A while ago I did a blog post on the our 5 Best House Building Decision (read it here!). I wanted to expand on that post a little and talk today about the 5 best upgrades we made.
So, let me first explain the way our building process worked. The lot that we picked already had a builder and floor plan in place. We loved both the lot and floor plan, which is one of the reasons we decided to proceed in the first place. If we would have had one or the other, but not both, it probably would have been a much harder decision.
We made some limited changes to the floor plan but nothing major. For each type of design item, (ie. lighting, plumbing, flooring, etc.) we had a standard budget, and anything above that “budget” was an “upgrade.”
The first two upgrades below were actually changes we made when we finalized the floor plan as they were really structural changes (or things that affected the overall structure). Also, when we considered upgrade and our budget, we thought about things that would be easier to do now vs later on down the road. Certain things are easy to add or change after a few years, but the first three upgrades on my list below would be very difficult to do later.
Add double sliding glass doors // This is without a doubt the best upgrade/change we made. Our original plans had a smaller set of windows and doors. The doors were regular glass doors that opened into the screened in porch. I had visions of leaving this space entirely open (or as open as possible) during the spring and fall since the weather here is so great and we don’t have to worry about bugs with the screened in porch! Also, I didn’t want to doors to cut into the useable space on the porch. So, we added two oversized sliders. You can see this from our front door as soon as you walk in so making this as open as possible really gives us a lot of options for indoor/outdoor living.
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Vaulting the breakfast nook // Obviously, we aren’t using this as a breakfast nook just yet (check out my breakfast nook design board here for my ideas for this space!). We are currently using it as a “sitting room/playroom” (mostly for the dog lol). The floor plan originally had this ceiling flat at 10′ like the rest of our first floor. We had walked another house in our neighborhood with the same floor plan before we purchased our lot and they had vaulted this room, which is where we got the idea! This room feels SO much bigger and more open with the vault. I can’t even imagine it with a flat ceiling.
Cat 6 Fiber // I literally know next to nothing about wiring, power, fiber vs wireless, etc. etc., so this was all my husband’s work. I knew we upgraded our fiber when we built the house, but had no idea why. I also knew it was a pretty big deal to him, so I asked him more of the specifics the other day. Apparently, Cat 6 fiber can support up to 10G (most houses nowadays are built with Cat 5 fiber standard). Basically, we did this to future proof our house. 10G is a lot higher than internet speeds that are currently available, but it is likely coming in the future. Obviously, wiring is super difficult to do later down the road since it’s all behind the walls. My husband uses A LOT of computer programs (check out his twitch channel, The Bearded Cougar, here if you’re interested), so having the fastest internet is super important to him. Also, we have DirectTV Now for our “cable” which is an app that runs on WiFi.
Trex Decking // We are low maintenance (some might say lazy) people. The idea of having to paint/stain/general upkeep of pine decking sounds extremely unappealing. So, we put Trex decking on our front porch and back porch (we did not put this on our second floor porch). We chose the Spiced Rum color from their Transcend line. We were a little concerned about whether or not this would look like real wood, but it is awesome! I will say this was not a cheap upgrade but being pretty much maintenance free for the next 10+ years was well worth it to us!
Soft Close Toilets // This might seem silly and like a minor detail, but soft close toilets are SO worth it! I was a doubter at first. I remember we were at the plumbing fixture store and my husband INSISTED on soft close toilets, and I was unsure. I didn’t want to spend the extra money (although in retrospect it was a very small upgrade), but he insisted on very little (I think these and a touch kitchen faucet were the only things), so I let him have it. And man, am I glad I didn’t fight him on these. Especially with the prospect of one day having a little boy in the house, these make a huge difference – no more falling/slamming toilet seats! Along these lines, if you’re thinking of installing soft close cabinets anywhere, DO IT.
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