Some of the standard options we find homebuyers really value are:
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Every plan we offer in our base portfolio comes with two standard architectural exterior style options: the Classic and the Legacy.
The Classic Exterior is our standard architectural treatment and our most affordable, with James Hardie siding in different patterns, a roof pitch of 6/12 and 8’ tall walls (and ceilings inside) around the outside perimeter. The ceilings in the foyer, family room, kitchen and dining rooms are all 10’ tall.
The Legacy Exterior is built of brick with stone accents around the entire first floor, has a steeper roof pitch of 8/12 to give it slightly more mass, and has 9’ wall heights around the outside. Some of the Legacy Exteriors also have larger covered front porches.
Typically, we see home buyers investing in upgrades in the following categories, which add value to the home personally and retain high resale value:
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People who spend a lot of time in the kitchen will prioritize upgrading cabinets, counters, sink fixtures and appliances.
Those who value a spa-like experience in the bathroom might upgrade fixtures, tiled surfaces, bathroom counters and tub/shower areas.
If you have pets or kids or grandkids, resilient solid surface flooring like luxury vinyl plank or engineered hardwood is a popular option.
For lower energy bills, there are energy-saving options, such as our EnergyWise package, which includes enhanced insulation, 2-stage variable speed HVAC and upgraded low-E windows.
Hedgefield clients meet in our design center with a professional designer to select from a wide array of beautiful materials, chosen with aesthetics, functionality and budget in mind.
One of the options we see people choose the most is to add tile flooring to wet areas like bathrooms, utility rooms and kitchens. A typical tile floor upgrade that we see might add $2-$3 per square foot to the cost over the vinyl plank flooring.
Wood flooring is also a big value-adding feature. A quality-engineered flooring upgrade with a 4-5” plank will run anywhere from $3-$5 more per square foot over the cost of vinyl plank.
Here are some popular cabinet upgrade options:
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Lighting upgrades can come in 2 types: Adding More Lighting and Upgrading Fixtures.
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The most typical wall insulation is fiberglass batting, which delivers an insulative value of R-13.
Attic blown insulation is the standard in our market, and depending on how thick you lay it the R-value increases, code is R-30 but you’ll see R-38 a lot as well.
Dense-packed fiberglass wall insulation is an upgrade, which increases the wall cavity R-value to R-15. This option might run an extra $1,000-$1,500 on a 2,000 square-foot home, but will also save you money over time.
Open-cell foam insulation would be an upgrade over dense-fill, and while it doesn’t increase the R-value, it does seal the house much tighter, allowing less air to penetrate through it.
And since it will stick to anything, you can blow it on the attic roof rafters to encapsulate the whole house, bringing the attic into the insulated space. This allows the air conditioner to run more efficiently and you lose less air to the outside.
Open-cell foam in the walls and ceiling might increase the price by $3,000-$3,500 on a 2,000 square-foot home.
One thing to keep in mind with full foam encapsulation: if you have a gas furnace in the attic it will need to also be upgraded to properly ventilate the burned fuel since the furnace is in the conditioned space.
By far the most common window in residential construction is the single-hung vinyl tilt sash window. All windows must now meet the base energy code requirements so they are much improved over the windows of even 10+ years ago.
The issues that arise with windows are broken seals over time. Frankly, this will eventually happen with every window; it's just a matter of time. But most manufacturers have a warranty for the first few years to cover this if it happens. Most of the time a seal will not break until after the 10-year mark.
Some owners want a painted vinyl window with a dark exterior, which might increase the price by $1,500-$2,000 on a 2,000 square-foot home.
Air conditioners step up in price as the efficiency rating increases, known as the SEER rating. Different manufacturers have different price points.
A gas furnace will generally be around the same cost as an electric heat pump, but bringing the gas in and adding a propane tank will definitely change that dynamic.
If an owner opts for foam, one of the air conditioning upgrades we recommend is going to a variable speed, 2-stage unit. This feature allows the unit to run at a lower capacity for a longer duration of time to pull out all of the moisture in the air. Because foam tightens up the home, moisture generated inside can become trapped and build up. That second, lower speed allows the unit to run longer in order to pull it out.
Upgrading to a variable speed unit on a 2,000 square-foot home might run $1,600 - $2,000.
Adding a smart thermostat with Wi-Fi capability and Web-enabled intelligence is a great way to save money and may cost around $250.
There are so many options available when it comes to appliances. Many people will upgrade to a stainless steel package, which may run $400-$800.
Another popular option is an upgraded range, where you can spend anywhere from $500 - $6,000 depending on the range, and even more if you wish. And a built-in double oven might run around $2,000 to install.
The first option people in our North Texas market think of is generally tiling the bathrooms and utility rooms. For a Level-1 porcelain tile, this might run $600-$800 per bathroom for a standard-sized room, and about the same for a utility room.
Tiling a shower involves building the mud base and waterproofing the walls, then tiling up the walls 7’,8’or 9’, as desired. For a typical master shower and a Level-1 tile, this might run in the neighborhood of $2,000, and for a secondary bathtub surround, it might be around $800-$1,000. In Texas, these are probably the most value-adding decisions when it comes to tile.
Another value-adding tiling decision in North Texas is a tiled kitchen backsplash, which might run $600 - $700 for a typical kitchen.
When we say smart home, we can mean a lot of things. We generally think of it as different communicating functions of the home, which include:
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Because many of these items can be purchased and installed by owners fairly easily and at a lower cost than paying us to do it, we don’t usually include these. We will usually help our owners coordinate a time to install these themselves.
We always recommend prioritizing architectural options like patios, ceiling heights, windows, doors, baths and flex spaces first. These will add the most value to you and to anyone who might buy the home in the future.
After that, tile and flooring upgrades are usually next, because you are walking and bathing in these spaces every day and you get the most use out of these surfaces.
Countertops are another item high on the list—again, you use them every day and you see them every time you walk into the kitchen or bath.
The cost is higher, but low-maintenance items like brick exteriors can reduce your time spent on maintaining the home.
If you need more help deciding which options and features to consider, talk with your home builder. They can help steer you in the right direction based on their experience.
We Believe Your Home Should Improve Quality Of Your Life.It Should Be Efficient, Built To Last, And You Should Love Being In It. Hedgefield Homes Designs, Builds And Remodels Homes That Do These Things.
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