Preconstruction meeting

It seemed like forever since we made our final selections but today we had our preconstruction meeting.  We met with our PM, Gabe, who talked us through what to expect as the process moved forward and genuinely wanted us to be assured that communication would be his main goal.  I've met Gabe before and he is a great guy.  Very easy to talk to and wants his buyers to know that he is always there for them.

First we went over our lot plan and discussed everything involved with the exterior of our house - grading, sodding, seeding, landscaping, concrete, utilities, etc.  We have a fairly deep lot on a cul-de-sac so the house is placed pretty far back.  This is fantastic for us as our front yard will be deep and the back just a little bit less so.  Our back property line is adjacent to a green space that will not be developed in the future.  There is a wide open area back there for the kids to run and a few large trees perfectly placed for the zip line they've been wanting.

The next step in the meeting was going over every color and material selection we've made to this point and noting locations on the plans.  We were able to move our basement windows and walkout location to better suit our needs.  Our yard is sloped such that we will not have a sump pump and Gabe showed us the locations of the electric panel, water softener rough-in, and a basement laundry tub.  We wanted the laundry tub as a place to clean paint brushes and rollers for when we move in.  We located the laundry tub such that when we finish the basement in the future the plumbing can be modified to be used as a wet-bar sink.  (genius!)

Gabe walked us through all the plans noting materials and any extras we had asked.  We did make a few requests here to combine recessed light switches and verified a few additions that we added.  My wife wanted to verify locations of towel bars and toilet paper hangars to make sure they weren't placed in awkward areas - everything was OK with her here.

The meeting was about an hour long and Gabe answered all of our questions:  Here is a list of what we asked and the answers we were given in the meeting:

1. Do we call to visit site?  Call or email? Call, email, or text any time we have a question or want to go in. Don't go in without him as there are liability issues.
2. Approx. complete date?  Schedule? Breaking ground next week. Should be done in late June.
3. When can we bring our own inspector?  Pre-drywall and final walkthrough are most common.
4. Keep leftover materials?  Hardwood, carpet, paint, vinyl, tile, etc. Yes
5. Where will utilities enter house? Garage side
6. Electric service panel location? Utility room next to furnace
7. Is there going to be a sump pump in the basement and where will it discharge? No sump pump.
8. Is there a basement floor drain and where will it be located? Yes, utility room.
9. Location of water softener rough-in? Utility room
10. Is basement full bath rough in exactly as shown on finished basement? Yes.
11. Where are hose bibs located? Front and rear. Will be accessible from ground level
12. Is the deck handrail going to be in the middle of the family room window? No (we are actually getting a larger deck than originally offered so that the handrail is not in the middle of a window!)
13. Where are deck stairs to ground? Along the back of the morning room.
14. Trees along frontage at sidewalk?  Seen on other homes but not all. Included but need to water.
15. Air conditioner compressor located away from deck? East side away from deck and windows.
16. Add board above fireplace for wall mounted TV.  Blocking added behind stone on fireplace.
17. Is the garage painted? No, first coat of mud only. To finish smooth need to add more finishing steps.
18. Can we insulate exterior garage walls? No, he will remove it. Ryan wont allow it as they won't include it in warranty. (looks like we're going to have to blow it in after we take possession.)
19. Can we add Roxul to laundry room for sound insulation? Didn't ask because of answer to garage.
20. Where are attic accesses?  Model has in bedroom and plans show in bonus room. Bonus room
21. Where are bathroom towel racks and toilet paper holders? We saw these in the plans

After the meeting Gabe took us out to our home site where he had already staked and painted out the house and our lot lines.  He also strung a line to show us the driveway grade and how high our foundation would sit above the existing ground.  This is the first time we got an idea of the scale of the house and where each room would be.  He had laid-out the garage, front porch, exterior outline including the morning room.  This also helped us gauge how much room we had around all the house.  We really like how it all is fitting together.  We had a few more questions for Gabe and were very appreciative of the time he took out there on a freezing cold winter day.

Overall a great meeting and we're excited to see some soil move next week!