Because I had already made many of my selections at my preview, my official visit to the Design Center was pretty stress-free. I was already aware of how disappointing most of the standard selections are, especially the cabinets and the flooring, so I was prepared for the costs related to upgrading both of these features and already had them in my contract. My design specialist, Debbie, walked me through each selection, starting with cabinets and moving on through the minute details of hardware and lighting.

In my case, I did not allow myself to be tempted by most of the available upgrades because my budget was so tight. I did allow myself a few extravagances such as the frameless shower stall upgrade and some accent tile, but for the most part, stayed pretty close to budget with only a $1,900 increase over my already written contract amount. And for the most part, I was able to include all of my wish-list that could not be changed or added at a later date. I escaped after only 2 hours (appointments can run as much as 4 hours), within $3,000 of my original budget.