Based on personal experience, the cabs and vanities estimate seems light.

Where you are located, the square footage and price range of the home we are talking about is needed for anyone to comment with any accuracy.

Were you in a $500,000 3,500 sq ft home in Pennsylvania the numbers would be more than adequate. Were you in a 2 million dollar 5,500 sq ft home in San Francisco you would be in serious trouble.

cabinet costs seem light,,only the kitchen ones would cost that (I am guessing the kitchen is pretty large...6 bathrooms are probably for a large house).
Appliances is probably about right, depending on what you want

Tile, again might work if you go with something around $2 a sqft

What kind of finishes are you talking about? Builder basic is barely doable at $27K. Smaller kitchen semi-custom cabs will be over $25K anywhere. I'm talking HD. Maybe if you get Chinese self-assemble prefab cabs or minimal IKEA cabs.

Unfortunately, in the Houston area, in most of the "master planned communities", (I am in Houston area too) this is more the trend than not. Kitchens are dollar hogs for sure. The new, great, luxury brand refrigerators have skyrocketed in price to $10,000-15,000 just for the refrigerator! Yeah, due diligence is ever important. Hal Braswell's comments are on point.

Flo, do they only offer Subzero fridges? I don't know other fridges that come at the price..or they might be some commercial size ones

I am not familiar with the Houston area, but we almost moved to Austin at some point..Home prices were very reasonable, but there was a reason for that and that was property tax. At 4-5% property tax, you really want to keep the house cost as low as possible

Kate - just remodeled a kitchen in so cal at that size and price point - high end appliances, tons of custom cabs, quartzite tops, designer tile = north of 200k. The cabs were over $50k for modern laminate.

In a 1.8 mil. house these are lower than builder grade IMO so I would definnately sit down with the builder and see what you get I would be hrd pressed to do an Ikea kitchen in a much smaller house for 27K

I think she means a spec home, not a development. Like a custom onsie that a builder builds and gets under contract and the buyer picks the finishes. No design center. That means for 1.8 mil those allowances are the what is included in the price. With a house that size and price she will need all high-end everything. She's going to blow through all those allowances on half a kitchen. I'm thinking $ 2.1 mil not including flooring and lighting upgrades if they aren't in yet.

Suzyq, can you adopt me?

Considering you have 6 bathrooms, I don't think this is a starter home. The cabinetry budget definitely is incongruous with the appliance budget. The tile budget seems somewhat fair but without knowing square footages, it's really difficult to speculate. The plumbing budget is definitely low for 6 bathrooms and a kitchen. If you have the opportunity to post the floor plan you will get much better feedback.

Printesa - thermador separate freezer refrigerator columns are $7000 each panel ready as part of a bundle. You have to get the custom panels and they don't even come with pulls. Doesn't include installation or tax. About $20,000 in and done. That is what future buyers would expect at that size and price point. Also pro gas cooktop, double wall ovens, wine chiller, multiple sinks with killer faucets, ect. Kitchens, bathrooms and master sell houses. Don't forget the full outdoor kitchen, firepit and resort style pool and lush landscaping that I didn't even address in the $2.1. For that add $250k easy.

Agree with SRD Const. Let's take a step back. Are you already under contract? Is this an independent builder? Is this a spec home in a development? At that price point, I don't understand these "allowances". Makes no sense. Something is off here.

I would tribble but you're so far away.

I closed escrow without the flooring and did my own with better quality and workman ship for less

suzy, yes, those are pricey.. I just wasn't expecting those kinds of appliances from a builder.

I think its a house that would be well over $2 million if it were finished properly. That's why the allowances are so whack. Flo is right. Its like bait and switch. And its misleading to most potential buyers. At least with a developer's model homes they put signs indicating that certain features are upgrades and provide the cost of the upgrades. Also developer's have economy of scale and buying power. Spec builders don't have that.

Thank you all, this is incredible helpful. To clarify, this is a spec home, not a development home so there is no showroom to go to other then the ones of vendors the builder uses. I am uploading the floor plan momentarily. We love this house but aren't prepared to spend a ton in upgrades!

Not nearly enough for anything listed. But, I'd be more concerned with the things not listed. like window quality, insulation levels, HVAC SEER rating and zoning, roof shingles, and the real nuts and bolts that hold the house together and keep you warm and dry. If they are as ridiculous as the other allowances, you just doubled the price of the house without even trying.

Don't worry kate, Everyone has done something like this at some point. We've been through something like this twice,,,once we almost clarified all the changes and updates and the the management changed and they didn't want to accept any of those so we had to move on. The second time, the house was almost done, but they changed the lot grading without telling us and we managed to get out and get our money back ( from a flat lot they made it into a hill,,,think San Francisco roads where when you go up, you can only see the sky and your house is at the top). So, don't worry,..be thankful that you didn't end up with more headaches than you wanted

Thanks again everyone, we are meeting with the builder tomorrow to review everything before we walk away. I am taking all of your input with me - thanks again!

Good things come to those that wait.

If you really want it, get it for lower price. Depends on the market where you are, but you will need significant upgrades. That could be a bargaining point. If no one else is ponying up you're in the driver's seat.

Thanks all! It IS emotional! We have been waiting, and waiting... we have been looking casually for a year, aggressively for six months. We are really set on this neighborhood and not a lot comes up. I would prefer something smaller, it has become less about the house and more about this neighborhood, but I definitively don't want to end up with a "cheap" house for that much money. We are asking for increases really across the board for all allowances, and to have a designer in place. That will likely be a deal breaker, and if it isn't, we will move forward and I will feel a lot more secure in the process.

Be careful you don't get "talked" into lower price, or "commitments" that are not in writing. Memories are short. If it isn't in writing, clearly stating agreements, IT DOES NOT EXIST. Also, builder's are in business to make money, and they will cut your costs, but not theirs. So you might get "shortcuts" on things that you can't see, but matter. They rarely cut into their profit. Just saying. Maybe this builder is a prince among builder's, but -- get anything he/she says in writing. Simply say, OK, here is what I think we agreed to. Please prepare an addendum to the contract that states these things. If he balks or drags feet, run don't walk away. BTW, this is the time when everyone is happy. It rarely gets better!

The layout of the bathrooms and kitchen in the design are somewhat simplistic. With these simple designs we could stay within budget for cabinetry in the lower end lines we carry. Cabinetry would still be all plywood construction and Blum Blumotion tracks and hinges. The only items that will be an issue is if custom shower doors were expected for the tiny fixture allotment.

By the way you can't put a side by side refrigerator against a wall as is shown in the kitchen drawing.

Have you thought about purchasing the lot from the builder and finding someone else to design and build you a house? The plans that you've shown are not what I would expect to find in a 1.8M house.