tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43919269721591195142024-03-13T11:23:00.271-07:00To build or not to build - Our Shakespeare home (MD)To build or not to build -
Our Shakespeare homeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-15345060235619735362013-07-23T05:42:00.003-07:002013-07-25T05:31:24.971-07:00The granite they installed was....<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=golden+garnet&client=firefox-a&hs=rLd&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=J3nuUfauE_Ko4AO3sYH4CQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1108&bih=1011" target="_blank">Golden Garnet:</a><br />
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We knew it wasn't the St. Cecilia when we first saw it but not sure what it was. Now they are going to remove all the granite (counter-tops, gourmet island) and install the CORRECT granite. Hope no damage is done to the cabinets and dry-walls. We are doing our best not to get upset over this as we have been through worse mistakes before this. As long as they properly repair/correct any mistakes.<br />
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Like JandM said, It's a lot of counter space. Here are some pictures of the kitchen counters from the model home. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTijQ53Y386iu3zakE-uz05_VV7BBxK0SpoWeTJLj47E1MuEcQgv79Z82aYtvH-xiRmU6ZlzUE3RLzM7Y7pPfwNqHWCaVpESdJrRr50LUCbrztmR60VhlcMA-sqYkdmamV6D0073lb4qg/s1600/IMG_0185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTijQ53Y386iu3zakE-uz05_VV7BBxK0SpoWeTJLj47E1MuEcQgv79Z82aYtvH-xiRmU6ZlzUE3RLzM7Y7pPfwNqHWCaVpESdJrRr50LUCbrztmR60VhlcMA-sqYkdmamV6D0073lb4qg/s640/IMG_0185.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-16178310533305770582013-07-22T05:11:00.002-07:002013-07-22T10:16:23.228-07:00What granite is this?We stopped by the the house last Friday (supervised visit) to check on the progress. We noticed the kitchen granite doesn't look right. We selected Santa Cecilia but what we found does not look like it.<br />
Can you tell what granite this is? <br />
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The patterns and characteristics are total different from the Santa Cecilia. It looks like a darker version of the Wheat granite in our bathroom. We don't want our kitchen to look like our bathroom!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjNO4EZJADSme5ebCCafDfIOkwTpkBxe3IkXmYe7tei_KF7GUYzeiwpmLWeaycFPaySvdjibwbAHi2A4rOCI-o-Fs-eylIiqPyTJm5mWlMLNznzQ0G4XIK0BWM2YXoanhDyskzj1mDCo/s1600/Shakespeare+kitchen+granite+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjNO4EZJADSme5ebCCafDfIOkwTpkBxe3IkXmYe7tei_KF7GUYzeiwpmLWeaycFPaySvdjibwbAHi2A4rOCI-o-Fs-eylIiqPyTJm5mWlMLNznzQ0G4XIK0BWM2YXoanhDyskzj1mDCo/s640/Shakespeare+kitchen+granite+(Medium).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Santa Cecilia looks like this (below) and the above granite looks nothing like it. This picture (Santa Cecilia) is from my neighbor's house in the same community.<br />
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We contacted our PM to verify what was installed and still waiting to hear back from him.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-38600095214711691322013-07-01T09:07:00.000-07:002015-07-04T08:08:00.104-07:00"anger will not help your cause"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I read other blogs and it seems like there are quite a few unhappy bloggers dealing with Ryan Homes. A word of advice is that being angry will not get you anywhere (or in life in general). You will only stress yourself and others around you (as I was and my poor ...). We've been there and done that these past few months and have learned much from the experience. Your goal is to buy your future home which you have already spent so much energy, time and money to get to this point and Ryan Homes' goal is to sell you this home and have a happy customer (= good reputation and build a good relationship for possible future business). Don't let minor issues ruin your goal of having your dream home. Simply be nice and they will most likely to see things your way instead of blaming who is at fault. Remember, you still have another year working with the builder after you move in so best to set a nice mutual relationship now.<br />
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Quick update on the house. It's been a few weeks since last blog and the house is well on it way.<br />
They've installed bricks and working on trims/molding and cabinets last week when I met up with PM's supervisor. What will they work on this week? I don't know. PM is too busy to send out anymore updates to us and we were told not to do anymore unsupervised visits. :( <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-40569736348327718942013-06-07T10:53:00.003-07:002013-07-02T11:59:30.140-07:00More rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0rW5E1p-6cm1okCJxRPytD62-89BjljXBh_26TIVMKezccVO0SZKi7XWS5UWSI2Ujq_H4YGvee8MtZ0wM1Nc2MIKliwLCsAMiUq95kLVY18IrAplpdlmuYtdJVm6TY7fZ2snucqRtyA/s1600/Leaky_Ceiling_clipart_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0rW5E1p-6cm1okCJxRPytD62-89BjljXBh_26TIVMKezccVO0SZKi7XWS5UWSI2Ujq_H4YGvee8MtZ0wM1Nc2MIKliwLCsAMiUq95kLVY18IrAplpdlmuYtdJVm6TY7fZ2snucqRtyA/s320/Leaky_Ceiling_clipart_image.jpg" width="298" /> </a></div>
