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Should You Ask Your Builder For Non-Standard Extras?

Dena Kouremetis
A veteran of the homebuilding industry, Dena Kouremetis is the foremost real estate columnist specializing in new home issues, trends, products and designs. Her columns appear in the New York Post as well as other newspapers throughout the U.S.

Upgraded carpets and a thicker pad. Telephone and cable TV outlets in every bedroom. The optional double door entry to the den. Mmmm, cherry wood cabinets! Oh, and maybe a few more electrical options for the power tools in the garage.

Your head is spinning from staring at, budgeting for, and finally making decisions on options for your new home, but you think you may finally be in the clear. Flooring, electrical, plumbing, lighting, cabinetry, exterior enhancements; there doesn't seem to be anything you or the design center consultant overlooked, so you signed on the dotted line and handed over your deposit to get the ball rolling on the construction of your new home.

And there better not be any flakiness now, because the builder has informed you that once he has started to build the home, there are lots of cut-off times after which there is no turning back on these decisions -- unless, of course, you want to incur a considerable expense for changing your mind.

Fast-forwarding to the future, though, you realize that there will probably be items you'll be kicking yourself for not asking the builder about. Having been able to add them into the original list, they may not have even been that expensive after all, especially if you think of the pittance they may have increased your monthly payment by over 30 years.

Fending off that frustrating 20-20 hindsight experience takes a lot of thought and planning, but can be done, nonetheless. Some of the items you may think of are not on the builder's pre-priced options list, but are available from them for a slightly higher cost than what you see there - and many are not visually evident in the house itself, but add to your comfort now or later on, when you plan to use them.

Give some (fore)thought to:

* Extra insulation. Even though the builder touts better than code-required insulation, where might you want it even thicker? Over the family room, because your master bedroom is directly over it? If there is a bonus room containing a killer sound system, would more insulation be in order there? How about the kid's bedrooms over the garage, where summertime heat and sweaty cars make their rooms even harder to cool?

* Speaking of heat, what exposure is the home? Do the living areas you'll occupy most have a brutal exposure to the sun? Can the builder offer more energy-efficient glass (Low E Squared or triple paned) or sunscreens? Think about your carpeting getting crunchy, your cabinets and furniture fading, and your drapery turning pale in these areas if you don't take steps to prevent it now.

* You love the view out the master bedroom windows. Why not ask whether that huge window has the possibility of becoming a header for French doors for a built-on balcony there someday, after hole-in-your-pocket syndrome becomes a distant memory?

* Some pre-plumbs and pre-wires sound frivolous right now and not worth the extra expense, but it's wise to think about how you may feel a few years down the road. The gas log-lighter for your fireplace when you've decided you just don't want to trudge through the snow to get firewood any more; a prep for security system for when you've finally started to take some well-earned vacations; the Jacuzzi tub you can now afford but didn't put in the 220 wiring for, a handy central vacuum system, or just the stub-out plumbing for a laundry sink in your garage, where you wash the dog or rinse your tools. And how about extra security lights, well-placed outlets for Christmas decorations that keep you from risking life and limb every holiday season?

* Design Center personnel may readily admit that they don't know much about concrete and where to put it -decorating school just seemed to skip over mention of that. So what about getting the patio, walkways, and dog run designed and added on before you move in? Sometimes builder personnel would rather not tell you that you'll receive nothing more than a "stoop" outside your family room's sliding glass door which will have to be removed when you pour a patio anyways.

* And take a look at those huge doors, while you're at it. Even though they look beautiful and let a lot of light into the room, do they rob you of vital furniture placement in your family room? Would a single atrium-style French door be a better choice, taking less room, and save you on energy bills while you're at it?

Although a lot of homebuyers hate to be perceived as picky and bothersome when planning their homes, take heart. Being remembered as the squeaky wheel in order to get what you want is not the worst image in the world when you are making such a huge investment. You may want to start off asking the design center consultant to give you examples of what others have done to their homes that weren't things listed on the standard options list put out by the builder.

When these "extra" items are requested by homebuyers frequently enough, the builder itself sometimes decides to add them as priced-out options just because of the demand. And in the end, you may be doing them, and definitely yourself, a favor later on, when you may find yourself saying, "Geez, I wish I'd thought of adding that while the house was being built!".