What is in your budget and how many more upgrades would you want?

Our budget for the design was 25,000. We are at 30,000, which is why we are thinking of not doing the master shower, as well as a few other things.. where we want to spend money is flooring, staircase, things that will overall improve the home.

I am a very budget conscious person, so since you’re already 20% over budget I’d nix the framless shower door.

For the stairs, can you provide context of where the stairs are or how much railing there would be?

Is there a cost difference of wood vs carpet on the stairs?

I added floor plan photos! The stairs are U shaped stairs, right by the entrance and near main area by kitchen so visible. There will be a cost difference to do the wood but it shouldn’t be much since we’re also paying for upgraded carpet on the stairs. I’m worried the iron will look odd with carpet? I appreciate your insight!

Those welds on the metal handrail looks amateurish, I’d much rather have the wood spindles.

That’s a great point. I should also mention the top of the rail is weathered, bottom is sleek black, we would do all black. Thanks for your insight

Definitely upgrade to the wood tread on the stairs, that is something that is nearly impossible to change later. Just do a shower curtain for now (probably not allowed...)

I think you could get a better deal on the shower doors. just wait until the tiling is done and call in a glass shower door person. (I'd get the frameless)

they can offer you a lot more options, cheaper price. and turn-around usually isn't that long. they come out, install it, and give you a warranty. you're paying the builder to be the middle man to do the exact same thing.

Wait on the shower door until you can do frameless. You can use a tension rod and curtain in the meantime. The metal railings look bad. I'd chose the wood railings. They'll always be in style.

If you do not need the shower door to pass the final inspection then I would wait. I think the staircase decision depends on your style and finishes in the rest of the house but I agree that metal is a mess and yes to metal and wood treads in the style you are going for I do not like carpet on stairs unless they carpet meets carpet on the top floor . This might be a good time to hire a designer to help with all the decisions that need to be made .

You said this is your first house (I'm assuming you mean 'first time building'). How long do you PLAN to stay in the house? If it is 5-7 years, then do whatever you can to keep costs down.

If you want to be there 10-15 years, then you need to look at the long game. Making the house right TODAY is going to pay off later. Refinishing a stair case/railing system is HORRIBLY expensive as a retro fit. It is THOUSANDS of dollars. It is also a 'public' viewing area. It helps with 1st impressions. That helps with resale later.

If you are looking 'long term' then spend the money on the frameless. A bathroom renovation can run into the double digits (US average cost = $30K...that includes the $6K Ikea update and the $100K marble palace update). Ask yourself if you think spending $1800 today will pay off. It will mean you will NOT have to pay the $18,000 bathroom update in 7 years.

It's your call. But it really comes down to length of time you get to 'pay down' the investment.

An $1,800 shower door does not save $18,000 on a future bathroom renovation. If the entire bathroom is dated and needs an update, a shower door won’t matter.

I like Beth’s idea of not installing a shower door at all and using a shower curtain instead so it will be less work later on if you decide to add a frameless on your own.

Thanks all. We already are paying to have a master tiled shower, tile flooring, quartz counters, upgraded fixtures, etc. in the bathroom, it’s just that shower door we’re wondering about. We’re not sure if it’s worth the price of paying 1,800 for a frameless shower door vs. paying nothing and having them install the basic, then a few weeks or even a year after moving in getting a frameless installed ourselves, something we can choose at a better cost. That’s what I’m trying to understand - is it going to cost more than 1,800 to have a new shower door installed later on, or is it a headache to change something like that.

And I agree - I like the curtain rod option. That is something I’m going to ask when we meet the superintendent on Friday.

it shouldn't cost more.

all you have to do is call a few shower door companies in your area, give them basic width of your finished shower, tell them the type of doors you'd like, and how thick, (thick glass costs more) and have them give you a ballpark figure.

You can also decide if you'd rather have doors, instead of sliders. Or maybe one fixed panel and a door,,,or a fixed panel and an open end.

