Summary: Keeping the cost of kitchen appliances lower can lower the total cost of building a house or home remodeling project.
Today’s modern energy efficient appliances can not only save you money by saving energy, they can help you as an owner/builder control cost overruns. How so? Since they are one of the last items to be installed in a house, they can be downgraded at the very last minute to lower costs thus lowering the total cost of construction on your new house.
Although this may not seem desirable to you in the planning stages, it’s not as bad as you may think.
As long as the appliance is from a reputable manufacturer, you aren't really downgrading, you are merely getting a similar appliance with fewer "bells and whistles." Appliances with fewer "bells and whistles" do the job they were built for just fine.
And, since I have always said "keep resale in mind" when you build or remodel, real estate appraisers could care less what you paid for an appliance, they just check it off as being there.
New home buyers merely notice that the appliances are the current "color of the decade." Today, the current color is stainless. Those of us who have been in home building, home remodeling, and real estate long enough, remember several favorite colors over the years. I think the worst was Avocado. Shudder. But they were installed in millions of homes.
So, as long as the color (Stainless this year) is right, your dishes will get clean, your food cooked, baked, or microwaved and your perishables refrigerated, with lower priced appliances and even you won't remember what you almost bought.
You will have more money in your pocket, or money to spend elsewhere on your house.
A $250.00 dishwasher fits in the same cabinet space as a $1,250.00 dishwasher, and pretty much looks the same.
It may only have two or three cycles instead of eight cycles or more but you can upgrade down the road if eight cycles are important to you.
Your construction lender could care less and it will not affect the final appraised value of your home. 
A $500.00 cook top surface unit fits in the same space as a $3,000.00 induction cook top surface unit. It may not cook as fast but it looks as good and again you can upgrade down the road.
Once again, the appraised value of your home will not be affected.
A $700.00 refrigerator fits in the same space as a $2,500.00 refrigerator.
You can upgrade later and refrigerators don’t even factor into the appraised value of your home because they are a plug-in appliance.
All prices were found online at bizrate.com
So, when you are in the planning stages and estimating building costs, use a dollar allowance for appliances that satisfies your desires, but leaves room for compromise.
That way savings of $1.00 to $2.00 a square foot can be found at the last minute.
Carl Heldmann
