I would cut, in this order:

1) the freestanding tub, as I find them inconvenient and difficult to clean around;

2) the new furniture, as you can use what you have and delay the purchase until later;

3) the Semihandmade doors, as you could easily add them later;

4) Built-in cabinets (again, you can add them later if needed).

As a last resort, I’d cut the backslashes.

Basically, but the things that can easily be added or swapped out later, keep the things that would be very difficult or expensive to do or replace later (floors, heated floors, etc.).

Appliances, furniture and possibly floors would be my cuts because those can be changed later. Floors would depend on where you live. Some of the super cold areas like MN and I could justify those floors.

we're currently on track to spend 30-40% more than we should

That's a very big overage. You didn't set that budget arbitrarily, so slash accordingly. Do not fall victim to "while we're at it"and do not take on more debt than you originally agreed upon -- even if you must slash your project. Do not put yourself in a position where you're "house poor".

ardwood floors (Kahrs) for 1,000 sq feet of new space (I really don't want to do vinyl or hard surface)

What type of flooring do you have in the rest of the house? If the answer is "hardwood", then you need to stay the same ... but if you have something else, go with engineered hardwood. Once the house is finished, the floors sort of become "background" anyway, and it's better to have GOOD engineered flooring than CHEAP hardwood.

High end kitchen appliances (well, the lower end of high end)

Go with mid-level, real-people appliances. Standard sizes, brands that're sold at Lowes and Home Depot. You will live.

Custom fronts (Semihandmade, Cabinet Face, et al) for IKEA kitchen cabinets and four bathroom vanities

This is probably a worthwhile option, and it's not something you're likely to do later ... but keep it reasonable.

Heated floors in bathrooms

Wonderful to have, but when you're vastly over-budget, it's an easy thing to cut. You're going to have floor mats anyway.

New furniture for about 50% of the house

Again, nice to have ... but instead look for some "new to you" items from Craigslist.

Backsplashes in kitchen, baths

These protect your walls. Stay low end.

Freestanding tub in master bath

Put in a tub, but go with something cheaper. Freestanding is always more expensive.

Built in cabinets (or PAX) for office and family room

The family room is your most-used room. You'll look at these cabinets every day. Keep them, but keep it reasonable.

Solid interior doors (9)

Look for used at Habitat for Humanity. They have an amazing selection, and they sell for $10-30.

Smooth stucco exterior

Hard to say 'cause I have no love of stucco. What's the alternative, and what's the cost difference?

Outdoor living space patio area

This would be easy to add later. Can you lay a stepping-stone patio yourself?

You aren’t cutting 40% at this stage. There is no way to get this done under budget. That would have had to happen in the design phase. That is the only time significant numbers can be made to change.

Just to clarify I meant heated floors.

If you could post some pictures, we could perhaps crowdsource some inexpensive alternatives. It's difficult to know what you mean by "lower end of high end" for appliances, and what you have in mind for backsplash. Do you have any before pictures, and perhaps a idea board for the after? Or at least describe the before and after for us, which would be helpful.

Without knowing any of the details, my choices would be

1) custom fronts for Ikea cabinets

2) patio area

3) backsplash, which you can hold off on unless you're spectacularly messy cooks and dishwashers

4) new furniture, if it's replacing existing furniture

Yeah, I agree with @GreenDesigns. You might be able to get away with a 10-20% cut by downgrading materials and appliances, but beyond that not so much, particularly since you're already using IKEA cabinets. I'd only buy furniture for the new addition, and take another look at your appliances. Not sure you can re-design your master bath at this stage, but if so, lose the stand alone tub and just build out a nice shower.

A "midway" assessment? Meaning that you are half done? Even if you cut 30% and get closer to your budget, that figure will still expand. There are countless more things that will come up. Speaking from experience.

With that amount of overage, you may need to seriously question the size/scale of the project. Can you do the project in stages? When we wanted to add a hall/powder room/family room to our home the cost was way out of our budget. So we scaled back the project and did the hall/powder room in one phase, then saved up to do the family room at a later date. This is our forever home, however, and we had the luxury of time to wait. If you aren't going to be in the home for at least 10 years, you may want to drastically cut back what you planned to do.

I’ll give you my PITA freestanding tub. I concur with Hout Rod on the keeps & cuts.

