Oh no ... I see red flags all over the place. I'm not trying to be negative, but I think you're walking into a trap:

We are still negotiating a contract for a home in framing. It’s $310 a square foot (4 BR/3 BA) and the builder is not willing to come off the price much even though comps in the neighborhood are lower.

If you overpay for the house /neighborhood -- and overpaying is what you're talking about -- you will not be able to resell; rather, you will not be able to resell without losing money.

It’s still in framing so we can choose finishes. It’s not custom, but rather spec house with amendments.

This is a builder-neighborhood where you choose from a dozen plans and have a dozen options for color, flooring, etc.? Yes, if you overpay in this type of neighborhood, you will be "under water" and will not be able to sell.

Neighborhoods of this type stay "hot" for about 7 years, then they're "no longer the hottest thing", and they become hard to sell. Worse, everyone seems to decide to resell at the same time.

The thought is that the house will be better quality and more stately so its not comparable. It does have 20ft high ceilings, $40k+ floor to ceiling windows in the open living/ kitchen. There are certainly some impressive design elements.

This is a rookie move ... you're thinking that if you own the nicest house in the neighborhood, it'll resell ... even if the more common houses down the street don't.

Actually, the opposite is true: You want to own the smallest /least expensive house in the nicest neighborhood. That way the bigger /more expensive houses drive up the price of your smaller house.

You're proposing that you'll be that bigger /more expensive house that'll "bring up" the smaller houses. People will want to buy your house, but they won't be willing to pay more for it.

Case in point: My daughter and her husband bought a (resale) tract house that's about 10 years old. The original owners bought it and put in fancy things WAY ABOVE the neighborhood standard. Plantation shutters on all the windows, the hall closet is lined with wires from their custom speakers, an extra-deep tile-edged pool with built-in /raised hot tub, lovely tile and upscale granite in the kitchen, a large shed with built-ins and electricity ... but all these upscale things were in a typical entry-level house ... a house with a one-car garage, a builder-basic staircase, three tiny bedrooms, all on a 1/4 acre lot.

The original builders created a mis-match, and then they couldn't sell it. They lost the house to foreclosure, and my daughter and her husband snapped it up ... while the original builders lost big money and their credit took a hit. Yes, they enjoy those "extras", but -- again -- they didn't pay for them.

Lighting: $2,210 Allowance - (3 vanity lights over island, 1 dining chandelier, 5 vanity lights, 4 ceiling fans, 3 ext wall) (all can lights are included free!)

Too little -- much too little, and I'm inclined towards frugal.

Say 50% of that budget goes to the chandelier ... that's not unreasonable. Say you choose simple ceiling fans at $250 each (at this price, you'll have a functioning fan but nothing fancy). Now you have left about $35 each for the other lights. Not good. You'll end up cheaping-out on the chandelier, which will then not mesh well with the high-end things you're trying to do. Or you'll replace the bedroom ceiling fans with $25 boob lights. Regardless, to stick to this budget, you're going to give up something you want.

Worse, this list seems to be incomplete:

- In the kitchen you'll need a central overhead and a light over the sink, not just three lights over the island. What about under counter lighting?

- Five vanity lights? I'm not sure how that shakes out because I don't know how many bathrooms ... perhaps some of these are overhead lights in the bathrooms? You do want an overhead light PLUS lights over the sink. I'm assuming a can light over the tub/shower.

- Four ceiling fans -- that's a living room plus three bedrooms? Do these ceiling fans include light kits? Some do, some don't. What size are these ceiling fans? You want 54-60" blades, not the bitty-small sizes.

- Three exterior lights -- so that's one by the front door, one by the back door, one over the garage. That's kinda skimpy. Two lights flanking the doors and garage would be minimal. No lights inside the garage?

- A light for the entryway(s)? Lights in the halls? Lights in the closets?

Plumbing $1,425 Allowance - (1 kit sink, 5 bath vanity faucets, 3 shower faucets. Toilets provided by plumber)

Do-able, if you opt for all low end stuff. If you're considering a fancy ledge sink or farmhouse sink, nope.

Countertops: Quartz $46/SF

That's some low end quartz.

Appliances $5,000 Allowance slide in oven/range, dishwasher, microwave, (think this excludes fridge, not sure about disposal) (custom hood is also free)

The refrigerator is the most expensive appliance ... I'd say budget $1500 for a reasonable choice. You need to know whether this (and the disposal) are included.

