PSA: Long lead times for high-end appliances + building materials
3 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
Related Discussions
High-End Appliance Discounts
Comments (41)rknee I'd be curious to know which Lexus model you were asking about, and what the discount was. Can you take delivery of that car this month, is it an 09 model or 08 and unless you recieved a signed order form stating the price (hopefully discounted for real) all you have is a sales pitch. Great on the appliances, but a package leads me to believe you weren't just shopping UMRP appliances. I could sell you all wolf stuff and give you a whatever not subject to UMRP, no charge delivery, and as long as I still make money everyone is happy. Wolf is happy, your happy. It only matters long term for me if I don't make money, I'll probably fold shop. You won't care because your unlikely to buy another set of appliances for a while, and I'm sure you could find another niave appliance guy when the time comes. At the end of the day you will look out for your bottom line and I'll look for mine. It's the way the free market works. Fortunately for both there are plentyof choices for both dealers and customers....See MoreDo you think high budget can lead to more problems?
Comments (10)Ok, a more serious response from me. I think anything that is more rare or more specialized means that yes, the potential for problem is greater. Some examples: that amazing fancy huge geode slice that you're using for a counter is something that your average fabricator is unfamiliar with (and it's something that even the $$$ specialized fabricator sees infrequently), your highend high BTU range requires a different gas set up and a dedicated outlet (despite the fact that the only electrical parts are the light and fan) and your GC has installed a zillion ranges, doesn't need to know this info, disregards the instructions and the gas line is in the wrong place; your european faucet renders your home warranty guarantee on water pressure void because it uses non-standard fittings, etc. Most of these have actually happened to me (no, I don't have a geode countertop!) so I do think that the non-run of the mill items that we choose (which can tend to be expensive and rare) can cause more headaches. People just tend to have less experience with these materials and sometimes these rarer and more expensive items are such because of their difficulty to install, come by, etc. I think ways to counteract these possible pitfalls are to be as knowledgeable as possible by reading and researching, to be on top of your contractors and choose them based on their reputation checking references and using yelp, angie's list, etc. (esp. if acting as your own GC), to communicate that you want to be involved in decision making, to make sure you understand your contracts and to have money set aside for when such issues arise. (And maybe also realize that there will be compromises, that your favorite item might be discontinued, that people are human and make mistakes and that your newly sprouted gray hairs make you look more distinguished!) This post was edited by browneyes776 on Thu, Jan 16, 14 at 16:12...See MoreIs it OK to mix 'high end' with 'low end' in a kitchen?
Comments (56)To me, there's nothing wrong with mixing "high end" and lower cost, functional good-quality kitchen components. More important to me is to avoid the waste implied in buying things that will not last or that will certainly become unfashionable. I live in a working class neighborhood, mostly little 1950s houses with lots of retirees, including myself. Although our lot is on a lake, this property will NEVER command top dollar because of the settlement pattern of the community. The recession has really hurt home values here; I thought our house was $275,000 to $300,000 because of previous improvements, but I believe that it's now $220,000 and that was before we launched a major addition, geothermal, and new siding, etc. No matter what we sink into the house, it's for us, not for resale or peer pressure. We have decided to retain the 30 inch refrigerator we bought last year (an emergency purchase) but to put it in a position where a larger unit could some day fit. No wooden housing around it. We are keeping our old electric range, but are adding a portable induction burner that can be set out on the countertop to increase functionality. There is room for another oven on a wall outside our new G shaped kitchen, but I don't think I will be the one to buy it (unless my grown children move back to live nearby); a portable roaster oven will suffice to augment the baking and roasting for large gatherings. We use our outdoor gas grill in all seasons for grilling. My husband enjoys the ritual of being the griller and he shovels the access space before dinner parties. The broiler in