Cut:

• High end kitchen appliances
• Custom fronts for IKEA kitchen cabinets and vanities
• Heated floors in bathrooms
• Freestanding tub in master bath
• Solid interior doors (unless noise transmission is a concern)

--amateur

At the halfway point, you may be able to cut 15% if you are ruthless and get rid of every high end detail. Only to be matched by that 15% "oops" or change order because a single rotten 2x4 is holding up most of the corner of the house. You are severely underfunded for your ambitions.

Start exploring if you can get a HELOC with half done projects. And find out how long your municipality will allow a permit to remain open or if there is a process for renewal. You have just created a total ramen noodle 2nd job lifestyle change for the next 5 years.

It really depends on whether you want to delay some of these expenses because you will have the funds later but not now, or whether you don't want to spend it at all because it's out of your reach or because it would be overspending for your neighborhood. Which of these is your situation?

How much would you save on each of the things that you listed? What is your original budget?

My recommendation for first cut would be the tub. If the plumbing has been roughed in, cap it off under the floor and carefully record the location of the pipes for possible later addition

I would drop the backsplashes. Those are not required for a functional space and you can add it later when you have the funds. Bonus is the tile will cover any damage you have caused along the way.

Drop the high end appliances unless the kitchen has to be redesigned for standard size. Use your current ones, buy midrange or buy used as appliances are relatively easy to swap out.

Keep the hardwood but keep it simple with narrow oak in a medium brown. Don't use wide boards or exotic woods but don't give up the high quality installers.

Wait on the new furniture and check for quality used items.

What is the alternative to the stucco and how much money would you save?

How much time do you spend outside? If you would rather sit outside, put the money there and cut the budget inside. Likewise, if you aren't spending hours and hours outside, just have some easily moved chairs and carry them out on the lawn for occasional casual conversations.

The important issue here is analyzing how you live in your space. Be sure to think about how you actually use your house, not your dreams about this fantastic finished space. If you have built ins now and they are used regularly, well organized and useful storage, spend the money to have them in the new space. But, if you just think they would be great to have then drop them as you have lived this many years with freestanding and closet storage and won't miss what you don't have.

Trim - appliances, interior doors (can you paint them), furniture. All of this can be done later.

Keep - floors (although vinyl is really nice, I think it’s almost as much if not as much as the hardwood), freestanding tub (I absolutely love mine!), basically the permanent stuff you can’t easily change out down the road...

I toured a brand new model home in our southern central state. It has : 2 stories, a gorgeous mbr/closet, simple cabinets, nice lighting, multiple bedrooms, 2 utility rooms, upstairs and down, ..and engineered hardwood floors in the entry, kitchen, utility, bathrooms, or low nap carpet in living areas and bedrooms. The price was 1.4 million dollars. You too, can put engineered hardwood flooring or even vinyl plank flooring in some areas of your home, depending on use(do you need hardwood under your king size bed or the children's beds and toyroom)...so use some affordable carpets in those areas that are not 'made from plastic fibers' .....Backsplashes are not a working appliance or life changing tool, they are a picture that covers a wall.Most home contractors or commission sales people don't reveal that fact to potential debtors. LOL..... Pressed tin tiles in a wide variety of patterns and colors, is a backsplash, a 4 inch rise of the counter top at the wall and painted sheetrock is a backsplash. Nice vinyl wallpaper, with that easy to remove backing, with a simple tile pattern, can be a backsplash.... High end appliances. Maybe the dishwasher(just enough high end to be quiet when running - 800 dollars I suppose, it just washes dirty dishes so you don't have too) and most new mid range appliances are fine. The more bells and whistles, the shorter their life span, especially in ranges, refrigerators and washing machines....... NEW is nice, High end is for status, and Status is why some people are now tenants...Cabinets work everyday. Buy the cabinet structure that is more durable. Stay away from MDF or other kinds of masonite shelving, for sure, so they will last as long as the house. Maybe don't buy doors now? till you can figure out what money you have left to spend. Than you can decide on doors. Heated floors seem a splurge. In the dead of winter, grab a piece of carpet remnant and pitch it when the summer season arrives if you have too, Basically just a bound piece of carpet runner or throw rugs in key areas might be more what you can do there? Free standing tubs look like what Great-Grandma was thrilled to be shed of...the washtub in the middle of the wash house. They are so over priced and their prime use is not as one ages, the younger you are the more you might use it, but a nice roomy, rollin/walk in shower with a nice rain shower head, a hand held option, and more than a 4 or 5 x 6, foot space to stand in is the dream bath accessory.....and they are self draining without puddles to mop on all 4 sides...... & without a tub, but maybe a dressing table or a free standing linen storage cabinet where the tub could have been. Add the patio/outdoor kitchen when the inside is paid for. They are nice but if you need heated floors, that outdoor patio may not be a wise investment at this time. Those are just some thoughts or suggestions, certainly you know what you can't tolerate, or what your family can't. I encourage you to try to tolerate less expense where it is practical for you to do so..so you can really relax and enjoy your home, not get a 2nd part time job so you have no days off, and eat ramen noodles 4 times a week. That is very stressful living and I would not wish it on anyone.

