If you’re having a home built from scratch, one of the things you might have to deal with is the selection of appliances for your new home. Many designers are used to working with certain contractors that provide all of the appliances for certain rooms in the house, and many of those appliances are from the same manufacturer. Is this a good thing? Let’s look at some pros and cons.
1. Having all appliances from the same company allows for a balance in aesthetics. If the manufacturer makes a blue refrigerator, they probably make all of their kitchen appliances with that same color as well. Color balance is very important to many homeowners, so you might want to defer to your designer if this is true for you.
2. Mixing appliances allows you to get what’s important to you. Do you want a refrigerator that offers multiple choices in ice, but the one your designer recommends only gives you cubes? Maybe you want energy-efficient appliances that aren’t offered by the designer’s manufacturer of choice. Were you hoping for stainless steel as opposed to colors? A range with a large flat grilling surface instead of electric burners? Choice isn’t always a bad thing, and checking out appliances from multiple manufacturers can give you a range of choices to suit your needs.
3. Cost is always a big factor. Does your contractor always select the most expensive or least expensive appliances? For that matter, are you willing to spend more money for something you want as opposed to going with the designer’s deal with a contractor? Discuss these issues with your designer, and always keep your budget in mind.
4. Brand names can be important. Are you a fan of Kohler kitchen faucets, but your designer only works with Delta contractors? Maybe you want a Carrier air conditioning unit and your designer only installs Frigidaire. Sometimes it doesn’t really matter, but if you have a preference you should be able to select what you want.
Of course there are other pros and cons, but the most important thing is to evaluate your preferences, then go with that. And never forget to get it in writing.
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