I think you have to do a cost-benefit analysis here.

In our area there was a building of lofts sold with extremely minimal kitchens with the most basic appliances, cabinets and countertops needed for a habitable residence, on the assumption that people would be changing these loft spaces to suit.

However, I know someone who wanted to buy two small units in a different condo building and combine them (Two small units gave you a better layout than a single large unit), but they obviously did not need two complete kitchens. The discount the builder was willing to provide was negligible for leaving out the appliances and cabinets for an entire kitchen.

Since your builder probably has all the standard and upgraded needed for their builds essentially in stock and available to them at a volume discount, I don't think you will get much from the builder in terms of having the builder do less, or a more basic kitchen.

I think the best you will be able to do is choose the most standard options and then remove it to the basement or try and sell it off, and do the kitchen you want. It does not sound like the standard upgrades will give you what you really want.

Ms. Campbell:

I've worked for production builders. They make their money on the economies of scale. It's pretty hard for things to go wrong when the cabinet guy has installed the same cabinets for the 200th time. Same with the countertop. When you start deviating, you raise the risk. When you raise the risk, you cost more money. Pay now or pay later.

They won't just "leave it out", which is a huge part of the problem. If they would, that's what I'd prefer. But they HAVE to put something in (so the home appraises for what they're selling them for, presumably), and I'm thinking I might be better off just taking the options they will include for the base price, and then upgrading them sooner (or later). I've asked them to at LEAST leave out the bathroom mirrors and wire shelving in the closets so that I can put in my own without the hassle of uninstalling the junk they put in. They have said they'll "get back to me" on those items. They might actually charge me MORE for leaving them out, because, like Joseph said, they have done the same stuff a bajillion times, and making exceptions means they'll likely make more mistakes.

The tile is something I feel like I might have to just bite the bullet on. They have decent enough flooring, though the fact that they'll only install it with wide grout lines is awfully frustrating.

I think the entire amount the builder was willing to rebate for leaving out an entire kitchen if my friend bought two units was something like $5000. I wouldn't expect a great deal of financial cooperation. And I think the house has to have a completely functional kitchen in order to get a certificate of occupancy. I know someone who didn't get a C of O on a new build because there was a broken shade on a vanity fixture in one bathroom, so in many areas you probably would not get one without minimum counterspace or a finished floor--tile underlayment probably wouldn't cut it.

How about downgrading the flooring to sheet vinyl. It will be a lot easier to tear out than tile.

Yep, ,most charge more for anything "outside of their norm", whether taking out or putting in. Less "splain" to do to the crew among other things. Please in reality that's how they make there gravy, unfortunately, they go competitive on the house as there are other developers for competition but change orders are a captive audience.

Unfortunately the minimum grade flooring they offer IS tile.

I've FINALLY convinced the builder to sit down with me and give me prices for all of the upgrades I'm considering before they make me come in and choose everything I want... So at the very least I'll be able to compare their costs with doing it later. And without feeling like I'm forced to make an emotional decision on the spot.

Right now, I'm inclined to pay them for slightly better tile for the whole main floor that I'll keep, but totally cheap out on the kitchen, taking only things that they include for free, but making it look as nice as possible, with the expectation that it'll be replaced, sold, or re-purposed in the first year or two.

Put in a kitchen that would be easy to remove and sell. Pick out what is popular in layout and design.

I hate to mention this but one thing you can do is get an estimate from a kitchen distributor for the exact same thing you are putting in. Rip the new kitchen out almost immediately and donate it to Restore. You then have a nice tax write off, the write off can get pretty high since you have no builder discount and you deduct the fair market value of installed but new cabinets. Which would be a fairly high percentage of that estimate. Check with your tax guy to be sure, but it can really take the sting out of upgrading.

I think in order to get a CO you have to have a working kitchen. But, that can mean as little as a sink and a stove. So if you really want to do your own kitchen, find out what the code is where you live and put in the bare minimum. Then once you've closed, get the kitchen that you want.

HI Melanie, what did you end up doing? We will be building and in the exact same position as you, builder HAS to install his items. I already priced out my new, custom cabinets and hardwood floors and should be saving about $25,000!!! Yes, it's a pain... we'll close and won't be able to move in, but it would bug me to death to pay MORE for cabinets and flooring I don't love!

We close next week! We opted to only pay the builder for upgrades that would've been more expensive to do later.

We spent exactly $20 in upgrades in our kitchen: to make our sink a single-basin to live with as long as we need to. Went with everything else that was "free".

Upgrades we DID spring for with the builder:
Loads of recessed lighting
Nice tile in the main living areas & bathroom floors (because it comes with tile standard, and ripping it out to replace it would've cost a fortune)
Structured wiring for internet
Smooth walls (because I can't STAND knockdown splattered all over everything)
Crown moulding in the main living area (their price was reasonable, and I knew it was something we'd never get around to).

The only decision I'm second-guessing is not upgrading the bathroom vanities, shower tile, shower doors, etc. -- I'm not sure how long it'll be before we can get around to renovating the bathrooms, and they're really not very nice, compared to the rest of the house.

We have already booked carpet replacement for the day after closing. We had them install standard carpet everywhere, and it's the WORST. Don't even want to live with it for a day. :)

We will be doing the kitchen very shortly after we move in. We considered trying to plan for it right after we close, but our overlap between houses was too short to allow for renovation AND moving in between.


Overall, I feel great about the research I did beforehand, and it sounds like you're on the ball, too!

This is exactly my plan - upgrade what I can behind the walls!

I really WANT smooth walls, but with our builder, it's not an option. The upgrade to a single basin sink - $200!! Still need to decide about about the bathroom vanities. We will tile the bathrooms, or might just tile the shower and carpet the floors to do afterwards. What did you do about the kitchen countertops? Level 1 granite is "standard" to upgrade to a higher level or quartz is much less than if we have to go out and buy. I'm planning on buying the granite /quartz I want - and asking for it to be held at the stone place and have laminate installed... not sure if they will do this! Certainly not the ideal way to build. We've built 4 other homes (custom & semi custom) and never built with a production builder before, so their way of doing things is so odd to us... I'd love to walk away, but we do like the community and we are moving there to be near our grandchildren. Surprisingly, this builder has a great reputation too, rated A+, but personally I find the whole way they do things odd, and the upgrades exorbitant!

Our builder's standard countertop was laminate (yes, really), so we went with that. It's definitely the biggest eyesore we put in.

We were the only people in our community that bought the smooth walls, and they decided to take it off the menu after doing it for us, lol. So only our unit and the models have smooth walls. :)

(I'm the OP, by the way. Guess my phone houzz account is different from my desktop one.)