Since you have chosen warmboard over gypcrete, what was your reasoning behind it besides responsiveness? I am sorry for the confusion. I didn't build a house with Warmboard, I had it in a house where original owner had installed it. It wasn't a house I built. I used it in the sense that I heated the house with it. I looked at the Gypcrete system and somehow feels uneasy about it. Doing a concrete pour over first and second floor does not sound structurally sound to me. Gypcrete has positives and negatives but shouldn't be overlooked because of structurally sound. I think a competent and knowledgeable designer is much more important than which type of system you use. So if you don't have a lot of experienced local people, you have to find experienced people who can help design at a distance. I would start with Radiant Engineering (talk to many companies though). A long somewhat unbiased discussion of radiant: First, it should be noted that radiant heat isn't an efficiency discussion. As people have pointed out many times hydronic radiant systems rarely have a positive payback. They are simply too expensive to install and they never payback if you are installing central air. However, every decision in your house isn't about payback. There are many decisions, such as paint color, cabinet color, cabinet design, many fixtures, etc., that are about your enjoyment of your home. No one has a pool installed because they want it to add value to their house. Radiant fits soundly into that category. Next: A discussion of trade-offs between the different systems. It is important to note that ALL radiant floor systems will provide a comfortable environment to a home that other heating methods struggle to achieve. There are basically five considerations in radiant heat (1) installation costs, (2) operating costs, (3) responsiveness (4) allowable customization and (5) noise (as hot water passes through cold aluminum plates it makes noise). If we look at the different systems we can typically see how they handle each of these things. Warmboard is (1) very expensive to install, (2) it has a low operating cost as it is a warm water system rather than a hot water system, (3) incredibly responsive for radiant heat (able to heat a structure in hours rather than days), (4) low customization and (5) low noise. Underfloor transfer plate systems are (1) moderately expensive to install, (2) low operating costs as they are also warm rather than hot water systems, (3) are somewhat responsive (4) highly customizable and (5) have more expansion noise. Gypcrete overpour is (1) moderately expensive (still cheaper than the two above), (2) have low costs as,they too are warm water systems, (3) not responsive at all, (4) are highly customizable and (5) eliminate almost all noise. Staple up systems are (1) pretty cheap (2) high operating costs as they are a hot water system, (3) not responsive at all, (4) limited customization (they are more limited by physics than design), and (5) are pretty noisy. So looking at Warmboard vs. similar systems - the only real concern from using any aluminum covered plywood system is the noise. Warmboard eliminates expansion noise because of the "special" glue they use to adhere the aluminum to the wood. I can't really tell you how special their glue is, I feel confident they will say super special and their competition will disagree. Warmboard type systems vs. underfloor transfer plate systems - Warmboard is quieter but the loops are not really customizable. Loops are 8" apart with Warmboard, so you can choose not to put warmboard in places but you can't get the loops closer together. With transfer plate systems you can customize the heat of a room by simply moving the loops closer together. This means that you can make the floor right outside the shower warmer than the floor beside the toilet (not many people spend a lot of time standing beside their toilet), but there is more expansion noise. Warmboard is a bit more responsive than transfer plates. Warmboard vs, gypcrete overpour - Gypcrete overpour gives you almost unlimited customization without the noise associated with aluminum transfer plate systems. However, it is not at all responsive. Staple up systems - They are more expensive to operate than any of the above systems but are cheaper to install and easier to maintain. You are not likely to nail through a staple up system with a nice thick transfer plate. Also easier to remodel with staple up systems. TL:DR In the end, if I was ranking a radiant system today - I would probably rank it - underfloor transfer plates > gypcrete > Warmboard. But it is a three way photo finish so it wouldn't take a lot to change the order. Also noisy houses don't bother me at all.

I bought Downs H2O LVT. It is made by CoreTec from James Duty at Cloister Flooring America in Lititz, PA. I think you and I might be in the same area - not sure if there are any other Cloister Flooring Americas except the one's in Lititz and Ephrata.. One of the other brands I looked at was Kardean, but it was quite a bit more expensive and took me over budget. Price check other stores in your area. Flooring America, Carpet One, Pro Source, and Floor Trader Outlet will have the same "Exclusive" product with a different name.. Different stores in the same chain can and most likely will have different pricing. Flooring America in Etown was more expensive than Cloisters. Carpet One in Annville/Cleona was the highest price when I did my comparison. I really like the people at Cloister Flooring America and love that they offer assistance getting started if you are wanting to install yourself. Again - COVID may be limiting the service, but when I got mine they offered for someone to come to the house for an hour and show you what to do there was a cost, but something like $100.00. They also rent some of the supplies. Everyone else I talked to pressured me to have it installed and pretty much said "You're on your own." Also, if you can wait till after the holidays, flooring should go on sale. Generally everyone wants flooring done by Christmas and then the market hits a lull and stores are trying to drum up business. I don't have a clue how COVID may change things this year. If we are dealing with the same "Cloister Flooring America" ask if they will be having an anniversary sale in March. I think that is an annual sale for them.

