2 Weeks To Go

As the work continues to move forward at the house we are getting ready for the temporary move from our leased apartment to my wife's mother's house.  We're hoping that our move will only be for a few weeks until we can close on our new house but the amount of remaining work is astronomical.

First, our weekly PM update - we don't know what the hell is going on.  Our original PM is back on the job and we haven't heard from our second PM.  Too bad as we really liked the second PM and I honestly don't trust our original PM.  He's a nice enough guy but he's supposed to be the expert in this job and he can't answer simple questions or he just pulls stuff out of his butt.  Case in point, my wife saw a black pipe about 12" in diameter coming out of the ground.  He told her it was a sewer pipe when it's actually a water meter pit.  This isn't the first time something like that happened and I have no faith in his answers or ability to get stuff done.  We trusted the second PM the most but we haven't been able to see him in a week.

I've said this before and it bears saying again - the only people on your side in building a new house (Ryan or other builder) is you and anyone you hire to do inspections.  You need to take on the responsibility of constant inspections and identifying errors.  If the PMs were on the job more often and didn't let the subs get away with substandard construction practices then the final product would be of much greater quality.  The subs will get away with whatever they can to be able to move on to their next project.  This is not to say that you won't get a quality house but your input can only make it better.

Rant Over!  Now on to the house update.

Drywall finishers are about 99% complete but still need to finish a few areas in the bonus room.  Honestly don't know why this is taking so long.  The drywall hangars finished their work in the garage and the finishers will be in next to add the one-coat of mud that comes standard.  Debating the idea of having another finisher come in and finish the job correctly or if I should just paint over what is there when we move in.

Trim guys came in and installed most of the trim and doors.  They are short a few pieces of trim and will likely finish in the coming week.  In our dining room we had paid for the crown molding and boxes below the chair rail.  Ryan's electrical contractor had to come in and move the outlets a little bit so they didn't interfere with the boxes.  This is something that could have been avoided had the outlets been placed correctly at the rough-in but it was easily fixed and should still look good.

Kitchen cabinets were all installed and trimmed out.  There are still some adjustments to make which will likely be done just before closing.  One thing to really look for is the use of soft close drawer glides.  We paid for the upgrade to our kitchen cabinets but they didn't extend those to the adjacent planning desk.  I'm sure it is just an oversight but one that we're going to make sure is corrected.

Flooring guys finished their work - replaced a few bad areas and finished one area under the planning desk.  Same guys also did the bathroom tile which looks great.  My wife is very concerned with the engineered laminate as the workers are constantly walking on the unprotected sections which will likely lead to scratches.

Electricians came in and were filling the electric panel and installing lights, plugs, switches, etc.  Work here is going quickly and for the most part everything looks great.  Ryan uses CFL light bulbs everywhere.  We HATE CFL light bulbs and will quickly replace them with LED when we move in.  I don't find any fault with Ryan for this as it's our personal preference.

HVAC guys have the AC working so the house is cool as the temperatures climb.  We have a dual zone (damper controlled) HVAC system and found no difference in temperature between the upstairs and downstairs.  Looking forward to those low heating/cooling bills!

For the coming week we're expecting plumbers to begin their work on faucets and other fixtures.  Stone guys (who we were told were going to begin about 10 days ago) will hopefully be in to work on the fireplace.  Painters will be in to fill holes in the trim and begin painting.  Deck builders should be in to begin building the deck.

New Rant!  Our front porch has about a 60 inch fall from the porch to the grade.  Per code a rail is required for anything over 30 inches so we brought that to the attention of our PM.  His answer is that he is going to bring in fill to reduce the drop.  OK but that means that the waterproofing will be way below the top of grade contrary to the manufacturer installation instructions.  Now the PM's delimna is does he pay to raise the grade and the waterproofing or does he pay for a handrail?


Overall we're still very happy with the home and the building process.  The house is beautiful and it's everything we want and need.  We've met a few of our neighbors already and look forward to many years with them.  This weekend they even had a regatta on one of the retention ponds.  One person had their kayak in the lake and other neighbors had an RC boat race!  This seems like it's going to be a fun community.

