Base Samples

So what does this house come with?

I'll show you.

First, take note. When working with a builder and going custom from the ground up, you can choose your floors from their selection early in the process. If you are like us and you are buying a home that is already planned and built, (they call it an 'inventory home'), you can't make these selections. This is how we saved money buying the house- the builder saves money making a bunch of the same houses, and therefore its cheaper for you to buy. With an inventory home, the company will walk you through what finishes your home has before you buy it, but you can't make changes. (If you have the money you can of course make any renovations after you close that the HOA allows, which in my experience is anything on the inside of the house).

A few more points to consider:

• Builders will usually have a few collections of home with different finishes. Make sure you look at all the choices in your price range. In each collection you will see a different grouping of cabinets, floors, carpets, and bathroom tile/backsplash. They also have different roof materials and 'elevations', or the look of the outside of the home. 
• Make sure you love the floor material. I HATE the tile in our first home. It was hard to match decor and it was very difficult to clean- grout is the worst. Do a little research if you are buying materials you don't have experience with. I was almost willing to spend a HUGE chunk of cash redoing our floors before we decided to move. 

Here are some pictures of the floors.

The carpet is a lighter gray color, here is the sample. Don't love this but I am hoping it's a little different in person. 

The next picture is a sample of the vinyl floor, then a picture I personally took of the floor in the model home. I didn't like the sample but I do like the way it looks when its installed. Kind of shows you how hard it is to make these decisions when the sample and the real thing look so different. Good news is, I didn't have to make this choice, and I can't afford to put a different floor in anyways. I wanted a brown toned floor, and that is what I got- I lucked out. 

Another perk is that the builder didn't cheap out here- these are waterproof Mohawk floors. Love that! Its always nice when you get a premium feature without paying extra for it. 

Vinyl is great for areas that get any water/moisture, high traffic areas that would otherwise get scratched, or if you have dogs or kids. Well I have lots of dogs and two kids, so I definitely needed this. Note that not all vinyl floors are 100% waterproof- do your due diligence!

Last samples that we have so far are below. The top left is the cabinets, then around clockwise we have the bathroom tile (shower etc), backsplash, and the flooring below. The white piece that is laying on the floor sample is the countertop. Sleek white- love it.  

All in all- I really like what I am starting with here. Warm toned floors and whites are really nice to work with for the design and decor of the rest of the house. I don't know about you but I am sick of grays! I am glad that trend is over for now, although like 90's clothes, I'm sure they will be back someday. 

What's next?