(to me sliders get super grungy on the track and are harder to clean. if you get two doors that swing in or out, you can do frameless all around instead of tracks/headers)

Like this one. you can do this look for about $800. (install would be extra)

2 frameless doors are so much cleaner than doing the sliders.

doing one panel like this would cost about $600

no, water won't come out, and no it's not colder. Less glass to keep clean

Something like this can be as cheap as $700.

this type of track/hardware, 1K or so

Fixed panel and a hinged door. about 1k, maybe less.

for the builder basic on like this, less than $500

So if they're quoting you 1800 bucks, it better be the 1/4" glass, Sapphire glass (which is crystal clear and removes the green tint) and treated w/the anti spotting treatment. (do they even have a picture of what you get for 1800?)

In other words, yes you can get something better on your own for less money.

I would skip shower doors as suggested above and install frameless later ( an easy hjob no real mess etc for a gl;ass company) and you should get $ back for not using the slidingdoors! I like the wood rails and wood steps best, that rail iron doesn't impress.

Wow thank you Beth! Not sure if I should do this but this is what we get...3/4, tempered glass.. this is literally the picture we got.

This is so helpful - thank you everyone!!!!

@Brittany Kesler. Have you figured out how much these extras will cost you in your monthly mortgage payment? Are you getting a 30 year mortgage? Will you still qualify if you get the wood stairs, the shower door and your other selections? Once you move in, you probably won’t want the mess and the risk of having your own contractor come in and make a mess in your new house. The shower guy you hire might crack a tile or not be able to cover up the hole that the screw from the framed shower leaves. Letting the builder add the shower (etc) now may cost you very little per month at today’s low interest rates. If you can afford these extra upgrades and still pay the rest of your bills and put a bit into savings each month for retirement and emergencies etc, do as much as you can before you move in if you plan to do them at all. I’m in the process of building now. It amazes me how sloppy some of the contractors are. They’ve left fingerprints and marks on the wall, cracked a tile, etc. Because the builder was overseeing it all, he‘s had things fixed and repainted. The builder has more clout to get a Contractor to fix things than you will because the builder hires the same companies over and over. If the subcontractor doesn’t fix the problem, he won’t get to work on the next job. If you hire a shower guy, and he scratches you walls or breaks a tile, good luck getting him to fix it. He might —- but he might just disappear.

Hi and thank you - this is very helpful and a great perspective We’ve been talking about this so much... do we do it initially or later and maybe save some money, but to your point we are well under what we’ve qualified for, and yes we can afford it if it’s in our mortgage... and as you said, do we really want to have the hassle of contractors in our home changing things when we’ve already moved in. I’m glad to hear that the builder had things fixed for you! Again This is a really great perspective. Also, my husband and I are not... handy... so having someone do it all upfront is probably best vs. trying to hire someone later. Learning a lot!

Brittany, good point from mtpo about this 1800 being rolled into the mortgage !

since you have all of the specs on that glass door, call 3 different glass shower places and give them the exact specs on that sheet. they can give you a price for that plus installation. I bet it's cheaper.

while your at it, ask about the Starfire glass

But, at least is a door and not a slider!! So it looks like you will have a fixed panel. Are you ok with that? you'll have to reach around it to clean or turn on the controls.

if you got two doors, you can open them both which makes it easier to clean.

I'll also mention doing a handheld sprayer. when you want to clean those glass doors, it's nice to have the sprayer to be able to wash off the cleanser.

So this is what it sounds like your sheet shows. fixed panel, hinged door. But, notice how you'll have to reach in around the one panel to turn on the controls. or imagine trying to clean the tub from the outside

Or, maybe that fixed panel can also be swung open for cleaning? not sure.

If you did this option, you really wouldn't need the door.

so this one has the thinner fixed panel so that when you open the door, the controls are easily reached. and cleaning won't be difficult.

longer fixed panel, shorter hinged door, and you get the opening too.

now look at the double door one. This is what I have on mine

mine has knobs instead of the large handles. (less to clean!)

you could just do one hinged door. less to clean, a lot cheaper and looks nice

3/8" glass size is good. it's nice and thick.

some of these glass panels have the option of a type of sealer to help w/hard water spots.

Make a habit of using Rain-X every few weeks along with daily squeegee, and it will help keep the glass cleaner.

hope these pics aren't too confusing. just wanted you to see everything that was available as well as not overpaying, or paying for 30 years on it!

Thank you Beth! You are SO helpful.