We met with our SR yesterday and made another change order. After reading blog after blog, I decided we should extend the hardwood throughout the first floor. I saw a picture of two different carpets meeting at the base of the stairs and I decided I hated that look. After discussing it with Brad, we decided to cut the granite (so many bloggers kept the Formica and it looked good) and add the hardwood. We met with our SR and told her our decision. She priced out the change and also priced out just adding the hardwood. Adding the hardwood was an additional $8/ month. We decided to go for it. We would still be paying less on our mortgage then we currently do in rent.
We also changed all of our hardware, lighting, and fixtures to oil rubbed bronze. Our SR just happened to have a picture of a new model home in Bethany Beach with white cabinets, similar granite, dark wood floor, and oil rubbed bronze. It looked awesome... So we changed it.
I am really starting to get excited about the house. Our SR has sold 3/4 units and building should start by January. I can not say enough about how wonderful our SR is. She is always willing to meet with us and shoots us straight. I hope the rest of the people we meet on the way are as awesome as she is!
We submitted all of the requested paperwork today for the loan approval. Fingers crossed everything goes through!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
KDS Designs- Bad Experience
We were very excited about our flooring appointment last week. We walked into KDS Designs and were greeted by Linda. Linda was not very welcoming or friendly. We expected her to be enthusiastic and helpful like our Guardian guy... WRONG. She asked us to sit down. We sat. Then she asked us to get up. She asked our cabinet and granite selections. We told her but she was confused about our cabinet choice so we pulled them ourselves. She then took us to the hardwood selection room. She pointed to the "B" selections (about 15). She offered no help. We told her we wanted something dark but not too dark. We saw the 5" hand-scraped floors and fell in love. I figured since they were already scraped up, new scrapes wouldn't show so badly (maybe? hopefully?). We decided on the Armstrong Frontier 5" Handscraped Tahoe Canyon Creek. It was a nice, rich brown tone and not too dark.
Next, we picked our resilient floors for the bathrooms and laundry room. Again, Linda pointed then stared. We pulled out a bunch of samples and decided on Canyon Creek. It's a tan laminate that looks pretty close to tile.. hopefully. It was very budget friendly.
Then, carpets. Linda went and sat at the table while we looked at the selections. There were so many! We liked the look of the shag carpet (it was Level C). We decided to upgrade the carpet in the great room and master to Simple Touch Capri. If we can't get hardwoods in the great room, at least we can get a slightly better carpet :). We kept base carpeting on the stairs and second floor and didn't upgrade the pad. I was unaware how inexpensive it would be to upgrade the pad upstairs ($190). I think I'm going to go back and upgrade the pad. Now, my major concern... the carpet from the great room will go to the stairs (two different carpets). I'm not sure what to do. We are definitely going to get hardwood in the dining room if we can afford to avoid the mismatch carpets. But if we can't, what do you think? Will it look terrible?
Anyway, we sat down with Linda and she wrote down all of our selections. She then reviewed them with us. We signed some papers and that was it. She barely smiled and made us feel like we came in at 5:00 on a Friday. Another thing! When we finished our selections, WE put them together to take a photo. She said, "No need! I'll put them together for you!" Oh. Okay. We thought she was putting together some digital rendering or something cool. NOPE! She just wrote down the names. How are we supposed to remember the options we chose by the name? I snapped some photos before we left.
We were just very disappointed with the level of service. As first time homebuyers, we were looking for some suggestions and guidance. She offered none. We did tell our SR about Linda and she said she has heard similar complaints. Maybe they should go with another design company!
Next, we picked our resilient floors for the bathrooms and laundry room. Again, Linda pointed then stared. We pulled out a bunch of samples and decided on Canyon Creek. It's a tan laminate that looks pretty close to tile.. hopefully. It was very budget friendly.
Then, carpets. Linda went and sat at the table while we looked at the selections. There were so many! We liked the look of the shag carpet (it was Level C). We decided to upgrade the carpet in the great room and master to Simple Touch Capri. If we can't get hardwoods in the great room, at least we can get a slightly better carpet :). We kept base carpeting on the stairs and second floor and didn't upgrade the pad. I was unaware how inexpensive it would be to upgrade the pad upstairs ($190). I think I'm going to go back and upgrade the pad. Now, my major concern... the carpet from the great room will go to the stairs (two different carpets). I'm not sure what to do. We are definitely going to get hardwood in the dining room if we can afford to avoid the mismatch carpets. But if we can't, what do you think? Will it look terrible?
