Master and Secondary Bath Upgrades: Builder Design Center vs. Outside

L

Logik

Member
Hoping folks on the forum can provide their thoughts on upgrades in the bathrooms Builder Design Center vs. Outside.  I am currently buying a home in Pavilion Park and deciding whether countertops and bathroom upgrades are worth going to the outside.  These would include the sink area in master bath and secondary bath, backsplash, tub deck, shower floor and walls.  Standard is usually the white countertop and 6x6 square white tiles in the shower.  Flooring clearly is cheaper going to the outside based on my priciing comparison with Tompkins, Ventian, etc...and others experience makes alot of sense.  However, I have not read as much discussion on the bathroom area other than voiding of warranties.  Anyone try to price these types of upgrades outside and doing it post closing?  We were looking at material like quartz countertops or even limestone completely thru the bathroom including the floors and builder pricing was approaching $12K just for the master shower area.  Thanks.

LogiK
 
On tiles, countertops, tub deck, tub skirt, it will almost ALWAYS be cheaper to go outside, however the amount you will save will depend on the price of your material. If the material you plan on using is pretty cheap (i.e. ceramic tiles OR pedrafina otherwise known as recycled marble/granite), then going through the builder might be worth it as the cost savings will not be worth the headache. Now if you're going with caesarstone or marble, the savings are much more significant.

In my honest opinion, I'd go with the builder for the shower since it's a royal pain to demo and you run the risk of a leak if it's not done right. Not to say the job is that difficult. Just not worth the slight chance you could have a leak.

As for the countertops, backsplash, tub deck, floor tile, and tub skirt, if you're planning on upgrading all of these things (not just one of them), then I would recommend going with an outside contractor. You'll save thousands of dollars and the job isn't difficult.
 
My rule is to go with the builder if it is connected to, related to, close to, or could possibly affect or be affected by plumbing, electricity, or structural integrity.  I would also probably add any upgrades that require punching of large holes into your drywall.

Everything is fair game for outside contractors. 
 
Why not get a quote from outside contractor and compare.  What builder charges fore these upgrades vary widely, some builder charge more for certain thing other charges less. 

Unless the difference in the cost are huge, otherwise I would just stay with the builder.

I'm having my second bathroom counter top (Ceasarstone) done through outside contractor, it was an after though and it actually cost about the same as the builder's.  The counter top itself was cheaper but with the cost of demolish existing counter top, custom cut hole to match existing sink, installation and reconnect the plumbings, it add up about the same price as the builder's.  If I knew this at the time, I would just do the counter top through the builder.


 
I would do bath upgrades through the builder.

Which tract in PP? From what I hear, they are very reasonable for upgrade pricing and the standard is actually pretty good in some of the homes (the white eStone for example is nice from what I saw).
 
Its the Whistler tract by William Lyon Homes.  I bought the Plan 3 which is about 2900 sq. ft. 
 
irvinehomeowner said:
I would do bath upgrades through the builder.

Which tract in PP? From what I hear, they are very reasonable for upgrade pricing and the standard is actually pretty good in some of the homes (the white eStone for example is nice from what I saw).
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If they give you the option to upgrade. ; )
 
If your upstairs bath has vinyl flooring standard, I would upgrade that to tile with the builder.  I did my flooring with a outside contractor and had vinyl in the wet areas standard.  Replacing those with tile requires an additional layer of cement board to be put down so the tiles won't crack.  This elevates your floors by 1/2 to 3/4" which if not accounted for from the beginning, can cause some problems.  My transition from tile to carpet has a big drop, so the edges of the tile is unable to be covered by the carpet.  My contractor installed a small ramp to bring the carpet's height to the height of the tile, but it feels weird.

Downstairs area didn't have this problem, since the tiles are laid on cement, so no additional cement board is necessary.
 
gaogi said:
If your upstairs bath has vinyl flooring standard, I would upgrade that to tile with the builder.  I did my flooring with a outside contractor and had vinyl in the wet areas standard.  Replacing those with tile requires an additional layer of cement board to be put down so the tiles won't crack.  This elevates your floors by 1/2 to 3/4" which if not accounted for from the beginning, can cause some problems.  My transition from tile to carpet has a big drop, so the edges of the tile is unable to be covered by the carpet.  My contractor installed a small ramp to bring the carpet's height to the height of the tile, but it feels weird.

Downstairs area didn't have this problem, since the tiles are laid on cement, so no additional cement board is necessary.
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This is very good recommendation.  I had the exact same problem, but luckly it was not as a big drop as yours between the tile area to the carpet area.  Nonetheless, it was a elevation change.  For the tiles in the bathroom, to be safe, I would go with the builders.
 
You would be surprised that sometimes builders do offer a good price.  We've bought homes from CalPac (Irvine Pacific) in the past they charged too much.  But we are in contract with a home from Brookfield homes and I was surprised that their prices were reasonable.  I am a GC and was so ready to say no to everything when we showed up to the design center but when we went through the pricing, I was surprised.
 
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