I'll update the post with some pictures when I get them off the camera but that's all for now.  Hope to have more for you soon.

3 Weeks Out

Everything is still going gang-busters at the house.  Visited with the PMs (that's right, 2 PMs) on Friday and was able to walk through the house.  Luckily it was dry so I was also able to walk around the exterior to take a closer look at the brick and vinyl siding.

First on the PMs.  Our original PM had a health issue and had to take a week or so off.  He's back now and hopefully feeling much better.  All of us worked out the details of how to mount a TV above the fireplace that will be covered in stone.  The solution is to mount a 2x8 to the fireplace framing and then stone around it.  This gives a nice, solid place to hang the TV bracket.  I brought the new TV mount and a template of the TV to the meeting so we could accurately locate the 2x8.  In the end it will all be hidden so no worries on missing stone.  This work is over and above what their job typically would entail so I thank them for this work.  Otherwise I'd be trying to mount a 100lb TV into a stone wall without knowing where the studs are located.

Concrete guys came out and placed the driveway and sidewalks.  They placed the concrete on a crushed rock base but I'm a little concerned about the thickness being only around 4" thick.  When we spec out residential driveways for roadway work (City, County, State) we use 6" thick minimum.

3.5" thick driveway is pretty thin

The inside of the house is looking good.  Only a few minor comments from me regarding a few drywall repairs and a few electric boxes not properly set for depth.  The PM noticed that the flooring was not extended into our kitchen work desk so they will need to come back and fix a small area.  There is still some drywall to hang and finish in the bonus room but that isn't going to hold up anything else.

Outlet sticking out of wall

Switch box set too far into wall - likely due to a twisted stud.

The tile setters were busy in the master bath and by the time we left had the bathroom entirely complete - save for a few missing tiles.  Since it was still wet I didn't go in but it looked to be very well done.  I'm a bit concerned about the tile setters using grout on the inside corners as walls can settle differently causing cracks in this location.  I had always thought caulk was better here.

Vinyl flooring was installed in the kid's bathroom and the laundry room.  My wife loves the color so I'm happy, too.

Now the exterior.  My wife is not thrilled with the color of the siding.  It matches what we picked but when you see it in larger scale and with natural light it doesn't look right to her.  Looks perfectly fine to my eye but in any case she's going to learn to love it.  In 10-15 years it will all get replaced anyway and we'll likely install the hardi-plank siding.

The brick that I thought looked good looks even better after the acid wash.  The color really pops now.  I took my time walking around the exterior and found a bunch of small things that need to be fixed before closing.  Not all wee holes were filled with anti-rodent/insect material.  Sloppy mortar work covered some of the bricks.  Trim work did not cover gaps in the brick and mortar was stopped well short of the trim.  Again, nothing horrible but things that will need to get fixed before closing.

Sloppy mortar work on face of brick

More of that sloppy mortar work

Missing weep hole fillers

Sloppy mortar work and gaps between brick and trim

Trim work on the house for the most part was installed correctly but there are some areas that need to be fixed.  We noticed a few spots where the trim wasn't flush and where it was cut short.  Again, fixable but hopefully fixed sooner rather than later.

Hope they wash the trim before they paint it

Grading around the house is about the same as it was last week.  Every time I visit I cringe at the thought of all the rocks and debris that we will be digging through when we go to plant trees or do other landscaping.  I don't think the rock-hound will get all of the rocks so we'll probably spend a few days at the build site getting out as much as we can before the final grading.  There is also a large amount of pea gravel in an area that we know will be landscaped.  We're asking to have this removed but not very hopeful we'll get the answer we want.  Again, if they don't do it we'll take care of it over a weekend.  We were told that sod will likely not be installed before we move in.  Good.  Now we can plan on having our concrete patio installed without tearing up our new lawn.