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When it rains, it pours. I'm not talking about just rain here but also talking about our bad luck and experience so far. Since the foundation issue (and <a href="http://www.shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/06/even-mother-natures-hates-us-flooded.html" target="_blank">flood</a>, and <a href="http://www.shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/im-getting-angry-now.html" target="_blank">delays</a> which resulted in higher <a href="http://www.shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/06/rates-are-going-up-up-up-up-up-up-up.html" target="_blank">mortgage rate</a> and....) bad things are just keep on coming our way. <b>WE ARE CURSED!</b></div>
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Small concern out of the way first.</div>
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Last night it rained so I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to check for any leakage after the shingles installation. Well............. of course there is. There was no flashing for the living room bump-out ceiling so that part of the floor got water dropping from the ceiling. The front door left open so the entrance is also wet. I know they tell you the wood is made to withstand getting wet but just because it can, doesn't mean it should. The OSB boards can get wet but I don't think they were made to be soaked in water for a long period of time. The constant wet and dry cycles is probably bad.</div>
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<b> As of Monday evening 6/10/2013 , still a pool of water sitting there.</b></div>
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Water dripping from ceiling</div>
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The 2 pictures below were taken from 2 different houses but at the same spot of these houses. <b> </b> It holds the roof and the steel beam for the garage.<b> Do you see the differences between these 2 pictures.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvbetWjS3wJAgzWxP5X2LBfjev86LLM6UVuS-zKmQh7xUx2ltU4_VdfpBL31KzdvJxo8zdqV-HyNjoLpVk8nJhhu9dfnSsS_8BvUApbdgh0xi3jgRI0OXu9ALLuOLCOfopFiJ_Fzsiac/s1600/neighbors+garage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvbetWjS3wJAgzWxP5X2LBfjev86LLM6UVuS-zKmQh7xUx2ltU4_VdfpBL31KzdvJxo8zdqV-HyNjoLpVk8nJhhu9dfnSsS_8BvUApbdgh0xi3jgRI0OXu9ALLuOLCOfopFiJ_Fzsiac/s640/neighbors+garage.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first picture is from my neighbor down the street and the 2nd pic is (that's right) <b>my house.</b> I would say they did a very poor job of it. My neighbor's house is clean and everything fitting nicely. On my house, the concrete is slanted (probably from the early bad foundation pour). The wood appears to be seated incorrectly on the concrete base, only 35% of it is resting on it. Why is there a gap in between? Here is another closer look. Should we be concern? </div>
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<b>(update: This has been fixed after bringing to PM's attention, will update with pic when I get a change to take one)</b></div>
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<b>On my last post, I email our SR and PM's manager about helping with closing cost and some closing credit but have not heard back from them yet. In the mean while, I have continue to discover problems with this house. PM is on vacation since last week but will be back Monday.</b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-81867377524525429742013-06-06T07:31:00.004-07:002013-06-28T15:47:37.556-07:00Rates are going up up up but still no set date<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR758Ar7dc-tVpM6T5c5a5G_M2nIEUG-0DM_aG00VXbIKDwb01RFWBEoUqlWHb1dlTEiFlZxNNn6ezlLNsZOGF_giVM0pvHr7MtpUf08xp6JbagX9gQlJedKT8zvB60qtjfiGnbQTruw/s1600/closingcosts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR758Ar7dc-tVpM6T5c5a5G_M2nIEUG-0DM_aG00VXbIKDwb01RFWBEoUqlWHb1dlTEiFlZxNNn6ezlLNsZOGF_giVM0pvHr7MtpUf08xp6JbagX9gQlJedKT8zvB60qtjfiGnbQTruw/s320/closingcosts.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
Things are not looking good for anyone not locked their mortgage rate yet. Each week for the past month rates are higher at a very fast pace. We are now looking at 4.5% vs low 3% a month ago. We purchased with Ryan Homes at the end of December 2012 and our completion is 2 months behind schedule. If we were suppose to close in June as scheduled when we signed the contract we could've gotten the low 3% rate but with all the problems with construction and other delays, we are looking at 1.x% increase in rate on a high balance loan, that's A LOT OF MONEY.<br />
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This morning I wrote a letter to our SR and PM's manager (who has been very nice helping us with the construction problems we found) to request for closing credit and closing assistance. I held them responsible for the delays and <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/this-is-what-steel-beam-support-should.html" target="_blank">construction problem</a>s we been having since foundation. (you can read them by going back to last 4-5 blog posts). I will post a follow up if Ryan will take some responsibility for this.<br />
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Anyway, here are some updates on the house construction. They have installed shingles yesterday on the roof. There are still wet spots in the basement and the subfloor is not completely dry yet on the upper floors.<br />
