Weigh in the cost of the demo, disposal and additional costs with touching up all the trim work and walls after replacing all of this. I am not a fan of builder basic or the upcharge for the "upgrades" they offer, but it is very seldom to do something cheaper after the home is completed.

If you do this please try . to find someone to remove the cabinets and lighting and anything salvageable with care so you can keep it out of the landfill, donate it and get a nice tax deduction.

Finding a contractor to do this well will be your biggest challenge, I suspect.

If you are frequently on site and can talk to the subs - you MAY want to let them know you'll be removing certain things so perhaps they don't go too nuts with glue / screws etc

If I go this route, definitely donating to Habitat for Humanity or a like organization.

Check your new builder warranty and see what they will warrant if you make modifications after closing.

I am wondering if you could possibly do something like get them to leave the kitchen cabinets mostly uninstalled.

The only requirements for a kitchen in my area is that it have a plumbed sink and a working range. There are no particular requirements for minimum countertops or built in cabinetry or anything like that. Your area may differ.

There is something wrong with the reasoning of building something knowing it will be changed. Building the house the way you want it, then take the brand new lower grade stuff that would have been installed in the house and donate that to Habitat for Humanity or a like organization would seem to be a better outcome for all of those involved.

Just to clarify...

You want to have a new home built, then immediately after closing, rip out and replace all flooring, kitchen cabinets,countertops backsplash, bathroom tile, bathroom vanities, etc?

This sounds like an absolutely horrible idea for wide array of reasons.

This seems to me to be huge waste of money . I do not understand semi custom but in a custom home you can choose what you want and have that installed during the buildat least where I live. I agree to check to find out in your area what the issues are. One thing I usually do after closing is the lighting I just go with the cheapest option for te build ,

When you change-out some of the construction materials after the house has been completed, you no longer have a new house, you have a remodeling.

Rather than rip out components after closing, I'd ask the builder if they'd be willing to omit those items and give you credit for them. You'll be further ahead than paying to have them ripped out and getting no credit for them. Keep in mind, they may need to install some components in order to get a certificate of occupancy, which you'll dispose of, but those should be minimal.

^^ well said!

By the time you're done the cost of a custom home will seem reasonable. We've delivered far nicer homes on superior lots than the multi million dollar models nearby for similar budgets.

If the new house is unoccupied, be sure it's alarmed and monitored. I've shown items for sale in gut renos. The "buyer" says no. And the next day, it's gone anyway.

Habitat in our area expects the property owner to remove cabinetry etc and haul it to their store. When we're doing a teardown, we send it to landfill instead.

Easy to tell someone to build custom, but in many developments that is NOT a choice. The developer or builder(s) own the lots and they have a business plan based on certain house models and options. Sometimes you can get them to omit something that isn't major, but most of the time that is not a choice. So plenty of people will take what the builder offers and make changes right after closing.

A friend was able to get one developer to design her master bathroom differently, but only because she is an ADA certified designer and her husband is disabled ... I think she made some vague threats about them discriminating against the disabled! I'll bet no one else in the development was able to get a modified bathroom.

We were lucky to find a privately owned lot to buy in our community and could pick our own builder and design a completely custom home. Some friends in the same neighborhood weren't as lucky. They bought one of the last lots left and unfortunately it had been owned by a large production builder and they were forced to build with them. They are not having a great building experience.

I used a contractor who, even though they were "custom builders", started doing something (after I had used them) where they used "preferred vendors" and presented clients with a limited menu of cabinetry, lighting, fixtures and other finishes. If the client used what the contractor wanted the client to use, the client got a less expensive remodel. Kind of sounds like it's no longer "custom" to me, no matter what they call it.

This is a common profit generating practice baked into a builder's business plan. Completely designed for his maximum benefit. You'll be living in the house after he's gone. Do whatever you have to to get your home the way you want it at the lowest cost.

While I think it's a shame that you can't get what you want up front, I appreciate that you want to change things. My priority would be to minimize the amount of stuff that would be thrown away.

There may be things the builder is willing to do to make it easier:

- forego any tile backsplash. There's nothing wrong with drywall in the kitchen or bath; removing tile is messy and you can't reuse it.

- put in cheap carpet wherever you want to upgrade the flooring. Make sure that the subfloor is appropriate to the flooring type you eventually want. You probably can't donate the carpet after, but I use old carpet for lots of things).

- get the cheapest faucets you can for kitchen and bathrooms. Don't bother installing a garbage disposal

- laminate counters are a lot easier to take out - and more likely to be reused - than solid surface.

Good luck with your project!

DG< hi..Perhaps your contractor would give you a "labor only" bid to insall those items and you can purchase them and simply get them to the job site..