Nobody gets rich by giving someone else their money. You got what you wanted, your builder was OK with it, so who cares what the showroom salesperson thought. :-)

Is this a build on your lot builder or are you buying a finished home being financed by the builder.

"Did we tinkle in the salesperson's cornflakes with our approach?"

Just that sentence made everything okay. Are you building in Battle Creek, Michigan?

We're doing a few owner-supplied appliances, and our "big" lights. We haven't heard anyone complain. We're building in a small town, and the local lighting selection doesn't fit our style, so I sort of don't care if anyone doesn't like it, I want to get the right lights for our space.

My builder didn't care where my light fixtures came from... sounds about the same as yours. I ordered about half from the lighting store, and got the other half, well, everywhere. I found some vintage lights I really liked at a Habitat for Humanity and rewired them, picked up some ceiling fans at the local hardware, etc. As long as your builder is happy, I think you're good. Good luck on your home!

My builder is okay with us providing our own stuff…we need to do a bathroom quickly, with stock tile from The big blue and Orange…and I have organized that. His plumber ordered the shower and sink faucets and the toilet. Those have moving parts, and the plumber will be on the hook for problems, which is good. I asked about him ordering the Kohler vanity, and he literally said, “ I’m on vacation for the next ten days, best you place that order, then we know it is coming.” As far as the showroom goes, they know how big their markup is…

Umm, I did all that and then some. We had all kinds of crazy delays, this house is 3 years in the making. I picked up the stuff I wanted on sale or where I wanted to. The plumber quoted us $6500 for the soaker tub that wasn't even what I wanted (need room and want to soak). I found it online and it was shipped for $2100 It's my money I'll spend and save where I want to.

We bought much of our own things. Builder referred us to fergussens for appliances but got a better deal elsewhere and bought them. If you dont mind doing the legwork, there are deals to be had out there. We did buy our plumbing fixtures from his preferred supplier but there were A LOT and it was easier for us to let them keep track of extensive and some speciallty fixtures. The supplier had very reasonable prices. I‘d say that you‘re dumping a boat load of money into your home and there is no reason to feel guilty about price shopping and trying to save a bit. It also makes you feel more involved in your build. Good luck with it.

Your comment made me smile. Haven't heard tinkle in your cornflakes. My dad says pissed in your wheaties. Yes, sales people in many places get miffed if you don't spend as much money as possible in their place of work, especially if they are on commission. But that is ok. You should spend your money where you like and on what you like.

@Mark Bischak, Architect: LOL, no, NE Georgia, but I see what you mean. :)

@bry911: This is our land, an architect-drawn plan, and we're paying cash (no loan), thanks to the good fortune of selling our previous home in spring.

As long as you understand that there is zero installation warranty on anything you buy, and if there are issues that cause your trades problems, you will own the cost of the extra trips and extra time labor. You're the warranty point problem solver. So you’d better be sure that you’ve bought compatible trim and valves, and all the rest. Like actually buying the valves, and not just the pretty parts.

That is not true the install still needs to be done right and should have no bearing on which items are installed . I always get my clients to buy their own appliances with some hints from me but it is their kitchen and they need appliances that work for them . But when they are installed the installer is the one to make sure they are done correctly and he is the guy who answers to me if it is wrong. Light fixtures the same . As for pissing off the sales person who cares this is your money and you seem to be spanding wisely , nothing wrong with that . BTW custom home needs to have what you want . As for making sure all parts are also bought by you I agree if you want to do the job then you need to do it right.

Sorry, but industry standard is that there is no installation warranty on anything but installer provided materials. If things go perfectly, its all good. If they do not, then the person who bought the items is the one who deals with the problems. Client or designer provided materials will incur extra labor costs to deal with the extra issues that arrise from poor quality, or improperly bought, or missing pieces. Knowing how to discern quality, and enough about the correct product specifications for the application is a must for anyone who assumes responsibility for purchasing.

As is inspecting the materials for damage and missing parts and color correctness, etc., when they arrive. If a plumber goes to put in a faucet, and one handle is scratched up, or the wrong color, the purchaser has to arrange for the replacement, and pay for the return trip for installation of the correct product when it arrives. Which is why the purchaser has to inspect the products for suitability for install at their arrival. Thats part of the job that they are taking on.

