Much Happier after Pre-Drywall Meeting

Well, what a difference a few days makes.  In our previous post we discussed a number of issues we had with the interior of the house.  We were quite upset that some of these items had either escaped the attention of our PM or he had just written them off as standard construction methods.  Well, yesterday all those issues were discussed and we're back to loving our house.

Two days ago I walked the house with the PM and pointed out a number of issues that were obvious to my eye.  Later that day our private inspector went through the house and while he agreed with a number of our concerns he did let us know that some of it is fairly common and doesn't result in future problems.  He did take issue with the plumbing and cuts into studs - especially in load bearing walls.  But he said overall the house is being built correctly - especially on the exterior.

Yesterday we had our predrywall meeting and met with our PM and a surprise guest.  One of the managers had heard from a friend-of-a-friend that we were unhappy with the construction.  This guy was there to make sure we left the meeting happy.  Mission accomplished.

Here is a quick summary of the issues we had and Ryan's response:

• Plumbing holes in load bearing walls - where necessary they will fix the holes or sister additional studs to help carry the weight.  The County inspectors might still have an issue but a few extra studs will help the situation.
• Framing walls with narrow side of studs - These are in a few locations (closets) and aren't too terribly bad.  Drywall will likely help but we'll see after drywall is up.
• Electric panel in garage - we needed this in the basement so we could easily add circuits when we finish the basement.  Ryan is going to install a sub-panel in the basement.  We did a little haggling to make sure we get enough amperage and open slots.  Initially Ryan was going to charge us for the work but eventually relented and will pay for it themselves.  This concern was brought up long before we signed papers and we were always assured the panel would be in the basement.
• Laundry room - Ryan is going to completely redo the room to match what was in the plans.
• Unsupported plumbing - This one worried us as we've lived in houses where water hammer makes pipes rattle.  The plumbing is better supported but there are areas that still need additional.  We've let Ryan know our concerns and the PM seems like he's going to make sure it's taken care of.
• Plumbing resting against electric boxes - This has been rectified by adding bends around the boxes.  Hoping the change doesn't affect water pressure!
• Recessed lights in wrong location - Ryan is going to move the eyeball lights to the correct location on the plans.  They already moved the lights in the bonus room and I like their layout more than my original plan.  Great job!
• Rear hose bib - Ryan is going to look into moving it around the corner.  It's in an unfinished portion of the basement so it can always be moved later in the process.
• Attic accesses - Ryan is going to reframe the attic access that is obstructed by a rafter.  They are also going to add an access to the area above the bonus room.  Very satisfied with our discussion here.
• Loose framing - This is still an issue in the house but Ryan is going to ask the framers to add nails and additional blocking to rectify the problem.  We'll need to keep our eye on this.

We didn't take any pictures yesterday but will follow up this weekend with a whole bunch.  We want to document what is behind the walls just in case we need them in the future.

Now the GREAT news.  We have been given a walkthrough date of June 9th and a settlement date of June 13.  That's about two weeks earlier than we had expected.

Our PM did give us some advice for after we settle:

• Get a dehumidifier and put it in the basement.  Building materials have a lot of moisture and we want to get rid of that as best as possible.  Get the kind that drains directly to the floor drain via a hose.
• If you can wait, don't paint until the one year mark.  Ryan will be coming and doing drywall repairs and we would likely need to repaint at the one year mark in any case.

One piece of advice that I want to relay to anyone in the process of building - hire your own inspector(s.)  We hired one overall inspector to look at everything and were satisfied with the results.  Had I known about all these issues a few weeks ago I would have hired individual experts to inspect within the expertise.  It probably would have been just a plumber and HVAC guys at this point but we could have also added a roofer and an electrician.  For $500 you could likely get them all to give you their opinion.

That's all for now.  Will be back later with pictures!