Areas where you felt you really got your money's worth?

Lots of windows energy efficient windows.

Orienting the house so the long walls are north/south to let in more light and for passive solar/heating and cooling.

icynene insulation in the attic

updating our AC system to a variable speed unit.

Though it goes against quick feel good feeling, spending efficiently on infrastructure and not settling bare minimum to meet code or keep cost down will have better returns. These things are not visible but will have better returns in long run. Better framing, better windows, improved insulation to bane a few. Spending on these instead of cosmetic things which can be changed or upgraded as time goes by.

I agree; 'splurging' on 'good bones' makes for a much better house. We saved by keeping the house small and simple, and we built with ICF (insulated concrete forms) which yields a strong, quiet, and incredibly efficient house. We also used quality windows (Marvin), and put a lot of study into orienting the house on the land, both for energy efficiency and capturing the views. A good design that works with the building site is so much better than a generic tract home plopped on a lot with no regard to orientation. I wish we had gone ahead and finished the basement rather than waiting a couple years, but we were out of money and didn't need it at the time. I'm currently working on getting it done.

You MAY want to engage an energy consultant. There are tradeoffs in investing in infrastructure vs say, solar. We're balancing that right now - you can spend $$$ on whiz bang heat pumps with variable speed everythings, or.... increase the size of our solar array.

Windows - I overspent on windows. We're not in yet so I can't put a $ savings on them - but I am pretty sure they will never pay for themselves. However, a GOOD, well sealed and maintenance free window is a beautiful thing.

Site orientation - that's 'free money'. Lower maintenance materials - like some of the rot free trim boards, etc.

Sealing, insulation and indoor air quality including moisture management depending on your climate.

Notice a theme in everyone's comments? Not one of us mentioned things like granite versus quartz, or wood floors versus tile, or anything like that. We're all talking about the bones of the house. The things you don't see every day but make a huge difference in comfort and longevity once you're in the house.

We spent more than we planned to on the land, more than assessed value but had to convince the owners to sell it to us. Although it was a big gulp moment, everything else flows from the location which is beyond anything we ever dreamed about.

After that, our money went into 'the bones' as mentioned above.

Even in our early stages of planning our build, my wife and I are unwavering in our priorities for the “bones” upgrades to the house (ICF foundation, Nuwool insulation, windows taking advantage of SE/S exposure, radiant floor heating in slab and/or first floor, geothermal HP, etc.). Cabinets, countertops, floors, etc, can be replaced and upgraded down the line if need be. The aforementioned items cannot as easily.

We opted for a pier and beam foundation in Texas despite every new build is done on a slab to cut costs. We knew it was more expensive, but also knew the problems that a slab can have on our soil. We love the ease of accessing the pipes, love the feel of walking on a raised floor and love knowing that any foundation issues will be minimal compared to homes built on a slab. Also foam insulation (our house hardly fluctuates 2 degrees despite wild temp swings outside) and good wood/fiberglass windows. They look good and perform very well.

I think I wrote a book... LOL!

In our case, we are spending more on our builder than if we had gone with most builders in our area (cost-plus contract that is a higher percentage than any other builder in our area). Most of the local builders in our area cut corners - he doesn't (he only builds custom homes, whereas 99% of the local builders primarily build spec homes). So, we are ending up spending more for his services, but know that he is going to make sure that everything is done well and that our home is still standing in 100 years when our great-grandchildren want to live here. Do we still have to check up on things? Yes!!! But, we know he has high expectations for all of his subs and he does check up on them, too.

We had only spec'd out using Advantech on the second floor (IDK why). It was only a couple hundred dollars more to put it on the first floor. Now, we will have a better sub-floor than standard plywood.

Know your area, and don't overpay for some things. We don't have natural gas around here, so have to use propane. We were priced out a heat pump with gas heat backup. It was a crazy high price. After discussing with other "experts" we determined that it's not necessary to spend the extra money - we'd never recognize any savings for heating in our area (central NC). So, we are going with electric heat only.

Also, some things may seem like they would cost more, but they really don't. DH wanted tongue and groove board roof decking (I still don't know why). Builder said he hadn't done that in many years, but he would price it along with what he normally used. T&G was only a few hundred dollars more in materials. We paid more in labor to have it installed. Every sub who has come to the house has been amazed at the roof decking. Apparently most have never seen it done in a new house.

