This is a question I often get asked, and the answer depends on how much you like the standard finishes in their market rate homes. I like the fact that David Weekley put a list of their upgrades deployed in the model home – the Antone floorplan on Zach Scott, as this home is indeed heavily upgraded.
One thing to keep at the forefront of your mind is that the prices are always “from $xxx” and on some homes the lot is longer or wider which allows for a slightly different configuration which adds to the base price before you even go to the design center. For example – if there are a certain number of deployments of a given elevation on the street where you plan to build a new home, you may be limited to a certain elevation which includes a balcony for which there is an extra cost.
The same holds true for the Garden Homes, which are all on irregular lots. This means that most of them had the opportunity to add additional size to the home – either length or width, which in turn had knock on effects – perhaps a wider lot meant a wider home which allowed a kitchen island. This made pricing and upgrades a little more complex than with a traditional production home build.
To get back to the original question, I’ve had clients who have spent practically nothing on upgrading their home, using the design center appointment as an opportunity to select from the base level offerings (which do exist in the upstairs bathroom of the Antone model for example). I’ve had other clients who have spent 10% of the base price on upgrading their home to their personal style.
A second thing to ponder is that one of the largest upgrade costs after additional size is added to a home is the flooring – while plans come with ceramic tile in the wet areas and carpet in the living areas, at some price points buyers are keen to add hardwood flooring.
To get an idea of the cost of decorating your new David Weekley Home, come to the sales office armed with an idea of what features are important to you, and ask the sales folk for approximate values for them. The designers at the Design Center are very good at working to a budget and don’t tend to try to sell you things that you don’t want or need.