I'll register my vote...

dump the tub. dump the high end-ish appliances- you can replace these at any time with fancier as long as you do standard sizes. dump the backsplash- lots recommend living without backsplash for a while before picking it out anyway. dump the new furniture- again, you can pick this up in the future as you go.

I would NOT cut the heated bathroom floor- once we put this in, I don't think I'd ever want to live without it LOL.

I guess I’m the only person who lives for a bath. I absolutely without question would not buy new furniture if you are in a bad way budget wise, and there is an absolute glut of unwanted furniture everywhere. Heated floors can be impossible to add after the fact, if this is a needed part of the design, it makes 0 sense to cut it now. Scale back on expensive appliances, basic appliances still cook food and keep it cold, unless you really need high end because you run a catering business or something. Unless you need need interior doors, you can hold off on them, salvage them from anywhere, or get basic ones, the only issue tho with old doors is that they frequently have had their bottoms trimmed to match old floors. Floors, if they are good/decent floors then fine, flooring is really not something you will want to replace for a very long time.

What is your definition of high end kitchen appliances, by the way? If it's Wolf, Miele, etc., I'd absolutely cut it down to the Bosch range for dishwasher, cooktop, and ovens (and not the Benchmark - a mix of 500 and 800 series, probably). Then look for a good, basic refrigerator for now.

List all your choices and pricing. It's possible better or alternative choices can be recommended and save you money.

Champagne appetite, beer pocketbook as my mother used to say ....

I’d pick the most important appliance to you and splurge there if absolutely necessary. For instance, I bought a Bluestar range and I’m getting entry level Bosch dishwasher and a Frigidaire refrigerator. We are waiting to replace furniture, washer and dryer, until we can afford it. Doing all painting ourselves and all removal of old flooring. We will probably do tile for mudroom and pantry ourselves-not just for cost, but because our well regarded tile installer is taking freaking forever on our master bath. Inexpensive Moen faucets-those are easy to replace later and I just don’t care that much. Waiting on custom closet and will just do a hardware store system for now. Same with pantry shelving. Switched $6000 sliding door for a cheaper window door and long window. Inexpensive blinds from home improvement store rather than custom. We do as much of the end of day clean up as possible so we aren’t paying contractors to do it.

I know many of these are small savings but they add up significantly overall. Some of it depends on how much you’re willing to take on or wait for. I know it’s hard when all the pics show remodeled spaces with the perfect furniture and rugs and....

How much would cutting the new furniture save you? And do you think you will have the money to buy the furniture in the future? And do you have enough existing furniture to live with until you would have the money in the future?

That would be the first thing I would cut since it's the easiest to add later without disrupting your original vision.

Things like floors are harder to replace and you would have to pay the initial cost to have something cheaper put in plus the cost of the more expensive option whenever you can afford it so at the end of the day you would be paying for two floors. You would also have to deal with the work. Furniture, on the other hand, you order, it gets delivered and you're done. No workmen in the house, no work schedules to work around, no need to move all your stuff out of the way while they are working etc.

Your list is only about 75K. If you’re over budget by 40%, it doesn’t come from that.

How much are you over, in dollars? What is your reserve or margin?

I would cut everything except the wood floors. Everything on that list except the floors can easily be done later if/when you get the funds.