We "cheaped out" on siding. Instead of going with Hardi, we went with an upgraded vinyl (6.5" colonial beaded, single panel that's thicker than standard). Why? Hardi was going to be double the cost of vinyl after install and painting; and we could replace all of the vinyl siding for the cost of getting the Hardi painted in 10-15 years. I'd rather save that money and use it towards something else.

Oh! If you want to store things in your attic or "unfinished bonus room" plan for it now. The trusses have to be built to different specifications for load bearing. It doesn't cost much more, but it has to be planned for ahead of time.

1. Thoughtful site analysis, thorough pre-design and excellent design.

2. Energy upgrades for environmental impact, cost savings and comfort.

3. Durable structure and low maintenance exterior materials.

4. Quality windows and doors.

5. Spending a bit more on things that will really matter to you and less on things that might matter to a future owner.

Odd man out here.

But building a budget-to-the winds "forever home" or for your great-grandchildren and beyond as if you're a 17th Century English peer can hurt you where it counts most: your pocketbook.

As when "forever" turns out to be one year later when you get a new job that requires moving cross country. Or your beloved says, "Bye, Bye, loser." Or eternity comes sooner than you expect--always a surprise, actually--and the heirs can't bear (or afford) your dream any longer. Just saying.

Sorry, worthy, but I disagree. The land we are building on has been in my family since the 1700s. Our house will be the third house on the exact site we are building (my parents moved the prior house built by my great-grandparents across the road 20 years ago and remodeled it). We were finally at a point in our lives where we could purchase our tract two years ago. We wouldn't be building if we knew we weren't at a point in our lives where we could stay. So, no, we won't be moving cross country - been there, done that. Again, my situation isn't everyone else's.

The changes we added were only a few thousand dollars - not even tens of thousands - to make the house structurally better than the cheap spec homes that abound in our area. Am I saying that I fully expect my great-grandchildren to live in this house? NO! I'm saying the house is structurally sound and should still be standing and in decent shape IF they wanted to.

We aren't building a "budget to the winds" home... we are actually building with a tight budget (our construction loan for our 2400 sq ft custom home is less than $400K and we are currently below budget). Our focus is on quality and craftsmanship. We won't have anything that I consider extravagant - our cabinets are sourced from two huge walnut and pecan trees felled from our site; our porch posts and flooring from cedars from our site; quarter sawn heart pine flooring.

Everyone has mentioned the structural parts so I'll touch on splurging-saving on design elements:

The things that cannot be easily changed out or will be heavily featured should have more money spent on them. IMO that's flooring and cabinets. Save on smaller items that can be easily changed out like lighting or cabinet hardware.

Also learn which items have a big quality changes based on price and which dont. Backsplashes, for example, are not worth spending extra one. A cheap subway tile is indistinguishable from an extensive one, but cheap paint, on the other hand, has a very low quality compared to higher end ones.

The land we are building on has been in my family since the 1700s.

The exception that proves the rule! [My comments were meant in general, not questioning the op.]

I built my first "forever" home four homes ago! I should have realized it's the building, not the living in a home, that I find satisfying.

Even on a small and tight urban site, it always pays to begin by building a strong understanding of the design implications--advantages and disadvantages--of one's site.

Exactly. When we started, we had the house oriented east/west with the backyard facing west. I'm so glad I not only educated myself regarding passive solar/heating and cooling but also changed the orientation of our house to north/south.

I can tell you that this past summer when it was 95 degrees with 98% humidity (this is FL) and we were still waiting for AC to be installed that because of how we designed the house with all windows and doors north/south open for cross breezes, and with the house basically only one room deep, the house was actually somewhat bearable.

A well-designed forever home built without a lot of supervision by a super nice builder who was only slightly dyslexic...Bob likes it and wants one like it!

Worthy, I'm LOLing at you loving the building part. I would have happily stayed in the home we lived in for the past 12 years (spec house). I despise moving and I'm at the point where I'm completely over and done with picking out anything related to finishes. I see people comment that they're on their second or third custom build and I can't imagine ever doing this again!

Lots of windows energy efficient windows.

A question I've been researching -- without much success: Where is the "sweet spot" between quality /energy efficient windows and cost?

