Things to Consider Adding to Your Home During Construction

If you are getting ready to build a home or are in the middle of construction, here are a few luxuries to consider having installed by your builder.

Granite counter tops and tile back splash. If you already have it in the kitchen, why not the bathrooms?

Home theater with recessed wall speakers. Do you like sports, movies and engaging TV? Why not get that home theater installed before you move in? A decent home theater costs $5,000 - go ahead and get it rolled into that mortgage.

Double D's - Do you have a dishwasher picked out? Is it top of the line? How about a second one? What? A second one? Redesign your kitchen to install one dishwasher on the right side of the kitchen sink and an identical one on the left. Sound crazy? You will thank me later.

Concrete walls. Did you know concrete walls insulate your home better than anything on the market right now? Sure it costs more but you will save money on your energy costs and you could receive a 20% reduction on your home insurance.

Attic or loft? Spend the extra dollars to make your attic an air conditioned loft instead of a hot, musty attic. You can organize your junk and put a pool table up there should you choose to do so in the future. Just ask you builder about the options available to you.

Halogen lighting is out - LED is in. Do you know what LED lighting is? You should. It is just as costly as halogen but you never have to replace the bulbs and your house will be cooler given that LED's give off no heat whatsoever. This is the better bargain. Go with LED's.

Heated hardwood flooring? Get the additional heating element installed under your hardwood. If you live in a climate that is subject to freezing temperatures, you will thank me in the morning when the temperature is 10 degrees outside.

An additional bathroom? Did you know that adding on a bathroom can cost about $8,000 during construction? That's a little price to pay considering that it will add $15,000 value to your home for each additional full bathroom.

Security cameras. Call your local security company and ask how much it would cost to set up a six camera security camera system. It could be around $5000 but consider the peace of mind - whether your infant child made a noise in their crib or you heard what sounded like a door shut - just turn on your TV in your bedroom and search the cameras. This is my favorite luxury on the list.

Central Vacuum System? Install one and save yourself the trouble of replacing a bulky plastic contraption that is hard to move around the house.

LCD Skylights - This is a great feature. You can have skylights installed with LCD glass. It works with a remote control. If you don't want light coming through, just click your remote control and the glass blacks out with LCD technology. Pretty cool.

Whole house music. Speakers in every room and controllable in each room. Let the entire house be filled with the voice of Frank , Dean and Sammy with a touch of a button.

Talk with your builder and see what can be done.