Home Upgrade Advice From A Premier Carmel Builder

When you build a home in Carmel, Westfield, or Noblesville, you’re going to be faced with plenty of upgrade decisions regarding every area of the house. Some places you’ll want to urge your home builder to get the best home upgrades that you can afford. There are other times when the upgrade doesn’t quite fit within the budget. 

But how do you know when you should go for the highest-quality materials at build or when you should wait until later to complete the home upgrade?

Spend On Home Upgrades That Improve The Bones Of The House

When you start to choose your building materials, pay special attention to permanent fixtures that affect your house on a fundamental level. Builder grade windows may look nice but can make your new house feel drafty. Low-quality floor laminates can yellow and tear when they receive heavy foot traffic.

It may seem like a thrifty idea to just go with the minimum grades on these items, but remember windows, floors, and insulation are literally what makes your house a house. When you upgrade any of these items, you ensure that materials won’t degrade or warp in the decades to come. This helps you enjoy your home longer without the need for extensive maintenance. Therefore, you always want to go with the highest-quality building materials you can afford, even if it means missing out on a decorative item or two.

For a pro tip: Ask builders on what materials they prefer to use when you’re deciding on who to use. Builders like Old Town prefer to use upgraded items as standards, like Pella windows and stronger floor joists. After all, your forever house should last forever, and builders who use the best materials use that mantra as a guiding principal.

The Temptation Of Kitchen Upgrades

If there’s one room where Indiana homeowners love to upgrade, it’s the kitchen. Cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling, granite countertops, and a fully-functioning island can make your life both easier and more comfortable. Some upgrades seem necessary, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s a spend-now luxury and what’s a save-for-later improvement. 

For the kitchen, you may want to upgrade those items that are permanent in nature. Flooring, cabinets, islands, lighting can all be replaced after the build, but the money and time it takes to redo a floor or put in an island can be a tremendous inconvenience. It might not be worth the hassle considering you could have the basis of a gourmet kitchen installed at build.

Less invasive upgrades like hardware or appliances are more of a toss-up. It’s always nice to move into your new house and use your dream oven and state-of-the-art refrigerator, but if it’s between a steam-release dishwasher and to-the-ceiling cabinets, go with the cabinets. 

You might want to make sure that your appliances are ENERGY STAR rated, though. The savings of an energy-efficient refrigerator to a lower model can be as much as $100 per year or more. Add in a dishwasher, oven, washing machine and dryer, and that’s a lot of cheddar.

Outside Home Upgrades Might Be Perfect For The Indianapolis Summers

Some people prefer to concentrate on what’s inside their house and not bother with the outside. They would rather keep the yard as grass and at most throw up a swing set or a vegetable garden. After all, the weather isn’t always the greatest in Carmel during the winter, so why spend time or money on upgrades?

However, if you see the outside as another room to play in, it deserves just as much attention as the inside. Now, part of your building budget might be reserved for stone patios, large decks or screened-in porches. If you dream about an outdoor kitchen, patio speakers or swimming pools, then you should plan to put these upgrades during your initial build. Otherwise, it’s an expensive and invasive upgrade that can have you digging up the yard or tearing into the house. 

Old Town Gives You A High-Quality Build, No Matter Your Budget

The best way to discover what home upgrades you need at the time of build is to ask your builder. Old Town Design Group understands what upgrades are best for your Carmel home, and which ones you can do after you’re settled. Just contact one of our New Home Consultants at 317.816.3151 today.