When you buy a new construction home, you’re a step closer to owning your dream home.Unlike a pre-owned home, you can fully customize your new home to suit your taste and lifestyle, as long as your lot and neighborhood association permit the construction. The home builder you choose can turn these dreams into reality.
Home builders have a list of the standard features that come with the base price of your home. To ensure you get the home you’ve always dreamed of, builders offer you a list of upgrades you can add to your home, providing you the flexibility to customize any of their designs.
Upgrades aren’t only about the aesthetics – they add value to your home in terms of functionality and return on investment. With a wide array of upgrades, how do you know which upgrades are worth splurging on today and which you can pass on?
Here are 7 essential upgrades you should do upfront to save you hassle and money in the long run.
- Upgrade your kitchen
The kitchen is indeed the heart of every home. It’s the part of your humble abode where you spend the most time in. You don’t need to upgrade every aspect of your kitchen up front. You just have to make sure your kitchen has good bones.
Consider working with your home builder for aspects like taller cabinets, kitchen island, built-in wine rack, and strips of LED under the cabinet lighting, for these are difficult and pricey to upgrade later on. If space is too cramped, a kitchen expansion would go a long way. Skip details like appliances, countertops, and backsplashes for now since they can be added in later.
Upgrading the kitchen is worth the investment. When you decide to sell your home, it’s one of the first places potential buyers look at when deciding whether your home is worth the price.
- Think Big: Think About Energy Efficiency Upgrades
Energy saving upgrades are innovations that add value not only today but in the long run. However, it’s one of the biggest upgrades home-buyers pass on.
If you’re offered with the option, grab it. It’s okay to spend extra on features like energy efficient windows, light fixtures, energy saving appliances, space heating and cooling units, and more, which makes you save in utility costs every month as compared to standard features.
Your home will also naturally staying cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter. And not to mention – you’ll be doing good for the environment.
- Lighting, Lighting, Lighting
Never underestimate the power of great lighting.
Firstly, lighting adds not only brightness to space but warmth as well. Secondly, the right lighting can help a home feel larger, airy, and more inviting. Thirdly, while an abundance of lighting isn’t that notable to a future prospect buyer, a lack of it certainly will be.
Make the most of your lighting upgrade. Focus on areas where lighting is necessary, such as the bathroom and kitchen.
- Go for large windows and glass sliding doors
Large openings not only give you amazing views from where you’re seated – they also flood your home with magnificent light and air. Sunshine and air brighten not only the room but also your mood.
- Opt for a bigger garage space
Depending on your lot size and layout of the community, a bigger garage space is always a must-have. Garage expansions can both be width-wise, to accommodate more vehicles, and depth-wise to have more space to fit essentials like gardening supplies, bikes, and extra storage.
- Never scrimp on high-quality flooring
Replacing flooring involves money and mess. It requires removing everything out of your home, sending dust throughout your clean space.
That said, it’s best to work with a home builder on what type of flooring would suit both your space and your lifestyle before the construction has started. Hardwood, tile, laminate, carpet, vinyl, and cork are some of the most popular types of flooring.
- Invest in smart storage solutions
One can never have too much storage. Storage makes the everyday functionality of your home better.
Fortunately, adding innovative storage solutions, which both keep your essentials in place while saving your precious floor space, won’t break the bank. Invest in storage solutions like built-in cabinet organizers, pull-out trash bins, and bigger pantry or more closet space.
Author Bio:Mina Corpuz is a savvy writer for Wincrest Bespoke, one of NSW’s most experienced and well-renowned home builders aiming at building and designing modern family homes in Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast, and the Hunter. Her passion for interior design loves writing articles focused in real estate and interior design.
