Monday, September 3, 2012

Dear Ryan Homes

Dear Ryan Homes,


  

     We recently bought a Ravenna model home in Northeast Ohio. We were very happy with most of the items you offer. There are a few options we think you could offer to make people even happier:

  • Oil rubbed bronze kitchen faucet. There are ORB offerings for lighting, hardware and plumbing, excluding only this very important faucet. 
  •  Different finish on the sink as an upgrade, too.
  • A large island which is square or rectangular as an upgrade.  
  • Upgraded shower heads
  • Trim packages around the windows. 
  • Upgraded mantle option:   Beefier mantle - without the twists in it.
  • Steps from the back door. 
  • Patio/Deck 
  • Front porch options with each elevation. 
  • Bathroom cabinet options. One sink and big counter or tall cabinet option.Double cabinets with one sink in the middle.
  • Basement bath available in a bigger size to allow for a double sink. Luxury bath option.
  • Extended garages for longer vehicles.
  • Upgraded window options.
  • Upgraded interior and exterior door options. 
  • Pocket door options on first floor for dining & living room.
  • vestibule options
  • pot filler at the stove
  • Ability to change out lower cabinet for a drawer stack.
     These things would be great options, and there are others, too. During our sales meetings our reps told us the more requests buyers make for things, the more likely they are to add them. What other things are easy to substitute and need to be added as options?

  *To read more about our Ryan Homes Ravenna click the "Our House" button at the top of the page.    

23 comments:

  1. Hi Tammigirl,
    I really like this post! After surveying your post, I see a couple of options that I would have chosen had they been available. An assortment of finishes for the kitchen, bathroom and lighting. They have all these options for show in the model; but not available to the client! It is very misleading.

    I am hoping my PM will allow us to bring our own faucets and allow the guys to install them. I would have also liked to have had the choice of a different shower frame, instead of the chrome. In the model they have a different frame but it's not an option. Again, this is misleading.

    Lastly, I mentioned to management that I want a pot filler installed over the stove and both SR and PM looked at me in amazement. They had no clue what I was talking about and shot the request down immediately. I would like them to install it but they say they cannot. I would prefer that they do this doing the build because backsplash will be installed and I would like the hole to be created at that time.

    We should be having our pre construction meeting in a couple of weeks and I hope my PM is willing to work with us.

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  2. We got the oil rubbed bronze shower frame - but we paid $$$$ to upgrade to oil rubbed bronze plumbing options.

    Someone got them to do a pot filler. I think it was in one of the Avalons. Look through the Avalon blogs and see if you can find it and share it with the sales rep &/or PM.

    See? We were never offered a backsplash.

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  3. I would be surprised if they install your faucet. PM's get nervous because if the plumber scratches or breaks it, there will be a fight over who has to replace.
    I hate to be the devils advocate here, but I will. While I agree Ryan could offer more custom options, they are a cookie cutter builder. There is a reason "Custom" costs more.

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    1. I have read blogs where the PM installed the faucets in kitchen and bath, install ceiling fans, pendant lights, extend driveways etc. I really think its up to the discretion of the PM. And even if you ask for an upgrade to be added that they offer, you still must pay a fee, unless it's an incentive. My main concern is that they should not put upgrades in the model that they are unwilling to offer the buyer like the orb shower!!

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  4. I get your point, Sgt. Rich. They offer lots of options, though. Most of my list are things which are simple options, not actual changes in the house.

    Ex: Order different mantle, different sink, different kitchen faucet color, offer an island without the checkmark shaped thing on the end (something more timeless) order a better showerhead. Installation is the same for a nice showerhead as a cheap one.

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  5. I will search for it. When I asked about the orb shower I was told it was not an option and the designer chose to use it. I took it on face value it wasn't something RH could do! I later learned that it was an option but you had to push for it but by than we were told they would not do any more customs for us.

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  6. Hi. I wish that Ryan Homes just gave the buyer a certain amount of credit to shop for their fixtures. I love your suggestions. Your blog and the other Ryan homes blogs have been super helpful to me in this process. I just wished I discovered the blog community earlier.

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  7. We didn't push for the oil rubbed bronze plumbing option - it was on our list!

    Carly, I'm glad you found the blogs and they helped you through your journey. They helped me get some of my favorite things in my house!

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  8. Still searching for the pot filler. I want to be ready for my pre construction meeting armed with photos!

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  9. I think some of those things are options, but everything varies so much from community to community and from state to state that it's just ridiculous. For a "cookie cutter" builder there sure is a lot of inconsistency.

    For example, we got the one sink with the long counter top in our master bathroom. We had to do a special request for the second cabinet and pay for that up front though, which wasn't a big deal as long as we didn't have to deal with the empty space or the added price of the second sink that we didn't want/need.

    And we are getting a deck as part of our incentives. I'm not sure if RH would build a deck if it wasn't being offered as one of the incentives though.

    I always find it interesting to see what some people get standard v.s. what others have to add as an upgrade. Such as the second garage light, which thankfully seems to be a standard thing for our community, but that others have to pay for if they want it.

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  10. Nadase... here's a link to the blog with the pot filler. http://florentinetales.blogspot.com/ I think it's in the second to last blog entry... "Two Months Flew over the Florentine Nest."

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  11. And that's not even the pot filler I saw - so there are at least two out there in blogland!

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  12. @ M Thank you so much! I will check this out immediately!!

    @ Tammigirl, I did run into a Avalon with the pot filler but the picture was very small and I was hoping to read about it. Maybe I need to dig deeper. lol

    BTW--do you have any information on the central vacuum system?

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  13. Hi Tammigirl, I was looking for a blog from you on the central vacuum system? Have you found the central vacuum system to be useful for air quality too, just a cute option etc etc ? I noticed you added it to your home and would love to hear how it is working out before I add it to our home.

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  14. I love our central vac system! It is so much more powerful than the Kirby we had used before. And those are powerful machines! I love being able to send all the dust through tubes into the basement container, which only has to be emptied every six months or so. So much better than the ones you have to continuously empty, be it by bag or by canister. I've used both in the past, like I'm sure many people have. This is far and away a better option for me and for the house. Also, I'm able to use it efficiently on my hardwood floors, something which wasn't always very good with other vacs. I definitely do not regret the central vac.

    Some things are easier done later than others. Putting a central vac in all your walls after construction would not be one of the simpler things to do. It's a lot easier to, say, get a great kitchen island after the house is completed than do stuff inside the walls.

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  15. Thank you so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it!! I have one final change order and my husband and I have been debating about the worthiness and the cost plus does it really help the air quality with allergens that is suggests it supports.

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  16. I agree 100% that if you have a model with options, you best be able to deliver what you show.
    I do agree that I wish there were more options of items you listed Tammi, but for every option you list, that is another sku they have to stock and have readily available.

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  17. It's also more profit they could make - and we all know they love the profit from upgrades! (Or else they wouldn't offer them)

    The sales reps constantly told us things get added when more buyers ask for them. They used to offer another type of pedestal sink in the powder room, which I tried to get. They didn't offer it any more. Such a shame, it was a lot more my style.

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  18. I believe it was BD that got the pot filler. And a really amazing shower system!

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  19. Yeah, I didn't even go there about the shower system - and didn't they get the claw foot tub, too? Only because it will probably start a revolution! :)

    That, my friends, is the power of a PM. Also, someone got a dual-level deck. It was off the back door and the upstairs master - with a winding staircase of some sort. Also, the power of your PM at work.

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  20. More towel bars! For our "upgraded" Owner's bath, one towel bar? Above the tub? Not cool.

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  21. i would like the option to have the stove top in the island, so i can watch tv while i cook

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