Anyway, we sat down with Linda and she wrote down all of our selections. She then reviewed them with us. We signed some papers and that was it. She barely smiled and made us feel like we came in at 5:00 on a Friday. Another thing! When we finished our selections, WE put them together to take a photo. She said, "No need! I'll put them together for you!" Oh. Okay. We thought she was putting together some digital rendering or something cool. NOPE! She just wrote down the names. How are we supposed to remember the options we chose by the name? I snapped some photos before we left.
Cabinets and Granite
We knew we wanted white cabinets. I feel these light and bright cabinets will help make the kitchen appear larger and brighter since we are an interior unit. Unfortunately, these were only available as a Level 2 Upgrade. We chose the Rushmore Painted Maple Linen. These cabinets had more detail then the Sonoma.
We are currently debating under cabinet lighting... any thoughts? Also, we plan to add our own backsplash after we move in. Should we ask Ryan not to add the granite piece above the counter? I am thinking white to keep with the white and bright look or possibly bring in some color. Don't have to worry about that now...
For granite, we wanted a lighter tone with either greys or tans. Santa Cecilia has been the granite I have mostly seen in other blogs. We considered this one (it was the one in the model) but it appeared two yellow. We don't get to pick our slab, so the last thing I would want would it to be appear yellow. We decided on Carmel Fantasy. It had some greys and tans and was one the lighter side. We also loved the name.
Our selections with flooring:
Now the biggest dilemma... brushed nickel or oil rubbed bronze? We already upgraded all of the hardware, cabinet pulls, and lighting to brushed nickel. The oil rubbed bronze is only an additional $190 so there's no cost factor. I just can't decide what will look better! I love the oil rubbed bronze look but I am not sure if it is just a fad. I know we could always change the lighting and pulls later but this could e expensive and tasking. Decisions, decisions! Any suggestion would be extremely welcome!
We are currently debating under cabinet lighting... any thoughts? Also, we plan to add our own backsplash after we move in. Should we ask Ryan not to add the granite piece above the counter? I am thinking white to keep with the white and bright look or possibly bring in some color. Don't have to worry about that now...
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| Cabinet Selections |
For granite, we wanted a lighter tone with either greys or tans. Santa Cecilia has been the granite I have mostly seen in other blogs. We considered this one (it was the one in the model) but it appeared two yellow. We don't get to pick our slab, so the last thing I would want would it to be appear yellow. We decided on Carmel Fantasy. It had some greys and tans and was one the lighter side. We also loved the name.
Our selections with flooring:
Now the biggest dilemma... brushed nickel or oil rubbed bronze? We already upgraded all of the hardware, cabinet pulls, and lighting to brushed nickel. The oil rubbed bronze is only an additional $190 so there's no cost factor. I just can't decide what will look better! I love the oil rubbed bronze look but I am not sure if it is just a fad. I know we could always change the lighting and pulls later but this could e expensive and tasking. Decisions, decisions! Any suggestion would be extremely welcome!
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| WHICH ONE????? |
Guardian
We had originally gotten a call from Guardian a week after we signed the purchase agreement. However, we decided to put this off for a while since there really was no rush. We finally went last week. The sales guy was great! It turned out he had Driver's Ed. with my boyfriend in high school. He had his sales pitch down flat.
Going in, I knew I wanted a security system... Brad did not. I always had one at my parents' house and it just made me feel more secure. I won. We got the security system (hardwire install- $250 added to mortgage) and the package for $50/month. Guardian gives 3 cable prewires and one phone outlet. We added 2 additional cable jacks. We did not add the wiring to mount any flat panels because I just prefer them eye level. The whole-house vacuum and surround sound packages sounded great, but we couldn't justify the expenses.
We came home and thought the $50/month sounded high...my parents pay $20/month. We called the Guardian guy the next day and eliminated the warranty ($5/month) and two-way intercom with police, fire, etc. ($5/month). Although it's only a $10/month difference, the number just sounds better. I'm good with it... Brad, not so much. I still win.
Going in, I knew I wanted a security system... Brad did not. I always had one at my parents' house and it just made me feel more secure. I won. We got the security system (hardwire install- $250 added to mortgage) and the package for $50/month. Guardian gives 3 cable prewires and one phone outlet. We added 2 additional cable jacks. We did not add the wiring to mount any flat panels because I just prefer them eye level. The whole-house vacuum and surround sound packages sounded great, but we couldn't justify the expenses.
We came home and thought the $50/month sounded high...my parents pay $20/month. We called the Guardian guy the next day and eliminated the warranty ($5/month) and two-way intercom with police, fire, etc. ($5/month). Although it's only a $10/month difference, the number just sounds better. I'm good with it... Brad, not so much. I still win.
