Working it out

My dad came and watched our boys for us today so we could put in the official mortgage paperwork.  We've got great credit so our Loan Officer was confident that we'd get the lowest available rate when we get to the lock-in point, and maybe even a rebate if one's available!  Exciting news.

When the baby (err...16 month old...) went down for his nap, we trekked out to the Rome model in a nearby-ish neighborhood to check it out.  I love it!  Love love love.  I do wish there wasn't quite so much space allocated to the master bedroom, since we won't really spend much time in there, but my husband is sure I'll figure out something to do with all that room.  ;)  We did run into a bit of a snag because this layout isn't quite the same as what we're expecting, so there are a couple things we're still unsure about...but I've typed up a bunch of questions to email our SR so he's prepared for us on Saturday.

On our list:
light switches and outlets
extending the driveway
finishing a storage area of our basement
getting a single-piece bathtub/shower for the boys' bathroom (no grout to clean!!)
depth of the windowsills (never seen this on a blog...I like a sill deep enough for plants and kitties)
changing the location of sump pump etc in the basement
finding out whether our cul-de-sac will be paved (we're the last house on the street, but only our side is part of the neighborhood and the street goes past our lot, so it's not obvious what the plan is)  and whether there will be sidewalks

Our only two non-standard requests (so far!) are getting that wall oven in the kitchen SOMEWHERE (and thanks Nadase for your help with that!), and removing the closet in the mudroom so that we can put a bench and coat hooks down there (idea credit: built-in hall tree from WodyJ, here's a picture of what it will somewhat look like: closet mudroom).

Did we miss anything?  What things have you wished you did differently?  Feel free to just link to the appropriate post on your blog if you don't want to type it out!  :)

Just starting out

We just signed a contract to build a Rome with Ryan Homes.  I've learned a lot from reading other people's blogs on their experiences, so here you'll find my humble efforts.

I feel a little rushed here at the beginning, because we had the "pricing" meeting to see if this was even a viable option the day before I left town...my husband ended up doing the initial contract over the phone with the Sales Rep.  We haven't even had the basic siding/shutters/paint discussions yet, much less the flooring or other options, and I'm concerned that so much of our 14 day window for changes will elapse before we even see the options.  The SR definitely put the pressure on us by offering additional incentives then telling us that other people were looking at our lot of choice, and there were no other lots that were acceptable to me.  Rather annoying and not a good start to this relationship!

Here's what we've got so far:
Rome Elevation C, with side entry garage
Finished Basement with finished half bath, walkout
Morning Room
Gourmet kitchen island
Ceiling fan rough-ins for pretty much every room
Brushed Nickel fixtures
No fireplace
Deck (whatever the smallest size was) in composite material
Recessed lighting in basement and kitchen
Laundry tub (going to try and get it put in the garage, though)
Standard kitchen cabinets (maple something or other)
Granite-look formica countertops
Upgraded master bath to shower with seat

Our next appointment is with NVR Mortgage on Wednesday, then next Saturday we go over the siding/shutters/paint/whatever else.  Can anyone give me any pointers on those two appointments?