Luxury vinyl planks (LVP) would be a great fit in your situation. They look like wood but are completely waterproof and won't warp due to water, unlike real hardwood. This is perfect for high traffic areas and spaces that will see messy pets or busy kids.

Here's a link to many of the LVP options on Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/photos/products/query/luxury-vinyl-plank/nqrwns

(You can save money by purchasing through Home Depot.)

Congrats on your new house!

Thank you so much!! That sounds like exactly what we're looking for.

is there an alternative flooring that's still resilient, but cost effective?

Recently on a similarly themed thread, people were recommending cork. Bamboo is an option, though I myself wouldn't recommend it.

OK....so you want your cake and eat it too. You want "cost effective" yet scratch resistant flooring. You are South. Cal. Excellent. Tile. Done.

Remember: your floors will take the MOST AMOUNT OF ABUSE of any finish/surface in your home. Why? Because gravity works. Everyone HAS to touch the floor at some time. If they are in bed, then the bed is sitting on the floor. If they jump in the air, they have to land.

Now. You can have cost effective (with down sides) or you can have expensive (with minimal downsides). You can't have "cost effective" while expecting perfection. It doesn't work that way.

Tile is one of the most appropriate floors for your situation. You want resilient (I'm assuming you do NOT want it to scratch). Porcelain tile is the SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE anti-scratch material on the planet.

It also has a hefty installation cost. Good. It's supposed to. It is a 30+ year floor. It isn't supposed to be removed in 7 years. That's why it costs money to install it.

Hardwood floors are also costly. They are expensive to purchase (material) and they can be expensive to install (glue down is especially expensive). But they are 60 - 100 year floors. They can be refinished on the "cheap" ($4-$5/sf to refinish a solid hardwood). A new floor can't be "had" for that price (with removal of old + purchase + install = $6/sf or more even for cheap laminate).

But hardwood's will scratch. It's what they do. It is part of their charm. It is to be expected and to be loved and embraced. As a HOMEOWNER you are the one who must embrace such a concept. Not the wood. It is not part of the 'love' equation. It is the HUMAN who must do the loving.

Vinyl floors are not cheap to purchase. They are not super expensive. They are not cheap to install (but are not super expensive either). They will scratch but the high-end one's will not do it as much as hardwoods.

Bamboo is the same....but with WAY MORE PROBLEMS in a completely different side of the equation. Cork is the softest hardwood in the world and it LOVES to scratch. I mean LOVES TO DO IT! Loves loves loves to do it. It fades heavily as well. You have to LOVE cork to live with it in SoCal.

Stone is like porcelain but more expensive and more maintenance. Concrete is like porcelain but can be more expensive (super expensive = no maintenance; low-cost = HUGE amounts of maintenance).

As you can see, it takes the homeowner's own knowledge of him/her self to move forward with flooring.

If you want cheap and durable, then a HIGH END laminate with a HIGH END underpad = $4.50 - $6.50/sf for materials. The install should be around $2/sf. If you are going to use laminate, you might as well go high end. It has all the best properties without the down side. A high-end laminate will give MORE service than a low-end hardwood, low-end vinyl or even a cheaply installed tile floor (we've seen those needing a complete redo inside 18 months).

Homeowner, Know Thyself. Then choose your floor. Vinyl can have issues in direct sunlight if it gets too hot (melts the vinyl) or it can fade (some turns ash-white and others turn purple/black). Laminate and tile do NOT have these issues.

SJ, you're amazing! Thank you for breaking this all down. I never thought of tile for the living room. I definitely want something to last and I want to .... like everyone.... get the best bang for our buck. I want to make sure its something we're spending the money on for the lifetime on the floors.

I'll start pulling costs for some tile options now. I might do half tile, have wood flooring? I mean something to think about. I like the full floor look, but I think with the kitchen, tile might stand the test of time with all the people moving around in there!!

SJ implied this, but remember that "cost effective" is over the life of the flooring material. Cheap laminate might be the cheapest option, but if you have to replace it in 5 years, it isn't very cost effective (especially if you decide then to do a more expensive, more permanent floor).

A floor that you still love and still looks great in 30 years (perhaps with a refinish, in the case of hardwood), looks pretty reasonable, when divided by the life of the floor.

But a "permanent" floor requires very careful consideration, since you aren't going to want to change it out whenever your mood or your style changes. You need a color/pattern/style that will stand the test of time.

Good luck with your project!

Wood look tile would be an upgrade, but a permanent scratch free and virtually indestructible choice.