the old range suffices if he doesn't want to venture outdoors. We are retaining our existing dishwasher. Our big innovation is to add a second sink to the kitchen. All sinks and appliances are white. My muse is the idea of a "workshop kitchen." I am not trying to reproduce any particular theme, unless it is a farm kitchen that processes a lot of food in season. I do hope to make the kitchen work as a functional, welcoming space for myself and husband now that we're empty nesters and for events when we have visitors, whether large or small groups. Laminate for countertops is sufficient and my ego does not require anything more dazzling on the countertops, although there will be slabs of butcherblock on either side of the stove. Hubby decided to go with hardwood floor and install it and finish it himself, although I was ready to order the vinyl. We have found a local cabinetmaker who said he would meet the price of a sample plan of readymade cabinets from the Big Box home stores. Now, we're adding custom touches to the cabinetry plans, not in decorative features but real utility features, such as tapping the space that was wasted in "spacers" between boxes. All materials are American made, or American harvested. Except for the old siding and walls and flooring, very little is going to the landfill. Furnace went to the scrap metal guy. My own eccentricities will add all the "pop" and pizzaz that this kitchen will need. Fabric, color, laminate choice, color of stain, art, displays of collections-- a creative outlet without a high end price tag. We have splurged on a bank of windows and a few light fixtures (No, we're not putting in "cans" because the ceiling feeds to an attic where we're fighting heat loss.) We are working very hard to live within our means, following the requirements of good sense and ignoring consumer manias. When I get myself too fired up about making a more upscale purchase, I remind myself that the photos, the ad copy, the home shows and the open houses, are all there to facilitate SELLING, not living. Here in Minnesota, where granite is quarried, I know that some of the rock countertops are fairly reasonable, but as I have declared elsewhere on this forum, I refuse to purchase anything that is sold with a "how to care for it" bottle of something and some warnings about how to protect the finish. In many ways, by definition, I am free from the pressures that other posters feel in order to keep up with the neighborhood, to make a kitchen that defines a house value, or to prepare for the brutal house market. I don't envy the young and broke. But I was there once and I not only survived but thrived on it. The original kitchen in this house was painted baby blue without concern for the cathair? gobs in the paint and the kitchen 'table' had a hinge so we could access the refrigerator. My hubby and my carpenter father and a different local cabinetmaker came up with a sufficient re-do that we have appreciated since right before the Bicentennial. I raised two sensible daughters in that modest kitchen. This doesn't mean I'm not agonizing over choices today, though. "Leave me alone, I'm thinking!" is a common mantra right now. Today's musing: Do I want to order fancier cupboard doors? It's always something. Enjoy your day. Florantha...See More$$$ finishes worth it? high end custom home, won't be sold for 10+ yrs
Comments (50)I spent yesterday pouring over images of vintage bathrooms and kitchens (the two most easy to date rooms). I looked at images from 1900-2018 and every year in between. My estimation is this, and some may disagree with me: nothing, and I mean NOTHING, stays fashionable forever. It may have a resurgence in popularity several decades later, but it will also have dated times in between, no matter the era. And when it does come back, it usually comes back in a slightly different "version" so that even the original carries a bit of "off" ness. Some of the modern bathrooms today carry a bit of 1920s look, or 1980s look, but actual bathrooms from the 1920s and 1980s would still be remodeled by the discriminating homeowner. (I am one, my husband is less fussy!) Funnily enough -- I tried to get my parents to use black and white tile in their bathroom in 2000, and they both said "yuck!" LOL! My dad said "no way, that is so dated, it reminds me of the tile from the 30s" (he was a kid then). LOL!!! I said "yuck" at the time to their tan stone tile (not a fan of tan). Looking at the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, only elements here and there come back into fashion. I looked at plenty of 20s and 30s bathrooms and while the tile color was similar to todays tile colors, often the way tile was laid out can become dated; like tiling halfway up all walls, and all around a confined shower room, as opposed to having an open walk-in shower with glass doors. Now mix in a floating vanity from the 1970s and quartz countertops and vessel sinks and you've got 2019. Patterned tile from the 1970s is also back in fashion, but NOT with the same color pallatte. You may have to go 100 years before your tile comes back into fashion! 