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Are you just talking about stand alone ice makers or the built-in ice makers in a refrigerator? Or both?

Plastic lighting is fine. Plastic plumbing fixtures suck. I’d recommend save money on lighting and spend on nice plumbing. Floors, well you step on them everyday. Cheap LVP is literally the worst flooring you can get. And just turn off ice maker when on vacation.

Very good quality door hardware and plumbing; they are used extensively so quality matters. Same as flooring, I don’t care about looks vs looks & quality, durability. Fake floors always look like crap 5 years down the line.

My wolf cook top doesn’t do simmer. I have to turn it off to simmer. Another waste of money. *** purchased with home. Ugh.

Miele built in coffee maker. What a waste of $$$$$

Totally disagree with the crown moulding. It looks like the rooms are finished when you have it

It sounds like this guy builds cookie cutter homes not custom homes. Never seen a true custom home with LVP and no trim work.

I have to disagree with your thoughts on crown molding. The classics, details, and quality are definitely making a comeback, but with a different twist.

Crown molding for me always! The more molding, the more intricate the better. I’m talking Victorian era castles with ceiling, crown, base, trim wall panels the whole 9.. will always look the best if done right.

Crown molding for me always! The more molding, the more intricate the better. I’m talking Victorian era castles with ceiling, crown, base, trim wall panels the whole 9.. will always look the best if done right.

This is outdated advice; authentic and elaborate are back in style. Builders tend to like simple, plain and cheap, because of the type of labor they employ. Cheaper products also allow the build to go faster, as less care is needed. Basically, aside from the ice maker, this is a list on how to make your home look cheap and builder grade. No thanks! I’ll keep my quartzite counters, real wood floors and mouldings, and high end fixtures (and no, the Amazon aluminium lightweight stuff doesn’t hold a candle to real brass fixtures).

The worst upgrade is any upgrade. I spent thousands of dollars 10 years ago upgrading my kitchen. Corian, high-end cabinets, built in fridge, only to find that the shine wears off quickly, all these things break down or go out of style. Meanwhile, you’re still saddled with the payments. Keep it classic and simple and use paint or other decorative elements to keep it fresh.

All great insight, but if you can afford a custom home you are not thinking about the cost of these kind of “accessory items”. In addition these all may be replaced or remodeled every 5-10 years anyway.

Sorry, crown molding is timeless, it's not trendy.

LVP and engineered hardwood emit VOC’s. I would not recommend either for health reasons. A cost effective tile or hardwood are better options.

no crown molding, no window frames, vinyl floors or better even carpet, hollow doors instead of solid ones, no backsplash because who needs it anyway, no natural stone surfaces, no stained wood - oh, that's horrendous! Grandma look for sure.. same for exterior - no stone or brick - no-no, its sooo dated.. we won't noting like dat.. AND still a huge construction mortgage debt. For what? For labor.. So that you could walk on your squeaky vinyl flooring asking yourself every day - where did the money go? If you really want to save today - do as much as you can by yourself but don't save on materials. And not a single light fixture from wayfair or amazon looks like a real crystal chandelier from a reputable brand.

Gotta disagree with the hardware one. These are touch points. Just feel the difference between a $5 cabinet pull and a $15 one. Your point about comparison shopping is a completely different one. Of course you should be able to shop around, look for sales, and provide your own fixtures.

Dont upgrade to a heli-pad to the house roof. Too noisy.... I said 'Too noisy' TOO F@$%#&G NOYZEE! ffs!

I love Crown molding and always will.

Owner builder. I will NOT choose a refrigerator with ice maker or a huge amount of circuit boards for teck.. I am returning to crownmolding . After last 2 homes I built without. IMO it shall all come around again as always .. does,with looks.

Marble is chemically reactive. Will not use.

Needs titles on video

South Texas has unusual moisture all year. If you have a solid foundation, tile downstairs. Upstairs, wood floors are the way to go. Just like having brick exterior.

His advice may work in his area but may not work in other areas. Look at what is selling in your area to see which upgrades are current. However, if it is your last home? Have what YOU enjoy.