Tons of rock in the yard from the construction entrance

That pea gravel is about 12" deep

As the title says, we're about 3 weeks out from our closing.  It really is coming along quickly and we're getting excited.  We're busy shopping for things we'll need when we move in.  This weekend was perhaps the most needed purchase - a new bed from Ashley Furniture.  We've had our current bed for about 12 years and we didn't even like it 12 years ago.  Going into the store was relaxing as we were the only people there and took our time looking around.  We settled on a Sterns and Foster with a remote controlled base that can raise and lower the head and feet.  Much needed and we're looking forward to getting a restful nights sleep.

This week we're looking forward to Ryan starting on the trim, doors and cabinets.  Still a lot to do but it's going quickly.

Surprise! Things still moving forward

Visited the house last night and at lunch today and boy have they been busy.  Concrete driveway, porch and sidewalks place.  Siding is nearly complete.  And the big surprise, our laminate floor is in.

Talked to the PM last night and got some mostly bad news for a few things.  First, we can't have the 3'x3' slab at our rear walkout relocated to the deck stairs.  It's needed for final occupancy.  We didn't want it installed as we didn't want to remove it when we install our large concrete patio.

Second, the guys who do the concrete don't do work on the side; they only work for builders.  Looks like we'll need to find another company to do our patio - hopefully before Ryan install sod.

Third, Ryan can't relocate the vent in the great room.  We didn't hold much hope in them being able to do it but decided to ask anyway.  The PM is going to meet me on-site to discuss his thoughts but we'll need to hire our HVAC guys to relocate after we close.

No problems with Ryan on any of the above.  We're still very happy with the build and understand that we'll have things to do when we move in.

Now, some pictures from last night - without the concrete driveway.

Siding nearly complete and driveway formwork up

South side of house

Back of house

Kitchen looking at morning room

From the kitchen into the great room.  Troublesome vent is on the right underneath the outlet.

Kitchen looking from morning room

Boy's bathroom

Master Bath

Chugging along

Our new PM is terrific.  Things are continuing to move forward on the exterior and our house is finally starting to take shape.  Not much to report but will give what updates I can.

We've been officially locked out of the house for a few weeks and have kept our word to stay out - for the most part.  If you didn't read previous posts, our first PM told us that the house would be locked-up to keep people from coming in and stealing the expensive trim and cabinets that are stockpiled in the garage.  So locks were put on all the entry doors except for the garage.  Just pull up from the bottom and you're in.  Oh, not to mention all the windows are open and unlocked so there is no problem with someone climbing in!

On a positive note - updates!
  - The brick was finished last week and it looks great.
  - Exterior trim was fixed and ready for siding guys.  (still need it cleaned before it can be painted.
  - Framing guys came and corrected the framing for the bonus room attic access.  (Finally someone did it correctly.)
  - Drywall finishers completed their work on the first floor and are nearly complete on the second floor.
  - Siding guys started on Tuesday and they've finished about a third of the work.  Again, it looks great.
  - There was a guy grading the front yard probably getting ready for driveway and sidewalk concrete.

Now the big question.  I drove by the house this morning and our original PM was walking the front yard doing a little work.  Is he back at work?  Is he our PM again?  What happened to Keith?  All these questions are going through our mind.  Hope to know more today.

Just one picture for now.  Hope to have more this evening.

Onto the mundane.  Saturday my wife and I went out to pick out a couch for our new home.  With the open floor plan we need a sectional couch and had our selections narrowed to two styles at Macy's furniture.  Our poor salesman must have thought we were nuts as we went back and forth between the two; sitting on one then coming back to the other.  Our next decision was size as if we had chosen the larger then we would only have a 38" space to get from the great room to the kitchen.  We went with the smaller of the couches and added an ottoman to fill some space.  We went with the Ainsley sectional.  My wife read reviews of the model and is concerned that the down fill will come out of the pillows and stab us when we sit.  It's comfortable and came in the color we wanted so in the end it was an easy choice.  Thanks to our Macy's salesman for his patience!