Custom doesn't automatically mean nice ... and for this price you're not getting a range hood that you'd post on Pinterest.

What type of microwave are you talking about? A drawer? Is it part of the custom hood?

Way too many questions here for any certainty.

Tile: $3,000Allowance (Bathroom, laundryfloors, masterbath shower, kitchen backsplash)

5 places for tile ... $3000.

Reasonable.

Engineered Floors $5.50/SF Allowance

Reasonable.

Bath hardware and mirrors: $525 Allowance

Two bathrooms? One sink to a bathroom /4" spread chrome faucets on a plate? Simple unframed /glued to the wall mirrors?

Reasonable.

"Tile: $3,000Allowance (Bathroom, laundryfloors, masterbath shower, kitchen backsplash)

5 places for tile ... $3000."

Tile only or does this include installation? My bad I see this is material. I assume then that the waterproofing and everything under the tile is standard? What system doee he use for waterproofing? What brand are these 4oK+ floor to ceiling windows?

Elevations, pitcures, brand name? Allowances are typicall nothing but trouble as the builder will seldom pick anything but bottom end pricing and you will be hard pressed to find anything you like in that dollar range. Everything will be upsells, thats how a spec or builders home works. Nothing is done in the favor of the buyer, remember that........................

Free? Nothing is free. You are paying for it one way or another.

"Tile: $3,000Allowance (Bathroom, laundryfloors, masterbath shower, kitchen backsplash)

5 places for tile ... $3000."

Tile only or does this include installation?

I think the OP said allowances are for materials only - installation is included in the Price/SF. If I understand it correctly.

Are there only two bathrooms in the house? Master and the other bathroom? Are you tiling the walls of the bathrooms or just the shower enclosure. Let's assume its only one other bath (seems unlikely, but hey) and that bath also has a tub/shower combo. And we'll throw in some reasonable but still completely estimated square footages...

Bath 1 floor (bath 1 doesn't get tiled walls): 60 sf

Bath 1 shower enclosure: 100 sf

Laundry floors: 60 sf

Master Bath floor: 100 sf

Master shower enclosure: 150 sf

Kitchen splash: 25 sf

Total: 495 sf plus 10% overage: 545 sf

$3000/545: $5.50/sf

Have a look at tile in that price range and see if you like what you see.

We are still negotiating a contract for a home in framing. It’s $310 a square foot (4 BR/3 BA) and the builder is not willing to come off the price much even though comps in the neighborhood are lower. It’s still in framing so we can choose finishes. It’s not custom, but rather spec house with amendments.

The thought is that the house will be better quality and more stately so its not comparable. It does have 20ft high ceilings, $40k+ floor to ceiling windows in the open living/ kitchen. There are certainly some impressive design elements.

It doesn't matter one iota if the house is better built then its neighbors. If you ever have to sell, you will only get whatever the going rate is for the neighborhood. Nothing more. You may sell your house faster but better finishes, and more fancy things will not get you more money.

I know very little about building alowances but these seem low to me and do not come off as justifying the upper mid price range. I would be pleased with nice looking midrange quality.

What do do you think about these?

I think not one of these allowances are mid to upper price range allowances.

Lighting: $2,210 Allowance - (3 vanity lights over island, 1 dining chandelier, 5 vanity lights, 4 ceiling fans, 3 ext wall)

Well if you want to pay only $138 per light fixture (and that includes the chandelier) then go ahead and accept that ridiculously low allowance. My allowance on my house was $5000 and I only accepted that allowance because I was bringing a bunch of fixtures I had from my condo.

Even a crappy chandelier from HD will cost more than $138. However you can get some cheap sconces at HD for less money.

(all can lights are included free!)

No, it's not free. It's part of your base price. Nothing in a build is free. Not one thing!

Plumbing $1,425 Allowance - (1 kit sink, 5 bath vanity faucets, 3 shower faucets. Toilets provided by plumber)

OMG! This guy is scamming you. Even tract builders give a higher allowance for plumbing fixtures. (and yes, I know I sound like Robin except I spelled tract right.)

No bath vanity sinks?

Toilets provided by plumber)

What brand? Style?

Countertops: Quartz $46/SF

Again. Brand? Does that include fabrication? The average price for quartz is between $50-$100 a SF not including installation.

