hen you get into designing your new home and ideas start to flow, it's easy to decide that, as long as you're building, you "might-as-well" add this or might-as-well enlarge or upgrade that. When you get into the construction phase, the same thing can happen all over again. The might-as-wells can add up fast and can increase the cost of your home significantly.

We're convinced that might-as-wells are part of human nature and suggest you stash a some extra money away to cover them. During design we give our customers "might-as-well alerts" if the evolving design begins to creep up in price, so they can make their decisions based on reality. Beware of the might-as-wells if you're working on a tight budget!

Not long ago one of our customers stopped at our office after having just moved into their new Sunlight home. He was thrilled with his home but said that it had ended up costing more than they really wanted to spend. He remembered that we had given him budget alerts, but when he actually got into the process they opted to pay more for higher grade finishes.

We remarked how those might-as-wells can really sneak up on you. He said, "No, it wasn't that," he said. "It was just that when we came right down to it, we decided that as long as we were building the home we'd planned for many years, we might-as-well do it right."

"EXACTLY!" we said. THOSE are the might-as-wells! He stopped and thought for a moment, then smiled. "You talked about the might-as-wells as we went through the process, but it never really understood it like I do now."

Every project has at least a couple might-as-wells. They are a double-edged sword, because often they really do make a lot of sense, long-term, and they improve the look, feel and/or quality of your home, but they can easily take you over your original budget. It's always better to be prepared emotionally and financially for the might-as-wells. You never know when they might strike.

Now don't say we didn't warn you!