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 Post subject: Design book
PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2016 7:59 am 
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Just received my Design guide! please send all donations to my Go Fund me page :D the prices are crazy, any design suggestions?


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2016 9:06 am 
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riz1234 wrote:
Just received my Design guide! please send all donations to my Go Fund me page :D the prices are crazy, any design suggestions?



LOL! :lol:

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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2016 11:48 am 
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riz1234 wrote:
Just received my Design guide! please send all donations to my Go Fund me page :D the prices are crazy, any design suggestions?


U r funny!!!! it is crazy, which model did u buy?
I would suggest the following upgrades, I believe they will make a big difference:

--Marble tiles in the foyer
--upgrade the toilet and sink in the Powder room
--Granite counter tops in the kitchen
--upgrade the hood fan
--hardwood on the upper landing
--marble counter top in the washrooms
--double sink, and counter height vanity in the washrooms
--paint color for sure, do not go ahead with the regular white or beige, should be double cotes as well.

Hope you enjoy selecting the decors, good luck.


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Sun May 15, 2016 10:35 pm 
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Wow I think the previous poster must work for Mattamy because those upgrades fahmidalipi wrote do not add value lol.

Paint, seriously, its as easy as 123, go to the store, 30 bucks of paint AND you can have as many colors and ANY color you wish. Seriously those prices of 900 and plus and 90 plus for a single coat are a rip off

Second, marble tiles in the foyer? Barely adds any value. Make it look nice but if you put marble in the foyer then the rest of tiled areas better be nice because from the start of the house it will only be disappointment there after if you don't.

Third, Upgrade the toilet and sink?Seriously again? lol those things add ZERO value to the home lol.

The hoodfan, pay to delete the existing and go to ikea and buy an awesome looking model for 300.

Adding height to bathrooms also is sometimes not even noticeable and does not add value to the home much.

The only places to upgrade are hardwood floors, kitchen smooth ceilings, potlights...to name a few


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Mon May 16, 2016 8:17 am 
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cranberyhill wrote:
Wow I think the previous poster must work for Mattamy because those upgrades fahmidalipi wrote do not add value lol.

Paint, seriously, its as easy as 123, go to the store, 30 bucks of paint AND you can have as many colors and ANY color you wish. Seriously those prices of 900 and plus and 90 plus for a single coat are a rip off

Second, marble tiles in the foyer? Barely adds any value. Make it look nice but if you put marble in the foyer then the rest of tiled areas better be nice because from the start of the house it will only be disappointment there after if you don't.

Third, Upgrade the toilet and sink?Seriously again? lol those things add ZERO value to the home lol.

The hoodfan, pay to delete the existing and go to ikea and buy an awesome looking model for 300.

Adding height to bathrooms also is sometimes not even noticeable and does not add value to the home much.

The only places to upgrade are hardwood floors, kitchen smooth ceilings, potlights...to name a few



Hi Cranberyhill, those were only my opinion, it might be right or wrong for other people.
But this was very rude, but I guess we have all kinds of people around us.


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Mon May 16, 2016 12:46 pm 
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Hi Riz1234,

The prices are insane and we found that every time we went into the showroom, our wish list got bigger and bigger lol. I personally found it really helpful to read old posts were people listed some of the upgrades they got. Here are some of what we chose.

- We relocated the hose bib (Free)
- Deleted mirrors (Free)
- We added one exterior pot lit and switch to make it easier (and cheaper) to do external pot lights after close.
- added height to both bathroom vanities
- Added Faux doors and toe kick onto island
- relocated location of phone jack from kitchen to great room (design consultant suggest this)
- moved the location of some lights
- upgraded tile and cabinets
- We chose to upgrade the bathroom cabinets because it was really cheap and found that it made a big difference
- Stacked cabinets
- Waterline for fridge (some people say that you can do this easily after, but we aren't handy)
- Plasma ready wall in great room


Some of the upgrades that we'll do after close include:
- AC
- Backsplash
- upstairs hardwood (Mattamy was WAY out of our budget sadly, but we did upgrade first floor and found a store that sells the exact hardwood)
- painting
- Granite and quartz
- Baseboards and Crown moulding (baseboards may turn out to be a mistake :S)
- Garage door opener

Hope this helps!


riz1234 wrote:
Just received my Design guide! please send all donations to my Go Fund me page :D the prices are crazy, any design suggestions?


