Counters, Floors, and Rails, OH MY!

Today I had my appt with Rite Rug, the flooring company. I arrived at 5:45 and I was walking out at 6:15. I was super quick and efficient. Lol.

I guess since we just remodeled our home in Florida, I knew what look I was going for. That or it was the fact that I went without my children and hubby, and therefore could actually think. Hahaha.

Anyway, I went with the standard level of everything except the bathroom tile, I opted for ceramic tile on the floor instead of vinyl. (However, now I'm somewhat rethinking that choice).

I was actually surprised by the variety of options and colors that were standard/included, without having to spend a great deal to upgrade.

I have pictures of my selections, but they are taken with my phone, and are not the best representation.

Choices, Choices, Choices

So I'd be curious to see what others are choosing in their houses and such. I swear I stare at the option sheet so much that I have it memorized.

My biggest back and forths are whether or not to put a 2 piece rough in, in the basement. Will we really use a basement bathroom?

Whether or not to do vinyl or wood laminate in the kitchen and morning room. I mean I plan to one day put laminate throughout the whole house, because I hate carpet and have really bad allergies, so my plan was to get basic now, and upgrade later... but I go back and forth. Hmm...

Lastly, outside elevation. I love elevation C, however, I'd rather put 3,495 in the house, instead of paying for the outside to look extra pretty. Hmmm...

Elevation A

Elevation C

So here are our updates so far:

• Finished Basement
• Closet in Basement
• Recessed light in basement
• Light rough-in, in the dining room
• Morning Room
• Light Rough-In, in the Morning room
• Extra Set of Windows in Morning Rm
• Updated cabinets in the Kitchen
• Updated 42in Cabinets in the Kitchen
• Gas Stove Hook Up
• Ice Maker Rough-In
• Fireplace
• Updated Master Bath
• Double Sink in Master Bath
• Light Rough-in, in Kitchen
• 4 Ceiling Fan Rough Ins
• 2pc Half Bath Rough in 
• Utility Sink in Basement
• Recessed light above fireplace
• Garage Door Opener

If we did Elevation C, more than half of this stuff would go. So I'm leaning more towards Elevation A, and our pics above. 

Next I have to decide outside colors. UGH!!! WHY SO MANY CHOICES!!! ;)

Our Journey begins

So I decided to start blogging about our Ryan homes experience, because my husband won't let me tell our family until we break ground to ensure that everything goes to plan, and gets approved. To my surprise, there are tons of blogs about the Ryan homes experience, and LOTS of them with great tips and advice about things they wish they had done, questions to ask, and more. I LOVE IT! Though I can't find any other currently going through the process, so let me know if you are so I can follow you.

My husband and I recently moved back home to Northeastern Ohio from Tampa, Florida. Moving from Florida was solely because of a better job opportunity, and we vowed to get back as soon as possible. Shortly after being here we could really see ourselves staying, and really enjoyed the idea of our daughters growing up so close to their grandparents.

Our Ryan Home journey began unplanned on Oct 21, 2012. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and we decided to take a nice drive and check out some potential areas. We love the Solon area here, and have since been talking to relators, and looking at home there. WAY out of our desired price point, and NOT enough house for your buck. So this particular Sunday we wound up on the East side looking at a Ryan Home community near the lake. My husband has been waiting to build a new home for years, and I thought it was a ridiculous feat to take on. Let me tell you, I fell in love INSTANTLY! Beautiful bright windows, perfectly used space, OH and the morning room was a hit in my book. The model we looked at was the Sienna. I thought the rooms were a bit small, and the living space was slightly tinier than I would have liked, but I thought it was perfect.

After walking through the house we talked with the rep who told us about the different models, the building process, and the prices -so affordable-. Erin the sales rep there gave us the address of other local models so that we can check them out. So my husband and I ventured and looked at a Venice and a Florence. LOVED THEM BOTH! We decided on the drive home that building was the way to go, we just need to get some 'updates' pricing information to decide if it truly is as affordable as we think. So the very next day we tried to make appointments to meet with the Sales Manager to go over specific pricing information. While making an appointment my husband called me from work and told me about a location near Solon in a city we never heard of. So I called up the new location Liberty Ledges and made an appointment. The location was a dream come true! We arrived at the sales office and met with Tiffany and Kandra, who are amazing when it comes to answering dumb repeat questions from a nervous and cautious buyer. ;)

We decided to think about things some more and make an appointment for Wednesday. After leaving the office we drove around the neighborhood and surrounding area and knew for sure that, that is where we wanted to be. It was perfect. You get the benefits of the Solon area, without the price tag. AND you get MUCH more house for you buck.

Well the very next morning I received a call from Tiffany asking if we wanted to come in today (Tuesday) instead of Wednesday. We did. After going through everything we signed a contract. What!?! After only 2 days of looking?!? I KNOW RIGHT!!! We were very excited, and scared out of our minds. LOL.

We made selections and then for the next few days I poured over the update list and we have changed things a million times. This includes driving back out to the florence model, taking pictures, reading blogs, and stalking a few homes for possible colors. I feel CRAZY! I think I finally have our selections down, for our 'Colors Appt' with Tiffany on Saturday. Today my hubby is going the second loan appt. Tomorrow I meet with Rite Rug to go over flooring and counter options, and Friday we meet Guardian to go over whatever they are going to tell us. I don't want to spend any more money than what we have with updates, so I'm pretty sure that I will just be doing standards with all of the others, with the possible exception of having guardian install a security system if it's free with monitoring. We shall see.

I'm SO excited about our journey and can't wait to get things going!

The site of our Future home!