It all depends on the look you’re going for. Crown molding is a classic style. I love it, put it all the way thru the house.

Hot tub/Jacuzzi. Just don't.

This video really misses the spot. It's also incredibly rambly. You spend almost 60 seconds on crown molding saying 'If you like it, then get it, but I don't like it' in about 10 different ways. 1) Good Advice. 2) Exaggerates risk on an appliance. 3) Don't do what you want in your own house because it's not trendy. 4) Buy cheap junk instead of high quality stuff. 5) Make your floors out of ugly plastic.

The issue with crown moulding in many new builds is that the use is totally detached from any cohesive design idea. You can’t just slap CM up in the absence of all other moulding details and call it a custom build. Particularly at the prices builders charge. Poor design and implementation is a problem, not the 100+ year old interior trim ‘trend.’ And seriously? ‘Luxury’ vinyl floor… that’s just a joke, right?

I fully agree about marble countertops and idemakers. They're both asking for trouble. To your list I would add open shelving in kitchens. Things on open shelves quickly collect airborne grease and dust.

A 1300sqft one-story would still be cheaper on average than a 1700sqft two-story, right (on slab)?

I'm sorry sir. You have a nice video, but don't tell people about crown molding going out. It is timeless and it will always be around. You may not personally like it, but it is not something that is ever going to go anywhere.

Show video process with pictures

To add to your segment on crown molding: it would be more cost effective long term to take that money and invest it in energy efficiencies instead of surface design elements that can be added later. Energy efficiencies are very hard to retrofit, and the money you save doing it upfront will easily create room in your budget for crown molding at some point.

Radiant Heating ... sounds like just for the floors no ? how does it warm in a house if its in the floors ? interested

Great video..👍

I agree, pass on crown moldong. Od rather upgrade the regular trim and baseboards to something wider (the basic builders grade trim is usually narrow and thin and looks cheap)

What was the last thing in contract.

Heated Garage: definitely a nice-to-have and not a should-have Backup Generator: really good nice-to-have, maybe stretching into a should-have. Not a definitely-should-have Radiant Heating: depending on how you do it, it's at best a highly-recommended, but not a should-have.

I plan on having crown molding. With 14 ft ceilings need to decrease negative space

Quote in Pagosa Springs, CO - $350-400+ sq. ft.

LVP is the worst mistake you’ll make. Do not take his advice. Choose engineered wood flooring instead. LVP no matter the marketing is far from luxury. It feels and looks cheap. It will off gas VOCs, even worse with radiant floor heating. It will degrade when exposed to UV from sunlight. There is a reason why vinyl has never been associated with high quality, ever.

I built a custom home (moved in 2 months ago), and added over $200k in upgrades (windows, flooring, cabinets, electrical... ) Ended up at $250/sqft in Michigan..

RE: Land as percentage of build. Very market specific. Can be 1/3 the cost, can be 1/10th the cost. My market is closer to the 1/6th-1/8th the cost of the build. Also, there are finishing methods that can be done by the homeowner, even after drywall, saving nearly $50/sqft. It will be hard, but if you're remotely handy, you can do it. This route is more so you can get a custom layout and not gorgeous unit.

My land is in Angel Fire NM, in the wooded mountains and I'm having a hard time finding anyone under $450/sq ft. WITHOUT a garage even :( Spent a couple hours online at Lowe's trying to bring the finishing cost down as much as possible.

Porch closets are wet and damp. Don't do it. They always leak. All my TVs are smart TVs. No cable TV. 100% wifi. Your garage is usually warmer since it is attached to the house. Radiant heat is not necessary, but ceiling fans are great. Backup generator I did do... then the city trimmed all the trees. Never used.

Luxury vinyl plank and vinyl plank are garbage. Putting the word luxury in front of vinyl doesn't change much. It's garbage.

Skipping crown moulding? This guy probably mounts television sets over fireplace mantels😮

Get to the friggin point. Just say the point.

Agree ice maker. Waste of money and dirty full of bacteria over even a short time.

Man I wish I could afford to have a home with my masters degree from an Ivy