Appliances $5,000 Allowance slide in oven/range, dishwasher, microwave, (think this excludes fridge, not sure about disposal)

Are you sure that excludes the fridge? What about the washer/dryer?.

(custom hood is also free)

Nothing is free and is this a bargain basement hood or a quality hood that will actually work?

Tile: $3,000Allowance (Bathroom, laundryfloors, masterbath shower, kitchen backsplash)

How many square feet is the house? Does that just include the tile without installation?

To see if it works, figure out how many square feet of tile you need. If you buy a tile that is $10 a square foot, that will give you a total of 300 square feet of tile. Is that enough?

Engineered Floors $5.50/SF Allowance

Very low. That will get you an engineered floor with a 2mm wear layer or less. Meaning the first time something heavy drops on it, you'll see through to the base layer. You want an engineered floor with a minimum of 3mm wear layer and that will cost more.

Bath hardware and mirrors: $525 Allowance

I guess if you shop at HD, you can get that all for your allowance for all the bathrooms. But if you want a quality mirror or toilet holder or towel bar, it will cost quite a bit more. Have you done some research on your own?

Allowances are just for materials. All installation will be done by builder.

Thoughts?

Where are you located? That square foot price is low for Silicon Valley or say Boston or NY area but is quite high for much of the rest of the country for the allowances he's giving.

He's giving such low allowances because when you can't meet them with fixtures, appliances, lighting etc you want with those low allowances, he makes much more money by doubling the prices.

Oh no ... I see red flags all over the place. I'm not trying to be negative, but I think you're walking into a trap:

Yep. A big one.

I believe some of your allowances are quite low if you want a stately home.

As for the comps, I would talk to a real estate professional in your area. Real estate is local.

However, I would assure that there is an appraisal clause in your contract (most spec builders will have one). In my area, houses rarely have subsequent sales below the initial appraisal. Your area may be different.

Just commenting with my experiences on appliances - so far I've had trouble sticking to my $6k allowance and I'm going for standard Bosch appliances (plus a Samsung fridge because Bosch doesn't have the kind I want). Induction stovetop and not a gas range either. I'm about $2k over.

Edit: Oops, missed where you said it excludes fridge so you might be okay. My fridge is like $2.3k so takes up so much of my allowance lol.

Tile: $3,000Allowance (Bathroom, laundryfloors, masterbath shower, kitchen backsplash)

5 places for tile ... $3000.

Reasonable.

Engineered Floors $5.50/SF Allowance

Reasonable.

Actually not reasonable at all unless it's lower end.

For what you are paying per sq. frt, the plumbing fixtures allowance should definitely be higher.

Yah, all the engineered flooring I've looked at have been $6+/sqft and one of those is just Pergo brand.

" . . . comps in the neighborhood are lower."

Do you plan on living in the house for a long time?

"It doesn't matter one iota if the house is better built then its neighbors. If you ever have to sell, you will only get whatever the going rate is for the neighborhood. Nothing more. You may sell your house faster but better finishes, and more fancy things will not get you more money."

i think this this may be regional, CP. In my pretty homogeneous area real estate moves quickly and a 3000sf renovated house in a neighborhood of 1300sf ranches goes for the same price as a 3000sf house in a neighborhood full of 3000sf houses. Around here it is the town, not the neighborhood that drives prices. I was shocked to see a flip on a busy road, one house away from a busy intersectio, go for close to a million recently. The other houses on the corner wouldn't sell for nearly that, but this one had lots of new SF and gray interior and exterior...go figure.

a 3000sf renovated house in a neighborhood of 1300sf ranches goes for the same price as a 3000sf house in a neighborhood full of 3000sf houses.

And my guess is the per square foot price would be the same for both the 1300 sf house and the 3000 sf house. So yes, the 3000 sf house will sell for more relative to the 1300 sf house but the price per sf will be comparable.

Let's say there are two 3000 sf houses in the same neighborhood. One puts in Wolf and SZ appliances, upgrades the plumbing fixtures to the best money can buy and puts in Ann Sacks level tile, and the other house also upgrades but with HD level appliances and Floor and Decor tile, etc.

The other houses in the neighborhood all have HD level appliances and Floor and Decor tile. There is no way the first house will make back their money with the Wolf and SZ appliances etc. They will probably sell faster but pretty much at the same price as the second house with the HD level stuff.

