decorations in their showers. (How awesome is it that they both have their own full bathroom though? )

And the beige shower floors also really help to improve the look of the showers overall for not too big a cost. (With the shower floors just white the showers tend to look like a fiberglass shell to me.)

We just saw it as extra cabinet space.  We didn't go for the cabinet in the laundry room.

I have no idea what my wife picked out...I just know it was expensive and I believe it wasn't much of an upgrade.

The 4 bathroom thing is definitely cool. 

 

[songkou]

We just saw it as extra cabinet space.  We didn't go for the cabinet in the laundry room.

I have no idea what my wife picked out...I just know it was expensive and I believe it wasn't much of an upgrade.

The 4 bathroom thing is definitely cool.

I think Saratoga Plan-I's laundry room has cabinet as the stardard.  Are you talking about Plan-II and you need to pay extra for that?

 

[irvinehomeowner]

The mirrors should be a snap to do yourself. Just hang it up on the wall. That's what we plan to do. Should just be a matter of removing the standard mirror and it's little supports. You can buy a nice framed mirror for very little compared to the many hundreds of dollars IP charges.

You can actually frame the mirrors without removing them... you can DIY it or use a place like this:
http://www.mirrormate.com/

Actually, I thought the paint pricing was high as well, but I talked to a few people I know in real life and they assured me it was definitely worth doing with the builder, so I'd recommend you give that a second thought.

Painting might be cheaper aftermarket and you have a wider variety of colors and ability to change colors room-to-room. It only takes a few days to have an interior painted and can be done even while you are in the house.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

We just saw it as extra cabinet space.  We didn't go for the cabinet in the laundry room.

I have no idea what my wife picked out...I just know it was expensive and I believe it wasn't much of an upgrade.

The 4 bathroom thing is definitely cool.

I think Saratoga Plan-I's laundry room has cabinet as the stardard.  Are you talking about Plan-II and you need to pay extra for that?

No the extra long cabinets.  I believe there are some standard cabinets already.

 

[Bennyboy]

Some really good information in here. Appreciate all your feedback. Sure is funny how many people in Saratoga are on this forum.

I think as far as upgrades for me, I'm debating on whether or not to do the insulation, the surround sound prewire (I'm switching to hardwood/laminate after COE, I understand you can run the wire under the wood ie. cut out a small niche to feed the wire), the flood lights for the master, and maybe a few others. I'm not looking to live in the home for 10 years. I'm hoping for a 3-5 year home and I want to look at "value" upgrades that add to the value of the home that another buyer would be interested in. I'd like to have all those extra cabinets by the garage, above the toilet etc. But I feel those added costs aren't seen when reselling the home. Insulation and prewire probably not either, but those I really want for myself lol.

 

[songkou]

Today, we're going in again to the Design Center for stage 3 ripoff.  That's on bath enclosure, closet organizers, framed mirrors, interior paint, and counter-tops.  We'll probably upgrade master shower to obstacle or rain glass (can't decide until seeing the real thing).  Don't know how hard to install mirror frames ourselves later-on.  opt-out on paint (ridiculous pricing).  We'll upgrading all counter-tops to granite.

Any thoughts and suggestions?

So we went through the first appointment for stage 3 without deciding on anything, left with more questions.  I'm turning to TI for help (This is for Saratoga Plan 1):

• For Kitchen, anyone take the standard granite for counter-top?  Which color did you pick?  Can you share some thought if you have seen the result?  We would like to take the standard one and save ~$2,000 because that is the price for the cheapest granite upgrade for Kitchen counter-top.
• Anyone know the caesar stone upgrade price on various bathroom?
• Can someone share pro/con of upgrading bath2 tub enclosure?  If we opt-out, IP won't even put up a bar for the shower curtain.

