New Build Customisation — How to Personalise Your Home Before Completion

One of the genuine advantages of buying a new build is the ability to personalise your home before completion — choosing your kitchen, flooring, tiles, and other finishes. Managing this process well can make your new home feel genuinely yours from the day you move in.

Kitchen

Kitchen choices are typically among the first decisions required — often 3–6 months before anticipated completion:

• **Unit style and colour** — from the developer's range (usually 2–4 options per tier)
• **Worktop material and colour** — laminate, quartz, granite depending on tier
• **Appliances** — hob type (induction typically standard in 2026), oven size and type, fridge-freezer or separate units, dishwasher

**Cost vs value:** developer kitchen upgrades are typically priced at 30–50% above what the same specification would cost if commissioned independently. However, changing a kitchen after completion is disruptive (the kitchen is installed before tiling, plastering, and decoration). Taking the upgrade at build stage is more cost-effective than replacing a standard kitchen within the first two years.

Bathrooms

Choices typically include:

• **Floor and wall tiles** — from the developer's tile range
• **Sanitary ware** — standard basin and WC vs upgraded designs
• **Tap and shower fittings** — standard vs upgraded chrome or brushed brass

Bathroom tiling, in particular, is very expensive to change post-completion (wet room waterproofing, tiling, replastering). Consider these choices carefully.

Flooring

**Ground floor options** typically include:

• Standard carpet throughout
• **Upgrade to LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile)** — durable, water-resistant, good in kitchen/diner/family room
• Ceramic or porcelain tiles — developer's range for kitchen and utility

**Upper floors** are almost always carpeted as standard.

Flooring is one of the more accessible upgrades to complete independently post-build (particularly carpet and LVT). If developer pricing is high, this is an area where post-completion work is less disruptive.

Electrical Additions

Common available additions:

• **Additional double sockets** — identify where you'll need more than the standard allocation
• **CAT6 ethernet cabling** — if you work from home, wired internet is faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi; impossible to add cost-effectively post-plasterboard
• **External lighting** — front and rear security lighting, patio lights
• **USB sockets** — built-in USB charging sockets

CAT6 cabling is one of the highest-value "invisible" upgrades available. The cable itself costs very little; fitting it post-build requires chasing out plasterboard at significant expense.

Outdoor Choices

Standard specification varies widely:

• **Turf vs seeded lawn** — seeded lawns take months to establish; turf is ready immediately
• **Paving** — rear patio (usually standard) vs additional paving, path treatment
• **Fencing** — confirm what's included (many developers only install boundary fencing, not internal garden separation)

When to Decide

Decisions close in stages as the build progresses:

• **Structural/electrical changes** — typically close before frame completion (very early in the build)
• **Kitchen and bathroom** — typically 3–6 months before completion
• **Flooring and decoration** — typically 2–3 months before completion

Missing a decision deadline means you get the standard specification. Request all decision deadlines in writing from the developer's sales team, and diarise them on the day you reserve.