[Rbgold]

A-4,
We also had similar experiences at CalcTeacher. We met our designer for the first time at our design appointment, but had also worked the day prior with our sales rep to try and narrow down our choices. If you are one of the first to build on your block, you shouldn't have any problem with house/trim color choices as you would be the one what no one else could match - in terms of color. We are building in between two homes that had already been build or were being built, so our first choice was taken. But our designer showed us a couple of other options that were so close to what we thought we wanted that we could not tell.
We also made some other structural changes during the design process that our sales agent would not commit to and told us the designer had the final say for that. I'm sure you will ask if you can configure the home the way that you and Cathy would like. And, I'll also bet that your designer might come up with things you hadn't thought about. In a few instances, I asked our designer what she would do if this were her home, as I trusted her opinion. I also asked if there might be something we were forgetting/omitting, etc. She actually told me that she woke up during the night to see if we were forgetting anything!!
All you have to do is ask - the worst they can say is "no" and be prepared for Plan "B"!

Rona