Builder upgrades can be a tempting option for a new-home buyer. The idea of moving into a new home that the builder has outfitted with your wish list of upgrades can be hard to resist. The downside, of course, is that these changes typically come at a premium. Even relatively simple items, such as a few pot lights that would normally cost a homeowner a few hundred dollars, can spike by a couple of hundred per cent when you ask your builder to install them. At the same time, it can be difficult to know what’s best for your new home until you’ve lived in it for a while. Does it need three pot lights or four? What colour of tile would work best? Why not wait until you’ve moved in to decide. Then you can make the upgrades yourself, and keep the money in your pocket rather than fill your builder’s.
Ready to turn your basic, boring bathroom into a swank space?
Install a heated floor
Nothing says luxury like a heated floor. Controlled by an adjustable thermostat, it can be set to warm your toes before and after your morning shower.
Lay tile flooring
The handsome, oversize tiles in warm brown co-ordinated with the new vanity and gave the room a richer and more modern look.
Replace the vanity
The existing vanity was classic builder’s basic—functional but boring. The new dark-wood vanity, bought off the shelf at Home Depot, came complete with marble top and vessel-style sink, which gave the bathroom a modern flair.
Add lighting and fixtures
A single fixture over the vanity and one over the bathtub left the room unevenly lit and dim. Adding two pot lights in the middle of the ceiling made things brighter. A simple mirror over the sink and inexpensive upgraded light fixture completed the lighting modification.
Replace the shower head
The most basic of upgrades but one that can make a big difference in your morning shower, the three-outlet upgraded shower head is pure luxury.
Builder upgrade total: $7,200; DIY total: $2,650
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