Monday, May 6, 2013

Upgrades, Options and Elevations, OH MY!!

Like I said in my previous post, I was shocked at how quickly they have you start picking out your options, etc.  I didn't feel like I was quite ready for that and needless to say, changed our minds a few times!


Elevation
We started out with the Elevation C and ultimately it was my husband who decided that he really wanted a front porch, so we opted for Elevation E instead with Partial Stone.


I am so glad that we chose this elevation...I'm in love with that porch and I haven't even seen it yet!  Choosing the siding colors, etc. may have been one of the most difficult decisions because trying to choose the color of your entire house from those tiny little swatches is HARD!  Let's hope Ryan knows what their doing when putting together their color schemes.
  • Siding Color - Sandy Tan
  • Shake Siding Color - Pebble Clay
  • Shutters Color - Black
  • Front Door Color - Black Fox
  • Trim/Garage Door Color - White
  • Stone Color - Dakota Ledgestone (this was my second choice, our neighbors, who are also building a Rome had already chosen the one that I really wanted)

First Floor 
Ryan was running a Bundle Package when we originally signed our paperwork, which included Hardwood in the Foyer and Powder Room, the Morning Room and Upgraded Owner's Bath for a special price.  So we also added hardwood in the Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and Morning Room.  We were advised to do the ceramic in the Mud Room because it's more durable and the Vinyl would have been a little bit lower than the hardwood, which would make for a strange transition.  We also got the Gourmet Kitchen with a Gas Range, Stainless Appliances and added a Stone fireplace.  Originally we were just going to go with one of Ryan's refrigerators, but decided we could get a nicer fridge for probably less money elsewhere.
  • Cherry Hardwood 
  • Carpet B in Family Room and Study - Collinsville Mocha Froth
  • Ceramic in Mud Room - 12x12 Fidenza Cafe
  • 15-Panel Door for Study (NS request that I saw on someone else's blog and asked for)
  • Stained Railings w/ White Baulsters
  • Countertops - Santa Cecilia
  • 42" Cabinets - Wyoming Square Cherry Bordeaux
  • Satin Nickel Hardware for Cabinets
  • Fireplace Stone - Bucks County Ledgestone
Kitchen Counters, Cabinets and Flooring. Family Room Carpet

Flooring, Carpet and Mud Room Ceramic


Second Floor 
On the second floor, the only major upgrade we did was the Owner's Bathroom, which was included in the Bundle Package.  We also decided on Double Bowl Vanities in both the Guest Bath and Owner's Bath.  When we visited CTI to select our flooring options, etc. the one thing that our designer did "sell" us on was to make sure and upgrade the shelf in your shower.  Otherwise, you are stuck with this white ceramic soap dish that sticks out of your beautiful ceramic shower surround and really throws off the whole look.  I think this was only like a $50 upgrade, so it was a no-brainer for us!
  • Carpet A in entire upstairs
  • Double Bowl Vanities in both bathrooms
  • Vanity tops in both bathrooms - Cultured Marble White
  • Vanities in both bathrooms - Andover Square White Timberlake
  • Owner's Bathroom w/ Soaking Tub & Shower Alternate Layout
  • Ceramic Surround in Owner's Bath - 12x12 Stratford Place - Truffle Field
Guest Bath w/ Carpet in Hallway

Owner's Bath w/ Carpet in Bedroom

Close-up of Ceramic Surround in Owner's Bath



Basement
We were so happy that the promotion the month that we purchased was a FREE finished lower level!  This was one of our "must-haves" when purchasing a new home, so it worked out well for us!  We added a Powder Room and Wet Bar.  The Wet Bar placement ended up being one of the hardest decisions during our pre-construction meeting!  And ultimately, it was a picture from a fellow blogger's blog that helped us decide!  The basement is probably one of the spaces we will use the most in the new house and one of the places I am most looking forward too!
  • Carpet C - Simple Touch Capri
  • Wet Bar Counters - Jamocha Granite (formica)
  • Wet Bar Cabinets - Wyoming Square Cherry Spice
  • Powder Room
Wet Bar Counters, Cabinets and Carpet

Wet Bar Counters, Cabinets and Carpet

Entire House!

9 comments:

  1. Can't wait to see pics of the owner's tile installed! My wife instantly picked out the same one when we were at the flooring center.

    We also sprung for the wet bar in the basement (full) and are still thinking about placement. We were told we'd have until the pre-construction meeting to finalize its location.

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    1. I am so excited about the wet bar in the basement! And yes, we didn't have to decide on placement until the pre-construction meeting, but at that time our PM said he HAD to know and we couldn't wait any longer to decide! I'll post pics as we get started next week!!!!!

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  2. Hi Amber!!
    What an awesome post!! You are on a ROLL!!! There is lots of detail here and I can see your ROME coming to LIFE!! This is awesome! So glad you decided to document your journey!! YAY!

    Your selections are awesome!! I wanted to Elevation E but our community would not allow it so we have elevation C with front porch!! You are going to LOVE it!! I am delighted to watch your ROME being BUILT!!

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  3. How exciting. I am so thrilled to find another Rome that is being built. I can't wait to see you choices come together. We are doing C, we thought about doing a porch but I was never going to sit out front so we spent the money on the deck in the back. Love the look of the porch, great choices on your selections.

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    1. I initially thought the same thing about the porch, but my husband insisted that's where we would sit while the kids rode their bikes out front, haha...so that's how we ended up with the E

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    2. It looks like you are going to be in your house before we are but if you get a chance let me know what you think about our choices.
      www.romeiswheretheheartis.wordpress.com

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  4. Love your choices! We're doing the Rome with E elevation as well. Can't wait to see how it all looks together because you're right...it's really hard to tell from just a little swatch! :)

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  5. We are also building a Rome elevation E and chose our colors and now we are second guessing our decision after seeing those colors in person. It is SO hard to chose from those swatches.

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