Subway tiles worth 1500?

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dealcatcher

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The design center is charging 1500 for white staggered subway tiles instead of the standard 6x6. Do you think it's worth paying that much for the shower downstairs?
 
That sounds ridiculous.  If you were replacing with a more upgraded tile material then maybe, but white subway tile...not sure if that's worth $1500.
 
It seems kind of expensive. The incremental cost from 6x6 to subway tile can't be that much. There is probably more labor involved as well but not much more. But wre question is whether the alternative is worth it. If you keep the standard tile and upgrade it after you close, you will probably pay what 750-1000?  I've never done a bathroom tiling job. Then there is the headache of doing the remodel after you close which can be a nitemare.

All builders know what the cost is of doing all the upgrades after closing and they do a great job of typically adding enough costs to gouge you but not enough to make you go through the hassle of doing it yourself afterward.
 
qwerty said:
All builders know what the cost is of doing all the upgrades after closing and they do a great job of typically adding enough costs to gouge you but not enough to make you go through the hassle of doing it yourself afterward.
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QFT.
 
dealcatcher said:
Ok, no subway tile then! Would you pay 280 to stagger the standard 6x6?
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it will look a little nicer, doesnt do anything for resale i dont think. i wouldnt do it.
 
I would pay the 280.

At least it looks different from "builder grade". It may not help resale, but I don't think it hurts.
 
is this for wet area or non-wet area?

IP dangles the 4 year plumbing/leak warranty at ya so i ended up just saying fuck it n did 12x12 tiles with them purely because i didnt want to bother with the hastle...

if u want to be the most cost effective, for everything besides the shower areas just do everything after u close and for shower areas, leave it standard for the first 4 years so u dont void the warranty and then upgrade it afterwards...

the additional staggered cost is mostly pure markup by IP from a builders standpoint... it is not more complicated, time consuming, or require more material to stagger tiles as IP likes to suggest to justify this markup...

from an interior architectural design standpoint, staggered tiles tricks the eyes a little bit so the space will seem a bit larger then it actually is
 
This is for the shower. Thanks for the input. I think I'll pay to stagger the standard tile.

Also, they're charging me around 2k to upgrade the floor tiles in all the bathrooms. I'm thinking it's worth it just going with them so as to avoid warranty issues, plus how much more can I really save paying only 2k? Thoughts?
 
What kind of warranty does IP provide in addition to the normal 1 year fit/finish and 10 year warranty?
 
Also, they're charging me around 2k to upgrade the floor tiles in all the bathrooms. I'm thinking it's worth it just going with them so as to avoid warranty issues, plus how much more can I really save paying only 2k? Thoughts?
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here are my thoughts - All builders know what the cost is of doing all the upgrades after closing and they do a great job of typically adding enough costs to gouge you but not enough to make you go through the hassle of doing it yourself afterward.

if you like something, chances are after the headache of having an after model , voided warranties, etc you are better of just going through the builder.  i paid an extra 3K to do the flooring through the builder cause i didnt want to wait a week to move in after i close, dont know what the quality of the work is going to be, could void some warranty, could scratch cabinets, walls, etc. For me it wasnt worth the headache to save 3K. there are some exceptions though such as baseboards, crown moulding, and in some cases flooring as well. but other than that, i would say you are typically just better off going through the builder. 

you kind of have the leverage before you close, so you can get everything up to your standards - the builder has to satisfy you to get you to close.  once you close and you start dealing with contractors buyer beware. even tim, the shutter guy, who was recommended by various buyers ended up with crappy service.  the painter guy, orlando, some people liked him, some didnt. for these reasons i would typically just go through the builder.
 
I agree with this pretty much. 

there are some items that IP charges a large upgrade fee and just aren't worth it.  The OP subway tiles seem like that, doing any decorative tiling in the tub/shower was an expensive option, granite upgrade in bathroom counters was an enormous cost, as soon as they quoted the price i turned it down immediately. 

Alot of other things are reasonable though.  And so far it seems like if they mess something up during installation they fix it and don't disappear on you; and there is that warranty issue.

qwerty said:
here are my thoughts - All builders know what the cost is of doing all the upgrades after closing and they do a great job of typically adding enough costs to gouge you but not enough to make you go through the hassle of doing it yourself afterward.

if you like something, chances are after the headache of having an after model , voided warranties, etc you are better of just going through the builder.  i paid an extra 3K to do the flooring through the builder cause i didnt want to wait a week to move in after i close, dont know what the quality of the work is going to be, could void some warranty, could scratch cabinets, walls, etc. For me it wasnt worth the headache to save 3K. there are some exceptions though such as baseboards, crown moulding, and in some cases flooring as well. but other than that, i would say you are typically just better off going through the builder. 

you kind of have the leverage before you close, so you can get everything up to your standards - the builder has to satisfy you to get you to close.  once you close and you start dealing with contractors buyer beware. even tim, the shutter guy, who was recommended by various buyers ended up with crappy service.  the painter guy, orlando, some people liked him, some didnt. for these reasons i would typically just go through the builder.
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off the top of my head...

1 year fit n finish

4 year electrical systems (outlets/microwave/washer manufactures warranty), piping/plumbing/water systems

10 year roof and roof leak warranty, foundation

theres others too but i dont remember.... id double check with IP first for anything specific... much of it just follows what CA requires builders to warrant...
 
dealcatcher said:
This is for the shower. Thanks for the input. I think I'll pay to stagger the standard tile.

Also, they're charging me around 2k to upgrade the floor tiles in all the bathrooms. I'm thinking it's worth it just going with them so as to avoid warranty issues, plus how much more can I really save paying only 2k? Thoughts?
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2000.00 seems very reasonable for tiles.  I would go with the builder for that price, because if you do it afterwards, your contractor will need to add extra cement board for the upstairs area and that will make your bathroom flooring higher and uneven with the rest of the house.
 
dont do subway tiles.  1) expensive.  2) i did it in all bathrooms and builder did a crappy job.  3) sealing the grout has been a nightmare. 

with regards to floors, i did them all through the builder (downstairs bath is in wood)  i paid 900 for the laundry, 900 for bath 2, and 1700 for master bath.  for me it was worth it - didnt do anything fancy, just some ugraded porecelain (did 12x24 in ma ba). 
 
akim997 said:
dont do subway tiles.  1) expensive.  2) i did it in all bathrooms and builder did a crappy job.  3) sealing the grout has been a nightmare. 

with regards to floors, i did them all through the builder (downstairs bath is in wood)  i paid 900 for the laundry, 900 for bath 2, and 1700 for master bath.  for me it was worth it - didnt do anything fancy, just some ugraded porecelain (did 12x24 in ma ba).
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Why was sealing the grout a nightmare?
 
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