So yesterday, my boyfriend got an email from our SR with some "corrections" to things she has told us in the past. As many of you know, we have had this happen to us before with Ryan Homes. They told us one thing and then they were like whoops, we were wrong. The biggest one was when they told us our house would fit on our first choice lot but then, last minute, they discovered they were wrong. It caused a bunch of crap that was just annoying and frustrating and ended up delaying us for a month. In the end, we ended up switching lots and getting some stuff for free, so it worked out, and we moved on. So when my boyfriend told me he had some bad news about a couple of things I was like ugh .. here we go again.
They're not HUGE issues but still irritating.
One thing we negotiated for was our deck. They told us we could build a Trex material deck and that they would pay for half and we would pay for the other half. Well, our SR just told us, welllll we know we said it was Trex, but it's not. It's a generic composite material brand. I'm not against generic stuff, because in a lot in instances it is exactly the same, but there are a good amount of "cheap" composites out there that fade and age really poorly. We researched Trex before we agreed to their "deal" ... we know nothing about this generic brand. If it ends up looking like crap in 5 years then what? We either deal with it or tear it down and build something of quality. So stupid. We do have it IN WRITING that the deck is Trex so we'll be doing some negotiating.
The second thing we were told incorrectly was about fencing. As I have mentioned before, we really need a fence with our two dogs. We have huskies and they can pretty much jump anything under 6 feet tall. When we were told, by our SR, that the community was allowing 6 foot privacy fences we were officially sold on the community. Well, the HOA got back to us and apparently, until about a month ago, they weren't allowing fencing AT ALL. Apparently, one of my future neighbors found out about this and caused some serious havoc and eventually they caved (Thank you future neighbor, whoever you are!!!). They are now allowing privacy fencing BUT it can only be 4 ft high .. We were going to get a dog door so our dogs could go outside while we were at work, but now we can't because I won't feel comfortable about them being safe and not jumping over the fence while we're gone.
I don't understand why Ryan Homes just tells people things without double checking them. To say we're getting Trex when we aren't is just stupid. To tell us we can definitely have a 6 ft privacy fence when the community didn't even allow them previously is even more stupid!
In the end though, we think this should give us some negotiation power. I highly doubt they'll use Trex material for our deck but I think we can get a couple of things added for free to make up for the fact that we're paying for a lower quality deck than we were told. Pendant lighting and some crown molding??? We'll see!
They're not HUGE issues but still irritating.
One thing we negotiated for was our deck. They told us we could build a Trex material deck and that they would pay for half and we would pay for the other half. Well, our SR just told us, welllll we know we said it was Trex, but it's not. It's a generic composite material brand. I'm not against generic stuff, because in a lot in instances it is exactly the same, but there are a good amount of "cheap" composites out there that fade and age really poorly. We researched Trex before we agreed to their "deal" ... we know nothing about this generic brand. If it ends up looking like crap in 5 years then what? We either deal with it or tear it down and build something of quality. So stupid. We do have it IN WRITING that the deck is Trex so we'll be doing some negotiating.
The second thing we were told incorrectly was about fencing. As I have mentioned before, we really need a fence with our two dogs. We have huskies and they can pretty much jump anything under 6 feet tall. When we were told, by our SR, that the community was allowing 6 foot privacy fences we were officially sold on the community. Well, the HOA got back to us and apparently, until about a month ago, they weren't allowing fencing AT ALL. Apparently, one of my future neighbors found out about this and caused some serious havoc and eventually they caved (Thank you future neighbor, whoever you are!!!). They are now allowing privacy fencing BUT it can only be 4 ft high .. We were going to get a dog door so our dogs could go outside while we were at work, but now we can't because I won't feel comfortable about them being safe and not jumping over the fence while we're gone.
I don't understand why Ryan Homes just tells people things without double checking them. To say we're getting Trex when we aren't is just stupid. To tell us we can definitely have a 6 ft privacy fence when the community didn't even allow them previously is even more stupid!
In the end though, we think this should give us some negotiation power. I highly doubt they'll use Trex material for our deck but I think we can get a couple of things added for free to make up for the fact that we're paying for a lower quality deck than we were told. Pendant lighting and some crown molding??? We'll see!
This kind of stuff is so frustrating! Glad it wasn't major... but the fencing issue would be a big issue for us too with our dog. Good luck getting it worked out - stick to your guns!!!
ReplyDeleteOmgosh it is! Drives me crazy! I don't understand how they work sometimes ... I'm going to have my boyfriend handle it because he's good at this sort of thing so hopefully it works out!
DeleteLauren-
ReplyDeleteThat would have me mad. Generic composite is cheaper than trex, so they need to account that into the cost of what you are paying. Ridiculous.