You should just ignore @User

"As long as you understand that there is zero installation warranty on anything you buy, and if there are issues that cause your trades problems, you will own the cost of the extra trips and extra time labor. You're the warranty point problem solver."

This is completely, and ridiculously, false. Anyone who is in the business of providing a service is required to perform that service correctly. Anyone in the business of manufacturing products is required to manufacture products in good working order.

Even if you are your own G.C., these things would exist. It is patently ridiculous to believe that any business doesn't have to do the thing you paid it to do.

Furthermore, if you have a G.C. and he accepts items that you purchased you will have the exact same warranty that you would if he purchased it unless he disclaimed it in the contract.

"Sorry, but industry standard is that there is no installation warranty on anything but installer provided materials."

This is a complete fabrication. Industry standard is that manufacturers warranty products and installers warranty installation. Often it may appear that an installer is honoring the manufacturer warranty, but that really isn't true and more importantly, it is immaterial in this case as the OP is not independently hiring either.

The G.C. is going to have to provide the full warranty on anything he oversees and has control of. The OP said in the original comment that the G.C. controlled the selection of installer, he is then going to own the entire installation just as if he purchased it.

@Christine Kenney - to answer your original question... contractors are not allowed to mark-up allowance itrms when you own the land and are financing the build. The showroom might be upset because they wanted more money from you, but your contractor and subcontractor are not allowed to receive any discount that isn't passed to you on allowance account items.

Having said that, many contractors will ignore that particular law so maybe.

You should just ignore bry. Real world is not academia, and growing up with a plumber and having a law degree doesnt make one a plumber. Just try to get the plumber to arrange for the correct handle to be delivered if they didn't buy it. Will not happen. They aren’t the warranty point, because they didn’t buy it. They have no receipt, nor any relationship with either seller or manufacturer. Their relationship is with the purchaser as hired labor only. Not product furnishing and installation. They arent responsible for the quality of what the homeowner furnishes.

But if they scratch it, or botch the install, of course they will replace it, because they damaged it. But that is as far as their responsibility goes.

If the product fails, and floods the house, it is the product purchaser who will have to deal with Moen, and pay the plumber to come and replace it. Etc.

I am building a fully custom home on my own land. Even my GC doesn't have me (or him) buy the plumbing fixtures from the plumber. Plumbing was bought through 2 different showrooms in the area, which have no business/ownership relationship with the plumbing company. The plumbing company was only hired as a sub for labor. Just like the electricians were only hired as subs for labor.

That also seems to be the model for most of the custom homes builds we see here. The builder takes responsibility. If there is an issue the builder will go after the labor supplier and/or material supplier (showroom and manufacturer) once the cause is found.

@User is just the typical anti-consumer poster here. He regularly makes up stuff and doesn't even care that he is wrong so long as the consumer gets blamed. I can find half a dozen posts from Verbo that actually claim, "if you allowed it to be installed then you accepted the condition." So by Verbo's thinking, when the consumer accepts defective products from a contractor it is their fault, but when a contractor accepts defective products from a consumer it is not the contractor's fault. In reality this is exactly backwards.

In reality the contractor has a duty of due care, if you are not specifically warned that a product is unsatisfactory then it will come with all the rights and responsibilities of any other product your G.C. accepts. That is the real industry standard and the real world.

Bad GC's and "Houzz PRO's" will often fabricate ridiculous "industry standards" to take advantage of the lack of understanding a consumer has. I assure you there is no such thing as an industry standard that doesn't hold up in court. This is the equivalent of saying that the industry standard when robbing banks is X, so if you did Y, then the robber is off the hook.

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If your GC allows you to buy items and install them without disclaiming otherwise he has to warranty them. If you want to know if a GC will ever lie to, according to Verbo that is the industry standard. That has not been my experience by the way.

We had fixtures picked out and they were shipped directly to the builder who then took responsibility. It will be treated as if we bought them from his supplier.

There are no rights without responsibilities. When someone wants the right to make choices, it also comes with the responsibility to make good and correct choices, and to manage the logistics of those choices. All of that affects the downstream costs and timelines.

