Hey guys,
We booked a house this weekend in newmarket. It's bit north but its a really good area and the prices there for new homes are decent compare to GTA. we bought a 2900 sf house for less than $420000...not bad considering how expensive this same home is in markham, richmond area. the builder was offering $25000 off so thats why i think we got a good deal. Hopefully the house will look good because this is the first house the builder is about to build, (it;s a new plan)
K anyways, We were just thinking of all the upgrades we want to do and how we could save money by doing some upgrades later on. As of now we're thinking of getting Granite counter in kitchen, maple hardworrd stairs , upgraded floor tiles, and flat ceilings on the main floor from the builder OH and getting the round corners instead of the sharp edge.

The things we are planing to get done after are hardwood flooring in Family room, Living Room, Dining Room and Maybe in the hall. I`m not sure if we should go with hardwood in the main hallway or tiles. We also want to get pot lights done, the builder is charging i think about $220 a light while we can prob get it for $80 per light. What do you guys think. what else is a must and what else can we get done after.
Sorry for not putting question marks, my laptop key isnt working properly.


Thanks

 

How far is the commute to and from work?

 

Congrats and pictures of the beautiful G35 castle...

=)

 

Good stuff Manbir. When will the new abode be ready?

 

Congrats on the house. Only thing I can think of is vaulted ceilings. For the other stuff; my parents had a repair man do it (countertop, tiling, and building the basement); I believed we saved around $30k versus getting it done through the home builder. You might also want to consider getting it build ASAP as I have heard issues when having the house built in winter. A central dehumidifier is a must as well for a new house.

 

Congrats Manbir!!!

I would look into getting the house correctly insulated with spray foam on exterior walls, garage walls and ceiling, attic etc...Its the best time to do it since its a fresh build.

Granite is a great way to go in the kitchen. Don't forget to do the backsplash the same. Don't put in hardwood floors in the kitchen area incase you drop something, it wouldn't hurt the floor.

 

Congrats Manbir. Sounds like you'll do a nice job with the house. I would get the house done right from the start. It's not likely you'll save much by waiting.

 

Sounds like a solid purchase Manbir. I'd let the builder do what Bill says, the insulation and maybe the floors. Consider aftermarket mods.
GL

 

Is this the Copper Hill?

 

CongratZ Manbir, when is the build date?

 

Congrats on the purchase. Different builders seems to operate differently but we selected all of our options prior to making an offer. Taking that into account, we asked for certain options to be included in the purchase price. For example, hardwood flooring, upgraded granite we wanted included in the contract at no additional cost. Doing it this way, there was more room for negotiation since most builders want base price for a home and mark up options significantly. That said, I would visit the home site and get a really good idea of orientation of the home since you're the first in the planned community. Depending on how far along the community is, there might not even be roads or lots marked off. It was the case for us being the first buyers and there was just packed dirt and sticks marking the lots. It takes a lot of imagination to picture a home on the site so do use proper judgment.

As for builder options, structural things I would get done now to avoid the headache later. Things like optional bump outs, windows and room layouts is a lot easier done now and might be impossible to do later. Flooring, counter tops and cabinets can be done later but may not carry the builder warranty. If money is an issue, I'd at least do the cabinets just to save the headache later. If you do plan to do the flooring later, just opt for the cheapest flooring and right after close, have a contractor come in and do it before you move in. Some builders might even be willing to leave the flooring plywood to save you the extra effort later just as long as it passes inspection or area codes. Depending on your market, try to negotiate options. If the builder is willing to offer them at a 50% discount, that still covers their cost and will probably be similar to an outside contractor installing it later.

In terms of lighting or electrical, it may or may not be easily installed later. A lot depends on the location. Recessed lighting maybe done but a contractor might need to cut holes to run the wires through trusses and etc. If you can't get small options thrown in for free, when you visit the home during construction, try asking the installer to do small things for you and pay cash. Some will and some won't but it doesn't hurt to ask rather than paying full markup to the builder. Home alarms and a wired network should be done now since all the wiring is easily accessible without drywall and will save you a lot of headache later on.

One very important thing is getting a licensed home inspector for the pre-drywall and final inspection. It might cost you $1K for both inspections but well worth the money. You might be working with a very reputable builder but often times, they subcontractor their work and might miss a few things. Another thing is always get promises in writing when working with the sales person. We had some issues after the builder often changed sales persons we worked with and luckily managed to get them corrected and documented. Goodluck with the home construction, it's both an exciting and frustrating process but at the end, if you've done your homework, you'll end up happy.

 

Hey guys,
We went to see the lot and there`s nothing there. lol, the clossing date is on Dec 10th i believe. we had a choice of getting the house which was clossing on feb or Dec, but we picked the Dec, since we`re selling our house now, onces it`s sold we would have to live on rent or at a family friend`s house for 3-4 months.
Newmarket is about 20km away from Richmond hill. We were looking to buy a 2200sf house but when we saw the $25k off on lots which were clossing on Dec, than we calculated we were only paying $30k more for a bigger house, No sidewalk, and 45f lot compare to other onces we were looking at which were 36f. Here`s a link to the house, we got the B elevation because we wanted all brick and no siding. We changed the main floor a bit. We took the Den out and made all that the living and dining space.
I wish they had made a model house.

http://www.mattamyhomes.com/communit...ub.asp?id=1991

 

^That looks to be a nice house. So you haven't been in their model home at all even in the surrounding communities? I'd suggest trying to visit one even if it's a good drive away. I think we looked at dozens of model homes before we made the decision. For the model we picked, we visited the 5 or 6 variations around the area just to get a perspective of the different floor plan layouts and options. I think the farthest place was a good 1.5 hour drive just to look at the model. Try talking to your sales person and see if there's a nearby community that has this home in construction and do a walk through. It's amazing what's not included in a normal home compared to a model home.

 

^^^^excellent suggestion

 

First and foremost, take that contract to your lawyer asap before your conditional offer expires. You'd be surprised how many things he will point out to you before you firm up with the builder.

It could save you quite a few bucks in your closing cost and possible headaches with the bank as well. Ask the builder to cap the cost for Hydro and Gas. That should be around $900. They only give you estimates, and yes they will charge you the MOST they can if you don't ask.

Keep in mind some banks will not advance the funds unless they see an OCCUPANCY PERMIT. Ask them to show you the site plan. You don't want an ugly red hydrant on your lawn or a huge light post lit all night shining through your bedroom window.

As for the upgrades, you should NOT get the granite from the builder. They are twice as much as if you do it yourself later. That could save you $3K to $4K depending how big the kitchen and bathrooms are.

Get your flooring done by the builder. That is one of the things that IMO is not worth the hassle to do it later to save a few bucks. Get your house ready to move in conditioin. I would also do the smooth ceilings in the first floor and get the builder to put in (1) potlight in each room where you want them, so the electrical is done and you can do the others much easier.

If you plan on setting up a sorround sound system. Do it through the builder as well. It's much cleaner and will be ready when you move in.

Good luck.