As opposed to what? Over tile or laminate, yes. Other solid surfaces will be good, too. Check out the Kitchens Forum so a lot more on granite.

Until the popularity wears down and the next"i gotta have it cause everyone else does" product hits.

in a million dollar house, granite would be the MINIMUM accepted-absolutely wouldn't go with laminate
Pattie

I always wonder that the dollar figure is on these. Is it 1m for the house, or is is 700k for the land and 300k for the house ?

In terms of granite. Granite for what ? Kitchen countertops ? I would hope on a 7 figure house you would have something on the level of granite, marble or some other natural stone. If you're asking whether that should be on a 7 figure house, you might be a little out of your league in building such a house. . .

If you're asking granite for the driveway - then that might be a bit different.

entry level Granites are not that expensive any more, or should I say have come down drastically in price. I would expect to see it in any new home over $400k. The more expensive the home the more expensive the granite or other solid surface.

Granite driveway?

You are building a house on spec? In this market? When builders are discounting 30% just to unload properties? Maybe you have found a "niche" where you are in a seller's market?

Cobblestone driveways (as in real cobble) aka Belgian block/setts are granite blocks. Frequently because of the expense, you'll only see an driveway apron out of the setts, but yes in a lot of nice houses, the driveways are granite cobbles.

There is still a very active market (read: demand) for houses/locations that are in demand. I would hope you would not be building a spec house where builders are building, but in more established lots where builders don't usually play.

Thanks for clarifying,anthem.

I find it interesting that you can immediately tell what type of people are on boards by their answers. I should have been more specific as granite vs. other SOLID SURFACES. To the others, yes land is expensive here, the LOT next to mine sold for 400,000. The 2100 square foot house across the street sold for 799,000 during this "slump market". I was hoping to receive answers from people that were actually in this situation, not hoping they were. thanks to those that actually had suggestions instead of criticisms.

Sort of like your non-descriptive and uninformative post, right ? We still don't know the exact specifics as to what the total cost of land vs house is ? The material fit/finish choices one makes are usually tied to the quality of the house which has an soft relationship with the land underneath of it. If you don't supply that which you still haven't - its worthless for anyone to get involved in this discussion. The land equation could be 900,000 and you're asking to build a shanty on the lot (which happens a lot in certain high real estate areas)

I also don't see what the cost of the lot next to yours is worth has any relevance to the equation. Was the lot that sold next to yours also 3 to 6 acres, smaller, larger ? How about the 2100 sq ft house ? 3 to 6 acres at 400,000 for any developed area is not what I'd call expensive. I have a lot next to me that sold for 1m and its 0.4 acres. It is not waterfront but has some water views, but it is on a golf course. The two lots next to that went for over 1.5 and 400,000 at 1 and 0.4 acres. So what. The house cost determines the internal finishes.

If you want 'answers' or opinions, you should at least be a lot more descriptive. It's also a discussion forum, and if you can't take the heat - well you know what they say. And if you think I'm 'hoping' to be in your situation, you must be crazy. From what I gather - let's see - assuming the lot is 500K, you're trying to build a 500K spec home and trying to figure out whether spending a couple K on granite is going to help sell your house. . . Well, personally I think the answer is obvious, but I'd definitely not want to to be in the confused and clueless state of mind that you seem to be over building a spec home.

I was not trying to be harsh, merely questioning how you plan to profit building in this down FL market where the pro builders are losing their shirts -- hence the question about "niche". (Seems you are not in one, but part of the slump.)

If I owned expensive land that could be subdivided, I would certainly split it to maximize profit. (Unless I was building for myself and wanted the acreage.)

A builder is constructing a house down the street from me on an acre. He will market it at over three million. It will have all top-end finishes, appliances, etc. In general, builders want to build a home that will sell for at least three times the cost of the lot.

Yes, I think a home costing a million dollars would be expected to have granite countertops -- probably not top-end appliances, but nice countertops.

Thank you for answering chisue. The appliances were my next thought. I am not in a niche, the location of my property is very desireable. I am planning to split into 2 3acre parcels if I can. Thanks again

I think for a $1M home, granite, marble, or another natural stone would be expected.

If you are building for resale in the near future, you need to get what is popular right now for the style of kitchen. If it's a traditional kitchen, then that would be granite, marble or soapstone. If it's a contemporary kitchen, then the design might warrant another type of counter top--stainless, solid color engineered stone, etc. I live in a new subdivision where the houses range from about $700,000-$1,500,000. About 20 house have been built so far and I have been in most of them. I went with silestone because that's what I wanted and I didn't need to worry about resale. One other person went with corian because that is what she wanted and she wasn't worried about resale, but everyone else went with granite (with traditional kitchens). So it's 18 to 2 for granite in our subdivision so far. The 2 of us who don't have granite also have more contemporary kitchens than in the houses with granite.