What I would argue is that you may not be able to get to 40% but that doesn’t mean you give up-“only 75,000” is a buttload if money and if you can save that that’s a win.

Thanks all!

First, clarification: for those concerned about a future of ramen dinners (made on $$$$ appliances--ha), apologies for sounding alarmist. We are not cutting it that close (I'm way too anxious about financial security to let that happen).

Maybe I should have framed this as a theoretical exercise. The list I mentioned was just some (certainly not all) of the categories we're considering.

FWIW, the original house, a 1964 ranch, was a tad under 1500 sq feet. DH, ever the financial hawk, pushed to add on ("maximize the investment") since we bought it 20 years ago, ever buoyed by popular wisdom of all Realtors and their cousins ("you'll always get out what you put in"). Granted, history has supported his view: we're in a coastal Calif. town; our property has tripled in value, and current median price per square foot here is well over $1,000. So, DH sees the investment as a no-brainer. I, always expecting disaster, fought it all the way...until I gave in.

To answer specifics:

Wood floors: we installed Junckers solid ash floating floors 20 years ago. I still love them and we'll reuse them in at least two of the smaller bedrooms. I haven't ordered yet, but looking at Kahrs engineered ash flooring for the rest of the house (except bathrooms and laundry room).

Heated bathroom floors: I'm sure this will get some serious eye rolls from those of you who experience real winter weather, but our GC convinced us that installing a few heating mats under the tile in front of vanities and outside shower doors will be worth doing, at least in the master bath. Yes, we're in SoCal. Feel free to laugh.

New furniture: yeah, I wasn't really expecting to do it up with all new stuff, but...a new sofa and dining room table sounded good. We're fans of Craigslist, so no prob there.

Kitchen appliances: DH is the chef in the house and wanted to go middle-high, but he's reigning that in and we're investigating companies that sell off new appliances with scratches or other minor cosmetic defects. Neighbor recommended, so fingers crossed. Yes, we're verifying warranties, serial numbers, etc.

Kitchen cabinetry: I really love the look of natural walnut and was set on one of the custom door companies (Semihandmade, et al) that upgrade IKEA, but now....this feels like a good one to give up. I guess going for IKEA's high gloss white, then adding plenty of real walnut accents (pendants, shelves, backs of barstools, etc.) might be enough.

Bathroom vanities: see above.

Master bath bathtub: someone brought up what a pain it is to clean around and under a freestanding tub. Thank you for that! I have a bad back and hadn't even thought of that. I like the idea of the adjoining tub and shower (where one end of the tub provides a step/shelf in shower--what do you call that?).

Tile backsplashes: thank you for the enlightenment to those who suggested paint can work fine and now that I think about it...I'm not a huge tile fan anyway (grout!). Maybe just a dash here and there. Thanks. I will now dive into paint colors.

Outdoor living space: we are fine with basic concrete patio and such. Craigslist for outdoor seating.

Smooth stucco: it's not only a cosmetic wish but a bit of a fire preventative. Pondering.

Probably forgot a bunch, but time to write checks to contractors! About 50% of construction is finished, btw. And when we added up expenses thus far, that included all expected expenses for most construction materials thus far.

Thanks all!

My 2 cents...

First, 30% - 40% of what? There is a big difference between 30% of $500,000 and 30% of $100,000. Any good advice is going to need to know the actual dollar amount you are over and what type of savings are available.

Next, be careful cutting things out because you can upgrade them later. This is usually a way to make a bad situation a lot worse. For most items the loss on disposal of the temporary stuff is significantly greater than the savings you realized. Don't stretch the pain out, either find a way to permanently cut costs or find a way to pay for the things you must have. There are exceptions to this, if you want to live with the Haggeby fronts for a while they are almost free.

Best of luck.

Cut- Heated floors, built-ins for office & family room (later) & freestanding tub. Also- believe it or not, a surprising reality in interior design work is most clients spend all money on surfaces & zero on furnishing. You have this gorgeous backdrop & then you layer in furnishings that don't work & the place doesn't look good at all! So contrary to common sense on cutting furnishing, please do not. Good luck :)

bry911: The budget we agreed to was $300K...with $350K max. After adding up current and expected costs, it looks like we're inching closer to $400K or more. DH seems fine with this (confident we'll get the $$ back when we eventually sell). I wish I could feel that confident.

