Building A home - Upgrade suprise for wife?

12 years ago

We are in the 2 month stage of building our home - frame is up, windows are in, roof is on and we are having our frame walk this week.

I would like to surprise my wife with something - maybe a roll out shelf for pots and pans in the kitchen? can anyone give me ideas? something cool that would give a good wow factor!

Featured Answer

peytonroad

12 years ago

uhhh I think if she is in the kitchen, she should be making that decision. what if your intentions were good and choice is not? Could lead to the doghouse for you!

Comments (32)

constantinople
12 years ago
You are kidding right?

Think enjoyment rather than utility. How about a sunken tub or steam shower?
blakeas
Original Author
12 years ago
with all the change orders flying around - I cant afford much. She uses the kitchen alot and we could only afford standard things. SO I wanted to get her one thing to do
Related Discussions
to young to build a home? ideas please!
Q
Comments (23)
howiroll I think the younger the better, for a number of reasons. I am 47 and just finished a custom build in the mountains of VA. My dream. I grew up on the streets of Jersey - loud trucks and stenches that will singe your nostrils. I vacationed as a kid in upper NY state - loved to fish & camp. And I really enjoy nature. Going through a custom build is stressing and takes a lot of your time and energy. I did a lot of work on my home (not the original plan) to save our bacon when we started running over budget. Dear Wife poured in many many hours on the interior design and selections - it takes a ton of time. My hero is Jack LaLane - so I know what seniors can do. But I think if I were even 10 years older, I would have been unable to do a lot of the projects I took on myself. I suggest you follow the method that George Washington used when he built Mt. Vernon (my favorite house on the planet). He started with a main structure that was small - then added over the years. If you do that - you can finish the main structure and get in for as low a cost as possible - but have thought through the enitre long term plan roughing in for the expansions. As a youngster you might not have a large budget - I don't know your financial situation. And land prices keep escalating, so it's hard to keep up. If you can find the nice piece of land and get a structure on it to live in, then you have a great base and can add over time. Here are my answers to your questions. 1) From your experiences, if you were going to build a house what are the "must haves" or things you would without a doubt do? - energy efficient building is a must. - first floor master (love it!) - screened in and covered decks integrated into the house design. Our pergola with witch hat ceiling and wood burning fireplace is by far my favorite room in the house. - a great kitchen that the wife loves. - covered porch (we call it the dog room) with pebbled floor so that doggies can take care of business when it rains or snows. This is my second favorite room in the house - because the dogs love it and I don't have to shovel a path for them. 2) More importantly what was a waste of money? - we did not watse any money - we were very careful on what we put into the house. But we sure got charged more than we needed to on a few items (like excavation). Make sure you know your subs and make sure your aren't getting ripped by getting multiple bids. 3) My wife and I, along with both our families, are pretty handy. Given that how much would you have done when building a house and what is not worth the time/money savings to do yourself? I did a lot of the electrical, A/V , voice/data, security and I am glad I did. If I had the time, I would have done all of the electrical myslef because I did not like how the sub worked and what they charged (but this is just me - and I love doing this type of work). The master electrician was great - but his workers weren't. 4) Anything unique that you'd do/install if you were building a house? I planned out ahead of time what our backup approach would be for winter power outages and summer power outages. I did install a small standby generator to make sure the absolute essentials have backup power. When you live in the sticks, you need to think about being stranded for a few days and just make sure you have a plan. 5) Were any of you ever the general contractor for your house build? Nope. But the wife and I spend a ton of time going over the work the subs were doing. The builder should have paid us a management fee - we found a lot of things that needed to be addressed. 6) What are some money saving tips? Use the internet to check & verify pricies. When you do - make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Any commodities can ususally be found on-line cheaper - but you need to think about returns. Sometimes it might be worth paying a little more if service/returns could be an issue. Use the GW forums to check pricing too. 7) Since we will hopefully be living at this place for the rest of our life, energy saving ideas will definitely benefit us in the long run. Which ones do you suggest? Prices? Which ones are a waste? Tax breaks on using green materials? The tax breaks for energy efficient building are a joke (but that doesn't mean you should build an EE house). Look on the Renewable Energy Forum and search on "Energy Efficient Building". Loads of good info on that forum. 8) How many square feet? (We plan on having 2 kids and don't need a mansion) Just plan on the kids growing up and needing more space. This one is so subjective. One thing for sure - make your garages and storage space are bigger than what they normally show on internet house plans. I have two 2 car garages and love em. The main garage is 25 x 25. The other one (where all of my toys are) has an extra 3 feet or so in width so I can have a work shop in there (I have 2 workshops - another idea I love. One inside in the basement and one outside in the Man Toy Garage). 9) Since it is in the country and it is not uncommon to lose power for a few hours to a few days, anyone have pictures or ideas on a generator shed/hook up and how they disconnected from the grid? Look on the Electrical Forum - tons of posts on this. I decided that it was too costly to backup my entire house. I just did not want to have a 30 kilowatt generator (I have electric heat pumps - lot's of amperage needed to start compressors). So - I layed out that backup plan. Decided that in a winter outage, I would use fireplaces as the backup heat. I upgraded the fireplaces to direct vent inserts (2 gas, one wood burning) that are rated as heaters. I supply back power to the conrols (low voltage) and fireplace blower fans. I also backed up water, hot water, 2 refrig's, SATV, Sat Internet, and some lights. Much smaller genny - but all the comforts we need to ride out a 2 or 3 day outage. When you do the electrical in your home, plan for the gennny. Have the electrician put in a sub-panel and run all backup circuits from there. Make sure sub panel is on the side of house nearest weher genny will be and try to keep the LP gas tank near there too - this minimizes trenching and there are limits on the length of gas line runs. Use propane as you cooking source and then run genny off that tank. You can run for days without ever needing to fill a tank. 10) I plan on building a shop on the property eventually as well. Any considerations I need to make when building the house that will later effect the building of a shop? Electrical, plumbing etc? Get the biggest electrical service you can. I have a 600 amp main service run (3 x 200 amp service panels) - and that cost me nothing extra to get that to the house. Power company ran the line 700 feet from the main road, they just needed a bigger wire gauage to carry 600 amps. With that kind of power you can add on just about whatever you need for the shop later. 