ditto.....microwaves can be put in a shelf in the kitchen or under the counter.

9' or 10'

range hood for sure. These aren’t super expensive. Vent outside. We are having a microwave shelf put in elsewhere. I personally dislike microwave over hood

Farmhouse sink only if you really love it. we like it but not love so saving the money. Also never had one and I’m not sure if we’d like the depth.

id ask a realtor about the ceiling height if you’re concerned about resale. Also what do the neighboring houses have? fwiw we are doing 9’ because of what we like, in our town that would have a minimal resale impact.

9' ceilings, hood vented to the outside for sure, sink is a personal choice but if at all possible find one you can try out, washing your hands and washing a large pot or bowl (see if the reach bothers you).

What I would re-think is the staggered cabinets. Without seeing your kitchen plan it's difficult to say for sure but if it's what I'm picturing, it's not a good look and is busy to the eye. The reason it's an up charge is all the monkeying around they have to do with the crown for the different heights and if this is a tract builder (sounds as if it may be) I wouldn't want to throw any extra trim challenges at their crew.

Definitely yes to 9' ceilings as it makes the house feel larger. I wouldn't give that one a second thought. I haven't seen 8' ceilings in new construction where we live in 25 years. I think it is better for resale. We are looking for another home, and won't consider anything with 8' ceilings due to husband's height. I strongly suggest a single bowl sink as it is easier to wash large items. We love our farm sink but it is best to go to a plumbing store and see if it is right for you. Staggered cabinets haven't been in vogue for a long time where we live. I would ask if they can take the cabinets to the ceiling with crown. Yes to the hood instead of MW.

"Should we do 8’ or 9’ ceilings in the downstairs?"

What is the DOWNSTAIRS? If it is the basement, then 8' ceilings. If it is the main floor with living room and kitchen, then yes to 9' ceilings.

Definitely invest in a hood that exhausts to the outside. Do not skimp on this. Indoor air quality is a much more important factor than it used to be; you don't want this coming up at re-sale that you don't have an outside exhaust. Furthermore, make sure the builder puts in an 8" diameter exhaust duct. He may try to use a 6" duct. Stand firm on this. A 6" exhaust duct is too small. Any hood will be more noisy and less efficient with a 6" diameter exhaust duct than an 8" one.

"We are only upgrading the staggered cabinets w/molding"

I could not tell by the way you worded this statement whether you meant that the cabinets are staggered, and the upgrade is molding (do not understand that), or whether you are changing from staggered cabinets to cabinets all one height. Do not get staggered cabinets. Pay whatever is the upcharge so that the cabinets are all one height. Staggered cabinets are dated by at least 15 years. Furthermore, let us know what height cabinets are being offered - 36", 39", or 42", assuming 9' ceilings.

The sink, farmhouse or not - this is personal taste. As Wilson853 said, go to a store that has them on display. Regardless of farmhouse or undermount sink, get a single bowl sink.

"What are somethings you would do in case you would ever need to resell structurally?"

Good windows that let in a lot of light. This always looks good at resale. Also, a roof line that does not have 6 different jogging angles.

If you're asking about the sink in terms of being able to do it later then that will get more complicated. It is not just the granite you need to cut, but you also need to modify the cabinet. If you want a farmhouse sink then do it to start with.

Do the things now that can't be changed later.

And do the upgraded structural and mechanical things now that can't be changed later. HVAC, Windows, insulation, solid core doors.

If you love a farmhouse sink, then do it now. (I love mine.) If you're doing it because you think it's in style, then don't do it. To change to a farmhouse sink after the fact means not only modifying the granite but also means changing the cabinet.

Yes to a vent hood and as mentioned, make sure the duct is an 8" duct.

No to staggered cabinets. I would however pay any upgrade to make sure all lower cabinets are drawers!

Absolutely 9' ceilings on the main floor. Not necessary in a basement.

Do you have a list of the things they offer as upgrades? If so I suggest you post them and we can give you a thumbs up or down on most of the items.

