Eastwood Village Petaluma options

Hey OCVillager,

Can you share the final list that you went with builder and the things that you plan to do it later...

I am in same boat now...and going through that phase..for Piedmont....

What type of electrical changes did you get....
e.g. extra power outlets, phone and data outlets etc
 
OCVillager said:
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knows what the standard tile for flooring in Petaluma is...My flooring stage is coming up and was thinking if I can just replace the small portion of carpet(great room and entry) with standard tile for around $2600 (estimate from design center). Thank you.
Click to expand...

Hi OCVillager
Are you asking what the standard tiles look like? There are four options, all of them ceramic 12x12. You can go to the sales office and they have all 4 of them in the office you can ask to look at.

I thought they were all very hideous. So hideous that I bit the bullet and upgraded all upstairs bath tiles. However I'm leave the flooring standard downstairs and will replace will wood after closing.

 
OCViillager
The same standard tile (whichever 1 out of the 4 you pick) is used throughout the house, upstairs (baths and laundry room) and downstairs (entry and kitchenand powder). I don't know the name or model... If you live close by, why not go to the sales office (next to the model homes, which you can walk in anytime 9-6) and ask to see them?
 
OCVillager said:
Hi RK,

I can put some details here for upgrades we selected through the builder as I remember now: Major is the whole house cabinets upgrade with extended cabinets (up to ceiling and not the extending dining area), additional insulation for sound proofing, counter top upgrade from standard granite to quartz, added light/fan fixtures in great room, water softener hook up for third party softener.
The upgrades we are planning to get after closing are: recessed lights in all upstairs bedrooms, water softener and reverse osmosis set up, window treatments, barn door for master bath/bedroom, landscaping etc.
We are still thinking about Flooring upgrade in the great room. Please share your experiences and recommendations if possible. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Hi OCVillager
I am just reading your post and realize that I am in the same situation you were in last year.

What did you decide for the floor upgrade?  It is very tempting to upgrade the first floor with a nice looking wood look tile for $7000 and be done with it.

Please share your experience.  Hopefully you are still active on TI  :)
 
Is recessed lighting a simple thing?  It would seem messy with the internal wiring and switching.  How much is it per light?

Other then that I pan to do the same as far as builder vs after escrow.
 
PrettyInGray said:
OCVillager said:
Hello all,

This is my first post.
It's time for our options/upgrades selection for Petaluma Residence 1 at  Eastwood. We are planning to stay within budget and after reading many posts on this forum, we have a better idea of what to get from Builder/Design Center and what to get from outside after COE. Before I ask others to provide their opinions, I would mention the upgrades we are looking for from Builder: whole house Cabinets upgrade, pre-wire for fan/light with dimmer switch in great room and bedrooms, counter top in kitchen, water softener hook in garage. Will get our standard flooring with carpet/tile and planning to upgrade after may be a year or two to all tile.
I'm planning to get recessed lights on 1st floor bedrooms, reverse osmosis system setup, custom paints, window coverings done by outside contractor after closing. 
Did anyone in this forum go through the process for Petaluma homes and others also please recommend any upgrades and outside contractor names. Thanks in advance. 
Click to expand...

Hi there, congrats on purchasing Petaluma! Your upgrade decisions are good. I can recommend and provide contacts for window coverings, custom paints, and recess lighting. I personally know the owners of these businesses and have done the last few homes of ours. Let me know and I can send you the contacts. You may want to do the flooring with the builders. If you decide to use outside contractors, they have to demolish the floor and they have to lift the toilets, etc and you lose the warranty from the homebuilder. For example, if you experience a leak somewhere in the bathroom, the homebuilder will not cover the cost of fixing it during the 1st year.
Click to expand...

Good point about the need to lift the toilet when changing the floor.  But the floor upgrade offered by builder seems to be double the price of outside contractor  :-\
 
Yup, and the details like tile placement, grout lines, bullnose, faucets, sinks cannot be chosen.
 
irvineempathy said:
Good point about the need to lift the toilet when changing the floor.  But the floor upgrade offered by builder seems to be double the price of outside contractor  :-\
Click to expand...

Remove and reinstall the toilet is no big deal, those flooring contractors have doing it hundreds of times.  And if you really concern these worker won't reinstall it properly, hire a professional plumber to do it. 

In some case, homeowner can actually hire the builder's sub contractor (the plumber who install the toilet) to do it and it will maintain the builder's warranty.  Read more here:
http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,14594.msg293846.html#msg293846
 
lnc said:
irvineempathy said:
Good point about the need to lift the toilet when changing the floor.  But the floor upgrade offered by builder seems to be double the price of outside contractor  :-\
Click to expand...