BTW, we're also considering this as an eventual rental property (another obvious reason to spend less on finishes, etc.). Rent for a similar sized property in our area runs around $5K-6K a month.

Be VERY careful that you will not be over-building either the house or the neighborhood. The idea that one will "get it back" is often very flawed, no matter what HGTV would have one think. Yes, you MAY get it back if you live in the house another 20 years, but you may not.

Over the years, we have remodeled our house multiple times. We have not over-built the house and these days, it would be impossible to over-build our neighborhood, but this was the cheapest house in the neighborhood when we bought it and it will never sell for what others do. It cannot have a 1st flr MBR, it cannot have a family room/kitchen combination unless this is built up in the air - lot slopes and kitchen is one story up. Up-in-the-air construction is double that on a flat piece of ground.

I have NO regrets as I have now lived in this house for nearly 35 years and hope to be able to do so for a few more. We bought it quite cheaply and we have greatly enjoyed the improvements we've made. I won't lose any money on this house, but won't make much, either. But then I've had 35 years with my quality of life improved by the improvements that have been made.

I have an antique footed tub in what was once my DD's bathroom (and is now rarely used). Yes, it's a royal pain to clean behind it. A plain old installed bathtub is far less expensive (do get porcelain, not acrylic) and much easier to clean.

I think it's important to have tile behind a tub/in a shower/and behind a stove. It's nice if a bath is fully tiled but few do that anymore. If one does not have a backsplash in the kitchen, a vinyl coated wallpaper is better than paint - much easier to clean. But tile is preferable. Just choose inexpensive, simple tiles - far less likely to be something someone hates when one sells.

Heated floors? If you're talking under $500 to do them, go for it; anymore than that, it's an easy cut.

I'm always fascinated by people getting "all new furniture" for their house. Did they make really poor choices in the past? Is the quality awful? Do they just not like the fabric? I've never had "all new furniture" in my life and I'm 75 and live in a VERY lovely house! I was talking to a friend yesterday and we were talking about "disposable" furniture these days. I told her I was looking at the sofa that my parents bought when they were first married...6 April 1940. That was 79 years ago. It's in my library and it's on it's 4th "look", having been re-styled and reupholstered 3 times. I don't know where they bought it - probably a dept store in Kansas City. They were not wealthy, but young couples typically bought the best sofa they could afford when they got married and they kept it. The chair they bought at the same time is in my LR. It finally was re-upholstered about 13 years ago, but it had many slipcovers over the years. All but one upholstered piece of furniture in my house was handed-down or inherited from parents. Some has been re-upholstered, most just slipcovered over the years. It's all far better than one can buy today. My caseloads (wood chests/tables etc) are all antiques, many inherited.

My friend is getting ready to sell her house and her husband will retire. They will be re-locating at the same time. She said if one more person asks her if she's going to have a yard sale and get "all new" at the new place, she will scream! We both agreed - parting with any of our lovingly collected things would be like amputating one digit at a time and then one limb at a time, from our body.

I'm already threatening to haunt my grandchildren if they ever dispose of any of my upholstered furniture - it's so heavy and well-built - great spring units in the seats AND the backs. They can recover it to their own taste!

we use our low voltage heating mat floors in our bathroom all year long. even during the summer. I'm not laughing at you at all! :)

Mittens, take a look at

https://renovationangel.com

for appliances to see if there's anything near you that might work.

We have Ikea cabinetry in our new house for the kitchen, pantry, laundry room, granny suite, and bathrooms (48" vanity with one high tower on each side) and have been very pleased. I'd think for an eventual rental property, it would be even more of a no-brainer : ) .

Good luck and please post when you're finished. Your plans for the kitchen sound lovely.

Thanks beckysharp! I remember hearing of Renovation Angel awhile back--great idea. I just spoke to one salesperson. The $2,800 delivery fee to Calif. is a bit daunting, but I'll sign up for alerts, thanks! And thanks for the IKEA affirmations, too! :)

The price was 1.4 million dollars. You too, can put engineered hardwood flooring or even vinyl plank flooring in some areas of your home

Yes, I think LVP is gaining popularity ... even in expensive homes.

