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Budget & wish list

Toggle, swap options, edit numbers. Total updates live. Saves to your browser.

How to use

  • Priority badges: Must required · Should strongly preferred · Nice cuttable
  • Radio = pick one option (only the selected one counts)
  • Override Low / High to your builder's number
  • Reset restores defaults · Print view = printer-friendly
  • → details on any line jumps to the source page
  • Same calculator on each room page, filtered to items touching that room

Locked decisions affecting budget

  • Flooring — LVP across living, tile in wet rooms, carpet eliminated
  • Heated floor — main bath only
  • HVAC — high-velocity heat pump, 2 zones, Wi-Fi thermostat
  • Electrical — 100A → 200A; outlet replacement; EV conduit stub; Cat6 drops; standard dimmers
  • Plumbing — poly-B → PEX (baths + kitchen); gas tankless WH
  • Crawlspace — insulate after trades
  • Interior doors — replace all
  • Painting — upstairs (and likely main floor)
  • Kitchen — island, quartz, dark wood slab, induction, panel-ready built-ins
  • Living room — wood fireplace → gas; surround = kitchen backsplash material
  • Rec room — remove in-floor hot tub

Builder-discussion checklist

When walking this with the builder, ask them to:

  1. Replace Low / High values with their estimates (inputs are editable)
  2. Flag unclear specs before pricing
  3. Identify items to defer if total exceeds budget — typically Nice first, then swap Should radios to cheaper options (cheaper hood, less ambitious painting, smaller range)
  4. Confirm cross-room dependencies (e.g. fireplace surround follows kitchen backsplash)
Proposal vs. reno reality

Design proposal had ~$42k of furnishing/finishing budgets, with $9k for the kitchen. Current spec (custom dark-wood slab + quartz + induction + panel-ready built-in fridge + Bora-style hood) typically runs $40k–$80k+ for the kitchen alone, before plumbing/electrical rough-in.

Areas the proposal didn't capture (and that need their own budget lines):

  • HVAC — full heat-pump replacement (not in proposal at all)
  • Heated floor in main bath
  • House-wide LVP install (not in proposal)
  • Tile in wet rooms — main bath + master ensuite + upstairs bath + sauna anteroom
  • Bathroom renovations — new main bath + master ensuite reno (and possibly upstairs bath)
  • Sauna renovation
  • Rec room hot tub removal
  • Living room gas fireplace
  • Electrical — 200A panel + outlet replacement + lighting fixtures
  • Plumbing — poly-B replacement + gas tankless + new bath rough-ins
  • Crawlspace insulation
  • Interior doors + painting
  • Existing baseboard removal + wall patch + repaint every room

The calculator above is the working answer. The midpoint is a starting point for builder conversation.