Closing Day Updates

Closing Day was awesome! 

First, I got a call about 90 minutes before closing from our project manager.  I got super anxious, but it wasn't a big deal - he said our garage door was possessed!  He said it had opened itself about 3 feet overnight.  He checked to make sure someone didn't try and break in and then the door, apparently, decided to close itself.  He had already called the garage door company and they were coming over to fix it tomorrow (Thursday).

The actual closing ...
SO EASY!!!  We were there maybe 40 minutes.  Went through and signed everything, got our keys, cried my little tears, and rolled out!

We invited my family over to see the house afterward and had subs in the kitchen while our son ran like a maniac all over the house.  I think he's going to like it.

Observations:
1.  My 19 month old can open all the doors because they aren't knobs.  This will make my life painful.
2.  The powder room is tiny and when people wash their hands, you will get water splashes on the wall.  Here's hoping they dry okay.
3.  If you are particular about window coverings, the windows measure 88 inches from the floor to 4 inches above the window (where you would normally hang a rod.  Curtains are made in an 84 or a 95 inch length, not 88.  I am opting to go with 84 length and will mount the rod closer to the window and the curtains will hang 1-2 inches above the floor.  If you like the puddle type curtains, 95 is an excellent length.
4.  If your exterior has not been painted yet, then your windows have not been caulked either.  They will be caulked - no need to call your PM....I did that for you!

Pre-Settlement Walkthrough Pictures

Pre-Settlement Walkthrough went really well today.  I had a hard time listening because I wanted to look in my cabinets. I'll post more details later, but for now, here are the pictures:

Kitchen (Stove and flooring!!)

Powder Room

Mud Room (and part of the powder room)

View from Front Door

View of Front Door from the stairs

Study

Dining Room

Family Room

Finished Basement

Inner Workings

Basement Bathroom Rough-In

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Bedroom #2

Loft 

Bedroom #3 (apparently I didn't get a picture!)

Upstairs Bathroom

View down the stairs

 

Week 14 - It is finished!!!

Well, our house is finished!  We got a mailbox and a driveway this week.  

On Monday, we are doing our pre-settlement walk through and this will be the first time I've seen the house since our pre drywall walk through.  Yes, there will be tears.

Closing is on Wednesday and then it's finally time for our long awaited cross-state move.

I'll be back with pictures from the walk through and will keep you updated on the move.

 

Week 11 - Late, but good update!!

We received a midday Monday update from our project manager for work done last week.  They were about to complete a lot of time consuming tasks on the inside of the house, including drywall touchups, installation of the plumbing and electrical fixtures, and getting a second coat of paint on the walls.

I have a faucet in my kitchen!!

And the stair rail got stained.

The other update he gave us was why the work on the exterior of the house was stopped.  He explained that the mason who did our brick did a good job mostly, but there was one side of the brick wrap that our PM did not think was acceptable.  He ordered more brick and is having the mason come back this week to redo that wall!!  Once the brick is fixed on that wall, he will move forward with the siding and the stone.  

(Picture taken Tuesday, day after the update, showing brick removed.)

There are two things I truly appreciate about our PM and he prides himself on these things:

1. He has the customer in mind when he inspects the work on the house.  If he wouldn't want to live with a squeak in the floor, poorly done insulation, crooked framing, and flawed brick, he makes his contractors redo the work.  For that, I am thankful!
2. He holds his contractors accountable for the work they promise to do.  I'm sure he upsets a lot of people, but I appreciate his standards.

 At this point, there's no impact on our schedule and close date.  WE'RE GETTING CLOSE!!!!

 

 

 

Week 7 - Framing, HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing! Oh My!

This week was a bit quieter than ones in the past, but there was still much accomplished.  HVAC contractors were in with the ducting and installation.  Plumbing and electric were also in.  What was cool is that my brother and dad were able to get a walkthrough Friday morning with our PM who showed them things and talked through his process.  My dad, who has been a Ryan Homes skeptic, was thoroughly impressed with our PM, his attention to detail, and the quality of the work being done in our house.  Look, if it passes my dad's inspection, I have all the confidence in the world that this house will be done really well! 

They were able to get a ton of pictures, which was amazing.

In the pictures, note the orange paint.  That means my PM doesn't like something and is making the contractor fix it.  When it's done, he paints it black.  If he still hates it, he paints it green and they fix it a third time.

Basement

Basement egress window

Furnace

Morning room

Door from morning room

Family room

View from kitchen through mudroom to garage

Upstairs bathroom

 

We also chatted with our PM Friday after work because he needed to confirm our availability to come in the week of the 4th for our pre drywall walkthrough (what?).  We will be going in at 9am Thursday to do the walkthrough, which means we have to leave Virginia Wednesday after work (4pm) to do the 9 hour drive.  If we had been able to have more notice, we would have flown, but will deal.

Week 6 - Framing Completed!

This week was a lot of fun!! It was amazing to watch each floor go up then to see all the additions each day!  Some pictures will look familiar, but let me walk you through...

By the end of the week, our roof was done and the heating and air conditioning contractor was installing our systems.

Next week will be plumbing and electrical then insulation and inspections.  Our PM is targeting April 6 or 7 for our pre-drywall inspection!! 

Now I'm panicking! We have a lot to do before then, like pack up and sell our house in VA.  I'm getting started though ...