To say that someone can buy tissue paper wallpaper and expect the paper hanger to make something unsuitable work is as ludicrous as saying its up to the plumber to make a tub shower valve setup work for a shower only. Or to turn someone else’s purchased brushed nickel faucet into a gold finished one. Or to make green tile into blue green tile. When someone purchases goods, they purchase the headaches associated with that right.

- you are just digging this hole deeper...

"When someone wants the right to make choices, it also comes with the responsibility to make good and correct choices, and to manage the logistics of those choices. All of that affects the downstream costs and timelines."

LOL... if you were not so anti-consumer you would clearly see that the contractor made a choice to allow this and made a choice to accept it. As the expert he has a duty to understand the issues of that acceptance and takes responsibility for it.

"To say that someone can buy tissue paper wallpaper and expect the paper hanger to make something unsuitable work is as ludicrous as saying its up to the plumber to make a tub shower valve setup work for a shower only. Or to turn someone else’s purchased brushed nickel faucet into a gold finished one. Or to make green tile into blue green tile. When someone purchases goods, they purchase the headaches associated with that right."

If a paper hanger accepts tissue paper as acceptable then he has a duty to produce acceptable results, if a plumber installs a tub shower valve as a shower only then he accepts that it will work, if he says he can turn a brushed nickel to gold finish then he is required to, etc. When a contractor accepts goods, they accept the headache associated with that acceptance. A contractor has a duty to warn the customer when their products are not satisfactory.

You are conveniently pretending that none of these contractors can refuse any request. In fact, not only can they refuse, they are required to refuse when they know proceeding will increase the damages to the consumer.

Sure they can attempt to refuse, and then add a return trip charge for when the homeowner figures it out and does provide a suitable product. And likely notvwork for tgat builder again. But the add the downstream delays to other aspects, and other contractors schedules, and the costs add up. Which is the point. And why the GC wont want that to happen.

Get it right, or pay the true costs of getting it wrong. Get the selections right, accept the associated responsibilities of logistics snd inspections, and there are no issues. Get it wrong, and it costs you.

"Sure they can refuse, and then add a return trip charge for when the homeowner figures it out and does provide a suitable product. And the downstream delays to other aspects, and other contractors schedules, and the costs add up."

I am glad we agree. I didn't expect you to admit I was correct, but I will take it.

@User does bring up a good point. All the delays and expenses that arise from the consumer buying a product that isn't satisfactory will be borne by the consumer so long as they are not installed.

ETA: The duty to properly inspect stays with the installer. A tile installer can't install damage tile because they were given damaged tile to install.

This really isn't that hard.

If consumer buys the product from the plumbing supply store and the plumber says this is defective... Consumer just calls plumbing supply company and takes it back. Plumbing supply company deals with manufacturer to get new product.

If GC/plumber buys product from the plumbing supply store and he/she finds it defective.... Plumber will just call the plumbing supply company and take it back. Plumbing supply company will deal with the manufacturer to get new product.

Regardless of who buys the product, if plumber plumbs it in and his solder doesn't hold up, or the installation is otherwise botched... The plumber is responsible for the redo.

As for specs for the product... If I go to the plumbing supply company (or lighting supply place) I would have with me the plans, and say, "I need a shower valve and trim for here, please show me my options." The plumbing supply store is now the expert to guide decisions.

I dont think you can make broad, blanket declarations on whether items purchased by the homeowner with the blessing of the builder will be warranteed. You are supposing and frankly guessing about the builder client relationship. I cant imagine anything that my builder wouldnt stand behind. If I picked out junk, or subpar items i fully expect him to let me know so that i could replace said item.

There aren't a lot of construction costs that a homeowner can control--basically just the cost of their selections. From a builder's perspective, homeowners supplying their own materials complicates an already complicated custom home building process. We work with just-in-time deliveries. Our suppliers warehouse products and deliver them when we ask them to. Most of our clients live out of the area while their home is under construction and move to the area at completion of their home, which makes them supplying items impractical. An attempt to save a couple of bucks translates to more than that in increased logistics costs for the builder.

