Island Dilemma

Last night a fellow Courtland Gater - helped to answer a few of my pre construction questions.  Thanks CG Blogger!   He helped confirm the size of the standard island in the Courtland Gate- a mere 4 x4 for a kitchen measured at over 20' x 15'  with an attached morning room measured roughly at 16' x 11'.    The island will look like we purchased  a rolling cart out of a Sears catalog!

This island is the actually width of what they offer as standard!

So I made a non standard request- an extra base cabinet (single unit okay) with a longer piece of granite and have it run parallel to the kitchen sink.  Based on what I have been reading on the blogs- they answered with the typical RH "no"   In fact according to my SR- they qualified with absolutely no more changes.  Now, I found this really quite offensive as the only thing we actually did was to ADD windows and a garage service door.  That's it.  I didn't go back and forth with flooring, or tile or exterior color choices or deleted this to add it back- none of that.  Outside the 21 day window and they already ordered everything for our home.  Really?  We did not have the pre construction meeting yet, we have not broken ground AND the cabinets and thus the island is more likely to be installed roughly 60 days out from breaking ground.  I was then hit with "We order everything at the same time"  Please refer to my above disbelief.   "You can order the cabinet and do it yourself after settlement"  Uhm no- Timberlake is unlikely to sell me one cabinet and then I would have to do a search for the same granite and hope that my hardwood floors do not get damaged in the process.

Did I neglect to mention that I asked the size before and was not given an answer presumably because my SR did not have blue prints available (we are the first CG in the community).  I had to ask another SR in another community and then I had to verify that it was the same in my community.  That verification did not come until today.

I am not angry- just determined.  So tonight I emailed customer service.  Waiting on their response.  

UGGHHH!

Two things:  I changed the title of the blog.  My husband did not like the original title and I must admit it was a bit unoriginal.  I might leave the url the same.

AND- I am desperately trying to find an example of our exterior color choices.  I mean I FOUND an example of our exterior color choices and even showed my husband.  And it was so easy, the first time.  For the life of me I cannot, I mean CAN NOT find that image again.  I know it was a still from a video so I have been scanning all the Ryan home vids and I have yet to find anything.
I would have been happy and tossed my desperate search to the side had I been allowed to snap a photo of our color scheme from the book, but my husband wouldn't let me.  The kids and I tend to linger when ever we go to the model home and he wanted to be home in time for the Eagles game (after we took the kids trick or treating of course.  Yes on a Sunday)

Thus I am a maniac trying to find THE image again.  I think they even had our stone!  (Totally different community. So far we seem to be only one who have picked the Spanish olive siding).

SO- if anyone in blog land can find the color scheme from Ryan Homes with Spanish Olive siding, fiery red shutters and French Roast exterior colors  PLEASE POST A LINK!!!!!

Please and thank you.

Structural Addendum Dilemma

"I've been thinking" is the phrase I have come to dread hearing from my husband during this whole process.  It normally means its something that I will not like.   And this time when he said it, I was totally in dismay.  Until this time all he wanted to do was add windows and a garage service door.

This time he gave a whole list of changes that HE wanted:  keep the windows, get the brick veneer with full porch, get a standard owner's bathroom, add a sitting room, move the house back to lot 41 and REMOVE the morning room.  Excuse me? 

I tried to remain calm, I tried to be reasonable.  His reasoning for removing the morning room:  we don't need it.  Okay this isn't a house about needs, this is a dream home and we put what we WANT in it.  I want that morning room.  We can afford it so let's get it. 

I avoided the conversation again until we had to submit our requests to the SR.  "What do you want me to tell the SR"  His response:"Well you know what I want but you won't listen to me"  Wife translation:  Do what you want.

So I submitted the changes for the additional window and the service door. 

Fast forward to Family Day at the community and we went to sign the paperwork for the changes and to meet a few of our new neighbors.  We walk into the sales office at the model, the addendum was placed before us, he reads it, shakes his head, and says "I'm not signing it."  My head was reeling, he really wanted to take away the morning room from me.

I walked outside and he followed me trying to argue his point, but I kept walking and I wouldn't turn around.  I kept walking right off the community site and right into the surrounding neighborhood. I discovered the park that is situated behind our new house and I sat in one of the swings.  I cried.  My heart was so heavy that I couldn't breath.  Now a few of you may say I am bit dramatic but I knew if I didn't get this morning room there would be no way to get it later.  I just had to convey that to him and I needed time to think without getting super emotional in front of him.  I needed to think, so I sat and swung for the next 45 minutes or so.  

I started a slow walk back, dreading the next conversation.  That's when he texted me to come back so we could sign the paperwork.  What?!   YIPPEE!   I later discovered that my neighbors talked him into it after they discovered I disappeared  in disagreement.  I love my new neighbors.