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2016 9:22 am 
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heather22003 - My list grows every time I visit the DC as well! My list is similar to yours

fahmidalipi - We considered a marble-looking tile for the front entrance foyer, but the level 1 tiles alone are more expensive than hardwood, so we will be going with hardwood in the foyer instead. I'm also going to get hardwood in the kitchen and possibly upstairs hall (if it makes the budget). Our first floor has an open concept layout, so I think one floor throughout will look best.

We are considering upgrading the tiles in the garage entrance and powder room, but not sure if it's worth it as this area in our model is separated from the first floor by a few steps.

We'll spend the bulk of the money in the kitchen. The wish list includes: upgraded cabinets, the "executive" or "master layout," stacked cabinets, and a few glass inserts. We will either delete the hood fan, or leave the existing hood fan and upgrade after close. And I'm interested in the faux island, but $1000+ for fake doors seems crazy! But I may cave and get it lol. We will do quartz/granite countertops after close.

We are also planning on upgrading the master ensuite with Lvl 1 tiles and cabinets (the standard white cabinets have an unattractive bumpy texture, and as heather22003 said, the cost of upgrading the cabinets in the bathroom isn't too bad - i think $100-200?) We may also do the double sinks but we're unsure if it's worth the cost ($1000). We will do quartz/granite countertops after close.

Other upgrades we going for are the gas line for the stove and bbq, and the plasma ready wall over the fireplace.
I'm also thinking of upgrading all the doors to smooth finish,but husband thinks this is a waste. And I also want to look at the cost of changing the sliding closet doors in the bedrooms but will need to find out if the cost worth it.

Soon after possession will do AC (necessary in July!), garage door opener, and the painting. Down the road we will do: quartz/granite countertops in the kitchen and bath, backsplash, wider baseboard and crown moulding, and island pendants, pot lights. And probably lots more I can't think of right now! :P

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Firm Closing Date: September 14, 2017


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2016 1:37 pm 
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lalexa wrote:
heather22003 - My list grows every time I visit the DC as well! My list is similar to yours

fahmidalipi - We considered a marble-looking tile for the front entrance foyer, but the level 1 tiles alone are more expensive than hardwood, so we will be going with hardwood in the foyer instead. I'm also going to get hardwood in the kitchen and possibly upstairs hall (if it makes the budget). Our first floor has an open concept layout, so I think one floor throughout will look best.

We are considering upgrading the tiles in the garage entrance and powder room, but not sure if it's worth it as this area in our model is separated from the first floor by a few steps.

We'll spend the bulk of the money in the kitchen. The wish list includes: upgraded cabinets, the "executive" or "master layout," stacked cabinets, and a few glass inserts. We will either delete the hood fan, or leave the existing hood fan and upgrade after close. And I'm interested in the faux island, but $1000+ for fake doors seems crazy! But I may cave and get it lol. We will do quartz/granite countertops after close.

We are also planning on upgrading the master ensuite with Lvl 1 tiles and cabinets (the standard white cabinets have an unattractive bumpy texture, and as heather22003 said, the cost of upgrading the cabinets in the bathroom isn't too bad - i think $100-200?) We may also do the double sinks but we're unsure if it's worth the cost ($1000). We will do quartz/granite countertops after close.

Other upgrades we going for are the gas line for the stove and bbq, and the plasma ready wall over the fireplace.
I'm also thinking of upgrading all the doors to smooth finish,but husband thinks this is a waste. And I also want to look at the cost of changing the sliding closet doors in the bedrooms but will need to find out if the cost worth it.