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I used a moisture meter to test the wood in the family room (where it was over 1" of water sitting over night) and it reads18% moisture vs 9% -10% on the dry wood on the wall and over 20% in the cracks between the wood panels. We had 80 degree weather the last 2 days which helped with drying the wood but will need more drying time. Mold can still grow in the cracks between the wood where saw dust are packed in and still wet. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-48059340610467556732013-06-03T06:56:00.002-07:002013-06-03T12:01:03.385-07:00Even Mother Nature hates us - flood everywhere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TVo38cIp7qT6eHOyuUQwBsItzt2wU2gTT9s3dT979PXUoCz9WCrxWm7bII9V5ozPWtfNcot5tCh9b5xuhRDFQNoeUaS7N1YSdbgqnZgWjDKOqJqDyWgosBt8L_yKDOQZINBfqJaM6TM/s1600/flood-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TVo38cIp7qT6eHOyuUQwBsItzt2wU2gTT9s3dT979PXUoCz9WCrxWm7bII9V5ozPWtfNcot5tCh9b5xuhRDFQNoeUaS7N1YSdbgqnZgWjDKOqJqDyWgosBt8L_yKDOQZINBfqJaM6TM/s320/flood-cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We just can't catch a break!!! Water here water there water everywhere. It hurts us to see the pictures below. Does anyone know if this will have any ill affect on the wood (framing wood, sub-floor, walls etc). Our house got flooded by last night's storm. Everything is installed but the shingles so water got inside and each floor (each room) and basement have large pools of water. The family room has over a inch of pond a fish can swim in. The HVAC unit is already installed and got wet as well, hope it will not rust or early failure.<br />
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<b>#1 concern is molding. uuuuuuug it hurts.</b><br />
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This is what it looks like from the outside - no shingles!!! </div>
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HVAC unit - it got wet</div>
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front door </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi064j-FkrwNPjec9NFfDhtqOV0QB-07sfIF1sxjuJOt3Zd85n2VDj-4ixVlzfpLJJiL6RVg1NLoH8Uitl7c7mQ0dFA67kbUQsfNXMEqMWxu6q8RpeNJs9LMKBE9TPv29LXhtTiMQ10fP8/s1600/puddle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi064j-FkrwNPjec9NFfDhtqOV0QB-07sfIF1sxjuJOt3Zd85n2VDj-4ixVlzfpLJJiL6RVg1NLoH8Uitl7c7mQ0dFA67kbUQsfNXMEqMWxu6q8RpeNJs9LMKBE9TPv29LXhtTiMQ10fP8/s400/puddle.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Morning room and Famil room</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vL6rDeAOzdBods5Y1mRptZeSCoMHKK4WZDPdmNgLKgpKDylHFu_TArZD25tU4mUiaBvpiUAJHggUDid4GRr0VYHmzug-XL3RQaOUcUbq9KvW53WkDmjZsP3AT897dVAawWxOEfTINl0/s1600/puddles+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vL6rDeAOzdBods5Y1mRptZeSCoMHKK4WZDPdmNgLKgpKDylHFu_TArZD25tU4mUiaBvpiUAJHggUDid4GRr0VYHmzug-XL3RQaOUcUbq9KvW53WkDmjZsP3AT897dVAawWxOEfTINl0/s400/puddles+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Family room </div>
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Family room is the worst since there is no floor above, just an open roof. </div>
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Yup each room has it's own swiming pool </div>
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basement pools. I hope it's not coming thru the walls.</div>
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Stair Waterfall</div>
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Basement wall</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-20155549107339481762013-05-31T05:32:00.001-07:002013-06-29T19:29:40.613-07:00Foundation drama update and fixes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIj4VSFn9oF5-DOxteXYrWU3OacNi55iN7S2NVyqJulk-c1_cIgKUNlnDCfOrwLe1AgOZDxL8S6HjfCrvSHvXJGuKiwdkkh3k3Y5i2zIuLgbacNVqIcnttMEkVs4kikMza2W_dHPwMfZM/s1600/DramaMasks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIj4VSFn9oF5-DOxteXYrWU3OacNi55iN7S2NVyqJulk-c1_cIgKUNlnDCfOrwLe1AgOZDxL8S6HjfCrvSHvXJGuKiwdkkh3k3Y5i2zIuLgbacNVqIcnttMEkVs4kikMza2W_dHPwMfZM/s1600/DramaMasks.jpg" /></a></div>
For those of you who followed my blog the past few days know about our foundation problems. If not you can read about it <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/framing-and-broken-windows.html" target="_blank">here</a> (with pictures).<br />
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I wrote a 2nd letter with a copy of <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/this-is-what-steel-beam-support-should.html" target="_blank">this posting </a>from my blog to SR and asked to get Ryan's management involved. Not long after I received an email from PM's supervisor apologizing (good start). PM's supervisor informed me that he has<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">contacted the Framer and the Foundation contractor to fix the problems. </span> I wasn't satisfied with the answer because I want to know what their plan of action was to fix it. I don't want just a patching job covering over the mistake. The supervisor email back and ask us to meet him onsite the next day. (Isn't the power of the internet amazing). With Ryan's reputation online (pun intended), he wanted to make sure all our concerns were taken care of. <br />