 

[lucky760]

So we went through the first appointment for stage 3 without deciding on anything, left with more questions.  I'm turning to TI for help (This is for Saratoga Plan 1):

• For Kitchen, anyone take the standard granite for counter-top?  Which color did you pick?  Can you share some thought if you have seen the result?  We would like to take the standard one and save ~$2,000 because that is the price for the cheapest granite upgrade for Kitchen counter-top.
• Anyone know the caesar stone upgrade price on various bathroom?
• Can someone share pro/con of upgrading bath2 tub enclosure?  If we opt-out, IP won't even put up a bar for the shower curtain.

We took the Santa Cecilia standard countertop. It's very nice looking and we are very happy with it. It actually looks like an upgraded granite and is similar to the countertops in the model 2X kitchen.

We also upgraded all the bathroom countertops with the same stone, which is a level 1, upgrade even though it's a "standard" stone. But all our countertops match, which we like.

For the sliding glass tub enclosure, I highly, highly recommend getting it. I cannot stand even the notion of using a shower curtain. They always get all mildewy and they get in your way and just don't look good in general.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

So we went through the first appointment for stage 3 without deciding on anything, left with more questions.  I'm turning to TI for help (This is for Saratoga Plan 1):

• For Kitchen, anyone take the standard granite for counter-top?  Which color did you pick?  Can you share some thought if you have seen the result?  We would like to take the standard one and save ~$2,000 because that is the price for the cheapest granite upgrade for Kitchen counter-top.
• Anyone know the caesar stone upgrade price on various bathroom?
• Can someone share pro/con of upgrading bath2 tub enclosure?  If we opt-out, IP won't even put up a bar for the shower curtain.

We took the Santa Cecilia standard countertop. It's very nice looking and we are very happy with it. It actually looks like an upgraded granite and is similar to the countertops in the model 2X kitchen.

We also upgraded all the bathroom countertops with the same stone, which is a level 1, upgrade even though it's a "standard" stone. But all our countertops match, which we like.

For the sliding glass tub enclosure, I highly, highly recommend getting it. I cannot stand even the notion of using a shower curtain. They always get all mildewy and they get in your way and just don't look good in general.

I believe we went with the upgrade...$2,000 is pretty inexpensive and I believe it's for the entire kitchen not just the island.

I also believe we upgraded the countertops...but it got pretty expensive.  I want to say $1500 per bathroom and $3000 for the master.

We didn't upgrade the tub.  Shower rods can be installed pretty easily and shower doors are annoying to clean.  Also mold can get into the grout and all the nooks and crannies.

 

[lucky760]

Just looked up our granite upgrade costs:
- $1008 full back splash in kitchen
- $1401 master bath countertop
- $979 for each countertop in bath 2, 3, and 4

Shower doors may be annoying to clean, but at least you can clean them. Shower curtains are just stinky, clingy harbingers of funk. It's only $413 for the shower enclosure and extremely well worth it.

 

[socal78]

I cannot stand even the notion of using a shower curtain. They always get all mildewy and they get in your way and just don't look good in general.

If somebody opts out on the door, consider a curved rod so it will stay out of the way. (Although it's not needed if the tub is extra wide.) Consider a separate curtain & liner. The curtain can look great - as dressy as you want. Nobody has to see the liner. They make fabric liners that can go in the wash. But I prefer the disposable liners that can be changed so it stays fresh. They make them mildew resistant. Not a problem like the older ones.

 

[songkou]

We took the Santa Cecilia standard countertop. It's very nice looking and we are very happy with it. It actually looks like an upgraded granite and is similar to the countertops in the model 2X kitchen.

We also upgraded all the bathroom countertops with the same stone, which is a level 1, upgrade even though it's a "standard" stone. But all our countertops match, which we like.

For the sliding glass tub enclosure, I highly, highly recommend getting it. I cannot stand even the notion of using a shower curtain. They always get all mildewy and they get in your way and just don't look good in general.