Oh I Agree. But there you are talking about finishes. you may be right about the sqft thing as well, I don't pay much attention to that. But I do know that my house which is overbuilt for my neighborhood (I like a natural lawn and keep bees and chickens and just can't see myself in the colonial or McMansion pork chop neighborhoods in my town, so I opted to build where I was) will go for the same price as comps in more expensive neighborhoods, meaning neighborhoods where all of the houses are roughly the same and same price. But I probably wouldn't make back my spend on reclaimed floors and high end appliances.

Does $310 per square foot include the land cost? Otherwise that is an insanely high price for such small budgets.

"$310 per foot" I would assume its all inclusive at these budgets.

If you need help, ask the builder what they would have purchased for these or if they have any recently completed homes as examples to show, otherwise go online and get some carts full to understand your tastes vs budgets.

Comps - New spec construction is almost always more than resale. Real comps are comparing to other new specs sales.

Some clarifications!

House is 2167 sq ft on 3+ acres in private forest in a very small community of 12 homes off the a beautiful secluded lake with deeded boat slip and the 12 homes share one lot on the lake with community outdoor living area, dock, lake access. This is a tough market because the houses on the lake go for 1.5 m for a 1970s shack, most lake properties are 3 m + and are not able to be rented out. Any properties off the lake are also much more affordable but still old cabin shacks. It’s a slower moving market with very limitied inventory but they fetch good prices. The nearby town 15 min away is having increased development.

This property is special that it sits in a small neighborhood 1 min drive from the private (12 homes) community boat dock. All the lots were purchased by my builder and all have been sold except this one and ppl are doing custom homes on them. 4 are built the rest are still undeveloped lots. It’s not on the lake but Very close. It’s also the only new construction or even recent for sale in the vacinity of the lake. Also the only contemporary build I’ve seen. Basically it’s the only game in town for this type of property. The land as increased in value so we wouldnt be able to do a custom build.

I have seen the builders other projects and they are beautiful but I don’t know how much ppl came up from their allowances or How much was spent on fixtures. I will visit homes he has done and research in CODD.

By free I don’t mean free- I me included but not in my Allowance budget as outlined.

All installation is included in the house price.

The house is subject to appraisal which will determine market value during due diligence.

Lastly my in-laws are building a house on the lake 10 min away. This would be a second home for us that we would rent out (we are allowed!) during the summer to help with the mortgage. We have a house in Atlanta and would rent ouT one or the other.

For the selling price of $675k I would expect at least mid grade fixtures. They came down from $699k and added a master suite deck in the trees and underground propane tank (when the power goes out in the winter, also bc gas range- duh). If the home appraises for less, then we can negotiate, but they have been aggressive with negotiations and say they are pretty sure they could get asking price easy.

If this is an all inclusive number than it sounds fair. Land was probably 200K after getting all utilities installed. so really you are paying $218/ SQ FT for the home to be built.

Basic non custom homes start around $170/SQ FT where I am at.

Have you owned a rental home before? How much will you need to rent it out for ”help with the mortgage”? It sounds like there will likely be some sort of association if there is a common property on the lake for all community members. Are you sure renters will be allowed and have access to that common property?

Also, I think the quality of finishes I would choose for a primary home vs one I’d be renting out would be very different.

Again this is a vacation/ rental / investment property for us. I don’t need fancy things, just durable, decent quality. With a property like this, the draw is of course the lake and the tree top views. But I’d like the inside to be decent, I wanted to get a concesus of how low these allowances really are. We are still in the negotiation phase so this is me doing my research. I would still have 30 days due diligence to follow up on specs and prices.

I very much appreciate everyones input on the allowances !!

Although there will be few options in your budget you can make selections for a decent home.

Congrats on your new home!

I was only asking if you’d owned a rental home before because I know a few people who have learned the hard way that the downside to a vacation home they need to rent to help pay the mortgage is that the times that draw the highest rent are also the times that you will most likely want to be using the home yourself.

The most rentable months at the lake are May- August. Luckily for us, we have an airstream trailer and usually take 2-3 months traveling in our airstream (working remotely) during our slow season at work which also happens to be summer. We will park the on our lot and then either stay in our airstream at the lake or travel around. Also thinking about renting out our house in ATL although that poses more of a challenge since we have more personal belongings and higher end furniture and what not.

When I was hunting down quartz, I don't think I saw anything for $46/square foot. There were some in the mid-50 range. Whether rental or not you want to go with quartz that's formulated properly. Alas, I am spacing the name for the technology your quartz MUST have. Someone else may remember...

