Pre-Construction Meeting and Questions

The pre-construction meeting was a lot of fun (or maybe I just don't know how to be serious) and we learned a lot about the process.  We met with our project manager and with our SR.  We also brought my brother along since he lives nearby and will be our "in town" contact doing the daily drive bys.

Our PM started our session our by reviewing our plot plan, showing us drainage, where gas, water and sewer lines would run into the house, and what our landscaping will look like (front will be sod, back will be grass seed and straw).

We also reviewed all of our options and discovered that the paint color has not been documented for the paint package, so we fixed that and are getting "Agreeable Gray" throughout the house.

We also confirmed the location of the basement windows.  Similar to what happened with another blogger, the window in the unfinished exercise room was not on the blueprints.  The PM made a note to check into and said he would fix it.  (He did, btdubs!)

He also told us his hours, when we would get updates, and how to get a hold of him.  The one thing he said that I really appreciated was "If you have a question, ask it before it becomes a burning issue." He said a lot of people wait on some things that they wonder about and it can cause bad blood with the PM relationship.

Here are the questions that I asked in our meeting:

• Does the basement rough-in require and include an "up pump" to move sewage up and out of the basement?
• It does not because our city sewer system sits below our basement and gravity is all that will be needed to remove "stuff".  (I pushed for more on this and was satisfied with his answer when we were finished.)

• Will the doors in the morning room open on both sides or just one?  (Thinking of moving big furniture)
• Only one side will open. 

• Can we get electric wiring set up in the unfinished media room for future build out?
• The answer was no, but he showed us where we would be able to add a circuit on, which was satisfactory.  

•  Regarding the length of the banister at the top of the stairs, do you reinforce that to ensure it doesn't get wobbly after a couple of years?  (Question prompted by the looseness we felt when looking through the model.)
• He described how it gets screwed in and then mentioned that they will check it at the 30 day.  I was satisfied with what he told us. Obviously it will weaken if our kid treats it like monkey bars. He did say it could handle a 250 lb direct impact and would hold, but would loosen a bit if that happened.

• What is the width between the Elevation L front porch column and the wall? 
• It is 6 feet total, 4 feet from the inside of the column to the wall.

• Refrigerator dimensions?
• This is apparently the most popular question asked in these meetings.  
• A standard refrigerator will fit in the space, but ask your SR for a copy of the refrigerators that Ryan Homes sells as an option and that will include the dimensions for you.
• For the sake of time, 69 1/2 inches height, 34 3/4 depth, 35 3/4 width 

Other questions I had written down, but didn't get to ask about:

• Locations of the recessed lighting (This is on your blueprints, so you can figure it out if you don't have time to discuss it with your PM and if you haven't already discussed it.)
• Where are the outside spigots located?
• Will the garage be insulated?
• Will there be a deadbolt on the door to the garage?
• Are there outlets in the garage?
• Where are the exterior outlets?