I forget all the fancy names for the granites or never pay attention to them because I know I'll forget them.  But if you say it's similar to the model 2X kitchen countertops, I assume it's the lighter color one (with more yellowish appear than what's in model 2X).  Yes, we like the look of model 2X kitchen countertop and think that the standard is pretty similar to it but just haven't got eyes on a real effect so a little hesitant to go with it.  May I know what color is your kitchen cabinets?

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I cannot stand even the notion of using a shower curtain. They always get all mildewy and they get in your way and just don't look good in general.

If somebody opts out on the door, consider a curved rod so it will stay out of the way. (Although it's not needed if the tub is extra wide.) Consider a separate curtain & liner. The curtain can look great - as dressy as you want. Nobody has to see the liner. They make fabric liners that can go in the wash. But I prefer the disposable liners that can be changed so it stays fresh. They make them mildew resistant. Not a problem like the older ones.

+1

I actually prefer a shower curtain for two reasons:

1. Easier access.... you can pull the curtain all the way back and have easy egress... or if you have a baby/toddler, it's easier to bathe them since you don't have only half access with a sliding door.

2. You can vary the look/design of the bathroom with different curtains... and it hides the soaps/shampoos/rubber ducks from guests (unlike a clear door).

 

[lucky760]

We took the Santa Cecilia standard countertop. It's very nice looking and we are very happy with it. It actually looks like an upgraded granite and is similar to the countertops in the model 2X kitchen.

We also upgraded all the bathroom countertops with the same stone, which is a level 1, upgrade even though it's a "standard" stone. But all our countertops match, which we like.

For the sliding glass tub enclosure, I highly, highly recommend getting it. I cannot stand even the notion of using a shower curtain. They always get all mildewy and they get in your way and just don't look good in general.

I forget all the fancy names for the granites or never pay attention to them because I know I'll forget them.  But if you say it's similar to the model 2X kitchen countertops, I assume it's the lighter color one (with more yellowish appear than what's in model 2X).  Yes, we like the look of model 2X kitchen countertop and think that the standard is pretty similar to it but just haven't got eyes on a real effect so a little hesitant to go with it.  May I know what color is your kitchen cabinets?

Here's a photo of one of our slabs at the slab yard (with a worker included for scale). Note that the sun is behind the slab so it looks darker in this photo than it actually is.

Here's another photo with more foreground light (the reflection of the sky and other things also throws off the color a bit):

Our cabinets are the standard white thermofoil.

 

[songkou]

Thanks to Lucky for the great photo.  But wait, if it's standard granite, how did you get a chance to look at it before it was installed?  I thought you only get to look at it at the slab yard if it's a upgraded granite, so I was told by the designer.

 

[qwerty]

for our hallway bath upstairs we did not get the enclosure, everyone kept telling us that is would be easier to bathe a kid with a curtain, which makes sense. figure once unborn baby qwerty is older we can just install an enclosure, should be pretty easy and cheap.

 

[socal78]

unborn baby qwerty

Oh, did I miss some news? Is there a little Qwerty on the way??

 

[songkou]

Anyone go with the darker standard granites?  My wife is considering the dark brown one (not the one with dark green in it) to make contrast with our white kitchen cabinets.  But I just can not imagine the result (for lack of imagination :-\).  It looks good on IP design Center's computer when the designer shown it to us.  But the picture was small and it was only a concept and may not be close to the real thing.  From the design center's computer (or its website), my wife said that the patterns on the standard light color granite was "too busy".

 

[lucky760]

Thanks to Lucky for the great photo.  But wait, if it's standard granite, how did you get a chance to look at it before it was installed?  I thought you only get to look at it at the slab yard if it's a upgraded granite, so I was told by the designer.

Yes, that's correct, but we also upgraded all our bathroom countertops and the full kitchen back splash to the same stone, so they permitted us to review for approval.

I didn't think approval was a big deal but the first slabs I saw had a big green splotch in the exact middle so I was very lucky I could reject them.

 

[lucky760]

everyone kept telling us that is would be easier to bathe a kid with a curtain,

Methinks that's what our master tub is for. ;-p