7 Of The Best Upgrades For A New Build Home That Are Worth The Money

This blog post is all about the best upgrades for a new build.

(Pssst: #7 includes a hack that saved us thousands of dollars…)

If you’re buying a new construction house, you’ll probably be limited to what the builder has already gotten permits for, such as overall flooring plan/layout and structural elements.

But if you can, you should request some of these best upgrades for a new build during the construction process.

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid when building a new house is to go over your budget. If you’re on the fence about paying your builder extra to add certain upgrades, here’s a good rule to remember: if adding or changing something later on will require significant demo, DO IT DURING THE BUILDING PROCESS!

Flooring options are some of the best upgrades for a new build

If you’re going to be upgrading anything for your new construction home, start from the ground up.

That means flooring options, and even what’s underneath the flooring. Here are a few upgrades to think about adding to your new home first:

#1: Luxury tile in primary bathroom

Most builders have a set selection of bathroom tile that buyers can choose from, but the catch is that tile is used in ALL the bathrooms. Obviously, this can make your home look pretty boring.

Ask if you can upgrade the tile in the primary bathroom to a different tile.

By keeping the secondary bathrooms the same tile and differentiating the tile in the master bathroom, you’ll be elevating the style and value of the primary en suite.

#2: Radiant floor heating

This is a popular choice in colder climates for sure, but even if you live in the Deep South you have to appreciate the feeling of a warm bathroom floor on the coldest January morning!

Add radiant floor heating to your primary bathroom DURING the construction process because trying to add it later would mean ripping up the existing flooring and that would be significantly more costly. Your wallet – and your toes – will thank you!

#3: Wood flooring

Wood flooring is the ultimate upgrade you can make in your new home that will add both beauty and long-term value.

Just be sure to choose the type and tone of flooring carefully. The investment is worth it if the species of wood used is a good hardwood like oak, hickory or maple. 

Don’t go too trendy when it comes to the color of the wood flooring. Stay away from flooring that has specific color undertones, like grey or cherry, and choose a flooring that is neutrally dark or light.

One caveat here is to make sure you consider the pros and cons of hardwood. You may find that your family needs something a little more durable, like LVP flooring vs wood flooring.

Storage upgrades are always a good idea

Now that you’ve got the flooring figured out, think about where you’ll put stuff.

Whether it’s kitchen storage or mudroom lockers, there may be room in your budget to improve the storage options in your new home.

#4: Tall upper cabinets

Most newly constructed homes now have higher ceilings throughout the house. This means that a kitchen in a new home could have 12 foot or higher ceilings.

But if your builder is working with a cabinet maker to build standard height cabinets, your upper kitchen cabinets may look weird as they stop far below the ceiling.

Ask the builder or cabinet maker to make your upper cabinets taller so that they end flush with the ceiling.

If it’s too costly to do high cabinets in the whole kitchen, ask if some of the upper cabinets can be substituted with floating shelves.

#5: Extra storage options

Whether it’s under the stairs, in each bathroom, in the garage, or (like us) built on to the side of the house, it is ALWAYS great to have extra storage.

Asking your builder if he/she can get creative and add extra storage will be something that you thank yourself for later.

No homeowner – and no prospective future buyer – ever gripes about a house having too much storage. 

So work with your builder to see if there’s an option to add additional closets or even built-in dining banquette seating with storage during the construction process.

Millwork upgrades will add character to a new build

#6: Wall treatments

During every home construction process, a professional will need to come and install custom millwork for your home.

This is the ideal time to ask your builder if you can add some upgraded wall treatments.

This could mean shiplap, board and batten, beadboard, tongue-and-groove, or wainscoting.

Wall treatments will make your new build feel more custom and less like a builder-basic new construction home.

Millwork, like the board and batten in this bedroom, is a beautiful builder upgrade option.

Upgrade your outdoor space during building

#7: Finished outdoor space

So, this upgrade really depends on the specifications of your new build and how important an outdoor living space is to you.

For us, we personally always dreamed of having a screened-in patio where we could sip our tea or other happy hour beverage of choice, and not have to worry about weather or bugs ruining our relaxation.

Our builder originally quoted us $7,500 to add a screened-in back patio. That was…quite a lot. At first we thought we’d have to forget about this wishlist item.

But here’s a little hack that could help if a builder upgrade seems a bit too expensive…

My husband had the brilliant idea to ask the builder for a cost breakdown of adding a screened-in back porch.

Turns out, the brick work of adding a knee wall extension on our patio was only a few hundred because the brick installer was already onsite for the rest of our house.

But the screen installation would cost the bulk of the quoted price, because the builder would have to find and hire the additional sub-contractor for this.

So, we negotiated with the builder to just pay for the brick wall installation and we’d find the screen installer ourselves! This ended up saving us thousands!!

Outdoor living spaces do add a bit of value to your home, but most builders will substantially increase the cost to do it during construction.

If you’d like a screened-in patio or other outdoor space, ask your builder for a cost breakdown to do so. 

If there are any specific materials that would be easier/more aesthetically aligned with your home if the builder were to complete it, ask them to just do that part. And then hire a separate contractor later to finish the space for you.

Builder upgrades you may not want to pay for

Now, you’re probably wondering…if these are the recommended upgrades for a new build, what should you NOT upgrade so that you can save some money and stay within your budget?

I’m glad you asked 🙂

Check out this post to learn more about the 7 new construction upgrades to avoid!