I have fallen for the allure of cheap paint (Contractor paint at the big home stores) and paint color mix ups.  

Look at the facts without the rose (or green) colored glasses and base your decisions on facts and leave emotion out of the equasion.  

@Cheri I.Welcome to the vibrant BP community.

For instance; how many stairs, the length of the stairs, wether he's using rebar to reinforce, is he putting fiber in the concrete, is it colored, is he going to dowell into existing concrete.

@Andrew SanchezWelcome to the vibrant BP community.

@Christian RuizWelcome to the vibrant BP community.

Things like carpet can easily be replaced with something better (tile or hardwood floor or vinyl plank flooring), or an odd color in the kitchen can easily be painted to look a lot nicer.

Here is the carpet...http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Viking-Color-Tapestry-12-ft-Carpet-0701649705/100548002

Colors: White, Cheyenne, Denver-Counter Tops: installed with cabinets.

Even good vinyl siding starts to look rough 10-15 years in, and you can probably get 10 years out of a good paint job, especially if you use a lighter color (white or similar) for at least half the price of new siding.