Initial Selections
We did get to go to a "spec" house at another community. This Calvert was in no way a model home. It had many standard options but converted half the garage into a study. This seemed stupid to me. The door to the study was right next to your kitchen cabinets and made the garage feel tiny. We decided we definitely wanted to extend the cabinets and keep the two car garage. Although it was our first time seeing the home, we knew we had made the right choice. The size is perfect for the two of us with room to grow. The open floor plan and the first floor master will be great for resale in this community so close to the beach (think retirees... lots of them).
When we signed the purchase agreement, we had added the following options:
We decided to keep the upstairs bedrooms and bath pretty standard. We figured we could always upgrade them down the road. We wanted to focus on the main floor, since that's where we will be living! We really want to add hardwood in the great room but our SR said we should wait to we are preapproved before adding anything else... I agree, I guess.
One good thing about our supposed settlement date (mid April) is we still have time for change orders. Ryan has to sell all 4 (or maybe 3?) before they start building. Our SR said we have some "wiggle room" on timing and change orders. She has sold one additional Calvert so far but interest seems to be increasing. Every time we stop in (did I mention the neighborhood is 5 minutes from where we rent now?) there have been multiple people there. I guess that's good because the sooner she sells the faster we can move in!
When we signed the purchase agreement, we had added the following options:
- Alternate kitchen layout
- Kitchen cabinet Upgrade 1
- Kitchen cabinet hardware
- Granite Upgrade 1
- Stainless Steel Appliances
- Whole house Nickel finish
- 2 Ceiling fan rough-ins
- Upgraded kitchen faucet
- Hardwood in the foyer, kitchen, and dining room
- Upgraded carpet pad in Master and Great Room
- Third bedroom
We decided to keep the upstairs bedrooms and bath pretty standard. We figured we could always upgrade them down the road. We wanted to focus on the main floor, since that's where we will be living! We really want to add hardwood in the great room but our SR said we should wait to we are preapproved before adding anything else... I agree, I guess.
One good thing about our supposed settlement date (mid April) is we still have time for change orders. Ryan has to sell all 4 (or maybe 3?) before they start building. Our SR said we have some "wiggle room" on timing and change orders. She has sold one additional Calvert so far but interest seems to be increasing. Every time we stop in (did I mention the neighborhood is 5 minutes from where we rent now?) there have been multiple people there. I guess that's good because the sooner she sells the faster we can move in!
The beginning
I have been reading tons of blogs about new Ryan Homeowners. I have learned so much and I thought I would document my journey as well!
My boyfriend and I decided it was time to buy a home. After looking at many homes online, we decided we would prefer a new build and a townhome (less maintenance). We discovered Shoreview Woods right down the road from us. They had one model, the Glyndon, and it was beautiful. It had everything we wanted: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a garage, lots of windows, and a big kitchen. The location was perfect (20 minutes to local beaches) and the price was right. We priced out a new Glyndon and went home to think about it. The next day, my boyfriend lost his job. Sometimes things happen for a reason...
About a year later, we discovered Shoreview had a new model... the Calvert. It had 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a 2 car garage. There will be four houses in a row and our lot would back up to trees. The plan was so new there was not even a model yet. We were told the first buyer got $10,000 off the base price and 40% off upgrades (with use of NVR Mortgage)... what a deal! We went home that night and after talking to family decided we should go for it. Although we were not preapproved, our SR seemed very optimistic we would be. So within a couple weeks we signed the purchase agreement.
My boyfriend and I decided it was time to buy a home. After looking at many homes online, we decided we would prefer a new build and a townhome (less maintenance). We discovered Shoreview Woods right down the road from us. They had one model, the Glyndon, and it was beautiful. It had everything we wanted: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a garage, lots of windows, and a big kitchen. The location was perfect (20 minutes to local beaches) and the price was right. We priced out a new Glyndon and went home to think about it. The next day, my boyfriend lost his job. Sometimes things happen for a reason...
About a year later, we discovered Shoreview had a new model... the Calvert. It had 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a 2 car garage. There will be four houses in a row and our lot would back up to trees. The plan was so new there was not even a model yet. We were told the first buyer got $10,000 off the base price and 40% off upgrades (with use of NVR Mortgage)... what a deal! We went home that night and after talking to family decided we should go for it. Although we were not preapproved, our SR seemed very optimistic we would be. So within a couple weeks we signed the purchase agreement.
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| The Calvert |
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