New Home Upgrades and Fixtures (Austin, Lakeway: hardwood floors, sales, new house)

[IDtoTX]

We are currently in the process of moving from ID to Austin and are looking at the possibility of building a new home. We've looked at some new homes in different neighborhoods throughout SW Austin and Lakeway/Bee Cave area. I'm really surprised at the trim, upgrades and fixtures that are in the new homes here. In ID it's becoming more of a trend to have darker baseboards/crown moulding. In almost everything we've looked at in Austin it's bright white and sales people look at us like we're crazy when we ask about painting it a darker color. Alot of the fixtures we've noticed are brushed nickel. We are used to seeing oil rubbed bronze. The other thing is the flooring. We are used to seeing more hardwood in homes and not nearly as much tile. Are these trends that just haven't made it to Austin (and most likely will) or is it just a regional difference? I don't want to have a home that looks "weird" and will be tough to resell but I also don't want to build a home with outdated trends.

Any input??

Thanks!

[Trainwreck20]

I don't think they are a trend so much as a regional difference. Tile is more of a traditional SW flooring. There is a thread on here about the tile floors vs hardwood and carpet, too. There are more and more people moving here from other areas who do not like the tile, so most homes have a wood floor option, but even those tend to be the lighter woods, not dark.

As for the colors, lighter colors have always (in my lifetime, anyway) been more popular. The bronze/brass fixtures are usually considered the 'cheaper' ones, so you might see those as standard in some homes, with the nickle being the upgrade.

Personally, I think the heat makes people want a cooler look in the house (light colors/tile) vs. places where it is cold and people are trying to go for a warm look (darker colors/wood). Anyway, if your house does become 'dated' because of the colors/fixtures, you will have LOTS of company .

[achtungpv]

Last year I removed all my dark baseboards, crown molding and doors and put in new white one. It just seems more modern and less dated.

[jhwest]

Styles here are very different than in ID/UT. Everything there is brown. Tons of wood, distressed finishes, rustic "European" (everyone calls it tuscan, but it really isn't). Most people have knotty alder cabinets and either copper or oil-rubbed bronze fixtures. I had that look in my house in Salt Lake and the oil-rubbed bronze is definitely spendy. About the same or maybe a bit more than the nickel. Although in Utah things are starting to lighten up a bit.
I think it's definitely a regional difference. The cabinets, fixtures, etc. will all be different than you're used to. I visited a few builders when we were looking at houses in Austin and not a single one had distressed cabinets as an option. So strange!
I was getting pretty sick of all the brown stuff myself, so I went the opposite way when I moved here and am doing my house in all bright pastels. I'm right in the middle of reupholstering my sofa in bright green and pink. I don't think that's the style here either, but it's what I love, so who cares? (unfortunately my husband does. Sorry honey, I need some color in my house!)
And forget about any sort of decent laundry/craft room. People in ID/UT are serious crafters and most new houses wouldn't have some sort of big space for that. There are a lot of nice outdoor spaces here, though, so it must have something to do with people spending more time outside than in. My neighbor turned her dining room into a huge sewing/knitting/scrapbook room and I'm trying to talk my husband into that. (Coincidentally my neighbor is from Boise).
I would really examine what you like, not what is trendy. Do you actually like all that wood? Or is it just what you're used to? If you prefer modern or something completely different than what's popular in Idaho, this might be just the excuse you need to change. But if you like that rustic look, go for it. You'll be a lot more unique down here. I don't know that the rustic look will ever be as popular down here. I think it's more of a mountain style.

[llkltk]

I disagree with Trainwreck on a few things. First of all, oil rubbed bronze is not the cheapest, it is the most expensive and is available as an upgrade. You'll see it more in homes over 325K, under that people go with chrome or nickel which is usually standard. My current builder in SW Austin offers dark wide plank hardwood floors, it is not true that they only offer lighter floors. The darker floors are the most expensive upgrade. Texas does use white baseboards. I happen to prefer them. Tile is also what everyone uses lately. It is the current trend. I've had it and I hate it, I'm putting in hardwoods in my new home. I think it is much warmer. Most of the homes I walked through have tile probably because it is much cheaper. My house will have a much different look than everyone elses. Don't worry about what your neighbor is doing, do what you like. You can always have the baseboards painted. This used to be an option with my builder but they stopped doing it. What community did you look at in SW Austin?

Also, I disagree with another poster about distressed cabinets. I'm getting them and several builders do offer this, it is pricey though.

[Taterhead]

I live in Phoenix and we have white baseboards, and trim, I would never buy a home with brown trim or brown wooden blinds even. I like the white because it feels clean, bright and updated. The brown feels old and dated imo, like the old paneled walls use to have.

Also, I agree the brass is considered cheap but not the bronze, that is and upgrade here.


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[texdav]

I think it is also a regional thing. It has been common in western and southwestern states to prefer natural stone tile floors and lighter color . Just as in florida and southern coastal states you see lighter and even more briight colors. But then again even clothing is much different than in the colder climates.My mother said that her taste just changed with time after moving to texas from the northeast.

[llkltk]

Yes but really I think a lot of times it is because people don't want to fork over the money for hardwoods. Tile gets so filthy, I hate it!

[IDtoTX]

Thanks for all the responses! When I was speaking about the baseboards and crown moulding I didn't mean really dark but just a slightly darker color than the walls or the same color as the walls.

It was just so interesting to see the differences in what is popular down here vs. what is popular in Idaho.

We have looked at quite a few new neighborhoods including Circle C, Belterra, Lantana and Falconhead in Bee Caves.

[llkltk]

Did you check out Meridian? It is down the road from Circle C. It will only be 800 homes, more intimate than Circle C. Prices will range from upper 200s to the 1 millions.