RAH Design Center Pricing

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by karenn

dont mean to get too OT here - but can someone tell me, how were you prepared by the builder for the appointment at the design center? do they give you a big book of all your options or something in advance? they must prepare you in some way, i cant see people being able to pick everything in one day without researching things first.

-clueless soon to be new home buyer

All you do is show up. The truth is that you set an appointment and then show up on the day of your appointment. They can't really give you a book in advance because styles may change or the printing for the actuall color could be off, or they may change brands after the printing. They want you to see the examples of what they are currently installing in the homes. We are from out of state and did everything in one day. What they want is for you to come through the center one day pick out what you want, color schemes, any extras. They print up all your choices and give you a breakdown on cost. You leave the center and think about everything. On your second trip you will make the actual choices and take care of the arrangements. Some things are standard choices that are included, but still offer some choice. Everything has an upgrade and their are many levels of upgrades to choose from.

[karenn]

well thats ok then if they give you a second appointment in order to have time to decide! i thought maybe they made you decide everything then and there, yikes

thanks for the info

[Debk1]

Anything else I need to know before heading out to Rah for our new home in Sahuarita? We are going out on October 23. Should we go with the basic carpet and upgrade to wood after we close. Advice please!!! We also want backsplash in the kitchen. Should we have that done afterward? DK

[MrsMac]

Originally Posted by Debk1

Anything else I need to know before heading out to Rah for our new home in Sahuarita? We are going out on October 23. Should we go with the basic carpet and upgrade to wood after we close. Advice please!!! We also want backsplash in the kitchen. Should we have that done afterward? DK

If you can afford to do your wood floors after you move in you will save 25-40%. I would also do the backsplash afterward, but make sure you have them eliminate that little piece of granite they put in on the wall if you don't do the tile backsplash with them. Having it there will make your backsplash look like an afterthought and break up the lines of whatever you choose. The design center notes things like that for you and you reconfirm with the building superintendent. (We did granite in the kitchen and Quartz counters in the bathrooms and we loved them! Quartz is impervious to EVERYTHING - nail polish remover, makeup, hair products, curling irons, nothing marks them. We just bought a new build Mattamy inventory home and will be switching out the builder standard cultured marble countertops for Quartz.)

I wish we had not done the upgraded flatter pile carpet and just stuck with the basic Richmond carpet and upgraded the pad. The designer swore the upgraded carpet would wear better...she lied, it was horrible and we wasted thousands of dollars! Moral of the story: Don't believe anything they tell you and do your own research! If you aren't sure about an item put that choice off until the second appointment, take the info on the items you are considering home with you and do your own research.

We also went with the Richmond builder grade lights and faucets and switched them out ourselves. In addition to saving money I didn't have to have a whole package and could choose each light individually. We also did our own cabinet hardware after we moved in. (I didn't like Richmond's choices and it was ridiculously overpriced considering it takes two seconds to install a cabinet knob perfectly if you have the $5 template from Lowe's!)

Make sure to have the design center note carefully tile patterns, colours, etc. and take pictures (including the back of tiles, paint samples, carpet samples, etc.) with your phone so you have them later on if there is a problem. (The design center wouldn't provide samples, which I like to have for decorating, so I was able to find samples elsewhere using that info which was a big help.) When the installer showed up with the wrong carpet I was able to pull out my phone and show the super the picture so he knew instantly that it was wrong.

Also, if you are doing a lot of upgraded tile be there the day they do the install. I was able to make sure grout joints were smaller than their standard, kept them from installing the wrong floor in the master bath (it was supposed to be silver travertine and they were going to put in a dead black slate), and stopped them from putting the marble and glass mosaic from the fireplace surround on the floor. (We ran out and bought three pieces of marble tile for them to use instead.) Be sure to ask about sealing, too; in our Richmond home none of our stone floors, granite countertops or floor or wall tile grout was sealed by the builder so we made sure to find a great sealer (Stonetech Bulletproof) and hired someone to have it done before we moved in. (We also had our new glass shower doors sealed with Endurashield at the same time. Amazing stuff!)

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions after reading all that. I loved building our Richmond home; hopefully, you will, too!