I would think you could likely spay paint them. However, those doors that are used often will likely wear or chip easily. Maybe you could spray paint those doors that stay open most of the time and replace those that will frequently be used.

I'm surprised the people from your door company didn't ask you what color you wanted.

My sister's hinges are painted the same color as the doors... they just blend in.

My mother-in-law had the same problem. She painted them and they turned out great. You would never know they had been painted, and they have held up beautifully for the last 3 years. Good luck!

jeannekay - DH and I were just talking about why they didn't ask us what color we wanted. I didn't even think about it to be honest.

I think the builder must have noticed it also because he has a piece of tape on one of the hinges?! Maybe a reminder to talk to us about it? Not sure.

Teach - that is a good idea to paint them to blend in. I did see where you can spray paint them but that means taking every door down and removing all the hinges. DH said he would do it. I guess I will talk to the builder and see what he thinks also. My friend is building as well and she said all their doors came with black hinges and they had to buy all black handles. Looks pretty though :-) Pewter and brass???? I'm thinking...no! :-)

I ordered bronze hinges (they look black) and due to a mix up the doors came with brass hinges. The painters here usually paint over them and I said no way! It was a headache having the hinges replaced but I did it and am glad I did. It's a little detail but it makes a difference.

How many doors do you have? I think these hinges were about $3 each. The spray paint would work but your builder may be able to get the door supplier to switch out hinges. That way your the builder OR dh could replace them without having to paint. Just a thought.

I am counting 16 doors. I am not to worried about our closet doors really but what the heck if I am going to do I should do it right. Good idea txgal to see what the builder says. I know if I left it I would not be happy. It does not look right at all. I LOVE the pewter handles. I had a few doubts today but after seeing them in the house I am very pleased. I hope I have not more decisions to make. My brain is fried :-)

Talk to your builder, Kel. This is a detail that should be his responsibility. It would be worth pushing it to make it match.

Amy

I would think the door company would switch them out for you. Not physically just hinge for hinge. You'll either have to take the doors all down or have someone do that part. A few of our doors came w/ the wrong hinges and we just have to let them know how many we need to switch out.

OOOOPS! :o~

Yep, builder likely noticed the mismatch (how could he not). So maybe he is already planning to swap them out if you are wanting that done. I'd talk to builder. I would not be wanting to paint brand new hinges. Seems this was an oversight, and should have to be "fixed" by the builder. I'm sure the door company will swap them out. Might be a bit of upcharge for certain colors, but perhaps not. ?!

Good luck, Kel. Let us know how they remedy this. Should be a fairly easy fix. :O)

I use to be project coordinator for a custom home builder. I can tell you that all of the doors that we ordered came standard with brass hinges. If a client selected door hardware that was anything other than brass, then it was our (the GC's) job to let the client know of the difference in color.

I don't remember if we charged for having to order the matching hinges. I'm pretty sure that we did if we had to special order them (like when the door supplier didn't offer other interchangable options). Some finishes were difficult to match. . . meaning that the hinges and hardware with the same finish discription looked different. So don't be surprised if this happens. However they should be able to match better than using brass.

Bring it to your GC's attention. If he's a good GC, he already knows but hasn't swapped them yet. We always installed the doors with the standard brass hinges and switched them later after all painting was completed. Maybe he's doing the same?

I'm curious...Why are most of the responses focusing on having the builder make this right? The gold hinges are generally builder standard around my area. I would not expect the builder to deviate from what his standard procedure is unless I specifically asked for the change. Should he have mentioned it to you? Yes, of course, but I think that this is a situation that should have been discussed with him upfront before the doors were ordered. And, maybe your GC is planning on changing them out for you, but don't be surprised if he charges you for the change. It is not that uncommon to have the gold hinges with non-matching handles.

We are close to ordering our interior doors, so I am familiar with the upcharges for switching out these builder basics for different hinges. If ordered at the time of the door order, it is ~ $4/door to upgrade the hinges. It's another $5-$10/door to upgrade the handles from the standard offerings. I am sure that it would be more than $4/door to switch out the hinges once the doors are hung, but even if it is $20/door...that's only $300. IMO, I'd rather spend that than paint brand new hinges.

Just another example of how opinions can differ between a homeowner and a GC if the contract does not clearly define the item to be used...and, if the contract does not clearly specify an item...at least some of the responsibility falls on the homeowner to be informed and to inform prior to the installation of the materials.

If this were a spec house I would say that builder standard is acceptable and it is up to the homeowner to change. But this is a custom home, built by a custom home builder. It's his job to insure that these little details are brought to the attention of the homeowner so that they can make their selections.

I echo kellyeng. This is a custom home, and common sense would dictate matching hinges. Our initial hinges were white, temporary hinges until after the painters were done. Then a very cheerful young man from the door company came out and changed all of them out for the hinges that matched the door hardware.

