Clarifying Options & Upgrades

During the various discussions with the builders and their agent, Wayne & Susan were very detailed in what they wanted included in the new house... many items of which would definitely be upgrades from a typical house. They intended for the builder to incorporate these upgrades in their bid.

When the builder gave us the bid of $170 per square foot, Wayne & Susan made some assumptions about what was included and what might be upgrades. Being the totally organized ones they are, they sent me an itemized list of what they believed would be included (within the bid price). We forwarded this on to the builder's agent, who met with them to make verification. Here is the list (with builder notes):

Extra dedicated circuit 20 AMP for CPU in Office room (Upgrade)
Ceiling Fan Outlets in Entry, Great Room, Office & all bedrooms (Included)
Bath Fans & Utility Fan 80 cfm .4 sone panasonic (partial upgrade)
Appliance allowance of $2,500 (o.k.)
R49 Ceiling Insulation (Partial upgrade)
Attic & Crawl lights and outlets (2 included)
Comfort height toilets-Kohler 2-piece systems (Partial upgrade)
Pre-wire for surround sound (o.k. $2000 maximum allowance)
Sink in utility room (o.k.)
master bath tile counters, tile shower to top nclosure and soak tub surround (o.k.)
Clear guard on glass shower doors (upgrade)
Lighting allowance of $1500 (o.k.)
Sinks-kitchen cast iron -porcelain, other sink above counter assumed good plus quality (o.k.)
Open or uncovered pation approx 200sf (1 covered patio included... other extra)
5/8 inch OSP on roof (upgrade)

This is a good example for NOT making ANY assumptions. Everything must be clearly outlined, so there are no unpleasant surprises.

Although their initial reaction was disappointment in the extra costs, the Geralds' feel they are still happy with how the process is moving along. Wayne's comment was: "The differences in the addendum are so small it does not matter whether we pass that along or not. They are doing so much on planning, house on site location, and etc. We feel we are getting a great builder and service as we enter the building process. ".