As for fencing... We are having the same issue. We have 3 Shepherds and fencing is super important. Our wonderful SR plops down the HOA covenants(700 pages) and tells us it's in there. Well, it is... But it's definitely not in English. Turns out the person who runs the HOA lives in Michigan. There are several typed of fence already up so we are kind if guessing. It's pretty ridiculous.
I hope everything works out for you guys!
Yea .. I'm pretty mad .. I'm starting to just expect this crap now, which is a bad thing I guess! Lol! The good part about these things is that we normally are able to get stuff for free, especially since we have it in writing.
DeleteAs for fencing .. it's really annoying. How do you tell people fencing is definitely allowed when the community actually never allowed it at all until 1 month ago?? It's nice that you have some fencing up in your community to go off of. You can pretty much argue for any fence that's already been put up by one of your neighbors... At least, I would think so. Our community is pretty much brand new except for townhouses that were built by a different builder a few years ago. Apparently, only the single family homes are going to be allowed to have fencing but the people with townhomes are out of luck .. So glad we didn't go with a townhome!
That's so weird that your HOA person lives in Michigan .. how does that work?? Lol .. so crazy! You'll definitely need a fence with 3 German Shepherds! I hope your fence is approved easily! You're SR has put you through enough hell already!
Lauren-
DeleteOur HOA deal is a mess. The community we bought in was originally started by another builder. It was slated to have something like 221 homes I believe. Well, that builder built 10 and went out of business in '08. The homes they built are gorgeous. Until last year there was no activity in that subdivision until Ryan came along.
Since the community didn't have 75% of the homes built up the HOA went to a "manager". Basically this guy has a ton of communities that he oversees because they never fulfilled the 75% occupancy. Ours is one of them. There are 2 of the previous builders homes that just look like crap, and if there was an active HOA something would be done.
There is also a "no above ground swimming pool" covenant. Yeah, one of the houses has an above ground pool. To us it's basically a free for all until the community takes over the HOA and starts enforcing the laws.
I'm pretty sure we are going to go 5 ft privacy. Hopefully that will fly. Our neighbor closed on their house this week so I'm hoping they don't pick something that will not work for us if they decide to get a fence.
Ahhhhhh the stress!
I do feel good knowing that you are going through the Ryan homes crap along with us. Everyone else seems to be having a wonderful time! Lol.
Hahaha yea you are definitely not going through it alone! We have had a ton of problems and everyone else seems to be right on schedule with everything going perfect. I think the problem with our community is that all the lots sold SO fast that they really don't care as much about making people happy because they could easily find someone to fill your spot .. really annoying but I guess that's business .....
DeleteThat HOA situation is crazy! I think our HOA is being overseen by a law office for right now until the community is more filled so it might be a somewhat similar situation. I think a 5 foot fence would be fine! We are going to argue for a fence that has the lattice decorative top and say that the lattice part doesn't count towards the actual fence. They said they would consider it so we just have to submit a form for it .. so stressful! This whole process has been a roller coaster of emotions!
That would so tick me off! I absolutely hate the idea of an HOA. When my wife and I started looking for a home and before we decided to build I was adamant about NO HOA's. I've read too many horror stories about them to even consider living in a community that had one.
ReplyDeleteI hope everything works out for you guys, good luck.
The idea is not something I'm fond of either, Frank. Unfortunately out where we built they are everywhere. Unless you want an older home then you could find a neighborhood without.
DeleteIt's a stressor to no end. No sheds(my husband had a 12x20 shed at our old home so you can imagine the tools, which is why we had to get a 3 car) no pools, designated fencing. It's really such a racket.
On the other hand we looked into a neighborhood directly across the street from where we are building. That HOA was insane. Like you couldn't leave your garbage cans out for anyone to see. You couldn't have a different mailbox(had to pay $300 for their specified black metal junk) you had to had more than 11 plants in front of your home... You get the picture.
We would have been thrown out of that subdivision so fast... Lol
We were in the same situation! It's almost impossible to find a community with no HOA. We looked at about 10 communities and every single one had an HOA. This community actually had the most lenient out of all of them. Most of them don't allow any fencing or if they do it HAS to be post and rail.
DeleteWe can't have a shed either Bridget! At first I was annoyed about it but then we found out they cut our grass for us (front and back yard) so we don't need a mower which makes having no shed more bearable.
I want to live by you!!!' They cut the grass??? That's so awesome!
DeleteIn summary, extremely happy with GardenRidge. Communication was excellent, they helped us organise some of the other trades to get the pool done, had some great ideas and as you can see it looks fantastic.
ReplyDeletesafety fence