So the fun, exciting, crazy, nerve racking, indecisiveness has begun! Last night we met with our sales rep to pick out our options! I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed in the selections (carpet) available and where the selections were located.(basement of the model) I guess one of the things that the other builder did offer was an actual design center with actual full size offerings of their selections which was really helpful in making our choices. They had full kitchen models with different granite, cabinets and flooring, along with multiple sink options, a full ceramic bath, fireplaces and multiple mantel choices, washers and dryers, faucets, knobs, you name it, if they sold it there was an actual example. I really liked the kitchen, because we were able to pull out the drawers, and compare this granite with that cabinet against this floor etc, not to mention the most important thing...natural light! I am sure that if we never saw the design center the "basement" would have been just fine. But it did feel like going from driving a BMW to a Yugo. :) The good thing for us is that we did have that experience to lean on when making our new selections!
Ok, now that I have gotten that off my chest, let me tell you a little bit about the Old.
We really like our old selections and hoped that Ryan offered similar choices, I guess that's why I named this blog the way I did!
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| Kitchen cabinets, granite, tile for the kitchen and MB Tile, carpet for Family Room |
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| Close Up - Pic does not show detail in tile. | I really loved the HW Floor and Granite! :( |
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| Close Up, MB Tile |
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| Brick and Siding |
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| HW Floors, I really wish they were darker! |
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| Kitchen Cabinets, Tile and Granite |
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| MB with Cabinets, Granite and Tile |
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| Hall Bath |
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| 5th Bedroom Private Bath |
1. Darker Granite in Kitchen and darker tile
2. Lighter HW floors - Does CTI have more options? (crossing fingers!)
3. Added Granite to all baths
4. Added tile to hall and 5th BR bath
Still Pending:
1. Meet with Carpet Company
2. Meet with Guardian
3. Pick out fireplace (just could not decide!)
Any and all feedback is welcome! I have pretty tough skin!! LOL!
Adding pic of MB Sitting Room
Yes, their basement selection is a tad weak..but when we went to CTI to pick other flooring options, we were able to see a FULL range of choices and make as many changes as we wanted. They had a MUCH larger selection then the BASEMENT showroom. So hopefully you are able to go to CTI in about two weeks or so and have even more time to be decisive. Nice choices though!
ReplyDeleteYa its a bit underwhelming. We didnt even have a basement!! Ours was all just stored in a closet in the models bedroom!!! Seriously?! After coming from Meritages design center it was rather a let down. But like Lady said...CTI has much much more. I just wish CTI had all the "fixins" Like the cabinet knobs, and lighting options and stuff like that. But oh well. Cant win em all.
ReplyDelete@Lady, Guess who called me today....CTI! That was fast! I am so glad there are more options to choose from. While I was "okay" with our choices I feel a lot better knowing that there are more.
ReplyDeleteHow are things with your house coming along? Looks like you are close to closing!!
I love your bar! I am so jealous, but in a good way :) We are trying to decide on how to best spend our money on options...we have a budget of only 10K, and we already spent 2300 yesterday and we haven't even met with CTI or Guardian yet! We are torn between adding a porch, getting the bar, building a patio or adding a 4th full bath, I want all 4 but I know that is out of question!
Hi New Build,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, I really hope that CTI has more granite and HW offerings similar to the ones we picked out before. I really like the lighter granite against dark cabinets, but based on the selections from the the "basement" the darker granite looked much better.
Looks like we are starting our journey around the same time, can wait to see your progress!