Soon after possession will do AC (necessary in July!), garage door opener, and the painting. Down the road we will do: quartz/granite countertops in the kitchen and bath, backsplash, wider baseboard and crown moulding, and island pendants, pot lights. And probably lots more I can't think of right now! :P



I know what you mean about stuff adding up quickly!! I liked riz1234 comment about starting up a go fund me page....lol

I would suggest you do some research before going all out as you can certainly save money on stuff. I priced out hardwood floors for the 2nd floor with Mattamy, vs going to the Flooring store in Milton and a flooring place in Norval, and was quoted a little less than 1/2 price for the material, there is no way that install will add up to what Mattamy is charging. I was going to do hardwood in the foyer possibly as well, however I was fortunate enough to work with a designer that helped me pick my colours and such, and she convinced me that is wasn't a good idea, since it is more a high traffic area, and more possibility of damage over the winter months with the salt and snow being tracked in.

I've contacted Frendel, and they tell me that you can order stuff directly from them after closing. You just need to wait 3 months, and they will colour match, just need to give them a door or something they can colour match it to. Might be an option if is you are somewhat handy and can install the faux doors after yourself. (The draw back is that you have to pick up and install yourself).

The double sink for sure is worth the money in the ensuites and adds value to the home. I was going to have it done by Mattamy, however there are other things I also wanted in the ensuite which Mattamy cannot do, therefore I will not be doing through them. I will be doing demo upon taking possession and redoing then ensuite.

I went with the fireplace, it is not in the DC book, however you can opt for a more modern looking insert. (black glass in lieu of the logs). I also priced that out with a local store and the price seemed reasonable. I would recommend if you have a TV above that you get the blower, as it will tend to get very hot. You may notice that the life your TV will be cut short do to the heat. (At least this is what both the fireplace store and my designer told me.)

Replacing the sliding doors were on my list to, however this is something I will do after moving in. I'm fortunate enough to work for a construction company, therefore know people in the trade and ran the list and pricing by them to get their advise as to what to do know vs. after.

One thing you may not have considered it the frost free bib in the back yard. Not that expensive with the builders, I think $69.00 if I recall, but I think would be well worth it.

Hope that helps a little with your decision process.


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2016 6:55 pm 
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rox272: Thanks! This is great advice! Didn't even think about the hose bib and the blower for the fireplace. We definitely need to take this time to do research while we're waiting for our design guide!

That's a good point about front door traffic and the hardwood. I originally wanted to do upgraded tiles there, but I'm now swaying toward the wood floors because I've noticed from seeing pictures of the Trenton, our foyer will be quite small and it looks choppy where the flooring switches from tile to hardwood, so I think hardwood will flow better. We may change our mind once we look at the tile options though. And hopefully the floors can sustain the elements. I'm thinking we will mostly come in through the garage like we do now (the garage entry will be tiled), so the front will mostly be used by visitors.

I wanted to do choose standard everything in both bathrooms and then replace the flooring and vanities after close (I've found some really nice vanities for significantly less than the cost of upgraded cabinets + quartz countertops) but in case it takes us 5 years to be able to afford that stuff, I should get something I can live with in the mean time.

Are you going to arrange to do some things with Frendel after close? My husband and I are reasonably handy. I was hoping to check out their show room last weekend (I can't decide between two of their cabinet styles), but when I looked up their hours I realized they are closed weekends and only open until 4 during the week, so iI'll have to give them a call and see what I can arrange over the phone.

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Hawthorne South Village | Phase 6

Firm Closing Date: September 14, 2017


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2016 7:18 pm 
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lalexa wrote:
rox272: Thanks! This is great advice! Didn't even think about the hose bib and the blower for the fireplace. We definitely need to take this time to do research while we're waiting for our design guide!

That's a good point about front door traffic and the hardwood. I originally wanted to do upgraded tiles there, but I'm now swaying toward the wood floors because I've noticed from seeing pictures of the Trenton, our foyer will be quite small and it looks choppy where the flooring switches from tile to hardwood, so I think hardwood will flow better. We may change our mind once we look at the tile options though. And hopefully the floors can sustain the elements. I'm thinking we will mostly come in through the garage like we do now (the garage entry will be tiled), so the front will mostly be used by visitors.

I wanted to do choose standard everything in both bathrooms and then replace the flooring and vanities after close (I've found some really nice vanities for significantly less than the cost of upgraded cabinets + quartz countertops) but in case it takes us 5 years to be able to afford that stuff, I should get something I can live with in the mean time.