Tile is doable and reasonable. I recommend South Cypress as a supplier - the only downside is that things on your computer monitor or phone screen do NOT look like the color you think they do when you get the samples in. But the tile I did purchase from them was of very high quality, and I could avoid looking at tile beyond my own personal budget. (I screened by cost as well as color.)

Plumbing hardware and fixtures for bath - if it's just one bath, it's do-able, but the stuff you will get for that will be cheaply made, and subject to breakage by renters. Since you are talking about 3 shower heads, I'm assuming three full baths? Not do-able.

I'd not count on the appliance allotment not including the fridge. Lowest you'll go is about $1500. If you decide to save money buying a 33 inch wide unit, make sure there is space to upgrade to a 36 incher. I figure you'll want an electric glass top oven/range? For the microwave, you can always do what I did -- I have a $70 countertop MW that I brought with me since it works perfectly fine, from my old home. I went with a low end DW that had good reviews for durability - since if it DOES break, I am still able to wash dishes by hand until I can replace it. No idea what disposals cost (don't have one). I did go over your allotment - considering just the kitchen - because I purchased induction.

Washer and dryer? No one is going to want to go to a public laundromat. That will definitely shoot this allotment over $5000.

Faucets: I went moderately high end - no plastic internal parts, which are more subject to breakdown - for my kitchen faucets (I do have two). I decided that this was not so important in the bathrooms (for me). You could have them stay in the allotment by getting the cheaper ones, and when you like down the road, and you don't have to pay an upcharge, get the proper ones.

That lighting / fan allotment is way, way, way low. I even got a few of my things from Lowe's (my external door lights), and it is still way low. You need more kitchen light. You may want to consider undercab lighting - oh, it is SO worth it!

PS, your lot sounds like it is a lovely place!

Your plumbing allowance is woefully inadequate and a sign that your builder is comfortable including very low-end products in their homes. My projects in typical homes of similar size include plumbing allowances between $6k-$12k. Your allowances are cause for concern and I would get more specific information about the brands they have specified to reach such low allowances.

It looks like a lot of lake house and design beyond the purchase price. I now understand why the builder isn't doing cedar or corten. The windows are very costly for that price range. You negotiated both a $25K discount and a few additions that have significant value. The allowances or finish specifications should have been a part of the initial negation disclosure, even if "similar to or equal to xxx address" is used as a place holder. I've seen competitor's spec homes at $900K matching those specs except the appliances, but at that price they spend another 10K and sell them all day.

Set aside 1-2 days for appointments with all the contractor's suppliers for these allowances and make your picks now. Then you'll know.

There are a few ways to approach selections:

Dream - "I want this. Oh surprise, its way over budget."

Practical - "This is my budget. What do you have that fits?"

My mother taught me this: "its easy to spend a lot of money for pretty stuff, but more work to get the look you want within a budget"

The allowances are a joke. I don’t think I could find anything in the reject bin of Home Depot for the stated allowance. Rental or not, you want a basic level of quality. If your budget is that restricted per the builder, get a designer on board that can make the limited selection get the most mileage for the dollar. You can go simple and still have a wow house - and it will endure in the long run.

I echo those advising you to go through the exercise of actually selecting items. I think you will find that most of those allowances will need to be at least doubled for the quality you are seeking (our new construction is similar price per sq ft in the Midwest).

We did a 4/3 last year (our beach house, not our multi-million dollar teensy kitchen house that we're renting! ha). Our allowances were:

Plumbing fixtures: $8,000.00

Tile (materials, grout, install on 3 ba and kitchen backsplash): $25,000.00

Kitchen countertops/install (quartz): $6000

Flooring/install: $15,00 (we did engineered hardwood downstairs, and w2w carpeting on stairs and upstairs)

Appliances: $15,000

Surface-mount lights: $2000 (this was too low)

The beach house is in a very high-cost region (although not as high-cost as our house-house, which is why we rent...), but I bought a non-insignificant number of the items in these allowances online (Build.com, mostly; plus some tile from Fireclay; appliances from big-box stores; etc.), so I don't think the region made a *huge* difference except for countertops and bathroom tiles. I didn't go crazy, either, and I took deals whenever I could get them.

Would echo what others are saying about being sure to get quality plumbing fixtures... as a rental, you do NOT want to get the call that a toilet won’t flush or a faucet is broken and have to drive up there on a weekend at a moments notice to fix it...