But building a budget-to-the winds "forever home" or for your great-grandchildren and beyond as if you're a 17th Century English peer can hurt you where it counts most: your pocketbook.

Again, you're looking for "the sweet spot".

I think the sweet spot is very regional. For example, I can't imagine triple paned windows being that great an ROI unless you are in Minnesota or the like. However, being able to spec a low solar gain glass window may be super worth it (or getting solar shades after the fact).

My geothermal heat pump probably isn't that great a deal now without my state tax credit, and with the efficiency in my house / shop and an overall low cost of electricity, that probably isn't the way to go - I'd be better off with a high efficiency air sourced heat pump. BUT... I got used to the quiet of having no outdoor unit / noise.

Alternatively, adding another solar array as that cost continues to come down might be easier than going to more efficient systems...

An energy consultant can help with some of that. If I had it to do over again - I would have hired the passive house consultant and had him get me in the sweet spot. (and keep my engineer husband between the cost guardrails - as it stands he blew past the guardrails about $200K ago)

We're early in the process, but we built an addition on our house six or so years ago, so we're drawing from that experience.

We regret having spent a lot of money on built-in cabinetry. We did beautiful, custom built-ins in the playroom, mudroom, and master bedroom. Theyr'e beautiful. And expensive. Now that we're doing it again, we're skipping all of those. For the playroom I'd rather use cheap IKEA shelving that I can swap out without guilt when the next round of toys and interests take hold and the old system doesn't work (the current built-ins worked well for our daughter at two, but don't fit her craft supply collection at five nearly as well). For the mudroom we'd rather live with it for awhile, see how we use it, and then consider adding cabinets to meet our needs. For the master bedroom we've found we just don't need a whole, long wall of bookshelves - it's more convenient to keep books elsewhere. In general, we find we like the flexibility of furniture over built-ins.

Similarly, we redid our daughter's bathroom a few years ago with an IKEA vanity, thinking it would be a short-term fix and we'd redo it fairly soon with something "better." We've actually loved the IKEA vanity for a kids bathroom, and we'll be putting them in in her bathroom and the guest bathroom at the new house. For the master it's worth it to us to have something custom or semi-custom, but for those other spaces it's hard to beat the value of IKEA. For kids we find it especially awesome since the sink is fully integrated into the counter. That means that when she makes a mess giving toys baths (or with some other plan) we can easily wipe everything down.

We've never regretted putting hardwoods in more places than we'd originally planned, and in fact we've wished we put them even more places instead of carpet. The cost deterred us, but it would have been worth it. It would be extremely hard to go back and add them, as they'd need to match and blend in with the existing hardwood floors.

Heated tile floors in the bathroom are a really wonderful luxury that was comparatively inexpensive for the enjoyment they provide.

In general in our new build we're looking at putting money in places that we can't later easily change, while doing less expensive options other places to balance it out. So we'll plumb the mudroom for a future sink, washer, and dryer, but we won't spend the money to put them in for now. Similarly we'll have a spare bedroom we're using as a home gym; it has a designated bathroom that we'll rough in but not put in, as for us a storage room is more useful and less expensive than a bathroom that will be largely unused. We may put IKEA cabinets in the laundry room, but will likely to custom or high-end semi-custom in the kitchen. We're going with fiberglass windows, but we're making sure they're standard sizes wherever possible to do so without compromising the exterior aesthetic or interior function.

And basically, we'll be trying to pay more attention to all the little details as we choose finishes. Last time around I chose things, our builder said, "Yep, that fits your budget," and we went with it. This time we're asking more questions to make sure we're not inadvertently making expensive choices when we don't mean to do so, whether they're in budget or not.

Odd man out here.

But building a budget-to-the winds "forever home" or for your
great-grandchildren and beyond as if you're a 17th Century English peer
can hurt you where it counts most: your pocketbook.

It's a matter of balance but you do have a point. I recall years ago commenting to a German ex-pat at my company that German houses seemed very sturdy and well built - tile roofs, zinc gutters, concrete floors, masonry construction - whereas in the USA it was a race to find the cheapest way to build the largest space. His reply was that he didn't care about a house that will last centuries if he can't afford to buy it now and how he much preferred homes in the USA.

Features, finishes and technology vs. siting, creative design and detailing.

The saga never ends. HGTV doesn't help.