Amy

Just because a house is custom and is being built by a custom builder does not negate the fact that builders have a set "standard" package...even custom builders. At the time of negotiating a contract, these "standard" items should be addressed and either accepted, rejected, or amended. If a builder does not have a "standard" package, then the responsibility falls on the homeowner to stipulate their needs and wants. The contract and specs should address all of these small details like door hinges, in addition to the large items. I believe that it was the OP who several weeks ago was unsure if her windows were going to be cased or not...leaving these sorts of details as undefined by the contract and specs are the types of issues that lead to stress, conflict, and, even in some cases, lawsuits. At the very least if a homeowner does not want a contract that is so precise in its' language, a quick sentence that guarantees that the owner has the sole and final say in all matters of aesthetics will provide some level of protection in matters like these.

Anyway, back to the original topic- this is not a big deal...it's easy to change and even if it costs some money- it's not that much!

I was driving out to the house this morning and I remembered DH talking to the builder a few months back. DH told me that the builder was about to order the doors. I am guessing that he asked DH about the hinges and he probably responded with "what ever it comes with". Just a guess :-) But I can so see it happening. The builder tends to call me on everything unless he happens to talk to DH.

It is not to big of a deal. I looked at this morning in the day light and it is not something I am going to stress about. It can be fixed one way or the other. I am glad to know I can paint it or spray it. I have a call in to the builder and DH to see if he might 'remember' the conversation :-0 There was a sub working out at the house and he suggested just having the painters paint them so they blend in with the door. Just like Jeannekay suggested. I will talk to the builder and see what he thinks is the best way to handle it. The door knobs sure look pretty though! Here is a picture.

{{gwi:1520150}}

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I think the easiest thing would be to just have the painters paint them. DH didn't like that idea last night. I will have to mull over it a few days and talk to the builder but seems like it can be solved pretty easily. I think I am not so worried about it because I am just so happy that they counter tops are going in today. Nothing else seems to be buggin' me. Not even DD saying she is bored 50 times an hour!!!!

Kel

Your handles look great! Those are the first levers that I've liked...they look very substantial. And, I love the pewter finish. Do you mind sharing the brand?

Thank you Dixie! Not at all do I mind sharing! It is:

Kwikset Ashfield H-Set-Rustic Pewter

I looked at so many and we ended up with this. We found it at Home Depot. I really like it! The front door is not up yet but here is a picture of the front door handle and back door, off of the HD web site.

{{gwi:1520151}}

Kel :-)

You *could* have them painted but if it were my house, I wouldn't. To me, painted hinges remind me of an old house where someone painted the hinges over and over to the point that they start to bind and because of the paint, you can't remove the hinges easily. (Can you tell that I lived in a house that this happened? LOL!)

In a new house (or even a new remodel) I would want to see unpainted hinges. But I guess it boils down to what we each expect/want to see.

And, yes, the hinge finish (along with many other small details) were always described in our construction specifications. What does your specifications/contract say in regards to this?

kelntx - I really like your hardware. We have the same thing at my house, also a DH told the builder whatever it comes with is fine never considering we have ORB handles. Good thing is I can use metal paint to change them (I did this at my old house where I had black iron, I painted them flat black). Not sure about brass to pewter but You might want to try some "rub 'n buff" to see if that would do what you want. I think they sell that at Michaels. I figured I'd see if I could try that first before painting mine this time around.

Good for you to not worry about it. To be honest I really don't notice mine being different much and it has since moving in become a very low priority to change. Lots of other things to do.

Custom home has nothing to do with it. A custom builder takes a particular set of plans that are custom drawn to your specifications by whomever and builds it. If it isn't in the plans he isn't responsible for it (outside of making sure whatever he builds is compliant to code).

If you can't remember all the things that are suppose to go into a house - then you either need to find a list from someone or use an architect who is capable of doing this. I would definitely say this is /not/ in the list of things a GC is responsible for. A nice GC may inquire but its certainly not in the work scope.

Kelly, I am going with the same brand of knobs - LOVE THEM!

Kelly & Lyfia - What did/are you doing for cabinet knobs and light fixtures? Mixing or matching?

Anyway - Kelly, our (old) house we built last year, we went with oil rubbed bronze door knobs and the door hinges were suppose to be the same but came in as brass. It would have bugged me to death having them painted or staying brass - and they had to change them out - all 25+ doors. Certainly if it doesn't bother you, I am sure that nobody else would really even notice!

Kelly, I am going with the same brand of knobs - LOVE THEM!

Kelly & Lyfia - What did/are you doing for cabinet knobs and light fixtures? Mixing or matching?

Anyway - Kelly, our (old) house we built last year, we went with oil rubbed bronze door knobs and the door hinges were suppose to be the same but came in as brass. It would have bugged me to death having them painted or staying brass - and they had to change them out - all 25+ doors. Certainly if it doesn't bother you, I am sure that nobody else would really even notice!

If the builder is choosing the door hardware, he should also choose the hinge color.