I live in SoCal, and the cost of install for you might be almost as much as the cost of your materials. Depending on what you select, and size of your sq footage, the difference in the price of your different types of mid quality floors might not be a great factor for you. Work it out. But choose wisely, because floors are so expensive.

You might consider tile for the kitchen and bath -- two parts of the house where wet floors are not uncommon. You could then choose better quality flooring for the living and dining room. Then use similar but less expensive flooring for the bedrooms -- where most of the floor will be covered by furnishings anyway. You can add rug(s) as needed there.

You can add some rug runners for the hallway and other traffic areas to minimize wear (especially after the children arrive at that age where they'll track in more sand than you even knew you had in your yard).

I'm going to assume you have an appointment at the "design center" to select finishes etc.. If that is the case, have you already spent time looking at what options are available as "standard" on your home? If you have NOT done this I would suggest, in the strongest way possible, that you delay your appointment. Ask for a "per sheet" for your model. This is a printout of every option available AND the up-charge for each. Make several copies and read every line. Buyers are usually given about 4 to 5 hours to select everything...and become completely overwhelmed...and can be very disappointed in the end result because they were under a time constraint.

I would avoid vinyl plank at all cost. It just looks and feels cheap. Engineered wood has come a long way. Check those options out carefully. Not as expensive as hardwood but very nice alternative. Wood look tile is trendy, so not sure about that. Check to see if a basalt slate is an option. Doesn’t get as cold as tile, but has durability and looks stunning. Holds up in any conditions.

IMO tile floor as easy as it is to care for is horrible on your knees and backs and IMO the last floor I would choose for a whole house. We actually decided to go with a laminate that looks like slate it even has some tecture to it we have had it for 10 yrs with 3 big dogs , tons of parties it is every where including our main bathroom , not one issue.

Thank you everyone!

chiflipper, we do have the printout and I've been going over every single line of upgrades. My husband and I are only doing the structural upgrades. Any accessories, we're going with their standard. We actually work for a plumbing company and can get appliances/accessories, pretty much anything home related at employee pricing. We feel pretty ready for our appointment. Flooring is our only hold up. We want to get it done through the contractor, so its don, but I want to make the best decision, since flooring is one of the most important aspects. I've received a few different quotes on flooring.

And we are only flooring the downstairs, upstairs we're going with the standard carpet

We received the following quotes.

1. Tile everywhere downstairs, but the greatroom would be carpet. Best pricing

2. Wood flooring everywhere downstairs, but the greatroom would be carpet. This is most appealing to us. More expensive than tile, but not by much and it gets us hard wood flooring everywhere but the living room.

3. Tile and Wood combo, not appealing. Almost as much as wood flooring the whole room

4. Tile everywhere, not really appealing. Possibly? But I'm waiting for a quote on wood looking tile. The quote provided was just standard ceramic tile.

5. Vinyl everywhere, Not sure about this one at all. Pricing wasn't as good as we were thinking and I'd rather pay to have wood and tile than just vinyl.

Thanks suezbell, Flo Mangan and Patricia Colwell Consulting. I never thought about laminate flooring. I wonder what pricing would look like for that option? I think we're either going to go tile and wood combo or tile and carpet or wood and carpet. I don't want to go carpet in such high traffic area, but it might be the best bang for our buck. We're not going vinyl though. I think it won't stand the test of time.

Thanks Sophie Wheeler, I just emailed our designer to ask for a quote for wood look tile. I think this might be a good alternative!!

If wood flooring everywhere downstairs but the great room is the most appealing to you, why not extend the wood floors to the great room? The incremental cost is probably not that much but it will look much better with wood uniformly through out the first floor.

Do the greatroom in the same flooring. You won't be loving that carpet with animals and children for very long. Then you will be trying to match or work with combining yet another flooring choice. How big is the greatroom? Don't be penny-wise and pound foolish as my Mother used to say.

@sillycannoli - great minds! lol

sillycannoli, Flo Mangan the cost of adding it to the great room is almost double. The greatroom is a huge area. Approx. 381sqft. I'm not sure what will be best, but the all wood flooring is over our budget for flooring. So I have to come up with another alternative.

My next question. I know there are back and forth feelings on Vinyl Plank. This we could afford to put everywhere down stairs.