11) Any good way to calculate the costs? My wife and I have found some plans on eplans and houseplans.com. We were really just looking at the styles and layouts to find what we want. Should buy something like that or how do we move forward once we have an idea of what we want? It is hard to ball park costs. So many variables. Do a search on "How to Estimate Building Costs" on this forum - tons of posts on that subject. I do suggest looking on line for floor plans you like (and plan to look and look and look). You can always change the exterior of a house plan to get the look you want - focus on floorplan. If you find something you like, you can typically buy review copies for a smaller fee before you make the purchase of the copiable plans. Make little cut outs of your furniture to the same scale as the plans and lay them onto the review copy of the plans - just to get a better idea of the space and how things fit (or don't). It is very hard to visualize how a room will look from a 2D piece of paper drawn to a small scale. Last suggestion. Don't forget about including in the budget all of the toys you will need to maintain that property. Since Jan - I have purchased: a 4x4 SUV, utility trailer, snow blower, garden tractor with 50 inch mower plus attachments, heavy duty chainsaw ..... If you don't plan on this, then you will be forced to outsource it. It is great having land - but there are a lot of extra chores and you need the right type of toys to handle them. The first time I tried to cut a tree that fell on my property with a 14 inch chainsaw - the tree laughed at me. Watch out for the larger scale on house chores - when you go from a small lot in the burbs to acreage in the sticks, it is a very different world. Have fun!
...See More
Building a Home in Kansas City Area
Q
Comments (6)
How good are you building the sucker? New home should have good windows. If it were mine, it would be foamed rather than have batts in the wall and blown in the attic. They are using bottom of the line equipment and the upgrades are outrageous, typical of new construction. You gain no energy savings going to 2 stage so skip that. Upgrading to the XP16 doesn't boost efficiency much unless the furnaces are upgraded to high efficiency fan motors. That would be the G60V, they'd probably be horribly expensive on that upgrade too. So $3800 to save $50 (probably not even that) a year, that's a good payback. Not.
...See More
Advice Before & During Building A Custom Home
Q
Comments (20)
I think the distinction between semi-custom home and truly custom construction is significant. I've done both plus lots of renovations. In our custom build, we had a fabulous GC. The way he liked to do business was to spend countless hours up front getting into excruciating detail about building products. Once we had cost out our desires, it became apparent that this house was going to cost a whole lot more than we had anticipated. We owned the land. The unknown costs lay in porches and basements. We all agreed that we needed another plan. (We were using William E. Poole plans) I went home and quickly found another plan that would work with a few modifications. It had smaller porches and we ditched the basement in favor of a FROG. It was a smarter build thanks to my GC. We owned the land and had more than 60% of the construction cost in cash. The bank loved us. Low risk. They only got involved when we were close to finishing up. I think we had one construction draw and a final inspection. Our GC suggested that we mutually determine his fee up front. It was a flat amount. This way, he was assured that he would be paid and make his profit. We paid him in monthly installments. The last payment would be withheld until we had release of liens from all of the subcontractors and the GC. Any costs would merely be passed through his accounts. There were no mark up on materials and services. They were entirely at his cost. I was given a copy of all of the receipts. He would present a months worth of bills and receipts at a time. There was one or two items that he needed the money a little faster. I think the framing material was an example. It was a pretty big bill as I recollect. In the areas where a guestimate was required in the budget, he would tend to overestimate. This way the surprises were pleasant. The hard work was done up front. We used those surprises to finish out the FROG. I ended up sourcing the appliances, the plumbing fixtures and the decorative electrical fixtures. He was a little leery about that, but I had everything ordered and stored in my garage ahead of time. I would take them over the day before they were needed and have them on site. The appliance dealer kept my appliances in storage until I was ready. The only plumbing fixture that I had the plumber order was two real cast iron tubs. I didn't want to be responsible for transport or installation of those. The GC had such a great time working with us, he and his brother, decided to do all of the interior finish carpentry themselves. They were used to working on projects that were 50% bigger than our home. We fit right into their schedule. It had been a long time since they had gotten to work together, they wanted to do it. They did a beautiful job. They built my mantle and an arched pocket door from a picture I provided them. They did a beautiful job. Semi-custom building, now that is an exercise in frustration. I'll never do that again. The answers in semi-custom building always seem to be no.
...See More
Building a new home and am STUCK
Q
Comments (23)
I've got to second outdoor taps, it's amazing to me that some homes have no outdoor water sources, try getting a new garden est. without one/or get an old garden through drought, dragging pails thru a kitchen? I think not. Also outdoor plugs, very useful if you are the type to use electric garden items (mowers etc.), fix things outside (chop saw etc.) or put up seasonal decor. All of those granite choices look OK to me (great help that I am) but I would be wary of the darker ones without over counter lighting.
...See More
nanj
12 years ago
I'm a pragmatic person - give me something that will make my life easier day in and day out. I vote for pull-out shelves for the lower kitchen cabinets, as many as you can afford. Even doing just one pull-out per cabinet will be much appreciated by your wife. Very sweet of you!
allison0704
12 years ago
I agree. Pull-out shelves would be a nice surprise.
blakeas
Original Author
12 years ago
exactly - something that will make her life easier. any other suggestions?
blakeas
Original Author
12 years ago
LOL! you are right! any other place of the house maybe?
chisue
12 years ago
Offer the upgrade of DRAWERS in a lower cabinet instead of doors, but let her decide yes or no. I have three drawers under the cooktop (five, eight, and ten inches deep) for pots and pans. I use them every day.)

