Home buying thread

Intrinsic said:

We're leaning towards Quartz as it is. I'm way more partial to Granite b/c it has proven to be timeless (people pearl clutch already b/c of the epoxy used to make quartz), we both like the colors and movement in granite more than the trendy starkness of white quartz/quartzite and heavy contrast veining. We actually found some Pental Quartz Oceanus at a home store a couple of weekends ago that we really liked.

It has a lot of grey, and blue, some copper, flecking throughout. When I redid my kitchen in a previous house I used Snowfall granite. That won't go with our current plan but really liked it.

This is our current Kitchen render with cabinet plans + ChatGPT + Flooring / Countertop selections, etc... It isn't 100% but is maybe close enough visually for us to pick a direction. (the island technically has an overhang, cabinets may/may not go all the way to the ceiling, still debating vent hood but will probably keep stainless instead of custom, doors will likely be 1/2 overlay instead of full. just depends on final cabinet meeting on the 22nd).

In our last window meeting we swapped out all the double hung for casement. The neighborhood requires wood clad and the casement were better performance wise than double hung and a little nicer look overall b/c we can more easily do a cottage style SDL

Spoiler: Kitchen Render

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Of course, this is her idea for the Laundry:

Spoiler: Laundry

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Spoiler: Pental Oceanus Quartz

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Spoiler: Snowfall Granite

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I'm not sure if we went with granite or quartz for our counter top for our new place. I was lobbying hard for stainless steal, and failed.

OU Ariakas said:

Yeah, for either one to be timeless you need it to not have a ton of colors. Go with a solid that has minimal veining, not the spotted ones.

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My comments were more material based than color as far as "timeless" is concerned. Laminate, Quartz, Corian, Quartzite, Marble, whatever I mean it all goes around and around, but hardly anyone dismisses granite as being the standby or default from a "timeless" perspective. That's my read on it, at least. Could be way off, but usually go with my gut.

Plus all the decades we've had granite the maintenance has been super easy, we've never had issues with chipping, stains, water marks, etc. But good lord you thought people were opinionated about politics or anything else, these Facebook groups arguing over countertop materials are absolutely unhinged. You'd think granite/quartz/whatever personally killed their favorite pet and pissed on their mom's graves.

MSI Taj Mahal is BY FAR the most referenced and quoted current surface I see come up in discussions: Taj Mahal Quartzite Countertops and Slabs - MSI Surfaces
Cambria Quartz is probably second when talking about Quartz: Cambria® Quartz Surfaces

We looked at Pental and another one b/c the specs at least read 95% similar, but they don't pay for the marketing that MSI or Cambria does so they're a little cheaper per foot. For a quartz it is still fully printed (some quartz is just surface printed) and available with different edge types. Quartz is attractive b/c you can guarantee the veining and surface because it is a printed pattern. Makes it easier to bookmatch, hide seams, and do other things that become more difficult with natural stones.

We're thinking maybe butcher block for mudroom and pantry, solid surface in laundry and kids bathrooms. Whatever we can get away with that is cheaper and just focus $/ft in the Kitchen and master bath.

Looking like the final number in the builder contract is going to be $1,002, 798 which includes the 15%. I had them modify the contract so that we can pay for allowances out of our own pocket and those are not subject to the 15% cost plus, permits, fees, taxes, etc are also not subject to 15%. So there's opportunity to reduce that throughout the project if we're smart with our picks and, so far (as shown above outdated allowance table) we're below budget. But the loan amount is going to be for the whole project and then we'll just convert what is actually drawn.

Lanx said:

idk about timeless, my home now has granite, i consider it old ppl granite, my two other friends also bought homes (from empty nesters downsizing) and they also say their granite is dated.

i mean i'm "fine" w/ it, cuz it's still granite, my other friend has been planning a kitchen retrofit for a while cuz she just hates the old person granite.

like this is old person granite

spotted

this is the modern granite

vein

it's the look quartz is imitating

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That "old people granite" is very similar to what we used in our kitchen, and it's still looking just fine a long time later. Although ours is a little lighter, still earthtone base and not white/gray based. Our "old people granite":


Then again, our Kitchen is done in earthtones and not the "white/gray" motif which is very modern in popular design, and that color scheme of granite blends great into that look.

Signed contract and locked in at the bank. Rates dropped so we're at 6.5% for our loan with the option to drop lower if we move into non-Jumbo at conversion and could still buy points. Will have to run the numbers at closing and see.

Gravel said:

Personally I feel like anything natural is pretty timeless. Including granite. But then again, I'm not really a trendy person whatsoever, so maybe I'm way off base.

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Yeah, when we go tomorrow afternoon I'm going to lobby for granite and see if we can find an option that wife likes. She knows absolutely nothing about any countertop material, differences, or trends and cares zero about what is in or what anyone else thinks. It could be $0.50 a foot and she's love it if it made the kitchen look good and she got her blue cabinets.

Intrinsic said:

Yeah, when we go tomorrow afternoon I'm going to lobby for granite and see if we can find an option that wife likes. She knows absolutely nothing about any countertop material, differences, or trends and cares zero about what is in or what anyone else thinks. It could be $0.50 a foot and she's love it if it made the kitchen look good and she got her blue cabinets.

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Well... if you wanted to go "wow"...

Sealed Concrete countertop with a blue stone and glass mosaic inlay. You can choose the colors and design of the mosaic inlay to match her blue counters. I've seen it done on bar counters, some indoor/outdoor kitchens, and an island. Done right is can look great.

But in all honestly. I would say if you can sell her on a granite that works with her blue cabinet color scheme desires that's the "easy button". Most granite places now a days can get a pretty surprising array of color/blend options.