Maybe you could ask to do these items yourself and hire your own contractor for those parts.

We just went through this. Our builder wouldn't allow us to not put these things in. You have to put something in, including appliances. (we did NOT custom build. It was semi semi semi custom build.) We could change layouts here and there, but nothing major. The prices they charged for appliances were nuts.

So assuming you are in the same situation as me, I would ask yourself if you really will rip these things out (it's such a pain)? Of course, once you move in you'll want to change everything anyway if you are like me. ("oh I should have done that!" UGH)

I skimped in the bathrooms. Just put in vinyl floors and regular tile. I figure those things would be easier to change down the road (well at least the vinyl floor). Everyplace else I upgraded except the basement flooring.

When we bought our first new home we upgraded the things that could not be easily changed later ie. the cupboards, adding a sliding door to the master, putting in a jet tub. We did not buy our appliances from the builder. The flooring and light fixtures we kept standard. We changed all the light fixtures within the first year. We decided to upgrade the carpets and flooring as they wore out (it doesn't take long for builder grade to wear out). It spreads the cost out over a period of time, you can do the work yourself and it saves because the prices the builder charges (at least where I am from) are outrageous.

I've known people who bought without upgrades and tore it all out to install upgrades themselves -- before ever moving in. They had run the numbers; they could rip and replace for less, and get exactly what they wanted without being limited to the upgrades offered by the builder. This is fine for all but basic, structural builder upgrades.

You might check with your city or town to know what must be in place to get a Certificate of Occupancy. See if the builder will build just to that stage. (Cheapo chain lights where you must have lighting; plate covers over exposed electrical where you will install fixtures.)

ask flooring credit/allowance from the builder, and hire somebody yourself. If they say no,consider another builder.Remember, you writing the checks so you should have the power.

Years ago we did exactly that! The builder sent us to his 'decorator' where we could choose flooring upgrades. After comparison shopping we decided it was considerably cheaper to have an outside contractor install the flooring. We asked for the builders flooring cost deducted from the home price, which we received. I don't recall exactly how much, just a couple of thousand!
My DH and I thought the builder's grade was cheap but not that cheap. It was a conventional loan so we were able do that with our lender(unlike a VA loan).
We had nice upgraded flooring installed before moving in.

Installing real hardwood floor is a mess. I would suggest that you do it before you move one piece of furniture in the house.

What you are suggesting sounds good in theory. However, by the end of our build I only had the energy to move in. I had absolutely no desire to remodel my new home. That task sounds too daunting to me.

My contractor is going to substitute the laminate flooring for cement board in the areas I plan on laying tile. I plan on doing the flooring myself after the contractor is finished. I have found great deals on granite and marble tile limited runs and limited colors for under 2 bucks a square foot.

We did exactly what you're thinking about. We went ahead and did the kitchen and master bath through the builder exactly the way we wanted it. But everywhere else we just took the builder-standard carpet, even in the bathrooms. Then the day we closed we had a crew come in and rip out all the carpet and immediately start installing hardwood and tile. It was a lot inconvenience and expense, but we probably saved 50k or so doing it and got exactly what we wanted instead of being limited to the builder's selection.

Chiefneil, out of curiosity, where you say "we just took the builder-standard carpet, even in the bathrooms" and then just ripped it all out to put in what you wanted......why didn't you just have the builder leave those areas as subfloor and skip having the GC put in carpet and then put in what you wanted?

I also asked my builder if I could purchase carpeting from someone else (they said "no"), and here's the way they explained it to me.

When a developer plans a neighborhood of 500 new homes, for example, they put out for bids to subcontractors for each stage such as roofing, siding, flooring, etc. The bids are based on the number of homes to be completed, and the winning bidder is guaranteed work on that many homes. The sub then proceeds to hire and schedule their man-hours based on that. If homebuyers opt to put in their own flooring, then the sub has to be paid X amount for that house anyway, so it doesn't make sense for the developer to allow it.

Remember, it's not just the dollars that have to be paid the sub (the developer could just allow you the difference), it's the hours of work that the sub's employees lose. A contract on a big sub-division can guarantee steady work for the employees. Letting buyers do their own subcontracting on non-custom builds cuts into that work. The winning bidder's contract in my case was written to forbid the practice of letting homeowners do their own work or choose their own subs.

Some developers will allow it, but mine wouldn't.

I believe your financing can affect whether you can close with an "unfinished" house. Something to check.

i can see how the builder would not agree to allow another contractor in the house. it's his property until closing. maybe he would he credit you for builders grade carpet/tile, allow you to bring in your own and then he could install? i hate the sound of ripping up brand new (no matter how bad) carpet or any other flooring. big waste of money and resources. GL.