Buying a new home? Be aware of these changes to builder standards

Home builders are compromising on construction details, including some basics, as buyers seek to pay less for new homes.

Here are some of the common ways to economize, estimated savings to the builder, and the issues for the buyer to consider:

• 17-foot double garage saves $5,000 to $8,500. The recommended width is 20 feet. Narrower makes it harder to get in and out of the cars.
• Textured walls and ceilings. $450 on a 3,000-square-foot home. Hard to repaint and repair.
• Smaller central air. $1,000. It takes a long time to cool the home.
• Advanced framing. $10,000. Advanced engineering studies say placing studs at 24-inch intervals rather than 16 doesn’t affect structural integrity. Actually, it leaves more room for insulation, which is a good thing.
• Fixed windows. $200 per window. Not being able to open windows is a huge inconvenience for many people.