We have an upcoming appointment with builder for interior color selection for our new home from the builder.

We already finished our first appointment for Electrical and plumbing requirements.

I find it a bit weird/annoying that our décor centre rep told me that visits to the décor centre are by appointment only and that we can't visit the décor centre prior to our décor appointment. It makes me very nervous to have to choose our colours/upgrades/finishes within a three hour appointment. I would have rather gone to see the options and considered them for a week or so before having to choose. Is this the norm?

Can anyone offer any advice on how to best prepare for our design appointment? Obviously we can't pick things before we get there but we'd like to get ideas of combinations of things that look good together i.e. cabinets, floor tile, hardwood. We know what finishes we like on individual items but aren't necessarily sure how to put things together so they match.

Thanks in advance...

You can browse some decor books at home depot or online website to have an idea about the combinations. You can pre-decide at least 2 best combinations after discussions within the family.

For kitchen, white color with black stainless steel appliances is hot nowadays.

Most people go to neutral colors for walls.

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A Delhite in Toronto

I will break it to you GENTLY. So, you get to know about it prior to your THREE Hour session what it is that they will be doing to you. Hang onto your SEAT and fasten the seat belt.

Every BUILDER gives you a few bucks as BONUS to splurge as you please. I know you have been there once already and must have spent a few of the dollars out of them. In the electrical stuff, I might want a few POT Lights out of that. A chandelier a timer for the front lights and for one more that comes ON/OFF at random when you are away from home and a switch to operate the same etc., etc., All of these are considered necessary items. So you got through your Electricity stuff. If I were you I would have sucked up a few of the FREE Dollars from the FEDS for an Electrical Charging station in the Garage for an HYBRID.

The Next and MOST IMPORTANT item is for the LADY of the House, which is the KITCHEN. So, dig in with your best foot and DEMAND the Best there is for the KITCHEN. It is all of the Appliances you will live with for a very long time. They must provide them to you for FREE. But they will tell you that they have a limit and their Wallet is not BIG. So, you will have to throw in the balance. See if there are any FREE Upgrades from them to the lady of the house. If there is, please see how much space you have. You must know the Basic Laws of Plumbing here, not that it will help, but it is good to know, which is "You can't flush a Four Inch Turd through a Three inch Pipe". So, make it into a smooth session and get things moving well for you there, Your appliances MUST be as big a size that the Kitchen can accommodate and the Kitchen Cabinets must be made to fit alongside or over the appliances clean and neat with sufficient room for air circulation. Get a brand name like LG or Samsung etc., (Include a Vent Fan, a silent one. So also a Silent Dish washer. Good Washer and Drier too to go with it.) As far as possible make it the same brand. Unless you have preferences.

Kitchen Cabinets, should have Darker fronts, unless they are made of Light OAK or TEAK. A Lazy Susan in the CORNERS that which rotates. The hinges, all of them must be slow and gentle closing ones and the knobs should be metal ones, which is easy to clean with a wet cloth. Make sure that there is a Pantry also. You should be able to store two weeks worth of food stuff, such as dhall vagera and a few cans of daily use stuff chana, tomato puree', a few dish rags, towels etc., in them. (I would not go for the Bar Stuff here.)

Kitchen floors could be made of TILES, easy to MOP or clean. Currently I have seen 2' x 12" non skid materials, one or two is of the Ceramic materials and the next one in Hard Plastic too. The walls should be painted with a pastel colour, and SEMI GLOSS, once again easy to clean. The kitchen roof should be FLAT and White. Lighting you have already chosen so it should enhance to colors and the paint and complement the ambience.

The rest of the rooms is upto you to sit down and choose and plan it well. The carpeting that they will provide will be cheap run of the mill and if you don't have the allowance to upgrade, then you will have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Three hours is not enough and they will flog you an arm and a leg for the upgrades. When you take a look at it, you will be losing all the money it will cost for the flooring. In short the upgrade cost will be as good as paying the whole shot for the NEW stuff. No discounts. They currently are charging anywhere from 12-15 bucks a sq. foot for carpeting or even the Hard wood flooring. So, bite the bullet and take what they will give you and slowly renovate as and when you find some cash for it. Unless you have already allocated for these EXTRAS.