A number of years ago we had a client who supplied their own Jacuzzi tub which was a showroom model they purchased on sale and transported in a U-Haul travel. They accepted the condition at the time of sale. It arrived with hidden damage which was identified only after installation. They expected us to correct it. In the interest of customer relations we ate that cost. The same client bought a number of ceiling fans from a big-box store. There was a problem with them. And a problem with the replacement fans, too. Turned out that an entire pallet of ceiling fans was dropped either in shipment or in storage. They expected us to pay the electrician to install, uninstall, reinstall... Now we specifically disclaim any customer-supplied materials in our warranty.

It will allow your builder more time to focus on the important details of building your home if you follow their process, use their suppliers and trade professionals.

I guess it depends on your builder and if he said fine with him then I’d go with that.
We had a custom build on a lot we owned. At some point in the process I asked our builder about lighting fixtures and purchasing and he said if I find something I want at a good price to buy it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I figured this is how it is when you say “custom” as opposed to a track home in a community with a specific builder and plan. You pick out whatever you want.
Our builder wasn’t adding a % to our picks for his profit, and maybe some do. Is that what cost plus means? He gave us a build price which included average fixture prices. Some I went over and some I was under and that was all on us.

But I still expected the electrician and plumber to install items accordingly.

I’m so confused how buying my own light fixture or whatever would void any install errors. But I know to ask now I’m the future.

Purchasing your own fixtures shouldn't void any warranty on the installation. The more likely scenario is an issue with the components and fixtures versus a problem with the installation, at least in my 23 years' experience.

I might be channeling @Joseph Corlette (I did have a beer before writing this, Joe.) Your builder doesn't want to take on the incremental effort and cost to remove and return defective fixtures to some supplier he/she's never worked with nor absorb the cost of the delay for you to furnish replacements. Your builder doesn't want to bear the cost that results because you ordered the wrong thing or you ordered only a couple of the required components and not everything required to make a complete assembly because you're a newbie or because the "helpful" associate in the big-box store is a $10/hr newbie. Your builder doesn't want to absorb the cost when the internet source you purchased the defective components from won't return your e-mails or phone calls. Your builder doesn't want to argue with you over what is the norm in the industry or their normal process. Your builder wants to build your home on time, on budget and with a happy client at the end. The more you alter the normal process, the more you risk achieving each of the three objectives.

Figure out how much the savings you're chasing is as a percentage of the total project cost. I'm guessing 1% to 2% on a $500K home. An experienced builder will write you a check for that amount to avoid the hassle. An even more experienced builder will have a contract that limits your selections to his/her suppliers so the aforementioned problems can be avoided altogether.

Thank you all for the interesting perspectives. I've saved all the warranty information on the products I purchased. I'm willing to do the legwork if something that I didn't see (I checked things as they came in) needs a part or replacement. Luckily, this is the 2nd (well, 2.5 if you count the renovation in our last home) we've custom built, each time with a local builder. Even though our first home build went well overall (and I would recommend the builder to anyone), the renovation (different builder--original fellow was booked up) was kind of a mess. In both cases (and remember, we were happy with the initial build)--lights/lighing were an issue. The showroom simply didn't have what we wanted; we had to settle for something that was kinda blah (this was 2000, so it's been a while). And essentially, the showroom stuff was marked up for very similar items at big box. I'm not sorry to pay, say, $50 for a light at Big Box that is 99% the same (brand, size, etc.) for the one that's $90 at the showroom. Hope that makes sense. :)

Christy

@Charles Ross Homes - I completely agree with everything you said, but it is important to note that the OP's builder didn't say any of those things.

It is completely reasonable for a builder to ask a client to pick items from a trusted supplier and it is also completely reasonable that a builder disclaim items that are purchased from non-trusted suppliers for all the reasons you have mentioned. Moreover, a client should attempt to comply with those wishes when they reasonably can, however, if the builder indicates it is not a problem, then it is not a problem.

The OP sought guidance from the builder and was advised it would be acceptable, I suspect that the OP's builder, rather than Verbo, is in the best position to know what the OP's builder finds acceptable.

I should have qualified my comments as not pertaining to the OP since it works okay for their builder. Indeed, my comments didn't address the question about how the showroom people feel.

My comments are intended to provide a builder's perspective for other houzzers who'll complicate the process of home building in an effort to save what is often a pretty small percentage of the overall project cost.