Most home contractors or commission sales people don't reveal that fact to potential debtors.

Potential debtors! What a concept, but I can't say you're wrong.

guess I’m the only person who lives for a bath.

No you're not alone. I think the pro-tubbers make up about 50% of the people on this site.

What is your definition of high end kitchen appliances, by the way?

Good question. We may not all have the same concept of "high end".

Switched $6000 sliding door for a cheaper window door and long window.

See, that's just good sense.

Inexpensive blinds from home improvement store rather than custom.

Assuming you have standard sized windows and have this option, again, good sense.

Next, be careful cutting things out because you can upgrade them later.

You're walking a fine line when you "plan in obsolescence". You know you're going to end up paying more ... you're talking about paying for a cheaper product, then paying for that product to be removed and a more expensive product installed. Plus your effort. Plus stuff going into the landfill.

I'm always fascinated by people getting "all new furniture" for their house. Did they make really poor choices in the past? Is the quality awful? Do they just not like the fabric?

I can only speak for myself on this topic: We will be getting new living room furniture and a few other things when we move. Two reasons: Our current furniture is quite large, and it works in our current house ... but we'll be downsizing, and that includes a smaller living room. Also, our living room furniture is pushing 20 years old, and last year it started to show wear; I could replace it now, but it makes more sense to me to put up with it being somewhat shabby and bringing in new for the new house.

I had bad experiences with reupholstery. We reupholstered 2 chairs when we renovated, and could have bought new for less than what we paid. It was an expensive Robert Allen fabric suggested by my decorator, and it faded and showed wear quickly, even though it was not in direct sunlight and was lightly used.

Also, although it was upholstered by a very reputable upholstery/custom build firm, they did not do a good job. The chairs had a curved back and the fabric pulled in folds across it. I was basically told "It's custom, too bad, nothing we can do". I'm not into the disposable lifestyle but I'm not inclined to reupholster again. My sister had a similar experience so I don't think this was a one off.

Eighty percent of our furniture is going on 25-30 years and it wasn't great quality to begin with, so we're basically building on the few good pieces we have left: two Eames walnut lounge chairs, a custom oak server and a few Baltic birch ply IKEA pieces that still look and work great. I guess if I had to categorize it, we're in the midcentury modern/organic/Scandinavian design style, but without any particular requirements (no orange accents, thanks).

Things we already scratched off the list: metal roof, about 20% of the windows (architect was really, really into adding windows), and (sadly) the backyard play area for our 10 pet river otters.

Kidding about the river otters, though if I had my druthers... :)

I live in coastal southern california too. I would definitely cut the heated bathroom floors. I would also cut the free standing tub. We have Kahrs engineered hardwood and have been very pleased.

Thanks wascolette! Would love to hear who you ordered your Kahrs from? We're in OC. Also, did Kahrs mention that they won't warranty their floors out here due to our humidity being higher than their standard range? It's in their technical specs. Kind of a deal breaker for me, I hate to say. :( If there's a Kahrs rep out there, I'd like to hear your input on this.

I can only say what I did. Instead of hardwood, I put in tile that looks like wood. Backsplash is stainless steel. Low price and easy upkeep. Then I splurged on a Rachiele copper sink, Bluestar electric wall oven, Vent-a-Hood and Wolf induction cooktop.

Things I would cut and why. Stand alone tub because I always take showers and use an outdoor hot tub every night. Heated floors because even living in Montana I think it's an unneeded expense. Built ins because when tastes and styles change, you are stuck with a built in limiting how you can use the room. High end appliances because they can easily be changed later and all appliances have a lifespan. They don't last forever. Plan the space for them to change later. I would spend for doors, floors and stucco if your remodel and addition requires patching or changing to make it look right. These are structural and it's cheaper to do now than redo later. And really would you? Live with your furniture if you don't have any money left after the remodel. new furniture is nice but you can still sit, sleep and eat at old beds, tables and chairs. Comfortable rooms look like it is a collection over time not off a showroom floor or out of a magazine.

