Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Regis, that is my final answer! (I think)

Lots of decisions made today, and the window of opportunity for changes is closing in fast.  Pre-construction meeting is in the next 1-2 weeks and Rite-Rug next week!!!!

  Regarding upgrades, here's what we changed today:
  • Deleted the fireplace. Why? The Verona only allows it on the back wall.  This puts limitations on the family room arrangement.  Also, I have one in my current house and never use it. Winters are rather short in North Carolina. The other factor was that it juts out the back of the house and gets in the way of the deck.  So that decision is final.
  • Deleted the oak steps and will get the oak banister and pine steps with carpet. I was going to put carpet runner on the oak anyway, and basically you're paying about 1800 extra for oak treads.  
  • Deleted "Finish drywall in garage."  I'm confident I can save some money and find someone later on who can hang the remaining 2 or 3 sheets needed for less than the cost of the upgrade.
  • Downgraded double 15-panel doors in the morning room to the sliding door. 
  • Added extra hosebib on side of house. I like one near the sideload garage for car washing.
  • Added what I believe is the 10th Ceiling fan rough-in to the morning room but will have the light fixture added too. This way a fan can be put there later on if desired. 
  • Added concrete to extend driveway to back of house.
  • Added concrete to make a walkway to connect driveway to landing of deck. 
  • Added 110 outlet to Bonus room and garage. 
  • Added 110 outlet in Master BR high up on wall for TV mount.
  • Added Floodlights to front and rear.
Well that was the easy stuff. Then we moved on to the stones and siding and granite. Given how difficult this is, it only scares me more for Rite-Rug and Guardian.

So basically you have to stare at stuff like this and reach deep into your imagination and picture the whole house. Easy! (not!)


Exterior Colors
  Rustic Kentucky for the stones.  Monterey Taupe for the Hardie Planks and brown for the shutters.

 
For the kitchen it will be Maple Cognac cabinets and the ever popular Santa Cecilia granite counter tops.


For the Master Bath and secondary bathrooms, going with a darker cabinet (Wyoming Cherry Bordeaux). No more slouching here, this vanity is "Gentleman's height."


Exterior Front  Door Hardware: Bronze
Interior hardware  nickel.






5 comments:

  1. Sounds gorgeous Stuart, great choices! --Ericka

    ReplyDelete
  2. May I ask how much the extra hosebib cost you? I can't imagine having just two. I would love to add one or two extra.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Keep in mind the upgrades prices are dependent on where you are, so it may be double or half depending on your location. I am in the Charlotte region and the hosebib is 390. It may sound pricey but I had one done after the fact in my current home and I paid not much less for a plumber to do it. Plus if it is done before the drywall goes up the pipes can be hidden.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The whole selection process is enough to make anyone overwhelmed. I had a love/hate relationship with it. Plus, at some point it begins to feel like you are making concessions more than choices. But in the end you get the house of your dreams, so it's worth it, right?

    I'm ready to build another one! Ha!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is actually my second build. I built a house in 2004 with Centex. I've decided to sell it and get the "Forever" house with Ryan homes. The process has its ups and downs but overall it must be fun cause here I am doing it again. So far the experience with Ryan has been much more pleasant than dealing with Centex. I did use a buyer's agent this time and I can't say enough what a difference it makes having an expert on your side.

    ReplyDelete