10 years out - almost certainly dated. The closest thing I can see to making a home timeless is try not to make it look like every other house on the block that's being built this year, but even with that there's a limit to how much you can do. I'll try my best. Remodel or price reduction may be inevitable. Lots of good advice on pricing. I'll try to understand that any $400 tile is for me and me alone, and if I can't stomach the cost, I'll try to make subway tile look good. :D einportlander -- what your friends went through, this is EXACTLY what' I'm seeing! From your name I assume you're from Portland so you know what I'm talking about -- how there are lots of things from the year 2000 suddenly hitting the market, especially on the Washington side (Camas, WA was practically built in 2000) or further out from the city like in West Linn. One 4500 sqft home sold in one week for 2.5 million in Lake Oswego, while larger homes, even 9,000 sqft on 3 acres in Lake Oswego sold for 1.7 after sitting on the market for over 1 year and going through a price reduction! This could really only be a pricing problem -- people expect to get top dollar for their home but their idea of it's worth isn't realistic. Looking at these homes as a buyer, all I thought was how much will it cost to replace the finishes in 9000 sqft? We learned after getting a quote from a trusted contractor that it costs nearly as much as it does to just build your own, so that's what we're doing! I'm having a hard time talking myself into splurging on finishes only to become a story like your friend. I've conceded that there's a good chance we'll have to sell for less than we "think" it's worth when the time comes. But at least I'm going into the process with my eyes wide open!...See MoreRelated Professionals
Holtsville Architects & Building Designers · North Chicago Architects & Building Designers · Wasco Home Builders · American Canyon General Contractors · Brownsville General Contractors · Jefferson Valley-Yorktown General Contractors · Jefferson Valley-Yorktown General Contractors · Saginaw General Contractors · Frankfort Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Freehold Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Kettering Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Londonderry Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Lawndale Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Warr Acres Cabinets & Cabinetry · Whitehall Cabinets & Cabinetry- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
Related Stories

LATEST NEWS FOR PROFESSIONALSRen Chandler on Building High-End Homes and Houseboats
The general contractor talks about starting out building restaurants for his uncle and growing his firm to 75 employees
Full Story0

BUDGET DECORATING8 Cost-Effective Ways to Get a High-End Look
Don’t discount that expensive material yet. By using a small amount in a strategic way, you can get a luxurious look without the expense
Full Story
GREEN BUILDINGHouzz Tour: High-End Luxury, Highest Ecofriendly Rating in California
Solar panels and energy savers let this posh LEED Platinum home produce as much energy as it consumes
Full Story
HOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Cliff May Homeowners Lead the Way in Long Beach
Two Realtors and their renovated home set the bar for midcentury nostalgia and style in their Cliff May tract
Full Story
ARCHITECTURE4 Zurich Projects Build on High-Rise Livability
Generous landscaping, underground parking and terraces make these apartment complexes models of thoughtful housing
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESHand-Painted Wallpaper Brings High-End Artistry to Rooms
Exquisite papers painted in glorious detail turn blank walls into expressive canvases conjuring luxury
Full Story
HOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: High End Meets Budget Friendly in Toronto
Splurging selectively and saving elsewhere, a Canadian family gets a posh-looking home that matches their vision
Full Story
WORKING WITH PROS10 Times to Hire a Design-Build Firm
Find out when you should consider a firm that offers design and construction services as a package
Full Story
LIGHTINGWhy It’s High Time to Reconsider Flush-Mount Lights
Look past your negative perceptions and see how versatile these lights can be
Full Story
CONTRACTOR TIPSBuilding Permits: What to Know About Green Building and Energy Codes
In Part 4 of our series examining the residential permit process, we review typical green building and energy code requirements
Full Story
just_janni