The easiest option: eliminate the dormers. You say they're for a future bonus room, which may or may not ever happen. Yes, they look nice, but they're not something you'll appreciate on a daily basis from inside the house. Along that same line: Are you building the bonus space flooring NOW so that it can support a room? What about a staircase to reach this future bonus space? Those things may add to your build now. Things you could cut to try to reach 25K -- you'll have to sacrifice multiple items to reach your goal: - I can't read any dimensions, so I can't consider the size of the spaces. - How many kids do you have? If the answer isn't 2+, reconsider the two secondary bedrooms. Keep that room that I assume is a study. Your living space is relatively small, and I think you'll want that "away space". - Eliminate the half bath. Your secondary bedroom wing's hall bath is available to guests. - Downsize the garage to two cars. The garage is somewhat oversized for the size of the house. A carport would be less expensive ... though it would then eliminate the garage and the dormers with them. - Eliminate the garage altogether now ... and add it later as a detached garage, which could enter though the back porch. - Switch the French doors to the back porch to a slider. The newer "gliders" do not look like the sliding doors of the 1970s. - Simplify the layout of the master bath /closet, which are a bit over-the-top anyway. Eliminate the toilet-in-a-closet and downsize to one sink. I would definitely keep the tub ... ours is used every day. That custom shower will be a budget-buster; a nice, simple 5x3' shower is plenty nice. - Simplify the kids' bathroom to a simple 3-piece bathroom with all the water in one wall. Downsize to one sink. - Downsize the island; a slab that large will cost $$$ for your countertop. - Your kitchen cabinets are already going to be pretty simple, but skip fancies like pull-out spice racks. Stay middle-of-the-road in terms of cabinet quality. - Go with standard appliances -- forget the large stove I think I see in the plans. - Eliminate the fire place -- throwing out ideas; personally, I would not trade these for dormers. - Alternately, what kind of fireplace are you considering? An insert is less expensive than a full-fledged masonry fireplace. To-the-ceiling masonry is more expensive than brick or tile just around the firebox itself. - Eliminate the porches -- again, personally I would not trade these for dormers. - Is the porch to be screened? Eliminate the screen. I have a large back porch similar to the one you propose (it's probably the best part of my house); mine is un-screened and I have never once wished for screens. - Downsize the large windows in the bedrooms -- again, not something I'd trade for dormers. - Where I would NOT try to save: quality of the exterior build, quality of the windows, quality of the plumbing, or similar items. Also, I would keep the metal roof; it will be more expensive now, but you probably won't replace it ... and that probably means you won't encounter water damage in the future either. - This isn't a money-saver, but look over your mudroom /laundry room plans again. This is a heavy-use space, and it looks kinda scrunchy-small. I'd also open a door between the laundry and the master closet ... so many steps could be saved.

Custom builders do use allowances. Unless you specify EVERY detail up front then they have to. Ours is a custom build (https://bamasotan.us if you'd like to check it out) and we had allowances. Other things in the contract do indicate that this a production/tract builder, not custom such as specifying the plumbing fixtures, toilets, flooring, etc. A good builder will have preferred suppliers and contractors - that is one of the things you're paying for. A good custom builder will give you options and recommendations for who to use. E.G., they may get bids from three HVAC contractors, tell you the pluses and minuses, and let you choose which one. A good custom builder will not have any problems using others unless they have concerns about their quality or integrity. There is no concept of 'upgrade' with a custom builder. Cost Plus may generally result in a better quality custom house. However, the builder should provide an estimated cost prior to signing a contract and their fees should be based on this. E.G, if insulation comes in 10% higher than estimated then you are responsible for the 10% as well as the builders 14% (or whatever) on the estimated amount but the builder should not collect their 14% on the overage. If you request a change that results in a higher cost then the builder is right to collect their fee on the full amount. Expect to finish the project 20% or more over budget. Some things will simply come in more expensive than estimated and some things will cost more than estimated by your own changes. Hopefully nothing over budget because your builder told a supplier to charge an extra 20% on your project to save money on another project they are doing for them.