Second, we designed our
In all honesty, as much as I make fun, designing our Beazer Homes house was actually quite enjoyable. While trying to prepare myself in the last few days for today's one-and-only design session, I searched the internet for information that laid out the specific options Beazer Homes would provide us. I was disappointed that there was minimal information out there. I found one propaganda video and one scathing review (see below). Nothing else.
Therefore, I am hoping that this blog post might help future Margie and Brians in the search of information about the Beazer Homes design center. Maybe it will be interesting for future non-Margie and Brians, or maybe not. Either way, they can suck it and be glad I made the effort.
Bottoms up, friends and family and internet stalkers!
Designing Your Somewhat-Individualized Beazer Homes House
Warning: If you think that by purchasing a Beazer Home you are getting a custom built home, you are not. If you think that by purchasing a Beazer Home you are getting a unique home, you are not. If you think that by purchasing a Beazer Home you will be 100 percent satisfied with what the base model offers, you will not.
Beazer Homes suggests you prepare yourself for your one-and-only design center appointment by perusing home-improvement magazines, catalogs, and books. I concur. Although you have no idea what the standard options are (for our home/community we had two for cabinets, two for kitchen counters, four for carpet, and three for ceramic/porcelain tile), it is good to get at least a feel for current trends, what you like and dislike, etc.
Depending on the upgrades you select, the prices, quality, and availability differ dramatically. For example, standard carpet comes with a 3/8" pad. Just upgrading the pad alone to a water-resistant type would increase our cost by more than $800. This is for roughly 1000 square feet. Upgrading to level one options would increase the price over $1000. I didn't bother asking how much the best carpet would cost.
Is it possible to get a customized look for your home? Absolutely. But be prepared to pay for it. Adding tiny squares in your kitchen backsplash will cost you $137. Iron spindles, instead of wood, on your handrail $150. Upgrading all of your fixtures to oil-rubbed bronze will cost you about $1500. Want wood floors on your main level? Be prepared to fork over more than six grand. In fact, if Beazer Homes has its way, we'll be paying more like nine grand for those wood floors... but that's an entirely different blog post for a different time.
Do I have any regrets with choosing Beazer Homes? At this point, definitely not. The company is doing what hundreds of other suburban home builders are doing across the country: Designing homes that are filled with options (both structural and cosmetic) to give each buyer the feeling that he/she is getting exactly what he/she wants and/or can afford.
My bit of advice to anybody who is considering buying a house from Beazer Homes (or one of its many competitors) is to be prepared. Hang on to every bit of paperwork (see previously mentioned wood floors comment), research the cost/difficulty of doing certain things yourself AFTER the home is constructed, and determine what upgrades are most important to you. I can live with standard bathroom cabinets, manufactured marble, and a basic front door. Hardwood floors, cherry kitchen cabinets, and a fourth bedroom are my must-haves.
Thanks for reading!
"Little Boxes" by M. Reynolds-- lyrics
Depending on the upgrades you select, the prices, quality, and availability differ dramatically. For example, standard carpet comes with a 3/8" pad. Just upgrading the pad alone to a water-resistant type would increase our cost by more than $800. This is for roughly 1000 square feet. Upgrading to level one options would increase the price over $1000. I didn't bother asking how much the best carpet would cost.
Is it possible to get a customized look for your home? Absolutely. But be prepared to pay for it. Adding tiny squares in your kitchen backsplash will cost you $137. Iron spindles, instead of wood, on your handrail $150. Upgrading all of your fixtures to oil-rubbed bronze will cost you about $1500. Want wood floors on your main level? Be prepared to fork over more than six grand. In fact, if Beazer Homes has its way, we'll be paying more like nine grand for those wood floors... but that's an entirely different blog post for a different time.
Three days before our appointment, I picked up an awesome book from Barnes and Noble all about paint colors and what complements what, etc. I spent hours highlighting color combinations, marking pages, making notes, and searching the local hardware store for paint chips. I felt prepared for identifying the colors I wanted in each room of the house. Unfortunately Beazer Homes offers only limited colors for painting the walls and ceiling, all in varying shades of beige. The worst part? The walls and ceiling will be painted the same color throughout the entire house. I settled on "designer white" with the intent of painting every room when we move.
My bit of advice to anybody who is considering buying a house from Beazer Homes (or one of its many competitors) is to be prepared. Hang on to every bit of paperwork (see previously mentioned wood floors comment), research the cost/difficulty of doing certain things yourself AFTER the home is constructed, and determine what upgrades are most important to you. I can live with standard bathroom cabinets, manufactured marble, and a basic front door. Hardwood floors, cherry kitchen cabinets, and a fourth bedroom are my must-haves.
Thanks for reading!
Beazer Homes Review Which Freaked Me Out
Heh, that song sums up pretty well one of my main impressions of the housing situation around Plano.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're doing this the smart way: make sure the house itself is decent, and shop around on the cosmetics. Although I gotta say, that showroom looks like it'd be cool as heck to run around in.
OOOOH! See if you can get Mystery House options! Maybe a secret passage behind the bookcase that opens with a tug of the candelabrum, or a stodgy portrait of some old crone that lets you peek through specially-placed eyeholes. If the yard is big enough, you should see about growing a hedge maze. And of course you'll need at least ONE trap door that leads unsuspecting victims to the dungeon/oubliette/spiked pit/lions' den, although that one might not be an option due to the lack-of-basement situation in your area.
If nothing else, just start rumors around the neighborhood about there being a little girl held captive in your attic. That trick certainly got everybody talking back in Chisago.
The showroom was pretty cool, but it would have been cooler if it was like 10 times bigger. It was probably only 1000 square feet.
DeleteI love your jokes. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face, Jeffy!