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When we arrived onsite and met up with our PM first. He showed us that they have already fixed the steel beams and the wall cavities where the beams sit. They have straighten the metal plates and made a clean cut of the concrete instead of the sloppy hammering job before. <br />
PM said they will also weld the steel plates and fill in the cavities. They normally just
leave the cavities open so that's good. (before and after pictures): <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">before</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwqYzpMP6soEchyphenhyphenlTWLd5gSoBxfeNa7l9qIARpM1kb7SmDStX5tP2KRlD33-3wt_5Rj4TzftttdCdVqczY3oztJfpjLlBokWDKO6lQf8H5YiVyhu3FPztmv5n2cKyBMpyK3dGk1pWC1c/s1600/off+centered.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
As you can see the markings on the beam above, they had to jack up each beam (and the rest of the house above it) to repair them. I ask PM why didn't they halted construction and fix the problem before adding more weights on top of it? (especially the beam with the wooden block)<br />
Supervisor arrived while we were going over the repairs. He asked why I still look concerned... well....because<b> </b>now I don't know if the whole structure has been compromised from the repair. It looks fine now but will it hold up in the future? They both assure me it'll be fine. OK THEN! <br />
We would much prefer an extended warranty over talking.<br />
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Now back to my question to PM about halting the construction when problems with the foundation supports were discovered. <b>This is what we disagreed on.</b><br />
If this is your house, I know most will agree with me that <b>construction should stop until they have the proper tools and Plan of Action to fix it before proceeding. It's only logical and especially we are dealing with the foundation support. </b> Our PM had 29 years in construction for various builders and he said he would've done the same and continue to build on top of faulty support. He sees it as a difference in opinion but I see it as common sense to stop. I'm not an expert but I would rather be safe than sorry later. What do you think?<br />
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We are happy they did the fix, it's better than before but <b>our concern now is will there be issues from this in 5, 10, 15 years down the road.</b> We'll see, at least now we have <b>documented</b> everything. If they can give use a 20 year structural warranty (normally 10) and 3 years of wall-to-wall warranty (normally 1 year), It will make us feel less concerned or even closing cost help since we have delayed from June to August to close. Mortgage rates were much lower a month ago if we are to close in June.<br />
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On a side note. <b>Ryan's management acted quick and responsive. They really care about their reputation and customer satisfaction (so far).</b> What had happened to our house don't happen often as none of my neighbors had this issue. (I checked out 5 other constructions in the area and they were fine) We just happens to be the unlucky one.<br />
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At that same meeting I asked if I can insulate the garage before drywall goes up and the supervisor offered to have it done for us by the insulation company. I also asked PM about TV mounting supports and we went around the entire house and marked where I wanted the extra 2x4s in the walls as well as extra support underneath the washer/dryer. <b><b>As we walked around, </b>PM let out a small chuckle and said "I'm helping you while you're beating me up" jokingly I think. I assumed he meant that I wrote him up and got his supervisor involved.</b> <b> We had no intentions of offending him, just want to make sure our house is safe and sound for our family. We really do feel bad about it but we have to voice our concerns especially on such a large investment or it'll be too late when the house is finished.</b> He's a really nice guy like I said in previous posts and we still plan to giving him high marks on the survey.<br />
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I guess we are ok for now and wait for inspection. Here are some pictures I took yesterday to show how much they've done in 4 days (Monday-Thursday) from steel beam install to roof. That's fast but not sure it's a good thing either. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mc8lY-SyClHRUHRngjJE-H0JEV818zJ7WWGLjQBqY4JToaTB5A7r012N26_PnzTSby6Uruzyh0QXC-Qmj2wJF5ozpnT0CT4CT58e_uph0O3CHT2pCGXPbAuoj50Rx99XqX7VidR-xx8/s1600/IMG_0382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mc8lY-SyClHRUHRngjJE-H0JEV818zJ7WWGLjQBqY4JToaTB5A7r012N26_PnzTSby6Uruzyh0QXC-Qmj2wJF5ozpnT0CT4CT58e_uph0O3CHT2pCGXPbAuoj50Rx99XqX7VidR-xx8/s320/IMG_0382.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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House as of 3/26/2013.........<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lFRoT51z3CUAiTqJPc0phLVIxfUF0KGlVhmtTMunKeeC_V15A6pk0zfkO5n3-0DxuuBfU3gAFxlyuEYKzGlwD7RGOrV17F0ovFdFWQcZMvPlvD1sgLLER_OYRrdIP8nTmLu-8E5sUHM/s1600/DSC_1633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lFRoT51z3CUAiTqJPc0phLVIxfUF0KGlVhmtTMunKeeC_V15A6pk0zfkO5n3-0DxuuBfU3gAFxlyuEYKzGlwD7RGOrV17F0ovFdFWQcZMvPlvD1sgLLER_OYRrdIP8nTmLu-8E5sUHM/s320/DSC_1633.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
