gaonmymind, we were actually 20% over budget after the preliminary pricing. That was a huge bummer! We made some changes to the plan: We eliminated the deck off of the back that connected to the screen porch, and we eliminated the basement under the master and put it on a slab. Both of those changes actually helped the way the house sits on the lot, so it was good. Both of those ideas I got from builders I was interviewing. When they came back with pricing, I asked them what they would do to reduce the cost. Some builders were less helpful. One was reluctant to name any savings, so I asked him what he would do if it were his house. He said he'd find the other 20%. We didn't really need to talk to him anymore. The builder I ended up going with said, "Let me see what I can do." Then he went back to all of his subs and told them that if they were all going to get to do the job, they were going to have to cut their price 10%. He dropped his fee 10% also. They ended up with work when nobody else had any. So, that's one way to go. Don't know if that would work now, but 2 years ago when everyone was struggling to stay afloat, it was better than starving. When we decided to go ahead and build, we decided to get the "bones" of the house right and not spend much on things that need replacing after 10 years. And, yes, as Athensmom noted, I became the Craigslist Queen. I searched daily and got doors, tile, fences, adorable vanities made from antique huntboards (complete with tops, sinks and faucets), chandeliers, cabinets for both laundry rooms and a 48" dual fuel range. I scored big time on my first trip to the Habitat Restore. They had just gotten a donation from a high end lighting store and an appliance showroom, so I got $500 sconces for $30, a Miele dishwasher and warming drawer, laminate countertops for the laundry rooms and cabinets for the basement kitchenette. During the build, we were able to get many of the subs to include the basement in their bids, so even though we had not intended to finish the basement, we did. Overall on fixtures and finishes, I would say, be flexible. Know the general look you want but don't get too fixated on a particular faucet or light fixture. I knew the look I wanted for my front porch fixture. I was having troubling finding anything quite as simple and classic as I wanted. One day scrounging for knobs at Builder's Surplus I saw a hanging lantern that was just the ticket. It was a little dusty and worn looking, but nothing that wouldn't either clean up or add character. It was marked $80 but rang up for $13 on clearance. You do that enough times and you have some real savings. All that being said, you are in a bit of a bind. With a fixed price contract the builder has to figure that everything that can go wrong will go wrong and tack that on to the price. They also have to plan on inflation. When we poured concrete, we paid $75/cubic yard. A few months later, concrete had skyrocketed to $100/cubic yard. A contractor has to allow for such fluctuations when he prices it out at a fixed price. You are asking him to take the risk. This was quite a rambling post. I hope you find some of it useful, and I wish you good luck. Remember, the house is just a house, the real treasures are the 15 month old and the one on the way!

Thanks for the info on the tub-- we remodeled master bath about 4-5 yrs ago in home we owned but rented to our son--we neeed to find a smaller tub for space that the acrylic soaker was in-- ordered it at Ferguson's and think it was AS--was a fiberglass tub--not my favorite but wasn't that expensive and fit the space... Maybe if my husband sees there are no nice small tubs he will agree to the shower upgrade We are familiar with aging in place stuff--house we bought in TX has roll in showers in both downstairs bathrooms and some other features... but thanks for the link This shows the entrance into part of bath with tub and shower the area just to left of pocket door is linen closet--then the small shower--the toilet is on that exterior wall-- I think there might be room to extend the side of the shower closest to toilet a foot or so which can make a difference in such small space...but it would make toilet sort of lopsided on the wall spacing...

All I can say is wow. I am always amazed at some of the budgets for projects on the forums. In our area, Central Coast CA, the fabrication for one vanity top would exceed your entire cost for two. We tackle the tasks we can, but 4k in skilled labor wouldn't go very far, unless you had some major skills. I enjoy the thrill of the bargain hunt as much as the next person, and would love to get better at it. Maybe you should blog! Make sure you post pictures and details when finished!

Great comments! Thank you for helping me to think about this out loud ;-). We live in northern California, one hour south of San Francisco, and a half hour from the beach in Santa Cruz. The area is pretty pricey and most single-story houses are being converted into second story houses, some of them good, some of them not so good, AKA monster homes :-(. We are baby boomers and like the size of our house, our garden, etc., and the fact that it is a one story. It's perfectly fine for the two of us. I took care of my Dad before he passed and he was in a walker. I like the idea of having a higher ADA toilet, grab bars, small corner bench, separate hand shower, fixed shower head, and low curb for the shower. And, we are not without our own aches and pains in the joints and lower back! jkom51: thanks for the tip on looking at cultured marble/cultured granite. I am liking the looks of carrera marble a lot, but I'm not sure if it will be too slippery and hard to clean. I don't think I can steal room from the two adjacent bedrooms because they are very small and I wouldn't want to lose a closet in one of the rooms. I guess this is another reason for one, nice, big shower because it opens up the little bathroom. I am seeing the frameless shower door in there.