panda wrote:
I'm comparing the kitchen upgrades and I'd love some input & opinions from other Renfrew owners. According the sketches in the design guide, the sous kitchen upgrade only adds the fridge gable, deep uppers, & light valances. The executive kitchen includes the sous upgrades plus crown moulding and pots & pan drawers. I've heard the crown moulding is only possible without the bulkheads and that deleting the bulkheads isn't an option in the Renfrew. I'm going to clarify this with my DC. Its about $1000 to upgrade from the included to the sous and $1000 difference between sous & executive (in the cabinet style I chose). I'm not considering the grande layout.
I'm a first time homeowner and I just don't see whats so special about those features. I've never noticed them in a home! I think cabinet color, countertops, backsplash, floors, all make a huge impact but that little bit of trim at the top or bottom of the cabinet never bothered me. I've lived in homes that have fridge gables & deep uppers and never thought twice about them, I could care less if they're there or not. However one of the Mattamy design center associates said most people upgrade to the executive at least. I'm curious if other Renfrew owners opted for these upgrades and what they found was worth it.
I went with the executive because I'm not a first time buyer and plan on staying a while, so these things do make a difference to me, especially the pot and pan drawer since this layout doesn't exactly give you tons of cupboard space to begin with. I personally didn't opt for the grande, even though the picture of the one above looks great, because I find the wall oven to be a trendy gimmick that costs a lot more then even a nice gas range and takes away cupboard and counter space.