House as of 3/30/3013.<br />
From foundation to roof in 4 days.<br />
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The dirt ground in front of the house will be future green area. <br />
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TV support markings<br />
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TV support markings<br />
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2 level family room and future fireplace.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-31255940657584170002013-05-29T10:18:00.002-07:002014-02-10T09:29:32.655-08:00Right and Wrong way of installing foundation beams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red;">(update: repair update <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/foundation-drama-update.html" target="_blank">Click here</a></span>) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ilCTvuPGAU5EnVoqztdwjcRNdwy9oWdTvAHsbwts8vpnepCcE6wsv-MFJjIAbFHtUAZMCkUzpqz3ULIvJW4SVLk5QXuMsGnut0i-dvAwuYAPutnI0MK0gZZOA_nJW8BCeaBFxa8wjvw/s1600/right+way+sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ilCTvuPGAU5EnVoqztdwjcRNdwy9oWdTvAHsbwts8vpnepCcE6wsv-MFJjIAbFHtUAZMCkUzpqz3ULIvJW4SVLk5QXuMsGnut0i-dvAwuYAPutnI0MK0gZZOA_nJW8BCeaBFxa8wjvw/s400/right+way+sign.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a> </div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The correct way vs the WRONG WAY!</h2>
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I'm not an expert or home inspector but even a common person can see the job they did on my foundation is obviously<b> A</b> <b>disaster waiting to happen. </b></div>
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YES I'm going to hire an independent home inspection for Pre-dry wall and final walk. </div>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso25aJuXmmwM-hvLvubyvA6qtR9eV3W3zOyjEMdQesCunsRnnpGSdbL72Kgqk-lU0axbMx_Rd2dLtVXigzuJShREgQJIwMvBaym5RpU7C1tjLqgWTB-a9liPph7Lf7rLdmNdwqk2P3Tk/s1600/good+bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso25aJuXmmwM-hvLvubyvA6qtR9eV3W3zOyjEMdQesCunsRnnpGSdbL72Kgqk-lU0axbMx_Rd2dLtVXigzuJShREgQJIwMvBaym5RpU7C1tjLqgWTB-a9liPph7Lf7rLdmNdwqk2P3Tk/s200/good+bad.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><b>THIS IS CORRECT</b></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Pics taken from another blogger's page) </b></h4>
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<b>This is what the steel beam </b><b><b>support </b>should look like when installed correctly on the concrete wall. It fits perfectly with no breaking of wall to make it align correctly.</b><br />
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<b>Notice how the beam is seated centered above the metal plates. And there are minimal number of plates not 12+ like ours which is too high for any kind of stability.</b><br />
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<b>THIS IS WRONG!!!</b> </div>
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This is what a banged up sloppy job they did to my <b>foundation.</b></div>
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Breaking of the concrete wall to the right so they can align the beam to the other side. That's a lot of plates stacking way to high. Stability is a major concern. <br />
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Again,<b> too many metal plates and off centered.</b><br />
They even use <b>inserts </b>to make it even higher!!!<br />
No way this is stable.<br />
I don't think this will support my house.<br />
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The beam should sit squarely above the metal plates, NOT TO ONE SIDE.<br />
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Again, breaking of the wall in order to fit the beam. The guy who frame the wall messed it up big time. I guess no one knows how to read the blueprint or follow instructions.<br />
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It gets better, now they are using wood blocks instead of metal plates to support my house.<br />
PM said it was "temporary", if it's temporary, why the heck they keep building on top of it.<br />
<b>Yes the whole house is pretty much sitting on top of this already. </b><br />
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More wooden blocks supporting the steel beam which supports the entire house above.<br />
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How the heck are they suppose to replace the wood block when my entire house is already sitting on top of it. If the foundation is moved in any way, it will compromise the whole structure.<br />
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More breaking of the wall to the right so the beam could align. The metal plates should sit squarely below the beam, NOT TO ONE SIDE.<br />
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This entire wall had pieces of concrete broken off where the beam rests on so it would align the steel beam to the other side.<br />
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The picture was taken a day before when they started to install the metal beams. WHY DIDN'T THEY STOP when they realized the wall pockets were off (the pockets were too deep and does not align with pockets on the other wall).<br />
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I also have a video of them installing the first beam but left soon after. The workers had to know they found a problem yet they continued to install it incorrectly and now..........<br />
