'Grats, M.
Post up pics soon..

C.

 

one other thing i would suggest installing now is network wiring, with more things becoming networked, it'll make like easier. put at least one wall jack in the living room, office, kitchen, bedrooms, etc. will save the hassle later on, faster and more secure than wireless, and more reliable.

make sure they use at least Cat6e.

 

^I agree with checking out the detailed community blue prints. It will provide you with placements for storm drains, fire hydrants light post, side walks, trees, grading and any slopes on your property. One thing it will not provide might be the placement of electric transformers and cable boxes. The placement of fire hydrants is big because if there's one in front of your house, you won't be able to park on your own curb.

Going with builder flooring to me is subjective if you're paying full price. For bathroom tiles, I'd go with the builder. It's very labor intensive to remove and retile a bathroom shower and floors. Carpeting should be a no brainer and be done afterwards. Depending on the builder, unless they are a customer builder with a large design center, they will have limited selection on flooring. Why pay a markup for something you're not 100% happy with styling wise? And also, carpeting will only last you a limited number of years before you will be faced with lots of dust and be forced to change out.

Hardwood floors though might be worth it if you're happy with the builder's selections and if you're getting runners for your stairways. All the staining on your handrails will be stained to closely match the hardwood and builder warranty is there for squeaky floors. If you were to do hardwoods later and wanted to have your handrails to match, it's very labor intensive to have a contractor come in and sand down the handrails and refinish them. Even more so if you have runner carpet for your stairways. Selection and price will be better afterwards but there's other cost you need to consider. Ripping out carpet to install just the hardwood is very easy though if that's the only thing that needs to be done.

For surround sound, if the ceiling or basement isn't accessible doing it later might add some difficulties but it still can be done. I rather have a few holes cut in the drywall later than pay the extreme markups for surround sound just for one room. If it's an intercom system however, that's a different story.

 

Congrats on the new place!

Most builders are throwing in cash that you can use only at the decor centre, did you get any bonus offers? Unless the $25K off was the offer.

If you are going to spend anything on upgrades, two main places that you do it in is the Kitchen and the Master ensuite. The Kitchen is key for when you want to sell the house in the future.

I'm the Power of Attorney for my Brother's place in Milton (my Brother works overseas), I just finished all the colour selections and upgrades for the house.

Majority of the time, new homes are delayed. My Brother's place was suppose to close November 08, now the expected closing date is Feb 09.