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Mana - Ryan Homes
We are leaning towards the Sienna. Two plans below yours. We actually looked at the Florence too, but we liked the Great Room and the bigger kitchen the Sienna offered. The Sienna seems a little more "young family" as opposed to the Florence that seems a little more grown up than we are looking for. I prefer no wasted space (meaning I dont want to have to buy a dinning room table and dust a room we dont use) and having a formal living room or a dinning room would be wasted space to me. I like the eat in kitchen/dining area that opens right into the living room of the Sienna. It does only have 3 bedrooms which is fine because we are only having one more child. Any overnight guests we can set up in the basement, where we are going to have a powder room installed.
I am pretty sure all those houses are gas, which is going to be a change from everything electric. Cooking is going to be rough for a few months geting used to that. I have never lived in a house that has gas cooking. If you dont mind, what are your utlities like? How well insulated are the windows and house in general? I know Ryan Homes is very highly respected, but I just wanted to know from a homeowner point of view.
Re: Mana - Ryan Homes
We got electric stove because I wanted a flat top, so that's an option. We also got electric dryer, so the only thing ran by the proprane gas is heat. We got the morning room addition included in our package, so that's our dinning room, and our front room is still empty haha. Well there's a shelve and a plant. One day I'll have a nice reading chair haha.
Everything is sealed up tight. I'm used to old drafty windows, our house is awesome. We live 2 miles from the drag strip and I can only hear it if the windows are open. Or when the pro-mods on in town.
We keep heat at 65 all the time, and our budget plan is $64/mon for metered propane. I think the highest we paid before the budget billing was $300.
We compromised at 75 in the summer for AC, and that's $118/mon. It was $89 when we kept it at 80 haha.
I also highly suggest getting ceiling fans. We only got them in our room then in the dining room. They make a HUGE difference, and I wish we went ahead and got them installed in the living room and all bedrooms. I want to get them in the bedrooms this spring.
You know, I never even thought about ceiling fans. But I agree that they are a must. Im confused on the heat source though. I thought they were natural gas, no? How is your electric bill? I know we will have different providers because of the DE/MD vendors. I am pretty sure ours will be Delmarva right @amcourt09 ? My mom does the budget plan too, but I think you have to have 12 months of bills beforehand.
And yay I can't wait for you to move!!
The Rowdy Roberts
Me too!! But Im totally depressed about leaving my house and not being able to go back. I asked DH the other day if he was ever going to drive by and check on the house. He said hell no, hes leaving and not looking back. Then said, of course Im going to drive by and check on it. This will always be our house, just with new owners. It made me cry because he really hates that house.
But I am excited for the new oppertunites that are ahead of us. Finally be in "our house" not my house. Not have to worry about fixng things for a few years. New neighborhood, new friends, parties that DH would never have in our current house, handing out candy on Halloween, no white trash, bumping music, or trash being thrown in your lawn from the corner.
Though it will suck not being able to walk to the beer store in a snow storm.
We have metered propane. So there's 4 tanks in the community and we only pay for what goes into our house. It is more $$ than natural gas, so you might be way below what we pay between smaller house and if it is natural gas. I know someone with a bigger house than us and pays half as much in natural gas.
The Summer is our power bill ($118). I have delmarva power too. Gas is a small company out of Elkton - SchigrinGas or something.
We had to wait a year, which is why the first year SUCKS budgeting wise. Now it's the same each month and I love it. We actually started with our gas bill being $115/mon but since we cut down the heat we saved $50/mon.
But you pay alot of $$ for these houses. And you will be the one living in it so it should be as perfect as possible.
Haha I think my dad was the PITA. He was a carpenter, and retired so he went every other day. He was always pointing things out, mostly little, but definitely go often if you can. Plus it's so fun having pictures of the house being built! We went away for the week on a cruise and it went from a hole in the ground to a HOUSE!
It may seem like you are adding a ton, but seriously, get it how you want it. Add the island and get corian or better kitchen counters. I was trying to be cheap and Jeff pushed and I'm so glad!
I know you'll miss your old house Jill, but just think of all the awesome memories you'll make in the new one!
I would strongly recommend not getting a deck through Ryan. Our sales rep even told us not to. Unless things have changed, the prices were insane compared to what you can get someone else to do. I know Mana and I both had issues with building one later, but it was worth it for me. We would have had to pay more than $10,000 more to get a similar deck from Ryan. No thank you!
I wonder if you'll have the same project manager we did. I went to high school with him and he's very nice to look at.
Just checking! Not that that guy is triflin or anything, but not noteworthy either.