But if you are choosing the hardware, it seems like a no-brainer that the hinges ought to match.

So many of these issues aren't even on the radar screen of the homeowner-- this may be the first and last time in our lives that we even think about it.

But it IS on the radar screen of the builders-- they deal with this stuff all the time.

A lot of builders-- including mine-- are much too fast to take the easy way out if it saves them a couple of bucks or hours.

For 14 months now, I've had to fight like h*ll to get the simplest details right. My guy is good about fixing the stuff I point out, but I have to be vigilant about every stinking thing. It's exhausting...

DH said the builder most likely asked him and he most likely said "whatever". He said he "kind of remembers". LOL! I do have to say that this being our fist home we have built we were pretty much at a loss and the builder has been wonderful. With the exception of a few subs(and being 4 months past our completion date) I have no complaints with the GC. He really has thought of everything, things that I would have never have thought about to be honest. If we every built again I sure would do things different!! *wink* I pulled out our contract. It did not go into detail about certain things. It did state that the fixtures and hardware, appliances etc where to be picked out by the homeowner. I guess that says it all there :-0

I think this is the first thing we have "messed up" on. Unless this is like childbirth and you quickly forget all the painful things! My friend who is building has had the wrong color on her stained concrete floor and the wrong cabinets. Oh, and they put in the wrong granite counter tops. None of which was fixed due to cost and/or time and the floor you could not fix I believe she said. I feel lucky that we just have brass hinges and the cabinets took a month and half longer to put in! LOL!

Tinker - They are great aren't they! I love them also. I had a few doubts but once I saw them in. DD even loved them and she hated them in the store. The cabinets do not have knobs. Not that I do not love knobs because I do, we just wanted to go more simple looking. Not sure if that is the right word or not. Natural?? Anyway, we decided to not go with pulls.

The light fixtures in the kitchen are all pewter as is the faucet. The light fixtures and faucets in the rest of the house are brushed nickel. With the exception of our bedroom light fixture/fan. It is ORB(which I love also) and that is only because we bought it a few years ago and it is brand new. I felt like we had to use it! LOL! So it will go in our room. We talked about doing the knobs ORB just to mix things up a bit but ended up really liking the pewter knobs. The front door really had a lot to do with it. The light fixtures outside are pewter so we really wanted the door knob to be pewter as well. Plus I think it will look great with the door and the stain!!

I did forget to say that I do still plan on talking to the builder. I am 99% sure he asked DH though after talking to DH at lunch time. It is not that DH did not care he just did not think about the hinges matching the door knobs and neither did I :-) It will be fixed though and I am sure in the end it will turn out looking great.

There really is a million and one things to think about and pick out. I will be glad when my brain does not have to think colors, knobs, stain, sinks...LOL! The builder asked me about the closet lights yesterday and I just told him put whatever he put in his house. I didn't even WANT to go pick out another light fixture ;-)

My builder wanted almost $2000 for all the door hardware, and when I priced it out, decided I could get it for half that price. The standard is brushed nickel but I want the oiled bronze, so my 2 sons will be swapping out everything after I move in. The price included lever-style handles, but they were way too plain. This way i'll get exactly what I want. I don't know if I left any doors out, but I think there are between 15-18. If I remember correctly, OB hinges were $3 apiece, which means $54 for 18 doors, That sure leaves a lot of $$$ for leaver handles and other necessary door hardware.

Hey, how hard can it be to change out hinges and handles?

tinker - I have a mix of finishes. No knobs or pulls yet either as we decided to do those ourselves as we couldn't get the ones we'd picked - no longer made. We have brushed nickel on all our faucets - iron/bronze/black look on several lightfixtures and a couple with antique brass. All bath towel bars etc are brushed nickel (just got 'em installed two days ago as we didn't like any that fit our allowance so we got the allowance back at closing). Once furniture is in you don't really notice the different finishes. I picked what I liked and I'm still happy with them.

patty_cakes - it is not hard at all to change out. I took all mine off and painted them when I changed the doors out in my old house as I couldn't find any with an iron look that was less than $10/hinge. BTW most doors have at least 2 hinges and more common is three on new construction so it would be 18*2*$3=108 or 18*3*$3=162. Still not as much as your $2000 though. If you go that route don't forget to order the matching screws to the hinges too. Usually 6 screws / hinge.

patty_cakes

Just to point out and agree with something someone above said: the builders will take the doors off to paint them, so your cost of changing them out might be not much more than the actual new hardware costs.

Dizzy, they won't change them out if they're not purchased thru the builder. If I could leave all hardware off, I would, but everything needs to be completed for inspection. They told me they deducted the standard brushed nickle hardware, and still came up with the $2000 figure.

I love your knobs. We're using Venetian Bronze from Kwikset and I sent a letter to the builder IN WRITING when framing started reminding him to match the hinges (amongst other things) because I had this happen to a friend and it would totally drive me crazy. I'm very matchy though! Let us know what happens!