Are you going to arrange to do some things with Frendel after close? My husband and I are reasonably handy. I was hoping to check out their show room last weekend (I can't decide between two of their cabinet styles), but when I looked up their hours I realized they are closed weekends and only open until 4 during the week, so iI'll have to give them a call and see what I can arrange over the phone.


I am planning on getting a pantry like unit done after closing. This is why I know that you only have to wait 3 months before they will talk to you and provide a quote. They explained that they make new batches of stain / paint every 2 weeks, therefore I would need to provide a door for them to colour match when mixing a new batch of paint. I've been to the Frendel show room on a Saturday, they are open from 9:00am to 4:00pm. It is the head office that is only open M-F, however the design studio is open. it has a Dixie address.

I will be getting a lot of the work done after moving. I'm also fortunate enough contacts in plumbing, HVAC and electrical. I know I am getting a gas cooktop, which means that I would have to upgrade the pipe to 1 1/4", however, I will be getting the HVAC come in to install the AC unit immediately, therefore he can upgrade the pipe to 1 1/4" and also do the connection for the gas cooktop as well as the backyard BBQ. You should look into it, because you can save some money there as well.

The only advantage to getting it done through the builder is that you can include the cost into your mortgage and therefore don't need to come up with the extra cash up front. I found the book very overwhelming, you just need to take your time.


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2016 10:28 pm 
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Got our design book for Shelburne, working on our upgrades, the prices are high, however one major item we are debating is the hardwood on 2nd floor (bedrooms and hallway) our calculation based on the book comes to 12K for group 3 . Any idea what would be the savings if we go on our own after closing?. Our main concern is if we will get the same grain / colour should we do ourselves after closing. Thoughts?

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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2016 10:31 pm 
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Thank you again rox!

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Firm Closing Date: September 14, 2017


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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2016 11:05 pm 
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Milton1 wrote:
Got our design book for Shelburne, working on our upgrades, the prices are high, however one major item we are debating is the hardwood on 2nd floor (bedrooms and hallway) our calculation based on the book comes to 12K for group 3 . Any idea what would be the savings if we go on our own after closing?. Our main concern is if we will get the same grain / colour should we do ourselves after closing. Thoughts?


We're not planning on doing hardwood after close, but I've read from a lot of users on this forum that Mattamy's hardwood is overpriced.

I'm not a huge fan of the included hardwood selection, but I calculated the cost to upgrade would be about 7K! I have to wonder, is the upgraded floor that much better quality than the standard? It's not like we're changing from carpet to hardwood to warrant such a high price. It's different with the upstairs because the hardwood is not already included up there, but 12K still seems steep. But I guess you'd have to get a quote and compare if it's worth the convenience of having it done before you move in.

Out of curiosity (because I would think we could have brand new hardwood installed for less than the cost to change the colour), I found an online calculator via google (greatfloors.ca) - and according to that, it would cost me about 6K with installation (or 4.8k if I did it myself). I'm not sure how accurate that price is, but if you want a quick answer you could try that online calculator to get a rough estimate?

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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Wed May 18, 2016 8:37 pm 
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Thanks Lalexa...This is great tool http://www.greatfloors.ca/flooring-calculator/ There is a 35% cost variation and this is installed cost. Guess time to delete bedrooms hardwood from Mattamy list of upgrades:)

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 Post subject: Re: Design book
PostPosted: Sat May 21, 2016 6:11 pm 
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Yep Mattamy makes a fictional hierarchy of hardwood floor selections so they can make money. The design center is the only way that Mattamy actually makes any reasonable profit out of the entire constructions process.

Having said that we decided to upgrade the existing hardwood areas (hardwood included on main flr.) to level 3 or level 4.

The second floor hardwood can be done afterwards and we only plan on installing it on the hall and the loft.

The profit margin on upgrades is ridiculous so 35% is probably conservative. Is kentwood the hardwood company you are referencing? We like the brushed oak feldspar from the milton DC. But after seeing the pictures on the kentwood website we don't like it once it is actually installed entirely.


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