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.......They are almost complete the framing and all that is sitting on top of those support beams. They are probably putting the roof on it by now. I'm going to tell them to halt the construction until they can fix the foundation.<br />
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THIS IS NOT RIGHT!!!!!<br />
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They should've stopped on the 1st beam and wait for engineer to make correction and have the necessary material to complete. My house is literally sitting on wobbly wooden blocks and off center plates.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-49731803791341955122013-05-29T05:13:00.002-07:002013-06-28T17:16:37.867-07:00I'm getting angry now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSD3Bhow0_g4hw7J_y8Oz2rLljM2AFoJ5a6fYRBkcc-F8nuuwRXSbT81OHCgcmdlZkXrrT9nx1QU4h0C7cXiEimPEOdWpfJ2_2P31zOM4ezAOQ_WjWkpEpUYM66DNx3BYy9pAkzotZHVM/s1600/AngryBaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: red;">(update: repair update </span></a><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/foundation-drama-update.html" target="_blank">Click here</a></span>) </div>
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So yesterday I posted all the problems I found with our <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/framing-and-broken-windows.html" target="_blank">framing and foundation</a> and sent a long email to our PM and SR. This morning we received a 1 sentence reply from our PM basically stating YES the concrete guy F'ed up but we will patch it up. (The PM has as much to blame as the worker if not more since he has the blueprint and suppose to be <b>SUPERVISING</b>).<br />
This makes me so angry that I responded with the letter below to both SR and PM. <br />
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We want our PM to be more <b>involved </b>with the building process (that's his job isn't it?). His job is to "<b>SUPERVISE</b>" the construction crew to eliminate mistakes (at least the big ones) but we feel he's not doing that effective enough. The construction workers could careless about the quality of work since they probably get paid very little so<b> quality control is all in the hands of PM's</b>. Our PM is a nice guy but if he's not doing his job then we have a problem. It's his ass now or my family's problem in the future and we are not paying 2/3 of a million dollar house to have problems nor can we afford to.<br />
All the mistakes I mentioned from<a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/framing-and-broken-windows.html" target="_blank"> last post </a>could easily be prevented had PM verified, went over the blueprint and supervised the pouring.<br />
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On top of everything, we have already been delayed from <b>June </b>to <b>July </b>to <b>August </b>so <b>INTEREST RATES</b> are now almost 1% higher meaning we are paying for all the delays. I see further delay in the future when big mistakes like the happens. GRRRRR I'm so upset.<br />
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Ohh one more thing, we also noticed that one of our neighbor's house is ready and they purchase the house months after we did. I remember talking to them because they changed models from a smaller model to the same "Shakespeare" model. <br />
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<b><i>PM and SR, </i></b><br />
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<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5861" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i>Thank you for the update.</i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5863" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5862">We want to let you know we are not happy with things are going right now and you can mention this to Ryan's headquarter.</span></i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5865" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5864">It's not
fair to (PM's name) that his time is being spread so thin supervising so many
houses at once and especially not fair to the paying customer. I'm a
firm believer that if things are done right the first time it'll lead to
less problems in the future. Hence our multiple change orders to get
it right since we don't have a blueprint to follow.</span></i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5866" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5867" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i>The
foundation is the most important part of the house and it really
concerns us that it's not poured correctly for the steel beam support
(and the big gaps by the exit). The first 2 levels of framing is
already sitting on top of the steel beam, so I don't
see how the "temporary" wood block and the "inserts between plates" can
be removed without compromising the integrity of the rest of the
framing. I know holes, gaps, spaces can be patched and filled but it's
not the same quality. A new build should not be a big patching job to
fix mistakes. </i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5868" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5878" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i>Sorry if I'm being blunt and maybe rude but we want to voice our concerns before things get any worse. </i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5869" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i>We are putting everything into this house and we want to
