Rite Rug (Flooring) Meeting and What I Learned

We had our Rite Rug (flooring) meeting yesterday. For those of you that don't know we originally signed a contract for the Verona, only to find out two weeks after signing that the Verona could not fit on our lot. Big whoops! We had already had one meeting with Rite Rug, when we picked out all of our flooring and tile choices for the Verona.

So, when we had to change to the Naples floor plan, we already knew all of the flooring and tile options that we would want. We actually built all of those options into our new contract. It didn't save us any money to pay upfront, but it made the Rite Rug appointment less painful and shocking. 

Here is what I learned about carpet...

• The included level A carpet that Ryan Homes comes with is basically apartment grade. You have 4 color choices.
• Level B carpet is still pretty low grade, but at least it has the stain resistor, and a 10 year warranty. You have 8 or more color choices. Don't expect it to feel plush. Level B carpet will cost you around $2,000 to upgrade for your entire house.
• Level C, D, etc. carpet will cost you  much more.
• The included padding is 5.0lb. This is low-quality padding.
• You can upgrade to 6lb, 8lb, or 10lb padding (although I was told that they are getting rid of the 6lb in the near future).
• The 10lb padding has a protective barrier on the back of it, so liquid cannot seep into the subfloor. Good in case you have pets that have accidents.
• The 10lb padding will cost more than the Level B carpet. Yikes!
• I priced carpet out at Lowes and Home Depot, and it can get awfully expensive even with free installation (although they never install your stairs for free). An apartment carpet is around $0.89 / sqft (no padding). An equivalent level B carpet is around $1.99 to $2.49/ sqft (with padding). A nice plush carpet is around $3.49/ sqft (with padding). When you do the math, this adds up really quickly, so even though the carpet is expensive.... so is replacing it!

Here is what I learned about hardwood...

• Level A has 5 color choices, all oak, solid wood. I priced this exact wood out (brand, width, everything) at Lowes, and it was about $3.95/ sq foot. For what Ryan is charging, you are actually getting a fair price.
• Ryan only installs engineered wood on a slab (normally you can put anything on a crawl or basement). This means no handscraped or distressed hardwood flooring choices if you have a crawl or basement, because all of the options are engineered (floating floors).
• Level B, C, etc. are more expensive. The upgrades have wider planks, different color choices, or different types of wood. 

Here is what I learned about bathroom tile...

• Level A for the bathroom is either white 4 x 4 or cream 4 x 4 tiles (wall and surround)
• Level B for the bathroom is the same white 4 x 4 or cream 4 x 4 tiles  with a white or cream accent (wall) and 4 color choices ( I think white, cream, darker cream, or tan) (floor)
• Level C for the bathroom gives you about 10 choices which include 12x12 floor tiles and 9x12 wall tiles in all different pretty colors. You also get to choose an accent tile for the wall (glass, stone, metal, etc).
• Level D is like C but with extra choices.
• The prices of each really depend on which bathroom you choose and how big your bathroom is.

Our selections...

• Manchester 2 1/4" Saddle Oak Hardwood (Level A): foyer, extended foyer, dining, kitchen and dinette, and powder room.
• Maple Fairfield Spice Square Cabinets (Included)
• Brazilian Brown Granite Formica Countertops (Included)
• Colinsville 103 Nature's Mist (Level B): family room, living room/study, zone 2 (upstairs)
• 10lb padding: family room, living room/study
• 5lb padding (Included): zone 2 (upstairs)
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• Brixton Bone Tile with Listello SA51 Random (4 rows) accent (Level C): master bath
• Maple Fairfield Spice Square Cabinets (Included)

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• Stratford Place SO 94 Dorian Grey Tile (Level C): bathroom 1
• Maple Fairfield Spice Square Cabinets (Included)

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•  Initiator 66205 Resilient: laundry room