I consider pull-out shelving inside a cabinet an add-on or re-fit for existing cabinetry. You have to open the cabinet doors and then pull out the shelf. Drawers are a single-motion task.

Do you have any corner cabinets that would take a Lazy Susan?

Something else I like in my kitchen is a garbage/recycling pull-out next to the sink. It has one plastic bin in front and one behind. (You could also have a narrow one with just one bin.) I doubt the gizmo itself is expensive; it's just a panel front, rollers and a metal frame to hold the bins. I use that many times a day. It's nice to have that mess hidden from view.
chicagoans
12 years ago
Yes what chisue said: DRAWERS!Best thing we did with our new kitchen. (See this thread from the kitchen forum in link below.)

And if you want to go beyond that, have her visit www.rev-a-shelf.com and look at all the cool options you can add. I love the pullouts.

{{gwi:1440238}}

{{gwi:1440240}}

{{gwi:1440242}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Drawers vs pull out shelves
live_wire_oak
12 years ago
Under cabinet lighting, with dimmers. Pull out trash. Hands free "touch" faucet (Delta). Two dishwashers. Box in the fridge making it look more built in. Crown molding. Taller cabinets.

If you are starting with a builder package, there are a LOT of upgrades that can be done for the kitchen. But, if she's the primary user, none of these (except the UC lighting) should be added without consulting her.

Other upgrades that would be a nice surprise factor would be heated bathroom floors, a slide bar with hand shower, a heated towel rack, a laundry sink, custom closet inserts, mudroom cabinetry organizers, small patio off of the master, french doors somewhere unexpected, solar tube or skylight in a dark hall or room, built in cabinetry in the family room, an upgraded fancy mantle for the fireplace, 4' extra in the garage for more storage or more of the attic floored for more storage, a bidet washlet for the master toilet (install the needed electric outless now for upgrading later if you don't choose this now), grab bars for the shower and tub are (or blocking under the sheetrock where you can add them later), upgrade from carpet to wood floors, a fancy dining room chandelier (on a dimmer), or just a card with a promise of some new furniture to go in the new house.