make sure nothing major will go wrong in the future.</i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369825006525_5870" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b><i>Thank you for understanding.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Signed and delivered </i></b></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-60546671760153844912013-05-27T15:00:00.002-07:002014-06-05T06:54:52.624-07:00Framing, broken windows and concerns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTURdjL79Kv0KaxvK2vxo7e9NYMp1l43JrD7m-80XK1USeF2jQFIQpPnEp1Q2umneniZ8Ua-XeiRgEKvGquW99YmZ2cGDFV4I6qFUSKDN917_06coxDhP3IsmD0d688fZZjBceaY8LV74/s1600/framing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTURdjL79Kv0KaxvK2vxo7e9NYMp1l43JrD7m-80XK1USeF2jQFIQpPnEp1Q2umneniZ8Ua-XeiRgEKvGquW99YmZ2cGDFV4I6qFUSKDN917_06coxDhP3IsmD0d688fZZjBceaY8LV74/s1600/framing.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;">(update: repair update <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/05/foundation-drama-update.html" target="_blank">Click here</a></span>) </div>
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Happy Memorial day everyone. I'm off today so I decided to go check on the house.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4P5cW8XeEj3DO0N-xbBtyQiLU-qnG1MWew_nreiVQcgXTaENn4QugV2TV8rNxRU9NBk0oxeH6LpfT4Zfs6UIPhDz5pHaZyXJZrgpRdLgSDxVOVkELmMS2e7iuwsw2uwJul8jkL74Ypc/s1600/IMG_0418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4P5cW8XeEj3DO0N-xbBtyQiLU-qnG1MWew_nreiVQcgXTaENn4QugV2TV8rNxRU9NBk0oxeH6LpfT4Zfs6UIPhDz5pHaZyXJZrgpRdLgSDxVOVkELmMS2e7iuwsw2uwJul8jkL74Ypc/s400/IMG_0418.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Framing has started!!! They are already working on the 2nd level by the time I got there. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVHLUy4IGNCDqsl6x-z-PKO4ZOBnKUkfU_OG9tN8KMypMp4W7CZMxILfZbvfU_XHSP6ht0QiPUWwQ6XtXyTfB-PBtwPrm61MDIKiGaMntIWoBB2D5KVXjAiqtufANBEoGkfjY04136iM/s1600/Popeyes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVHLUy4IGNCDqsl6x-z-PKO4ZOBnKUkfU_OG9tN8KMypMp4W7CZMxILfZbvfU_XHSP6ht0QiPUWwQ6XtXyTfB-PBtwPrm61MDIKiGaMntIWoBB2D5KVXjAiqtufANBEoGkfjY04136iM/s400/Popeyes.JPG" height="318" width="400" /></a><br />
I feel bad for the workers that they have to work on a holiday so I brought them Popeye's chicken and drinks. I didn't really talk to them just say "Happy Memorial day" and left. They waved and thanked me. </div>
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<b>Some concerns about the framing</b>, please tell me what you see is normal or I'm just being paranoid.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KSuaRdTVAkp8pMwsyMQEjQEjhyKb4u11kOa2gUAgJnQN8laFNnAU8pgysg5C14W3dGCUtyIMORp1OyUr-GtMG0jO7RV0PGZZILZYMyOVjlz8qy8CqyDySNmqzpHS4WClBRqGJvIJp1o/s1600/IMG_0380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KSuaRdTVAkp8pMwsyMQEjQEjhyKb4u11kOa2gUAgJnQN8laFNnAU8pgysg5C14W3dGCUtyIMORp1OyUr-GtMG0jO7RV0PGZZILZYMyOVjlz8qy8CqyDySNmqzpHS4WClBRqGJvIJp1o/s400/IMG_0380.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>1) Broken windows - I see this a lot and I know they'll replace it but I'll post it anyway. They should take better care of building materials. I think it's a big waste of money.<br />
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2) Gaps- I see so many gaps between floor joists, wood was cut too short.<br />
should I be worried about these gaps?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKSbwnH6fPFC0RPoedF7XeM7cK6kFLpaPt_b86gxy8AQLevzWhpb0BOa3LC5jxuuZKRqanorqIOaz7l8LYVbYmqE1QARMslKnTjebJGprU5yS6CWFwGD9EB6YPglnhZg0IALsMCcVNQ8/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKSbwnH6fPFC0RPoedF7XeM7cK6kFLpaPt_b86gxy8AQLevzWhpb0BOa3LC5jxuuZKRqanorqIOaz7l8LYVbYmqE1QARMslKnTjebJGprU5yS6CWFwGD9EB6YPglnhZg0IALsMCcVNQ8/s640/IMG_0405.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Qi3RxoJk_DVjd0KMQ4RzE41ucPaarMWcyiuq0ndN_emlvOWiSR4fRIp_6uFoCtEFO4SCNexDGwXbrJVeeVcTE5lyrWj-4De8sVpaUaS68jiYtPCEwEoyxvvC0bwyH7RUZXZN8ycKibw/s1600/IMG_0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Qi3RxoJk_DVjd0KMQ4RzE41ucPaarMWcyiuq0ndN_emlvOWiSR4fRIp_6uFoCtEFO4SCNexDGwXbrJVeeVcTE5lyrWj-4De8sVpaUaS68jiYtPCEwEoyxvvC0bwyH7RUZXZN8ycKibw/s640/IMG_0403.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBRvd0A-GgB1ENiR2sDYEQCPeJ1rJdqodF1HZGe3GNc4-_JElPPrkhePsMEQwNmABljNP3F14qtq9e3TEDqML5zo2usBK7vM9a6nY8NY065eY4kFi6kgLh_PP997_T5qW0NVYas19kZc/s1600/IMG_0385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></a></div>
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3)(most concerned) Steel beam resting on steel plates and some on WOOD. Looks like they didn't pour the concrete to the correct height/depth to support the steel beam and also too far to the left so they had to break away some concrete to the right to make it fit.<br />
