5 Worst Upgrades To Include When Building Your Custom Home

Building a custom home can be a dream come true, but there are some upgrades you'll want to avoid. In this video I outline the five worst upgrades to include when building your custom home!

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[jennifer]

1. Marble countertops (extremely high maintenance and extremely prone to stains)
2. Ice makers (prone to malfunctioning, resulting in leaks)
3. Crown molding (was trendy; not anymore)
4. Over-priced designer fixtures (can find same quality and similar look for less anywhere)
5. Over-priced/expensive flooring (the quality and durability of manufactured products today mean hardwood is no longer necessarily better)

[ndtwo]

Don't follow trends! Crown will always come back and go out of style. The difference of having it or not is the difference in seeing the expansion cracks that will happen between the ceiling and the walls. Base molding hides the gap between the drywall and floor. They both offer protection and longevity over exposed drywall intersections.

Knowing the actual reason why a product exists is more important than style and trends.

[angelamurphy]

Crown molding has been around for hundreds of years. It will never go out of style. Craftsmanship is sorely lacking in todays average home. You can cut corners in other areas but if you want a custom home, don’t skimp on craftsmanship. Crown molding elevates the room.

[nandalipe]

I have a flooring business, I love selling and installing LVP for clients if they want it, but in my own house I prefer real hardwood floors. There's no comparison. Also, the no crown molding trend only works if you prefer a more modern style, if you want to build a house that's timeless and not so trendy and do not want the builder's basic look, crown molding is the way to go.

[chelin]

Crown moldings will never go our of style! The new modern look is only a trend, very pretty, but long term it lacks warm and character and architectural detail, that makes an empty home feel beautiful for ever. All other upgrades, agree. Thank you for a very good topic.

[garysarnowski]

When designing your home, and if your installing sliding patio doors anywhere, pick 8' wide doors versus 6', gives you a 4' opening so that any appliance or furniture piece can enter easily. Also, for the garage entry doors, use a 36" width steel door into your home as it will be easier to bring in groceries and anything else.

[Brian-dryi]

As far as floors. Nothing beats the look of real wood floor. And you can tell the difference. And after a while you can sand the floor and refinish it. Can't do that with anything else.

[hmurchison]

Skip the ridiculous flooring costs and put the extra money towards solid windows. As a lighting lover I think people also get excessive with the in-ceiling cans. The modern trend is to layer the lights and accentuate good architectural elements of your home or art that you've collected. Cranking lights to 100 all over the living space makes everything look one dimensional and bland.

[wabio]

Our custom has tons of crown molding everywhere (two rooms with box beams, tray-barrel in the media, and cove-tray bedroom) . On top of that we have 3000 sq. ft. of solid brazilian cherry hardwood flooring 😂. To each his own I guess. IMO, the worst upgrades around here (North Texas) are backyard decks and those open roof pergolas. This isn't get two months of nice outside weather, 4 months of unpredictable winter, and 6 months of 100 degrees. Those upgrades would be a waste especially considering how quickly exterior wood ages out here and the maintenance they require.

[joannebutzerin]

There is no way I would skimp on my plumbing fixtures--especially on the kitchen sink. I don't need a designer fixture, but not going to get a cheap, Chinese fixture that I will have to replace in 3 months.

[TheFirstRealChewy]

Crown molding is still a classic, and it can look modern. What should never come back is wallpaper.

[alexbanks]

I’m old I like my crown molding lol. Other than that I have no issues with your list. Thanks for the video!

[elizabethstump]

If you are doing a library with lots of woodwork, then YES to crown molding. But in a kitchen? Just more nooks and crannies for grease to catch and collect.

[edwardcasper]

I put crown molding into my existing townhouse's living room and it really dresses up the place. The ceiling in that room is 10 feet high and I used a single 5" piece of molding. I can see where complex structures that use a lot of different material and take a lot of time to piece together can get really pricey really quickly. But if you find a single piece of crown or cove molding that you like and limit its use to where it has impact, it isn't very expensive (especially if you can find it at an outlet store).

[aroprime]

Thought it was funny that all 5 things are most inconvenient things for contractors to do right and not damage when installing.

[_DB.COOPER]

Homes are built so cheap yet are so expensive nowadays in my area (New Mexico). You don’t even have to go inside to notice, the landscaping and fencing are junk. They will hold up maybe the first year, long enough to get the house sold and make them somebody else’s problem. It’s really pathetic.

[dlg]

My only disagreement is on fixtures. These are the major touch points in the house so they should be pleasant to interact with, in my opinion. I really appreciate faucets, switches, handles, knobs, etc that are high quality, feel natural to use and are elegantly designed, and I think that's worth a bit more money...within reason.

[garrett]

Disagree with you on crown and hardwood. Certain styles and homes crown will always look good. And real hardwood just looks better in my opinion. I hate the look of fake wood, and it is definitely noticable. And real hardwood usually isn't any more expensive.

[erugila]

How many times can you refinish LVP? How many times can you refinish click engineered wood with a 1.5mm wear layer and a 1.5mm bevel? The answer is none. Oldest wood floor I’ve refinished is 200+ years. If you’re paying 12-20 for wood, you’re over paying as a builder/client.

[Deelight]

The different between LVP and wood floors can be spotted a mile away. LVP also feels like plastic under foot. Engineered hardwood is a good compromise.