New build extras (kitchen worktop and lights) - sort our own post completion?

hhhrick

We have reserved a new build with David Wilson Homes and are now at the point that we have to pick our choices and any extras we want. We have decided we are going to sort out our own flooring post completion as easy enough and will be able to get a much better price to quality ratio. The other extras we want are a quartz kitchen worktop, down lighting in a few rooms and a shower over the bath.

I am seriously considering choosing one of the laminate worktops from DWH that's included for free and immediately getting this changed once the sale completes (this seems a waste). Has anybody done this? DWH will charge us £5k for a quartz worktop in the kitchen and utility room so again I think I can get better quality and price elsewhere. DWH won't let us complete without them fitting a worktop so wondering how difficult it will then be for us to just get it changed?

The down lighting feels like more of a problem to sort after completion. DWH charge £130 per down light and we want 20 in the house so £2600 sounds so expensive but would it be far too much of a problem to get sunk down lighting in the ceilings after completion? Pretty much the same issue with the shower over the bath - they want £1k for this and to tile around it but that feels like a difficult thing to arrange later?

Has anybody had any experience with this or able to offer any advice before I try to find trades people to ask?

NSG666

If you know a friendly electrician he might be able to come up with a plan where they fit just enough downlighters for the electrics to be in the right place for him to tag onto and save a few quid but I wouldn't suggest contacting someone at random.

With both the lights and shower I think it would be best to bite the bullet and let them sort them though.

Racky_Roo

I can't comment on light fittings but with worktops could you ask them not to add the upstand and just fit the worktops? The upstand removal is what wrecks the walls so if you just take the worktop out and add either tiles or an upstand along with the new worktop then there should be no damage.

For the shower over the bath, it's easy enough to add the mixer tap but can you match the tiles the rest of the way up? that might be the sticking point

gwynlas

Yes unfortunately developers insist on fitting things  that you would wish to replace immediately.
It should be straightforward to replace worktop providing there isn't a tiled backsplash/ Similarly if floors are unfinished then retro fitting downlights should be fairly simple. Are you wanting the overbath shower surface mounted or hidden fixings and will you have sufficient water pressure/. Anything is possible providing you are able to pay and you will likely getter better quality for your spend. The only issue might be that you cross over on ssues with your sbagging list which they then refuse to rectify.

hhhrick

We're willing to pay and I don't even mind if it doesn't end up saving us money - I just think I'll get a better quality of product and work if I don't use the developer for these things. We're current in a 6 year old much smaller new build and the finishing on the work isn't great. Also the developer has a very limited range of things to choose from.
Floors will be unfinished but I've read about it being more difficult for electricians to get the boards up (and then down again) in these new builds?
I might bite the bullet with the shower and let them do it but the other two issues feel more important.

hhhrick

The back splash is going to be one piece of glass behind the hob - not sure how that will fare with replacing the counter.

newbuildbudget

Regarding the shower, we had the same debate as my partner’s step dad is a plumber and could do it for us for half the price. However he suggested we paid for them to do it for us because a) if he did it and there was an issue - and there often is with anything water related in new builds - and they’d seen he’d mucked about with it they might not fix it (he works on new builds and he knows from experience that some developers refuse if it’s been done externally and that wasn’t signed off by NHBC) and b) he couldn’t guarantee a tile match and would have to probably rip everything off the walls anyway. 

74jax

I worked with Barratt DWH for almost 10 years, left last year.
Certain things have to be in for NHBC or else it doesn't get signed off. 

Try and make friends with your Site Manager, who will have a host of contacts for you locally.

Definitely remove things carefully and sell on as brand new, unused.