What To Custom Upgrade in Your New Home
October 04, 2016
We know that your home should reflect your own personal style, so our exclusive interior designer at Arbutus Properties can help you custom upgrade your new home. With so many choices out there, we understand that it can be overwhelming so we are here to help you with building your perfect home.
Not only will you love your new home, but upgrades are also a way of increasing the resale value of your home and help differentiate your home from the others in a masterplan community if you decide to sell later on. Upgrades can be an inexpensive way to improve your quality of living as well. A simple upgrade to a granite or quartz countertop turns your kitchen island into a furniture piece. Similarly, a range upgrade from electric to gas turns your kitchen into a gourmet chef’s kitchen.
These are some of the most popular and smart upgrades that Arbutus would be more than happy to help you custom upgrade for your new home.
Countertops
Laminate countertops are you entry-level and basic go-to value option, widely used in some builder homes still. These countertops consist of a wooden base and a durable laminate surface. At Arbutus Properties, our countertops are automatically upgraded to granite or quartz. Granite countertops are traditional and sophisticated, and are chip and scratch resistant and has a wonderful luminous quality. Quartz countertops are practical, low maintenance and ideal for busy families. The quartz material is actually man-made using ground quartz mixed with resins, polymers, and colourings. The result is a very hard, granite-like surface that can have a flecked, smooth or even veined look.
Flooring
Laminate is the basic value option but better than vinyl. Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic product that resembles hardwood. It comes in hundreds of designer colours and finishes, is highly durable and requires less maintenance than hardwood does. Hardwood flooring is high end and sophisticated. Hardwood is just that, solid wood strips milled from maple, oak, ash or birch. Although hardwood is considered the “classy” flooring of choice, it does require extra attention to ensure protection. Engineered Hardwood Flooring combines a hardwood surface with multiple layers of plywood or fibreboard underneath. It is high end, yet remarkably strong and highly resistant to moisture. Engineered hardwood can either be more or less expensive than traditional hardwood based on the species of wood and density.
Cabinets
With the kitchen as the heart of the home, kitchen cabinets can be upgraded by choosing a different material, lengthening or deepening cabinets or adding extra storage like a pull-out pantry. Upper kitchen cabinets are normally 36-inches tall but extending them to 42-inches and to ceiling height gives a more sleek and custom look while adding extra storage. Soft-close doors and premium hinges can also help extend the life of your cabinetry.
Appliances
Kitchen appliance packages come in so many choices nowadays. The standard black or white appliance is the basic value option and although many builders do not include appliances, Arbutus believes in always including a stainless steel package in their homes since the kitchen is really the hub of the home. Whether you prefer an electric or gas range, a bottom freezer or French-door fridge, our interior designer can help you choose what best suits your lifestyle.
Lighting
A lot of people tend to overlook the role of lighting in everyday life, but lighting adds to the atmosphere of a home and it can help make simple tasks easier. In the kitchen, most people prefer recessed lights and pendant over an island but under-cabinet lighting can help with cooking as well as provide nice ambient lighting when entertaining since overhead lights can be too harsh. Bathroom lighting is often overlooked and we would suggest overhead and task lighting, where you have a ceiling fixture coupled with sconces.
At Arbutus Properties, we are here to help you customize your perfect home. Our interior designer will work with you so that your home reflects your own personal style.
Would you like to live in your own custom home in The Meadows? Contact us for more information.