If you want to go for the most wow factor and most stunned response, go for the heated bathroom floors, upgraded shower spray, the bidet seat, the towel warmer and a solar tube all for the master bathroom, listed in order of most wow to least. Nothing says "I love you" to a lady like heated bathroom floors and a more luxurious shower.
renovator8
12 years ago
Let her choose; she can't take it back.
bus_driver
12 years ago
Mine likes the electric radiant heat under the tile floors in the baths. We turn it on just a couple of hours in advance and off after the bath is complete.
lazy_gardens
12 years ago
TIP: Do not surprise your wife with ANYTHING except a quiet dinner out.

Springing surprises on her that involve where she will be living in not going to work.
April-Lorraine
12 years ago
I would much rather get to choose an upgrade than to have the money spent on something I might have invested somewhere else. Esp. in the kitchen, if that is where she is a lot. Most people who spend a lot of time in the kitchen can instantly name their biggest wish list items. She will appreciate your wanting to do something nice for her regardless, but this is something she will be living with for a long time and will continue to pay dividends long after the initial "wow". Better it be something that would make the biggest difference to HER. I think you, and she, will get the most mileage out of it that way. :)
bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
12 years ago
I geneally love to get surprises but, when it comes to house upgrades that can't be taken back, I have to agree that it might be best to let you wife choose.

How about this: Decide how much you can afford to spend on the "surprise upgrade" for her and then prepare a coupon that says something like "This coupon good for YOUR CHOICE of upgrade for the new house - value up to $XXXX"

Put it in with a card that says "just because I love you..." along with pictures or descriptions of half a dozen or so possible upgrade ideas that you are not otherwise planning to put in the house. Make sure that it is clear that these are just ideas to get her thinking and that the choice of what to get is TOTALLY hers.

Let her know that you want her to choose something that will give her the maximum amount of pleasure and that she should NOT be thinking about what would give the highest "return on investment" if you should ever have to sell the house or anything like that.

Deliver the card to her with a nice vase of her favorite flowers or take her out somewhere really nice for dinner and have the wait-staff deliver the card to her along with a special dessert. That will be surprise enough and then she'll also have the fun of figuring out just what to get.

The pull-out drawers shown above would be just one possibility. Depending on her style and your budget, other possible upgrades she might love:

* a clawfoot bathtub
* air massage bathtub
* multi-head shower
* "steam-free" bathoom mirrors
* upgraded bathroom vanity
* upgraded masterbedroom closet storage
* mudroom cabinets
* upgraded kitchen countertops
* cabinet depth fridge instead of standard model
* 15" deep upper kitchen cabinets (standard is 12")
* 36" or 42" tall upper kitchen cabs (standard is 30")
* some glass-fronted kitchen cabs for showing off her china/glassware
* drawers in lower kitchen cabinets instead of doors
* tankless water heater
* a gorgeous chandelier for dining room or foyer
* a really fancy fireplace mantle
* an upgraded front door
* an upgraded landscaping package
* expanded paint options (i.e., the right to choose several different colors rather than having entire house painted one color)
* a pot-filler faucet
* upgraded backsplash options
* a mosaic inset for the foyer floor
* LED stairway lighting
* a flatscreen TV for the kitchen or one in the masterbath where it can be seen from the tub
* some new furniture for the house
* a sunny spot in the yard already prepared for a "kitchen garden"
* a porch swing for the front porch
* built in bookcases
* carriage style garage doors

There are about a million possibilities so, no matter how well you know your wife's tastes, there is probably no way you can pick what would most appeal to her. But, let me say this, you are an absolute sweetheart for wanting to surprise her in this way!
nycefarm_gw
12 years ago
Full extension drawers in the kitchen/baths.
energy_rater_la
12 years ago
I think it is very sweet of you to think of doing this for your wife.
andi_k
12 years ago
Personally, I like bevangel's idea. If DH did this for me, I'd prefer a steam shower, massage tub, etc...something to relax in after I spent all day in the kitchen. If DH surprised me with something in the kitchen, I'd look for a frying pan to bonk him in the head with....LOL!!! But, honestly, others may really want a really neat kitchen feature....so I'm not saying it's a bad idea at all...it's sooo thoughtful and I'm sure she'll appreciate it. I just like the idea of her getting to pick what it is.
April-Lorraine
12 years ago
I second bevangel's idea. That's something she won't stop bragging to her friends about! Andi-K, LOL.
thisishishouse
12 years ago
Pedicure massage chair and a steam shower.
chisue
12 years ago
Let's remember that the OP asked for a relatively modest upgrade. Y'all have gotten carried away!

