Hey UT, I didn't notice the notification for a PM! Sorry about that.
Yes, I did mean that doing all the work yourself, even if you pay for a contractor, is cheaper than getting the upgrades. For example, for hardwood flooring, they will probably ask for about $12/sq.ft, maybe more. I found my engineered hardwood on sale for $2/sq.ft, and installed it myself. 1100 sq.ft of hardwood for about $2500, plus about a week of work. A contractor probably would have installed it for about $2000, which is still less than half of the upgrade cost from the builder. The only thing worth upgrading is the appliances, as condos usually come with shitty ones, and they are hard to sell.
We also did granite counter-tops for about $1600 installed, plus undermount sink and marble backsplash. Our completely redone kitchen cost us around $5000 + appliances.
Yes, I did mean that doing all the work yourself, even if you pay for a contractor, is cheaper than getting the upgrades. For example, for hardwood flooring, they will probably ask for about $12/sq.ft, maybe more. I found my engineered hardwood on sale for $2/sq.ft, and installed it myself. 1100 sq.ft of hardwood for about $2500, plus about a week of work. A contractor probably would have installed it for about $2000, which is still less than half of the upgrade cost from the builder. The only thing worth upgrading is the appliances, as condos usually come with shitty ones, and they are hard to sell.
We also did granite counter-tops for about $1600 installed, plus undermount sink and marble backsplash. Our completely redone kitchen cost us around $5000 + appliances.