In our latest walkthrough we noticed one of the floor vents will need to be relocated in order to make this couch work.  The vent in is a terrible location along a wall and not under a window.  We don't blame Ryan for this as the floor framing for the fireplace did not allow for a good access to the location under the window.  We'll likely need to hire an HVAC guy to move the vent and then do our best to repair the floor opening and carpet at the old vent location.  Not a big deal but just one more thing to do after we close.

New PM, Fresh Start

We don't know the full story but today we met our new PM.  Apparently our previous PM had some medical issues and was not going to be around for a while.  We certainly hope whatever the problems may be that he recovers quickly.

Our new PM is a personable and very knowledgeable guy and we were stunned by the work done around the house.  My wife and I were floored when we saw some of the extra things that were being done.  The piles of dirt around the house were leveled and cleaned up.  Huge industrial fans were brought in to help dry out the house - it's getting humid in the area.  A propane heater was brought in to add heat to the house if needed.  We really felt like things were finally getting done on the house and that we could get back on track to getting the house completed.  We left this meeting a whole lot happier than we've been in a long time.

Keith talked us through what was going on in the house and what the drywall finishers were doing.  He took time to show us the different materials used in the finishing process and why they were used.  He assured us that the bathrooms will be properly constructed and sealed to avoid moisture issues.  We walked the entire house but nothing really jumped out to us as being wrong.  When we got to the bonus room we discussed the obvious (and continuing) issue with the attic access that is partially blocked by rafters.  He took note of that immediately and said he would have the framers out the next day to fix it - and he knew exactly what needed to be done.  What?  Something is going to happen quickly and a problem corrected?!?

We finally got to the major question of the day - would we be able to close on June 12 as promised?  With Keith being new to this house build he didn't have all the details just yet but he thought that, yes, it is possible that would still happen.  BUT, he wanted to talk it over with his boss and will likely give us a call next week to discuss it further.  Honestly, we don't think Ryan will meet the closing date and we're OK with it.  At this point we're glad to have a PM that genuinely seems to know what is going on and will work to complete the house correctly. 
 We would rather delay the closing a few weeks than have to deal with a bunch of service calls.

Thank you to Ryan Homes for listening to our concerns and making things right.  We feel so much better right now.

As for other updates, the brick was being completed and it looks fantastic even before they do the final acid wash.  1st coat of drywall mud was being applied and will likely be finished tonight.  My guess is they will be complete this weekend or on Monday.  Siding and trim work will likely start next week.

Only one picture for the day as the rest is pretty boring:

Drywalled!

Drywallers took about two days to complete the house and everything looks terrific.  At this point my eye for picking out issues in construction goes away and in steps my wife's ability to see imperfections in surfaces.

Locks have been installed on all the doors so it looks like our late night excursions to check on progress will come to an end.  It's fine as from here on out construction consists of drywall and finish work.  We can still get into the house during work hours and I think the sales office will keep a key.

It's been raining for a few days here and everything is soaked.  There were a few very minor leaks in the basement but they are on the sides of the house that have not been bricked.  Other than those few spots the house looks good and finishing starts tomorrow.

With sports cancelled last night my wife and I went out to visit a few furniture stores to look at sectional couches.  We found two that we really liked - one at Macy's and the other at Morris Furniture.  The Morris couch was expensive - like double our budget expensive, and they have a 12 week waiting period for delivery.  We actually liked the Macy's couch better and will probably go that route as long as there isn't a hugely long turn-around period.

We're down to less than six weeks until we close and the excitement continues to build.  In less than four weeks we'll be moving out of the apartment.

Here are a few pictures of the interior!

Bonus room

Bonus room, still working on the attic access above the office

Upstairs looking at bedrooms

View kitchen from foyer

view of kitchen island

View of great room from kitchen

Leak under fireplace on unbricked side of house.

Locked Out!

Our PM informed us today that new locks had been installed on the house.  The official reason is that there was a large delivery of cabinets and trim work and that the locks are needed to safeguard the materials.  I would have thought it was for our unauthorized entry into the house and finding a number of deficiencies!  In any case, our off-hours site visits will need to be curtailed.