This has been the BIGGEST flip flop ...and flip again option choice I have had so far! I first had Tan Brown with the standard Maple Spice. Then that switched to tan brown with Wyoming Cherry. Which then switched to Sanat Cecilia and Wyoming Cherry after I found the SC stashed in the back of the CLOSET! THEN after speaking to my rep about picking out my slab (because the lighter granites can vary in color ALOT and I didn't like all the shades of SC...only a few) he said I can't pick it out. So NOW we are back to Tan Brown with Wyoning Cherry for the kitchen and I did the SC with cherry in the bathroom. I think if I get a slab im not too crazy about, ill be able to tolerate it better than in the kitchen. Plus I REAAAALLLY like the tan brown with the cherry. Hubs thought it would be too dark but the kitchen is open and hopefully will get alot of light. Don't know because Ive never seen a model ...or even PICTURES of a model. :(
ReplyDeleteI love all of your selections, they will all look beautiful together! Welcome to the blog world. :)
ReplyDeleteNew Build, same here! DH thinks that the darker granite would be too dark but I like to call our future kitchen "SEXY" LOL. I think the dark cabinets and granite make it very sophisticated! I am sure I will be doing the same thing when I go to CTI! It is important to make sure you are 100% comfortable with your purchases because you are going to have to look at everyday! I will add a pic of sitting room to my post, let me know your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard buying these homes without seeing models! Pictures don't do them justice and the virtual tours can be misleading because they have been customized! Thankfully a model of the Taylor was under construction and we were able to get an idea of what it would like but it's hard to "overlook" all of dust and plastic. Also our sales rep was able to schedule a walk through with a couple who settled on their house in December which was very helpful. The model that was under construction did not have a sitting room in the MB, but the completed house did and what a difference!!!!! Originally, we opted to NOT get the sitting room but after seeing it I had to have it!!! It has a 2 step elevation from the main room. We are so glad that we got to see what it actually looked like because I would have been upset if I saw it later and didn't get it. LOL!
New Build, I am going to add a pic of the sitting room that I am so giddy over!
ReplyDeleteHi Becky! Thank you for the welcome! I am so excited and overwhelmed at the same time! I am so grateful to have found this site and definitely need to get over to ThriftyAmy's blog to thank her for starting this. I have learned so much!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to following you during your journey!!
I think your choices are fantastic. You will have much more to select from when you go to your CTI meeting. That sitting room is amazing.
ReplyDeleteHere's a little insite from an old fart regarding your 4 major option decisions: Front porch...they look really nice but never get used, Patio...get used a lot, but can easily be added after you are in your house, 4th Full bath...when you have kids and everyone is trying to get ready it is nice to have a ton of full baths, BUT...your water heater can only produce so much hot water at a time AND you have to then keep them all clean(this from the guy who is building a home with 5 full baths), and finally the bar...make it a focal point and it will be a hangout spot when entertaining and it is not easy to add it to an already finished basement.
Hi BD, Thank you! I really appreciate your input on our option choices, makes complete sense. These are just things that we would like to have but can definately live without. We made sure that we included our "Must Have's" so I am happy either way :)
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you! I live in MD too, and after reading your post, I really am curious to meet your sales rep since you spoke so highly of them! I've been to several Ryan communities and I've been lucky to meet 2 that actually cared to follow up, let along really talk in depth about the community, pricing, and financing options.
ReplyDeleteIn the communities tha I visited, I was a bit disappointed to see the limited options selections to choose from. I asked about whole house surround, darker wood floors, and multiple shower heads and would always get the around-the-bush answer! I'm glad to know there is an actual design center and not just a contractor's office for options not on hand in the 'basement'.
Which community are you building in?
Diva-Mommy
@Diva - Everything you mentioed is available...whole house surround will be handle by Guardian, darker wood floors by the flooring contractor, and the multiple shower heads will be a custom option but definitely doable.
ReplyDeleteBD - So I read on another blog (Sorry, can't remember which one) that you are an Eagles fan huh? Me too! Fly Eagles Fly :)
ReplyDelete@Diva, have you thought about working with a realtor? They can research the areas for you, negotiate pricing etc. Might be worth a shot and it doesn't cost you anything :)
Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, closet Orioles fan, and I love giving the Ohio folks a hard time...Lets Go Iowa Hawkeyes!!!!
ReplyDelete