Ryan Homes loves to use the word "No"

  I am starting to get angry, strike that, I AM angry, about all the simple requests/upgrades that we want to do, but are simply told "No".  In this posting, I will go over some of these things.

  From the beginning, my wife and I had fallen in love with the Jefferson model.  We had seen the elevation C variant, with brick and stone front.  When we told them that was what we wanted, they came back and said "No", you can do siding and stone, but not brick and stone.  Despite the fact that there is someone who is also blogging their Jefferson build who just got brick and stone and we have seen it done numerous times in Ryan developments here in Ohio.  It’s not a true brick structure, but rather just a brick facade, not much different than adding the partial stone facade.  So why is this "No"?  Ryan Homes doesn't have an answer.

  I really wanted a 9' door for the optional third bay in the garage.  I had told them this before we signed the documents, and they told me that it might be possible, well the following week, it was "No".  Ryan homes don’t want to mess with the structural change required to fit the 9' door.  Not, this is how much it would cost and therefore not realistic, just simply "No", they won't do it.  This wasn't a huge deal, but it was something that I really wanted.

  Then it came to the interior selections/options where I was truly left scratching my head for the things I was told "No".  Let’s start with the granite selections.  The granite options, all whopping 4 of them, for the bathroom are a complete joke.  They are the cheapest granites offered by the industry for a reason because of their lack of desirability.  We asked if we could instead use one of the Kitchen granite choices which were much nicer, of course we expected that this would be more expensive, but Ryan Homes came back with "No".  No reason as to why "No", just simply "No".  Okay Ryan Homes, screw your bathroom granite, I'll just go with the cultured marble and rip it all out right after closing.

  Then we had to choose the faucet for the Kitchen sink, once again they were all crappy choices.  Don't get me wrong, they do use name brand Delta/Moen faucets, but the styling is limited to the simple single handle/faucet combination.  No 3/4 piece (separate handle, sprayer, soap dispenser) that are commonly used today, just the throwback ugly single faucets.  So I asked if we could simply provide them a much better faucet ourselves, and they said "No".  Now I understand that they have to warranty their work on something like that, but they aren't the ones warranting the faucet, that’s up to the manufacturer.  I don't even mind getting approval of the type/brand of faucet that I give them so they know it’s of high quality, but once again it’s simply "No".  Now I’m left with purchasing their crappy faucet, paying their contractor through the purchase price of our new home to install it, and then ripping it out, and paying for another plumber to put the new one back in.  Plus, they don't even offer an oil-rubbed bronze option.  What?!?  We are getting oil-rubbed bronze everywhere else, why can't we also get it in our kitchen?  Crazy!

  Now let’s move to the upstairs hall bath.  We inquired about getting the shower/tub area tiled instead of the one piece fiberglass that they use.  The flooring people had told us that they had seen this done before in Ryan Homes and even gave us the pricing to have it done upon Ryan Home approval.  So we ask, and of course they said, "No".  This one I was okay with, I felt it was stupid that this wasn't an option, but it isn't a make or break thing.

  Now let’s move to the bathroom in the master where they told us "No" twice.  The first when we asked about getting a heated tile floor.  According to them, no one had ever asked to get this done, which I found preposterous, so they would have to get back to me, which they did with a "No".  Then we wanted to make sure that our glass doors around the shower area would be the same as we had seen in other newly built Jeffersons.  In these newer builds, they moved the back glass towards the tub, enclosing a small portion of the tiled tub surround creating a small shelf/bench.  This was very important, because without it, you are left with no where else to put anything except on the floor of the shower, and that is not acceptable.  Of course, they sell things to hang off the shower head or over the doors, but that quite frankly looks like crap.  So we requested that our sales rep verify that this was indeed the current standard way they did it, and if not, to make sure that we get the same option that other Jefferson builders selected to get this.  We even sent her pictures from those other Jeffersons so she could see what we are talking about.  So to say the least, I was shocked when she came back and told us "No".  No reason as to why ours will not be the same as the other new builds, just simply "No".  This one REALLY pisses me off.

  Carrying on with the bathroom theme, we requested that the upstairs full bath have one type of cabinet while the basement half bath had another.  They even said "No" to that!  The basement bath is an option completely on its own, so why can't I select the cabinet completely on its own?  Our sales rep's reason for this one, they just don't have an option for that.  Then make it an option!  There is no way that I am the first one to request a different cabinet for the half bath in the basement from the full bath on the second floor!  Then my wife requested that they put in the mirrored glass front medicine cabinets are embedded in the wall, just as we had seen at the Jefferson model in PA, once again their response has been "No".  Their reason, we simply don't do that here in Ohio.  Apparently, people in Ohio have no need for medicine cabinets.

  The last "No" that I am going to complain about might be turning into a "Yes", but I'm not counting on it.  Our basement will be a walkout with the door coming off the finished area under the morning room.  On the back wall of this finished area, we requested a double window, exactly as we had seen in a Jefferson model home in PA.  They told us "No" at first because of the way our lot was going to be graded, and this made no sense to me.  I requested that they talk to the project manager to review how they are going to grade the back portion of our future house because if what they are telling me is true, the idiots are going to be grading the yard so it slopes all toward my back door.  This would just be asking for water problems so I'm sure they must be wrong.  After expressing my concerns to the sales rep after the initial "No", she looked further into it and now we are waiting for the topography plat to be completed before they can say "Yes" or "No".

  I understand that not all requests can be accommodated, and that Ryan Homes is able to deliver a quality (I hope!) product with very competitive price by using efficiency of scale.  So I understand not getting the 9' garage door because you'd have to redesign the ceiling joists to accommodate the increased span or moving footers.  A lot of their cuts are done at a factory and then assembled in jigs so changing wall dimensions would cause them to increase their costs, but to tell me no on a faucet that requires no more labor from your subcontractors, or because your office has failed to add a line to specify a cabinet choice for the basement bathroom is asinine.

  In the end, Ryan Home claims that they keep costs down by limiting customizations, and I respect that for major structures, but that just raises questions as to why I am not allowed to get things that are available and commonly used, such as the brick and stone front.  Doesn't this contradict the whole Ryan Home corporate policy?  Even their website touts how Ryan will help you "personalize" your home, but I am beginning to think that they don't know what that word even means.  My wife and I are still looking forward to building this new house, but Ryan Homes has definitely destroyed some of the excitement we had at the beginning.

  I'd like to end this rather negative post on a good note, and say that we have spoken with several families that have built with Ryan recently and ALL of them said that it was an overall good experience.  I just hope that in the end, I can say the same.