My husband and I are building our very first home and we are wanting to make good financial decisions but also get the home we want.

I know you didn't specifically ask, but as it's super important financially, I wanted to mention....

Do not overbuild (or significantly underbuild) for your area. Find out what the comparable sales of *existing* homes in your neighborhood are, and consider that number your "budget."

We have decided to do everything super basic accept for the elevation/ exterior of the home.

Be careful with this... Some tract builders (like mine, lol) charge upgrades that actually end up making the exterior *worse* by adding too many different materials, too complicated a roof line, or things that hurt orientation like porches on a north-facing entry.

Oh, speaking of orientation, if you haven't already purchased the lot and decided on the floor plan, keep in mind that living spaces are best oriented to the south (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere), with the worst orientation being west.

Should we pay extra and get farmhouse sink or no.

I would. (I *did* upgrade my sink, lol.)

Should we do 8’ or 9’ ceilings in the downstairs?

9'.

What are somethings you would do in case you would ever need to resell structurally?

We made many of these decisions based on the norms for the neighborhood. The only exception to that was bricking the back of the house. Most houses in my neighborhood have brick and stone on only 3 sides, and I was adamant about continuing the brick (and *only* brick, no stone on the house -- pick one or the other) all the way around.

Other neighborhood norms (that we complied with) were the master bedroom bay window upgrade, forgoing a fireplace, and standard 2-bay garage (consider both the neighborhood norm as well as how the garage affects curb appeal; my house is small and would look stupid with a large garage).

We picked a smaller house. Not the absolute smallest (I have 6 kids and didn't want to cram everyone in 1600 sqft, lol), but smaller than the average, and smaller than the largest by 30%. Generally speaking, being a smaller house in your neighborhood allows you to enjoy being "brought up" in value by the larger homes. If you are the largest most expensive house, the other houses can drag down the value a bit, because prospective buyers usually focus on cost-per-square-foot metrics when deciding what they want to pay.

We also built a single story, mostly because I dislike cleaning stairs, but 2-story homes can physically exclude some older members of the population. Resale is about appealing to as wide of an audience as possible.

Upgrade your electrical panel. Our builder offered 160 amp (I think...) service as standard, and we upgraded to 200. For actual fixtures, we got everything standard and upgraded ourselves later. Same with plumbing fixtures. Upgrade insulation if you can.

Should we invest in an over the range microwave or a range hood that blows outside?

As long as you vent to the outside, you're golden. I upgraded to vent to the outside, but waited until after closing to remove the over-the-range-microwave (standard) and install a hood (which was waaaay too much money to have the builder do for us, and they messed up the kitchen arrangement with the upgrade, so we declined). If you do this, find your backsplash tile (or don't do a backsplash with the builder, if you can) at a local shop and buy extra so you can tile the hole left by the microwave.

9' ceilings for both the first floor and the basement. We have 9' ceilings in the basement and are very glad we do. When we finished it, we didn't have to worry about the ceiling being less than 8' when done. I find any ceiling lower than 8' to seem confining -- probably b/c I'm used to at least 8' ceilings, but it is what it is.

I echo the others --

• A real overhead range hood that exhausts to the outside - 8" to 10" diameter duct is best. Do it now as it might be difficult to do it later.
• NO to the over the range MW -- unless the kitchen is so tiny you have no other choice. If that's the case, then I would rethink the floorplan you've selected or choose a floorplan that allows you to expand into another room at a later date.
• Farmhouse sink is a personal preference and may or may not affect resale -- it depends on your prospective buyers and what they want. I would go with what you want -- but it's now or never b/c you won't be able to DIY it later.
• MW -- if under the counter, MW drawer, not a standard MW. If on or above the counter, standard MW is fine. We'd have to see your layout to see where the best location is for a MW.

"Most houses in my neighborhood have brick and stone on only 3 sides"

In our area, they only brick the front! Not just our neighborhood, the area in general.

In our area, they only brick the front! Not just our neighborhood, the area in general.

My condolences.

;-)