Currently My wife and I are preparing to build a new home. Certainly not
high end but it will most likely have most of what you have mentioned. I
suppose it is all relative as a for instance your mention of 10' ceilings
being in lower custom homes. Our 30 year old "starter home" has 10 foot
ceilings. Rounded corner sheet rock has been the norm in all new
construction for 15 + years. Hard wood trim is common but typically a
marginal up grade. What is a Pot Shelf? Skupltured/stepped ceilings and
crown molding are available in starter homes. Fancy front doors are common.
Starting to see fire places offered in the back yard patio. Granite is
common place and a 3 car garage is becoming a common neighborhoow sighting
for homes in new neighborhoods. Our new home will have a 3 car garage.

At the moment the home we are most interested in and appointed the way we
want will have, 10" ceilings, Island kitchen, extra study room, 3 bedrooms,
formal dining, breakfast nook, 3 car garage, brick 3 sides, extral high roof
line, tile in all rooms except bedrooms, oval tub and seperate shower,
remote controlled fire place, radient barrier decking, double pained low-e
windows, Cat 5 media wiring to name the most obvious and just under 2100 sq.
ft. single story. $148K.





"Nonnymus" wrote in message
...
I posted a similar inquiry to the home repair newsgroup and would
appreciate any suggestions for other, active, newsgroups where it would get
a good response.
===
I have a lifelong background in real estate and am now retired. I'd enjoy
discussing the differences in upscale single family residences found in
various parts of the country, if anyone is interested.

I am now retired to NV. Here, after looking at various custom and
semi-custom homes, I was surprised to learn I'd not "seen it all," yet.
Besides the expected features and amenities found in most upscale homes
today, such as commercial appliances in kitchens, media wiring, built in
vac, granite counters, cabinetry in the closets and multiple car garages,
I have seen some new things. These include a separate sink for vegetable
preparation, usually located near the one or two refrigerators, two
dishwashers, pot filler faucet by the cooktop, outlets inside bathroom
drawers for curlers and hair dryers, fireplaces in major bathrooms and the
master suite, steam showers and (always) an in-ground pool with spa.

Upscale flooring in Nevada is typically Travertine in most areas and
carpet in the bedrooms, with large tile being acceptable if it matches the
theme of the home. Ceilings are usually 10' in the "lower" semi-custom
homes and 12' to 15' in the better custom ones. Doors are almost always
8', solid, and have Baldwin or Emco hardware. Windows are low E double
pane, of course, and insulation is extensive. Exterior walls are 6" and
the better homes have 5/8" drywall throughout. In some of the better
custom homes, the front door(s) are massive iron with swing out leaded
glass inserts, weighing in around 400# each.

Another feature seen in the upscale homes is stepped, or coffered,
ceilings- many with crown mold as well on the vertical portions. Pot
shelves are found in even the tract homes. Drywall corners are rounded,
rather than square, and there is every conceivable finish to the drywall
other than flat and smooth. Even in the multi million dollar homes,
though, trim and baseboards are almost always painted and of man-made
material, rather than hardwood. Hardwood trim and doors are simply not
evident.

What amenities, features and the like do you find in your own area of the
country, such as the above?

Nonny