New construction builder grade tiles.
Claudette Pilger
2 years ago
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BT
2 years agoCharles Ross Homes
2 years agoRelated Discussions
New Construction Land Grade Rules And Water Ponding Issues
Comments (2)A project is supposed to meet the grades of the adjacent properties at the property line. If the builder owns the land adjacent to yours and is willing to adjust the grade of that lot along your property line, that is OK. When it comes time for him to develop that, he will have to meet the grade that exists on the property line at that time. Sometimes grading easements are granted (or sold) by a land owner to allow an adjacent landowner some relief for grading across a property line. No one is obligated to grant such an easement. Water is also not supposed to drain off of a site at a greater speed or volume onto another property after development than it did prior to development. This can be hard to prove. This situation illustrates the importance of having a professional site plan that shows grading and drainage prior to construction. People will avoid the expense and trust their eye or that their builder is going to build something that works. It does not mean that the builder is dumb or is a shady character. It is just not that easy to guess. If an engineer or a well trained professional starts out with a good topographic survey, they can calculate all the grading and drainage to accommodate such things as basement windows, walkouts, and about anything else to KNOW the results before the site is developed. Obviously this was not done, or there were changes (such as adding bigger basement windows) after the plans were drawn. You can look at this as an excessive cost, but I think you'd agree that it would have more than paid for itself in this case. Builders build houses. Not many are trained site planners. You can continue with looking to the builder (who has other interests) for solutions, or you could bring in a civil engineer or a landscape architect (only one who is particularly experienced with grading and drainage calculations) to correctly fix the problem. In many cases this can be done with added aesthetic value rather than just taking care of the water issue. It is really not something that can be solved by an internet discussion. The best you can get here is advice on who to contact rather than specific directions on how to fix it. I hope this helps and I hope others read this and understand the importance of a good site plan prior to construction. Hopefully, some others will not let themselves get in this predicament....See MoreIs Viking the new 'Builders' Grade?'
Comments (16)I think the phrase "Builders Grade" may have raised some danders. Viking has built a luxury brand that has grown to a point where even the average consumer has heard of them. That means that they have an opportunity to create a more economical product line to take advantage of that. That also means that builders might include them as part of a standard upgrade or simply as a standard "all-in-one" brand. Is it wrong for them to do this? No. Does it diminish their high-end market? Maybe yes, maybe no? Many companies that grow beyond the exclusive high-end market find themselves having to choose to focus on one or the other. Over time it's hard to ignore the amount of money in a mass consumer market with a marquee brand. Viking has clearly reached that point and has for quite some time. I think builder looking to attract a more image conscious market might very well decide on a "Viking kitchen". Wolf is heading in this direction as well if not already there. This is also the reason they *must* have dishwashers and fridges etc. The average consumer that may not do a whole lot of research but want quality (perceived or real) look for a brand they know of as high-end. In most cases, people serious about their kitchen select best-of-class appliances rather than stick to a specific brand. This takes work however and builders are not going to provide this type of kitchen since they don't have as much negotiation power which means costs go up. Not to mention some (most?) people actually don't want mixed brand kitchens. So in an area where real estate is inherently expensive, adding a higher end brand as a standard is a much smaller fraction of the total cost of the unit and can provide an intangible appeal. A $1.02M apartment/condo in NYC with Viking appliances will probably sell better than a similar $1M unit. The Viking kitchen probably cost the builder less than $10k which leaves an extra $10k profit. Now in an area were the going rate for a condo is $200k, the extra $10k is much harder to swing. Even if $210k is acceptable, there's no profit advantage. At the end of the day, people buy what appeals to them for whatever reason. For many/most, this is brand. Heck, I know for a fact that some significant number of people buy Wolf just for the red knobs. :)...See MoreBuilder grade home? (? re hpj thread)
Comments (31)Perfectly said Livewire. In NJ custom homes come at a very large premium. Not only in cost but taxes since NJ has the highest property taxes in the nation. We live in a cookie cutter 2300 sq. ft. TH that we bought new 4 yrs old. Let's talk about the builder options and costs. We were sent to a design studio to pick our options. They were overpriced junk. The builder wanted $12,000 for hardwoods just on the first floor. The kitchen cab upgrades were $2500 and $4500 and not worth it. The master bath upgrade (tile) started at $2500. This one we could not figure out. There is not enough tile nor was the guality good enough to justify the cost. Recessed ceiling lights were $200 ea. We put in our own upgrades and started after settlement with very high quality kitchen cabs, my great Franke Orka sink and faucet,and HW throughout most of the house which includes most of the second floor and closets and upgraded much more with better quality and less money than the builders stuff would have cost. Our cookie cutter has the same floor plans but our home is our own....See MoreBuilder Grade Kitchen What to Do!!
Comments (19)I would see about adding some glass door cabinets above the ones you have, I think art that mimics looking out a window to some place you love would be best above the sink. I agree a counter depth fridge and no to the panels on either side fridges need air all around them unless made to be built in. The rest keep as is for now and down the road if the soace functions well then you can always paint the cabinets and remove that small strip of backsplash you have and replace with tile.Yes to some nice knobs or pulls but for use to advise that we need to know a bit more about your style....See Morepalimpsest
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