A note on built-ins, what are they worth to you? Personally, I got them. My office/craft space is an odd shape, it’s my whole world, and they gave me functionality and style that was hard to duplicate with furniture. BUT. I did so knowing I was sacrificing a 4th bedroom and that it is a very ‘fixed’ space now. It was expensive. I can’t (easily) taken them with me if I ever move. They are of a very specific taste (cream paint, black glaze, lots of rope molding). They don’t add ‘value’ to the house, if anything, they take it away because I lost a bedroom. So go in with eyes wide open and decide if you truly want the permanence of built-ins.

We used Pax in the (very) tiny master bedroom in our old house in lieu of dressers. In the family room we put in billy bookcases with doors. I used frosted contact paper over the glass uppers. For family room type storage they were AWESOME. They hold so much, are inexpensive, and nothing gets lost in super deep shelving. They looked great too. I think something like that is a good solution until you want to invest in custom built-ins. We did the wider billys in white with the smaller top piece as well. With 8' foot ceilings they went all the way to the top and looked custom and built-in. High end? No. But super functional and affordable if you need to cut stuff.

You've gotten some good advice. There are a few things you can defer (assuming that once you get through construction, you can add things as funds allow): built-ins, backsplash, etc. It sounds like you are possibly skipping the custom door fronts - what about using walnut for your backsplash and bathroom accents? I found walnut butcher block panels at lumber liquidators for $99 for a 4x8' sheet. Scratch and dent or slightly used for appliances is the way to go. Things like bathtubs and heated floors are so personal, it sort of comes down to whether you will enjoy them. I love my heated floor and wish I would have done them in all my tiled spaces (we are from MN). Too big of a pain to add later. As someone above said, if it's only $500 or so, go for it. Make sure to post the finished pictures - sounds like a very cool home!

It sounds as if you are prudent financially and also if you are building in a coastal SoCal area, it's hard to "overbuild" - the most likely scenario is that people will tear down when a house is sold if it is small/older configuration in a desirable neighborhood.

I'm contrarian - If you have the extra $50,000 - aren't borrowing for it and have your other savings, get exactly what you want - within reason.

Of course, some of YOUR priorities wouldn't be my priorities as I am happy with my Bosch Benchmark level appliances - some might call those high end but in certain neighborhoods, they would be considered entry level.

I had an expensive built ins for my den/office because I had very specific aesthetic and functional needs. I installed a room divider with a stripper pole television set so that I can twirl the television around so I can view it from both the office/den and the formal living area - and it's in a closed cabinet so I don't have to look at the front or back of a television. I also installed rollout cabinet for my printer; a drop in area for my external hard drives by my desk and other stuff that was specific to my needs. I could afford it and it enhances my life. I'm not worried about growing tired of the style - I lived with less functional Mission style bookcases for years without growing tired of the style so I'm pretty certain that I am not gong to regret the decision from a style point of view.

I have hot feet so heated floors would be a negative LOL but different strokes. If I had cold feet, I would certainly spend the money to be comfortable. I splurged to enhance my comfort on other aspects of my bathroom and I don't regret that decision at all. Love my Toto washlet :-).

I splurged on motorized shades and every day when I reach for my iPhone and lower the shades in the morning and raise them again later when the sun has stopped I am grateful for the splurge.

While I might not get exotic wood flooring at $50 a square foot, I would not forego wood flooring (or the flooring of my choice) in order to save money. As others have posted, anything that can't be easily changed out down the road only makes sense to do when one is remodeling because it is exponentially more expensive and difficult to do down the road.

Also - even though you are planning to rent it out, not all rentals - especially in higher end neighborhoods - use lower cost/down market finishes. I live in a high rise condo and those units which have upscale fixtures command higher rentals because the market can support it.

The point about those materials only being 75K is that you can’t even save 75K were you to change them. There’s only a few things there that could be cut entirely out. You still have to have flooring. You still have to have doors. And exterior cladding. If you cut everything to the cheapest possible choice there, you would still be paying 35K.

This is one of those things that if you’re only 75K above your budget, your budget was at least 35K too small to begin with. And now you’re only talking a realistic budget overage of 40K to get what you really want on a really big project? That should be doable if you have the right contingency in place.

"If you have the extra $50,000 - aren't borrowing for it and have your other savings, get exactly what you want - within reason."

If it is rental property I would borrow for it. The return on rental property is only good as a levered investment. I try to keep my rental property levered.

Just my 2 cents.