Saratoga Upgrades

lucky said:
songkou said:
Thanks to Lucky for the great photo.  But wait, if it's standard granite, how did you get a chance to look at it before it was installed?  I thought you only get to look at it at the slab yard if it's a upgraded granite, so I was told by the designer.
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Yes, that's correct, but we also upgraded all our bathroom countertops and the full kitchen back splash to the same stone, so they permitted us to review for approval.

I didn't think approval was a big deal but the first slabs I saw had a big green splotch in the exact middle so I was very lucky I could reject them.
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Nice.  A neat trick to get to see the slab before installing.  Is one slab enough for all the countertops?
 
songkou said:
lucky said:
songkou said:
Thanks to Lucky for the great photo.  But wait, if it's standard granite, how did you get a chance to look at it before it was installed?  I thought you only get to look at it at the slab yard if it's a upgraded granite, so I was told by the designer.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's correct, but we also upgraded all our bathroom countertops and the full kitchen back splash to the same stone, so they permitted us to review for approval.

I didn't think approval was a big deal but the first slabs I saw had a big green splotch in the exact middle so I was very lucky I could reject them.
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Nice.  A neat trick to get to see the slab before installing.  Is one slab enough for all the countertops?
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They actually still didn't want to allow us to review then but we pushed hard and they "did is a favor" with special permission. No, we needed five slabs for everything.
 
lucky said:
qwerty said:
everyone kept telling us that is would be easier to bathe a kid with a curtain,
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Methinks that's what our master tub is for. ;-p
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master tub not that easy to get in and out of with a child in hand and the baby bath in there.  Especially with new born.
 
lucky said:
qwerty said:
everyone kept telling us that is would be easier to bathe a kid with a curtain,
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Methinks that's what our master tub is for. ;-p
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It's a little harder... plus you don't want all those kiddie toys surrounding your master tub, the wife candles will look weird next to them.
 
One great thing about model 2 (I don't know about model 1) is that the master shower is very large and has a seat inside. That's likely where I'll be bathing my younger baby (using his mini-tub and a handheld shower head), until he's big enough for a big tub.

That's only once we stop bathing him in his infant tub in the sink of course. No need for a tub at all when bathing a newborn or young/small baby. I recommend the 4moms Cleanwater tub.
 
so to side track this conversation...you really like that 4moms tub? The friends who bought that tub said it wasn't worth the price.
 
broda said:
so to side track this conversation...you really like that 4moms tub? The friends who bought that tub said it wasn't worth the price.
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Really? That's surprising. Yes, totally love it. We used it with our older son and are now using it with our younger baby. It's fantastic and we love that it continually flushes out the dirty bath water. (That's especially important when he poos in the tub, which has happened more than once.) : )

The built-in thermometer is kind of useless because it always says a comfortable temperature is too hot, but the cleanliness makes it very worthwhile for us.

(Sorry for derailing the thread!)
 
irvinehomeowner said:
We just bathed ours in the laundry room sink... they didn't like when we used bleach though.  ;)
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I use Dreft or All Free and Clear while bathing only...no bleach.  :eek:
 
broda said:
irvinehomeowner said:
We just bathed ours in the laundry room sink... they didn't like when we used bleach though.  ;)
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I use Dreft or All Free and Clear while bathing only...no bleach.  :eek:
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Yeah, seriously, bleach? That's horrible!

Pine Sol maybe but never bleach.
 
Irvinecommuter said:
lucky said:
songkou said:
So we went through the first appointment for stage 3 without deciding on anything, left with more questions.  I'm turning to TI for help (This is for Saratoga Plan 1):
  • For Kitchen, anyone take the standard granite for counter-top?  Which color did you pick?  Can you share some thought if you have seen the result?  We would like to take the standard one and save ~$2,000 because that is the price for the cheapest granite upgrade for Kitchen counter-top.
  • Anyone know the caesar stone upgrade price on various bathroom?
  • Can someone share pro/con of upgrading bath2 tub enclosure?  If we opt-out, IP won't even put up a bar for the shower curtain.
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We took the Santa Cecilia standard countertop. It's very nice looking and we are very happy with it. It actually looks like an upgraded granite and is similar to the countertops in the model 2X kitchen.