Workers during the day will access the house so we can always visit while their around.  Our PM had asked that he be alerted to when we would do a site visit so we'll give him a heads-up that we're coming so he's not surprised by our visit.  With the money we're spending on the house we're still planning on making multiple visits per week to check on progress and the quality of work.

Our speaking-up at least got things moving.  Several of the deficiencies have been fixed or will be fixed in the next few days.  One thing that will not be fixed is the location of the rear hose bib.  We are concerned that the location will be at the bottom of our deck stairs and people will trip over a hose coming off the deck.  The official reason again is it would be a change order and they don't do things different than on the plans.  Again, BS due to the fact that plumbing isn't shown on the plans and final locations are determined by the plumber.  We were never asked about where the hose bibs would be located!!!!!  I certainly wouldn't have put a hose bib at the bottom of the deck stairs or at the corner of the house opposite the garage and driveway.  Not a huge deal as our basement isn't finished and we'll move this after we move in.

On a good note, the brick continues to go up and still looks amazing.  Drywall (from what I could see in the window) was mostly up and ready for finishing.

So, more advice for people starting the buying process:

1.  Try to get your hose bib locations put on the plans BEFORE signing a contract.

2.  Don't put up with your PM not fixing problems prior to drywall.

3.  CC the SR if your PM isn't making you happy.

4.  Don't be afraid to ask for changes during construction.  They will likely say "no" but maybe they'll give in on some of the things that are important to you that are easy for them to fix.

Best luck everyone and be back soon!

Getting Back to Work with Drywall and Brick

In our last post we noted how there seemed to be many unresolved issues that needed to be addressed prior to drywall.  Well, they started drywall yesterday and only a few of the issues were addressed.  The areas where we had problems had not been covered at the end of the day.  A very harsh email was sent to our PM, SR and the local Production Supervisor.  In the morning we got a call from our PM.

Our PM let us know that he had always planned on getting all the issues fixed today but he wanted to get drywall going so as not to delay the schedule.  Fair enough but he never told us those plans and he could have had them all addressed in the nearly two weeks since we brought them to his attention.  Now he's rushing to get the fixes completed before the drywallers can finish.

In our walk-through last night I noticed a few other issues that needed to be fixed:

1.  The drywallers were removing styrofoam strips that were installed by the insulators.  The strips are used to seal the gaps between the drywall and the top plate. More frustrating is that the drywallers were dumping the strips and their other trash into the wall crevices.

2.  We had some fantastic wind come through for a few days and some of the insulation was blown out.  The drywallers didn't bother to replace a few pieces of insulation in the eves so now someone has to crawl into the attic to replace.

Add to that all the other issues including - missing framing, no attic access to one area, a rafter in the middle of an attic access, loose electric boxes, missing Guardian wiring, and incorrect plumbing.  We are really starting to wonder if our PM is looking out for us at this point.  In fact, had we not mentioned any of this it would have eventually been covered in drywall.  Out of sight out of mind.

Here's the bottom line:  We're extremely happy with 95% of the house and the work they've put into quality.  The subfloors are solid and no squeeks.  The framing for the most part was terrific.  The top notch HVAC installation.  The brick looks terrific.  The insulators did an unbelievably good job sealing the house.  There is no doubt that we're going to be extremely happy in this house when it's complete.  Our issues are the small details that seem to be overlooked and the absolute lack of action on our list of errors and concerns.  Loose and incorrect plumbing.  Guardian miswiring our TV drop.  Use of the cheapest mechanicals.

I keep going back to the sloppiness of the work area and what the PM is letting subs get away with.  Drywallers dumping trash in wall cavities.  The dumpster out front is always full so debris is piled all around it.  Bringing in crappy rock filled soil for backfill and grading.  These are things that are easy to fix but Ryan chooses to do these things on the cheap.

Anyway, we're getting drywall and brick so soon my concerns will ease and my wife will start her list of fixes.  Here is at least one picture that makes me happy:

Happy seeing the brick.

See the green foam at the top?

More green foam at the top.  This was removed in other areas of the house.