In addition to my idea of drawers or the pull-out trash, I'd endorse some glass-front upper cabinets w/interior lights. The under-cabinet lighting is a must, not an extra, IMO. Perhaps some moulding on cabinet tops and bottoms? Upgrade pulls and hinges?

Beware of building in things that have to be replaced eventually -- like the fridge and dishdrawers.
kateskouros
12 years ago
cooking school in paris.
davidro1
12 years ago
LED under cabinet lighting, with dimmers. Or slim fluorescent (T4, T5).
Electric cable mat heated floors.
Solar tube.
Hands free "touch" faucet (Delta), or a Tapmaster.
Drawers, yes. Not pull-out shelves.
Crown molding.
Two dishwasher drawers.
joyce_6333
12 years ago
Oh, my goodness, that is so sweet! I was trying to come up with something that I would love if my husband wanted to surprise me. Usually his surprises are nice, and it's the thought that counts ... right? But I think I would like to be able to pick something out on my own. Has she mentioned anything she would like, and maybe doesn't feel it's in the budget?
athensmomof3
12 years ago
I think you are on the right track with the pull out shelves :). I know some folks prefer drawers, but I recently read an article from a kitchen designer saying she liked pull out shelves better because there is more room. I guess drawers take more space? For those of us who routinely stand on our heads to find the right pot or pan, a pull out shelf or two would be a fantastic upgrade. I agree with those who think you should find something that makes her life easier every day - and this would!
mklee01
12 years ago
This is such a sweet and thoughtful idea. If my husband was offering me an upgrade (we are 1 month into our new build - foundation is poured and framing began yesterday), I would want the coupon. For me, I might consider upgrading the pendant lights in the kitchen or the kitchen sink or the kitchen faucet. I really like the cabinet drawer idea or trash pull out. Upgrading the shower head in the master bath is a gift that you could enjoy. The possibilities are endless, but really fun to think about.

P.S. I told my husband about your question. He said, "Tell him just to ask her what she wants. Simpler, safer, and she'll be just as happy."
kellyeng
12 years ago
Love my roll-out shelves. I have a bunch of deep drawers as well but for some reason I'm able to keep the roll-out shelves more neat and organized.
singingmicki
12 years ago
LOVE the thought you have, and I think you should go with BEVANGEL's idea to give her a $ amount and let her decide. There are so many choices, and I bet she'd like to choose!
highjumpgirl
12 years ago
Wow, so many conflicting opinions you've gotten. I'll add more of the same. It IS a great, sweet idea of yours! but I also don't like hubby spending money on things that I don't really want, and I'm on the side of large ("bread") drawers rather than pull-out shelves. I designed my last kitchen, and the large lower drawers were, by far, my favorite feature, and I'll repeat it.
blakeas
Original Author
12 years ago
Well - I took everyone's advice and asked what she wanted and she chose pull out shelves (wide 36") and a glass front for the corner cabinet.. there was no way I was going to get that wrong.
singingmicki
12 years ago
I'm glad you posted what she chose. I know you guys will enjoy those upgrades!
chisue
12 years ago
Glad you and she are happy! I thought we were going to have to go find you and DRAG you back here to report. lol

Wire for lights IN that glass front cabinet; they can do that when they wire for the under-cabinet lighting.

Building A home - Upgrade suprise for wife?

peytonroad

Comments (32)

constantinople

blakeas
Original Author

Related Discussions

nanj

allison0704

blakeas
Original Author

blakeas
Original Author

chisue

chicagoans

live_wire_oak

renovator8

bus_driver

lazy_gardens

April-Lorraine

bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz

nycefarm_gw

energy_rater_la

andi_k

April-Lorraine

thisishishouse

chisue

kateskouros

davidro1

joyce_6333

athensmomof3

mklee01

kellyeng

singingmicki

highjumpgirl

blakeas
Original Author

singingmicki

chisue

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Building A home - Upgrade suprise for wife?

Comments (32)

blakeasOriginal Author

Related Discussions

blakeasOriginal Author

blakeasOriginal Author

blakeasOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

blakeas
Original Author

blakeas
Original Author

blakeas
Original Author

blakeas
Original Author