Remove and reinstall the toilet is no big deal, those flooring contractors have doing it hundreds of times.  And if you really concern these worker won't reinstall it properly, hire a professional plumber to do it. 

In some case, homeowner can actually hire the builder's sub contractor (the plumber who install the toilet) to do it and it will maintain the builder's warranty.  Read more here:
http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,14594.msg293846.html#msg293846
Click to expand...
Yep, that's what we did. Ask the home builder, service rep, and they'll tell you who does the plumbing contractor. Install with warranty. 

What some people also do is also replace the actual toilet while it's out, since many times the standard ones aren't that great, especially some of the low flush ones.
 
irvineempathy said:
PrettyInGray said:
OCVillager said:
Hello all,

This is my first post.
It's time for our options/upgrades selection for Petaluma Residence 1 at  Eastwood. We are planning to stay within budget and after reading many posts on this forum, we have a better idea of what to get from Builder/Design Center and what to get from outside after COE. Before I ask others to provide their opinions, I would mention the upgrades we are looking for from Builder: whole house Cabinets upgrade, pre-wire for fan/light with dimmer switch in great room and bedrooms, counter top in kitchen, water softener hook in garage. Will get our standard flooring with carpet/tile and planning to upgrade after may be a year or two to all tile.
I'm planning to get recessed lights on 1st floor bedrooms, reverse osmosis system setup, custom paints, window coverings done by outside contractor after closing. 
Did anyone in this forum go through the process for Petaluma homes and others also please recommend any upgrades and outside contractor names. Thanks in advance. 
Click to expand...

Hi there, congrats on purchasing Petaluma! Your upgrade decisions are good. I can recommend and provide contacts for window coverings, custom paints, and recess lighting. I personally know the owners of these businesses and have done the last few homes of ours. Let me know and I can send you the contacts. You may want to do the flooring with the builders. If you decide to use outside contractors, they have to demolish the floor and they have to lift the toilets, etc and you lose the warranty from the homebuilder. For example, if you experience a leak somewhere in the bathroom, the homebuilder will not cover the cost of fixing it during the 1st year.
Click to expand...

Good point about the need to lift the toilet when changing the floor.  But the floor upgrade offered by builder seems to be double the price of outside contractor  :-\
Click to expand...
Outside vendors are real pro's (as long as you find a solid one) and you can hire the builder's plumber to put the toilets back on (if you are concerned about leaks). That should prevent any voiding of the warranty.  The one area that might be useful to upgrade up-front would be the master bathroom. 
 
We took insulation and it was worth it!!
We chose counter and island upgrade, speakers and recess light,  fans prewired in all bedrooms and great room. Not sure what they call, all gadgets go in the court pantry and you can operate from living room so fireplace area all clean, bathroom upgrades with sliding doors. Accordion doors, paint and backsplash.

Chose Standard flooring, walking closets, no refrigerator.
Tiles Flooring downstairs and closet organizers we will do before moving. Rest later.

Any suggestions on closet organizers?
 
Sunnyirvine said:
We took insulation and it was worth it!!
..........
Tiles Flooring downstairs and closet organizers we will do before moving. Rest later.
....
Click to expand...

How do you know that the insulation 'was worth it' if you have not moved in?
Is it your assumption that it will be good upgrade?
 
irvineempathy said:
Sunnyirvine said:
We took insulation and it was worth it!!
..........
Tiles Flooring downstairs and closet organizers we will do before moving. Rest later.
....
Click to expand...

How do you know that the insulation 'was worth it' if you have not moved in?
Is it your assumption that it will be good upgrade?
Click to expand...

He brought his mom with him to the drywall walk through and she yelled at him in Cantonese from upstairs.  Sunny was worried he would get a childhood flashback like when he slept in on a school day... But much to his surprise, he couldn't hear a thing.  Well worth it.
 
aquabliss said:
irvineempathy said:
Sunnyirvine said:
We took insulation and it was worth it!!
..........
Tiles Flooring downstairs and closet organizers we will do before moving. Rest later.
....
Click to expand...

How do you know that the insulation 'was worth it' if you have not moved in?
Is it your assumption that it will be good upgrade?
Click to expand...

He brought his mom with him to the drywall walk through and she yelled at him in Cantonese from upstairs.  Sunny was worried he would get a childhood flashback like when he slept in on a school day... But much to his surprise, he couldn't hear a thing.  Well worth it.
Click to expand...

LOL! 
 
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