As someone who has built a rental house recently (beach).

I doubt the OP is the handyman/woman.

The vast majority of plumbing issues are not faucet quality related - they are food down the drain leading to leaks - shrimp shells most commonly for us.....

A $140 delta bath faucet is pretty durable. Grohe is much nicer but not really more durable.

We have a sub $5k appliance package. Basically the cheapest Whirlpool/Maytag at HD/Lowes. Usually the one on sale. We are 7 years in and on second fridge/washer machine and dishwasher. How do you kill a range or dryer? - but they will probably get to them at 10 years. You don't buy Bosch for renters.

We built a 2100 sqft 5/4 for about $250k. Lots of things are possible.

I see no reason to compare to expected level of trim to random folks on the internet at a particular price point. Sure at $700k in the Midwest, you better be getting decent appliances. I could sell our beach house for over $700k stripped of appliances.... Heck spec house builders put nicer appliances on the sound side of island compared to the ocean side. And they use nicer flooring. The sound side is less likely to be rented.

They're all low, but appliances are ridiculously low.. You can add, so get thee to a big box store, go select as you like and add it up. Appliances, , flooring, all the tile and apply to your sq footage. Don't forget your sink and faucet etc. Same with lights, cabinet hardware,

Now.............add it up. KA CHING. Or simply hand the list over to the builder and have him price the house. KA CHING.

I could work with all these allowances except the a) engineered floors, b) the bath hardware, and c) quartz. The other ones won't be top of the line or anything and not the best quality, but you can find things that would work. I'm basing this on a 3 bed 2 bath type house. Look at Home Depot or Lowes and select things for all the rooms and see what it comes out to based on your tastes and see if you can make it work.

a) engineered floors - this one will be a bit tougher - maybe laminate, but not engineered hardwood except for the lowest quality. Again look at what's available at the big box stores and see if it is anything you like that can meet the price. I think between 6-7/sq ft would get you more decent, but not top of the line either.

b) Mirrors can be expensive. Are you thinking separate mirrors or the "plate glass" full mirrors. The latter is lower cost. The first can be $200 or more per mirror.

c) That sounds like you may only have 1 or 2 choices and may need to use the lower level granites instead.

You wrote: This property is special that it sits in a small neighborhood 1 min drive from the private (12 homes) community boat dock.

Is this dock public access or only for the private 12 homes? If the latter, you might want to consider what that means for your house and the ability to rent it. Where is the lake access?

Using Big Box stores as your pricing guideline can really lead you astray while some of their commodity prices are extremely competitive some of the things they carry are extremely high margin and not normally used by building industry pros.

example: Quartz can be done for that allowance if it doesn't have a turned and built up edge and it isn't one of the very well known name brands of which I cannot figure out except for color where the value is related to the high prices. I'm willing to listen, but I buy my quartz at large wholesale warehouses at a fabricators discount. in tighter price ranges I would suggest prefabricated slabs.

I buy my hardware for 30% less than the big Box stores are priced.

I don't buy tile there because they cannot assure me matching lots, So I purchase it at my contractors discount at tile warehouses. Sometimes small boutique tile show rooms also buy from these warehouses.

Agree with above. But you WILL have a starting point. A decent rental apartment /condo could have 5 k of appliances : (

In build or remodel I get NOTHING from the big box. But you have to have an easy to start one place idea of where you're going. If you only care about "reasonably decent" ? There ya go. A START.

The reason I suggested looking at big box is that it will give an idea of what can be done and if they can live with big box finishes and with those allowances then they will be adequate. If not then talk to the builder about their concerns and the builder can then give them better idea of what he is offering with his discounts assuming he passes them on.

In my experience all of the allowances are short. If you proceed, you will likely use up most of the 25k reduction you got on the price to purchase the finishes you want.

Was there items spec'd out for the house that you turned down?? I have worked with builders who do spec houses.. they have their list of "go - to " items they use and if you want to choose something different, they will give you an allowance towards the purchase of those products. I have found that they are typically not large at all - almost to the point of being unfair. But that could be how some of the guys work in my area. They aren't all like that ...

I think you need to see what the price is for reasonable selections and then try negotiating with him. Keep in mind, your expectation of what should be considered standard in that home and his are probably very far apart.

Best of luck - I hope it all works out