Does any one know the quality of Armstrong Flooring, Luxe Plank with Rigid Core? This is the Vinyl we were quoted. (ignore color, we haven't picked that yet)

https://www.armstrongflooring.com/residential/en-us/vinyl-flooring/luxury-vinyl/traditional-luxury-vinyl-tile/luxe-plank-with-rigid-core/item/A6420.html

I have two clients who in the last year have installed the vinyl through their builder on new builds. They had limited choices from the builder. Both have had to have that replaced (bad installation) and the replacement is just as bad. They are replacing with Engineered wood. I have another client who installed in a reno, and we got high quality (don't have exact specs anymore) but they are happy with it. They have 2 dogs. So, main thing is to get at least 2mm wear layer and get very good installation. Personally, I would rather have tile. I don't like the feel of it. Feels plastic to me.

thanks Flo, I'm thinking were going wood or tile in the end. are the builders bad at install? now I'm wondering about getting quotes after the house is built and have flooring installed?

IMO the builders of tract and production type hire the least expensive installers with the least amount of experience. JMO. Remember, these type of builders look for many ways to boost their bottom line. When you get to a custom builder, you generally (but not always) get better subcontractors.

My experience; the builder mark-up $$ and their lack of top-notch installers = an unhappy homeowner. Porcelain plank tile demands a Pro who has extensive experience and expertise with this product. My solution; get whatever carpet is offered as standard, then source your tile and Pro. Kudos to you for properly preparing for your appointment...so many do not.

Thanks chiflipper, I think you're right. I've been hearing a lot of positive things about going tile throughout, so I think that's what we're going to do. I just need to start getting quotes now for installers. I would hate to pay all the money to the builder and then not do a good job installing the flooring.

I'm checking right now what the flooring warranty is with the builders. If they have one. Today my last day to talk with the designer before our appointment (she has Friday & Saturday off) So I'm hoping to make today count! Stressful!

Installation is key. Is the "designer" being paid by the builder? If so, recognize she/he will be less than forthcoming about installation. Ask the builder this direct question. How many floors have you/builder had to replace? Do you have a copy of the Builder Warranty? That should state what warranty is associated with most major elements of your home. However, warranties are only as good as the "initial" sub. If you do the tiling yourself, you own the warranty or the company you use. Most builders would not let you do that much major work outside their control. The methods for installing, quality of the subflooring, amount of thinset or other materials are very important. Ask what the underlayment is for the vinyl if you go that way. There are many approaches and lots of variables. Good luck. Hope you have a good meeting! btw, if you just can't get it all done, arrange for a second appointment. The world won't stop. It's your money!

Haha, its so funny you mentioned a second appointment Flo Mangan. It took so long to get the first one made, I actually made double appointments back to back weekend, in case I couldn't figure out something I wanted. I'm usually a very decisive person. However, flooring, construction....not my cup of tea.

I'll definitely ask for a copy of the builders warranty. On all the quotes they gave me for flooring there is "Pad" listed. I'm not sure what this is, I figured it went under the flooring but it says 3/8" Saxony 5# Rebond. Not sure what the subflooring will be?

My husband and I are really leaning towards now going with what is standard and getting it professionally done later. I thought it would be easier not having to move all our stuff. I've never been through a "re-design" of a house. My childhood home, I was never home when my parents had contractors in the house. So this is all new!

That is padding for carpet. It is average. Replacing flooring after move in is a nightmare. Appliances are biggest issue. So I would do everything possible for proper flooring at build. So very hard to change later to say nothing of the extra cost. Of course, we all have our financial limitations. No matter what price range we are in. So good luck.

Happy to say we decided to go with the wood like ceramic tile for the ENTIRE downstairs :) Thank you all for your help!! I will definitely be having more questions as the house is built and we start moving in.

We went with White cabinets for the kitchen, the granite counter tops. Ceramic wood like tile for entire downstairs. Carpet upstairs in all the rooms, White granite for the bathrooms and the creamy vinyl for the bathrooms upstairs.

We will be upgrading the stairs and upstairs flooring probably in another 5 years. Saving up for the next round of home improvements!

What is the granite you selected called?

the kitchen granite is Bainbrook Brown

Hi Amanda!

Whenever you decide to upgrade your upstairs flooring come visit our showroom! We have multiple locations in Southern California and we carry a large range of flooring from our top quality Portofino flooring line in laminate, vinyl, hard wood, engineered wood along with wood tiles. In addition we carry other brands and companies, our sales people are extremely helpful and will get you the best price, we hope you stop by!

S&S Team

Amanda - very nice choices and I'm so happy for you. Your "process" for looking for input and assessing according to your needs and budget has resulted in great decisions. Congrats! Only 10,000 more decisions! (just kidding!) you are so smart!