When we were in sales meetings for our Ravenna with Ryan Homes I wish I would have asked about noise. When someone turns on the fan in the first floor powder room I hear it louder in the master bedroom than if the fan is on in the master bathroom. My husband making calls in his office is also loud in the master bedroom. We paid for the highest pad upgrade we could for the carpets, and we put soundproofing insulation in the master bedroom wall which butts up to the bonus room. I am not sure what more we could have done, but I'm sure Ryan knows how to make a quieter house, even if they don't do it.
Television on in the family room downstairs? The sound travels right up the stairs, over the half wall, and around the corner in to the master bedroom. Maybe, just maybe, if they didn't insist on cutting the doors with inches of clearance from the floor it wouldn't be so loud, but it is loud. My half wall is probably going to be turning into a closed off something in order to try to get some of the noise to stay out of the master bedroom. It's the same when someone makes any noise at all in the kitchen. Our house is usually pretty lively, so it's no big deal. Until the house isn't lively, and all you want to do is get some rest. The master bedroom is not the peaceful sanctuary I was counting on it to be. While the kitchen and family room noise travels up the stairs, the office and powder room noise travels through the walls and/or floors.
And like The Ravenna Ranter said, the light switches seem like a nuisance during the planning stages. Or at least the did to me. I had seen people suggesting we decide where we want them, but I thought it was too much of a hassle. Now I tell you to get yourself to the model of your floor plan and check all the light switches in the house. Because I am convinced many of them are placed by mischief-makers. My living room lights are my least favorite. But I also wish the light switch in the garage was duplicated inside the house as well. And it could have been done so easily - so it is nonsensical that so many homeowners have to live with this frustration. I think it would be nice to have another switch way in the master bedroom, and many other people think there should be a single spot to kill all the master bath/closet/toilet lights. Basement lights? Don't even get me started. You have to go down the stairs and around corner to reach them. For heaven's sake, they need to install a light between the utilities (giant heating unit, water heater, humidifier, vac canister, etc and the stairs. Because that area is d-ark. And big. For storage. (Especially for us, because we have a guest suite where the big storage area is in the Ravenna). So this is where we have our food storage. Some light would be swell. But it is all blocked. It would probably be great to get a light in that area - or at least an outlet, for Pete's sake, so you could put in a corded light. But something, please, dear Lord, something. My cereal and canned beans are scared of the dark.
While I am writing this post my husband comes upstairs and he's just rammed his foot into a television in the basement. Because it is so dark. Yep, folks, this is what I am talking about. Of course, had my sons not blocked all the light from the little window so they could have total darkness for the projector, it wouldn't be pitch black down there, but it would still be majorly dark.
Television on in the family room downstairs? The sound travels right up the stairs, over the half wall, and around the corner in to the master bedroom. Maybe, just maybe, if they didn't insist on cutting the doors with inches of clearance from the floor it wouldn't be so loud, but it is loud. My half wall is probably going to be turning into a closed off something in order to try to get some of the noise to stay out of the master bedroom. It's the same when someone makes any noise at all in the kitchen. Our house is usually pretty lively, so it's no big deal. Until the house isn't lively, and all you want to do is get some rest. The master bedroom is not the peaceful sanctuary I was counting on it to be. While the kitchen and family room noise travels up the stairs, the office and powder room noise travels through the walls and/or floors.
And like The Ravenna Ranter said, the light switches seem like a nuisance during the planning stages. Or at least the did to me. I had seen people suggesting we decide where we want them, but I thought it was too much of a hassle. Now I tell you to get yourself to the model of your floor plan and check all the light switches in the house. Because I am convinced many of them are placed by mischief-makers. My living room lights are my least favorite. But I also wish the light switch in the garage was duplicated inside the house as well. And it could have been done so easily - so it is nonsensical that so many homeowners have to live with this frustration. I think it would be nice to have another switch way in the master bedroom, and many other people think there should be a single spot to kill all the master bath/closet/toilet lights. Basement lights? Don't even get me started. You have to go down the stairs and around corner to reach them. For heaven's sake, they need to install a light between the utilities (giant heating unit, water heater, humidifier, vac canister, etc and the stairs. Because that area is d-ark. And big. For storage. (Especially for us, because we have a guest suite where the big storage area is in the Ravenna). So this is where we have our food storage. Some light would be swell. But it is all blocked. It would probably be great to get a light in that area - or at least an outlet, for Pete's sake, so you could put in a corded light. But something, please, dear Lord, something. My cereal and canned beans are scared of the dark.
While I am writing this post my husband comes upstairs and he's just rammed his foot into a television in the basement. Because it is so dark. Yep, folks, this is what I am talking about. Of course, had my sons not blocked all the light from the little window so they could have total darkness for the projector, it wouldn't be pitch black down there, but it would still be majorly dark.