Important items are The Entrances. The FRONT Entrance, which should have 150 to 200 sq.ft of tiles to save your carpet and flooring for the winters. So also the side entrance and the Garage entry into the Laundry room or the Mud room.

Please remember ANY WALL (Up and down) Pastel colour Semigloss. Any Roof White and FLAT (Some call it matt(e)) All the Bath room walls and ceilings too SEMIGLOSS, due to wet surroundings. You must also have VENT fans in them.

Mirrors should be as large as the cabinet sizes with Edges Bevelled. Toilets and sinks to be of your choice, but name brand ones such as American Standard, Crane-Cranada and if you have a TUB, the tub floor should be manufacturers NON SKID. The faucets should be like wise either American Standard, Crane or MOEN. If allowed, Bath room floors should be tiled. Tubs and shower stalls should have handles with grips fitted to the walls. Towel holders and racks where needed.

I am only covering a small part for you here, not knowing your choices. You can surely take it one notch higher if the finances permit or the builder is throwing them in. So, go with all of the confidence and show your clout. Your knowledge in this field will show up at that meeting. Keep your better half clued too.

Good Luck.


FH.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by RBO

We have an upcoming appointment with builder for interior color selection for our new home from the builder.

We already finished our first appointment for Electrical and plumbing requirements.

I find it a bit weird/annoying that our décor centre rep told me that visits to the décor centre are by appointment only and that we can't visit the décor centre prior to our décor appointment. It makes me very nervous to have to choose our colours/upgrades/finishes within a three hour appointment. I would have rather gone to see the options and considered them for a week or so before having to choose. Is this the norm?

Can anyone offer any advice on how to best prepare for our design appointment? Obviously we can't pick things before we get there but we'd like to get ideas of combinations of things that look good together i.e. cabinets, floor tile, hardwood. We know what finishes we like on individual items but aren't necessarily sure how to put things together so they match.

Thanks in advance...

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Thanks a lot Delhite and FH for great inputs and advice.

sorry I did not mentioned in my OP that we already did exercise to check with HD and some books at Library but wouldn't get much information.

We booked our house in October 2016 and that time house market was so hot. Builder was not offering any kind of free appliance so will have to choose appliances as per our choice.

Builder offered only $12,000 free upgrades and so far we already chose below upgrade from the builder like,

Upgraded hardwood floor, 200 amp electrical panel, water line for fridge, gas line for range, Angled corner cabinet, additional door at washroom, Full depth fridge with upper gables, increased pantry depth, Pedestal Sink, basement window with 24" wide, etc....

Planning to do kitchen countertops, backsplash, hardwood or laminate on second floors later on. is it good idea?

Crown moldings is about 1000 per room for upgrade 1 as per the builder. Can we do later on? is it worth it for future selling point of view?

Regards

The main idea of getting into a Newer Place is to live in it and enjoy the same. So, my suggestion to you is to take all of the free upgrades that you can get and it should be used to the fullest while you are living there. The CROWN Moulds etc., in couple of areas will enhance the appeal. You can decide upon it. I could only think of the Living room and the Dining room. You can also do the Family Room (Den). Then use all of the FREE Upgrades first. Do not put out any extra money, other than for the Appliances, Chandelier or Lighting. If any extra left out, then use it for the counter top, splash tiles, lazy susan etc., See if any ISLAND is included in the upgrades. If you can get it free.

You are the man of the hour and you should step in and do the needful.

Good Luck.

FH.

Duplicate.

FH.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Full House

The main idea of getting into a Newer Place is to live in it and enjoy the same. So, my suggestion to you is to take all of the free upgrades that you can get and it should be used to the fullest while you are living there. The CROWN Moulds etc., in couple of areas will enhance the appeal. You can decide upon it. I could only think of the Living room and the Dining room. You can also do the Family Room (Den). Then use all of the FREE Upgrades first. Do not put out any extra money, other than for the Appliances, Chandelier or Lighting. If any extra left out, then use it for the counter top, splash tiles, lazy susan etc., See if any ISLAND is included in the upgrades. If you can get it free.

You are the man of the hour and you should step in and do the needful.

Good Luck.

FH.

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