Janni..we are doing geo as well as we loved it in our last house. Our well driller was at the house and told us that he thought the tax credits would be reinstated. I've been looking online and can't find anything definite. What do you make of this?

https://www.achrnews.com/articles/135925-geothermal-tax-credits-in-tax-reform-bill

Kristen S- can you elaborate re your last parsgraph? ' when yourcbuilder said "yep, it fits in your budget". yet must have been an expensive cost in the long run??? For myself, I do not understand building on a slab- finding 'that leak' and ripping up tile/wood, jackhammering in a few/large area repair, then replacing said flooring is not worth it. I would rather spend a but more for piers and be able to get underneath the house.

Ed - pipes don't really leak that often. You only have to have drain pipes in the slab and these leak even less often. When they do - it is often so slow that in a slab it wouldn't really matter. Imagine water in PVC (with a hairline crack) encased in a cement. Supply lines are put inside a sheath of PVC - but supply lines can just be in the walls.

So many great ideas about the importance of good bones. We moved into our ninth new build in the same state three years ago. I am like worthy. I like the excitement of the new build. All homes were custom built using an architect not a desinger except our first home, built in 1969. With each build, the importance of good bones became more important. But there are a lot of first and second time home buyers who read this forum and are unable to afford a lot of what I believe contributors of this forum can afford to do in a new build. I don’t think that should stop them from moving into a tract home and, if they so choose, to build again when they are ready and then read and learn from forums such as this. Almost as important as good bones is the location. Location can be even more important when and if you want to sell, speaking here as a Realtor.

Drifting a little here, but I'm not a big fan of building on a slab. I lived on them for 30 years in FL, and they are hard on your back and feet, anything that falls on them is broken, and the abovementioned service issues. We had a pipe (copper) develop a leak under the middle of the slab. Jackhammer time. A friend wanted to re-arrange his master bath- again, jackhammer time. If we hadn't had the topography for a walk-out basement here, we would have built on a crawl space, although they have their own set of issues.

ILoveRed - great news on the geothermal - now if my state can get with the program too! I was able to double dip for the last install and it made is less $ than a high efficiency air source heat pump.

As for the slab construction - it's working for us because it fits with the all one level / no steps theme we have. And it was easier to insulate under / tie into the sandwich panel walls. But I do agree it can be hard on the feet - but I am planning a few sets of indoor shoes to help with that, as well as some gel mats in the kitchen. As much as I was in the kitchen yesterday even on hardwoods!

Ed - our builder is really awesome. He puts generous allowances in (unlike most builders), as many of his clients prefer not to hear that a finish they’ve chosen doesn’t fit in their budget (for example, for our current build he slotted $55 per square foot for bathroom tile.) We agreed to a budget that included allowances for many items, but our contract is such that we only pay based on the materials we actually chose. We then worked with a designer to choose finishes. As we chose things, she told us “yes, these fit within the budget.” In reality I think there were places we could have been equally happy with less expensive finishes, but we didn’t know to question the cost beyond “it fits in the budget.” In doing things again, we’ll make sure we know exactly what costs of various items are and can save in areas where we are less particular.

Kristin - arguably $55 is so unreasonable that it is a problem also. But if you are spending $500 a sqft, it might be ok. High allowances for finishes may make people skimp on bones because they have to allow for $50k for bathroom tile. Or alternatively, the builder can get kickbacks here because there is so much lee way - not saying that is your issue but I would be careful for others.

In my market $13 for bathroom floors is pretty nice so you can understand how $55 seems a bit crazy. Our last build was $11 (inclusive of labor which was $6). I have not seen tile above $12 (material only) outside of something super custom.

Our builder is great, and we know him well ( he built for us, my parents, and several friends before),, so we’re not worried about that. He often does custom, high-end homes that might well be $500 per square foot - we have a friend who built with him who was genuinely upset when her chosen bath fixtures didn’t fit into the budget, but she had chosen $3,000 toilets (no one has ever been brave enough to ask her how on earth she found toilets that expensive). I really think he’s learned that for manny of his clients, better to estimate high than risking annoying them by saying they can’t afford what they want in their budget. We’re just much more price conscious than many of his clients (and he’s good with that, too, it just requires we pay more attention.

in fairness, he allowed $45 per square foot for the scondary bathrooms for floors (obviously still way high). And I’ve seen tile and thought, “pretty!” only to realize the price would exceed even his generous allowance and nix it. It would be great to not have to pay attention to cost, after all, which is the position some of his clients are in. We’re just not among them, and don’t doubt we’ll find things we love for less.