We also upgraded all the bathroom countertops with the same stone, which is a level 1, upgrade even though it's a "standard" stone. But all our countertops match, which we like.

For the sliding glass tub enclosure, I highly, highly recommend getting it. I cannot stand even the notion of using a shower curtain. They always get all mildewy and they get in your way and just don't look good in general.
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I believe we went with the upgrade...$2,000 is pretty inexpensive and I believe it's for the entire kitchen not just the island.

I also believe we upgraded the countertops...but it got pretty expensive.  I want to say $1500 per bathroom and $3000 for the master.

We didn't upgrade the tub.  Shower rods can be installed pretty easily and shower doors are annoying to clean.  Also mold can get into the grout and all the nooks and crannies.
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Totally hate glass shower doors. They are hard to clean and limit your access to the shower tub..

Our house is a Plan 2. We were told by the design center lady that shower rods won't be included. But when we moved in, they were there.
 
we had the glass shower door at our apartment before moving and my wife hated it too.  I'm impartial...but i do have to say it's harder to clean since they over lap...to clean those parts was annoying.  I do like being able to just throw away a dirty shower curtain liner and get a new one.
 
One of our family friends suggested using a curtain liner inside the glass shower door, and it works great at keeping the door clean.  Kinda weird, but it works.  Use the Kohl's $10 off anything coupon to buy a few cheap liners and you're good for the year.  :p
 
jayl23 said:
One of our family friends suggested using a curtain liner inside the glass shower door, and it works great at keeping the door clean.  Kinda weird, but it works.  Use the Kohl's $10 off anything coupon to buy a few cheap liners and you're good for the year.  :p
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lazy man's solution.  Fixes me.
 
I'm currently at the Stage 4 of the IP Design Center appointment.  Among the selections are the freestanding appliances.  Although the Refrigerator and Washer/Dryer are in the higher price range, they are actually pretty competitively priced.  We would save on the delivery and installation charge.  But then we will be paying for its share in the property tax and the mortgage.

A lot of you have been in this phase and must have done some research.  What are your decisions?  I've actually opted out for the freestanding appliances and am now having a second thought before the cutoff day.
 
songkou said:
I'm currently at the Stage 4 of the IP Design Center appointment.  Among the selections are the freestanding appliances.  Although the Refrigerator and Washer/Dryer are in the higher price range, they are actually pretty competitively priced.  We would save on the delivery and installation charge.  But then we will be paying for its share in the property tax and the mortgage.

A lot of you have been in this phase and must have done some research.  What are your decisions?  I've actually opted out for the freestanding appliances and am now having a second thought before the cutoff day.
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Prices are competitive but selection is poor.  They only have a couple of brands...also most places have free financing for 18 months now. 

For example, the only choices for fridges are for built in and are tiny (20-21 Cubic Feet).  We are going to get one that is about 25 cubic feet and sticks out a little. 
 
songkou said:
I'm currently at the Stage 4 of the IP Design Center appointment.  Among the selections are the freestanding appliances.  Although the Refrigerator and Washer/Dryer are in the higher price range, they are actually pretty competitively priced.  We would save on the delivery and installation charge.  But then we will be paying for its share in the property tax and the mortgage.

A lot of you have been in this phase and must have done some research.  What are your decisions?  I've actually opted out for the freestanding appliances and am now having a second thought before the cutoff day.
Click to expand...
songkou said:
I'm currently at the Stage 4 of the IP Design Center appointment.  Among the selections are the freestanding appliances.  Although the Refrigerator and Washer/Dryer are in the higher price range, they are actually pretty competitively priced.  We would save on the delivery and installation charge.  But then we will be paying for its share in the property tax and the mortgage.

A lot of you have been in this phase and must have done some research.  What are your decisions?  I've actually opted out for the freestanding appliances and am now having a second thought before the cutoff day.
Click to expand...

Re: appliances - I think you should take a look at Lowes and Home Depot. They offer free delivery and installation. Also, they both have sales almost all the time. If you can wait until Black Friday, even better. Good luck.
 
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