So...if your finish selections "fit within budget", that must mean the choices were at or below the allowance.

Did you get a credit on the overall contract sum for the finishes which were below the allowance? If you didn't you should ask the builder you know well why not?

Otherwise, you are just giving your builder extra cash.

Hi zDavid Cary- Unfortunately water pipes are not always at outside framing edges- drains are not the only thing in a slab. I had a third bathroom psink pipe break in Sarasota. That bathroom eas not at any edge or the slab/framing. It was dead- in the middle of the house. It took some senditive equipment to locate exactly where the leak was. Had to have it jackhammered out and replaced- ...

Also- today we were at friends for xmas who are building a new house- on a slab- the house is dried in. Guess where the actual water pipes are- yep- the kitchen is in the middles of the house- looked specifically at pipes- coming out of the cement... Kitchen sink in the middle of the island which is in the middle of the house. Higher end builder.

Virgil - our contract is cost plus. If we choose something less expensive, we pay less. If we buy something ourselves (I usually purchase light fixtures myself, for example, and my husband does all the low voltage wiring himself) we pay less. Allowances are really just budget place holders in our case.

Look at Virgil's first post above, then worthy's. By the way, they are both great posters and I respect them both, so no knocks at all. Keep up the great work folks. :-)

I love the 2 viewpoints. From Virgil:

Starting the design of a house in the proper way: with a strong
understanding of the land, and the relative advantages and disadvantages
of various building sites, orientation, views, access, relation to
usable outdoor spaces and the like.

As jannicone said, this is "free", and it influences in a very
positive manner all of the thinking and development which follows.

In my experience, this is definitely not "free", and actually both difficult and expensive. Without a doubt, in my experience, a well-executed (i.e. layout), *modest* home in a good location yields the best results in terms of enjoyment and resale.

With a large budget, I would add into the mix a good view, garage and heating. Everything else is cosmetic. lol

Bob and I are confused about the "difficulty and expense" of thoughtful site planning and using that as a key ingredient in conceptualizing the design of a custom home...

Bob always thought that was the first step in custom home design, even on tight urban sites!

Of course, Bob is quick to point out how many home designs are posted here which don't even consider south...

Good site design should save money...less excavation, fewer retaining walls, shorter driveway, proper drainage etc.

Edwina I hope yiur friends have a builder who is better at time management than our builder

Haven't broken ground yet, but I'll chime in with:

Overspent (our own fault, ie: things I wish I had done differently):

1/ that landscape architect we had to fire; it's a long story (lesson learned: vet all people you hire thoroughly)
2/ schematic design (lesson learned: having your architect entertain and flesh out every idea costs money. Be decisive.)
3/ months of extra carrying costs while we interviewed general contractors/revised our plans to refit into our budget (lesson learned: bring a GC on in the beginning, resist house creep)

4/ that GC who we thought would build our house who ended up not being able to build our house so we had to do #3 (see lesson 1)

Areas where we consciously spent and feel we are getting our money's worth:

1/ bought the best piece of land we could afford

2/ hired a licensed architect (not a draftsman) to design a house that suits our needs

3/ put in as many windows as we could afford

One thing we are weighing, right now, is the value of built-ins, so it's interesting to see others, here, say it's not worth it.

Ed - yep - kitchen islands supply pipes have to be in the slab. Nothing else though. I suppose you can do a large chase with gentle curves that would allow pex to be fished through if it developed a leak in 30 years.

Copper is a different issue of course. Pex without a junction and without exposure is probably a forever pipe. I would be curious if anyone has had Pex develop a leak - beyond an early defect.

We have 2 islands to deal with in slabs. We're running larger 3/4 pex. Our plumber stated that if they "ever" developed a leak, you can insert 1/2 in into the 3/4.

Re: Slab on grade. I like either slab on grade or full basement. Crawl spaces are just short basements due to code requirements. Going to full basement is the least expensive space you'll ever build.

Re: Built-ins. They're nice but you probably won't get your money back out of them so use them sparingly for storage that future buyers would appreciate.