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All the beam support on 1 side of the wall looked like this so it would align with the other side. Also, some of the metal plates have <b>inserts </b>in between and some don't. It's not consistent, like they simply use whatever is available at the time. (like the pic below - why the inserts?) I don't trust my entire house resting on random objects. Should I be concerned or no? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP9S31r96FIljzTfCv6FY7np7zTgGmovcFGsXBaeNH78GWnAnBFSNYAFrf-iA2VvYEhvFPmxNQ9DZbdd-5SHrkX1yho-V7Yl8y_SXyi7BN4o7mxDChko88Ecp-SNo8WD9pGf48xOadeg/s1600/IMG_0391.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP9S31r96FIljzTfCv6FY7np7zTgGmovcFGsXBaeNH78GWnAnBFSNYAFrf-iA2VvYEhvFPmxNQ9DZbdd-5SHrkX1yho-V7Yl8y_SXyi7BN4o7mxDChko88Ecp-SNo8WD9pGf48xOadeg/s640/IMG_0391.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xFGD-NbTDGUlRRct-EMZn2rR3bJuiFKIdHs-oZE9HirocZdVpY3pyMwsk5oa4rAp4h6lDTEZcWD8ottJ_38qcIx_AQzeQYLKK-hyt3kicWYw0lCYrLaRfD_2IcztO1STiDAFMmEZ6L0/s1600/IMG_0399.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> <br />
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<b> They ran out of metal shims so they use WOOD!!!! This is supporting my 3100 sq ft house?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrglaDbNsNqawKBXGYQU8sd0B3n8kf3q6sUXUrsho8mP0XVeUIAB4sCcdLIKOG9u9f_VMIFZAT_989_68-SR1lmt8xZ5OP2lDjwYr3FUQdU0yf1QHJpqwBWBVk-QahOniUwUch3eaQpU/s1600/IMG_0398.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrglaDbNsNqawKBXGYQU8sd0B3n8kf3q6sUXUrsho8mP0XVeUIAB4sCcdLIKOG9u9f_VMIFZAT_989_68-SR1lmt8xZ5OP2lDjwYr3FUQdU0yf1QHJpqwBWBVk-QahOniUwUch3eaQpU/s640/IMG_0398.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
4<span style="color: blue;"><u>)</u></span> (most concerned) Breaking away the concrete wall to fit steel beam, Like this on all the walls where the steel beam is resting on. Those are big holes in the basement walls.<br />
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All the steel beams on this side of the wall require shimming underneath in order to lift the beam up and shift to the right (breaking concrete) to align with the other side of the wall. The concrete pouring had major errors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xFGD-NbTDGUlRRct-EMZn2rR3bJuiFKIdHs-oZE9HirocZdVpY3pyMwsk5oa4rAp4h6lDTEZcWD8ottJ_38qcIx_AQzeQYLKK-hyt3kicWYw0lCYrLaRfD_2IcztO1STiDAFMmEZ6L0/s1600/IMG_0399.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQINTeUoIEriCYp44CoaQjXcGZU8oy-HtXkFSJ90DSgqdrbsnkU1JlkVmADCHIJMKQUSySqHp1HLXhgOuxnnuUAxGQpYyCrfNhXH6JTAPkmb5GvckLATBHThmTpoH8YIs4HDRt4LS9mtA/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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I'm not happy with what I saw. They are moving too fast and maybe cutting some corners. <br />
I know my PM is really busy but I'll send him an email of those concerns. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-49867478278479636202013-05-24T05:04:00.002-07:002013-05-24T05:59:30.697-07:00Everything is out in the rain! More delays! Mortgage rates are up!<br />
I know it's a pretty common practice to leave the framing
wood outside for a few days but it's been sitting out there for about 2 weeks. They also left
the stair case and doors outside uncovered and it's been raining last
couple of weeks (raining right now as I write this). Our framing was
pushed back for the 2nd week in a row and now our closing time went from
June (when we signed contract) to July (when we started construction)
to August (no enough framing crew, rain, or whatever reason).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH1V3m8fvliOwNe-7toDEHyZu16t1LF9Hsq2Rz32Z6VxnZcrGoNXOq6-Jp-lteM0PtcOQWZKaHtXzt8nMrNqqAjHBE062jMXJn395ec31Yt045J8Z8x3j_Si3wKtu_KX-22_AqJKGFlZR/s1600/30868988-mortgage_rates_up.240x160.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH1V3m8fvliOwNe-7toDEHyZu16t1LF9Hsq2Rz32Z6VxnZcrGoNXOq6-Jp-lteM0PtcOQWZKaHtXzt8nMrNqqAjHBE062jMXJn395ec31Yt045J8Z8x3j_Si3wKtu_KX-22_AqJKGFlZR/s200/30868988-mortgage_rates_up.240x160.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9U2uLQmJPxxdgsSoLRNKWBsqckiL1DkaH6DH9m1yKovJmj9S-KaKXnM9HDbALURpEmsrqG6aQf6JOWYHz4Zl4esbkYjDq6_4cVxu6jOhO18z3yCff4dWLnZ88_ph34PAd8WQWlIV-1WS/s1600/mortgage-rates2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9U2uLQmJPxxdgsSoLRNKWBsqckiL1DkaH6DH9m1yKovJmj9S-KaKXnM9HDbALURpEmsrqG6aQf6JOWYHz4Zl4esbkYjDq6_4cVxu6jOhO18z3yCff4dWLnZ88_ph34PAd8WQWlIV-1WS/s200/mortgage-rates2.jpg" width="200" /></a>What
concern us the most is interest rates are on it's way up and we can't
lock until the 30 day mark. When we signed the contract it was at 3.375% and now it's at 4%. That means our monthly payment
already went up about $200 based on our loan amount. An extra $200 a
month in interest is a lot of money, I can use that to lease a car or
pay for a lot of home services (TV, internet, Netflix, etc...)<br />
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If
we were on schedule with the initial June completion date, we would've
already locked in at 3.375% 2 months ago. I mentioned it to our SR and
she said we can always BUY DOWN THE RATE...<br />
DUH!!!! really, are
you going to give us the money for that or can we just go pick them off
the money tree we are growing in our backyard. GRRRR SO
FRUSTRATING.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-40945746108968424252013-05-14T04:33:00.002-07:002013-05-14T06:03:31.258-07:00Concrete slab completed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLJKE0KIe-1NNuZSHyoE1-X0wli1c1Vun87l4wVlRzSegToc5Zi8Md3tNaV74RNEuZVetJTDoGuwHaW_g9z-8q1LIO05bSyN0Wnb2elgh9UIrxol6ZaXRXbC9AIUZzRKY_cVX4ACzMLM/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLJKE0KIe-1NNuZSHyoE1-X0wli1c1Vun87l4wVlRzSegToc5Zi8Md3tNaV74RNEuZVetJTDoGuwHaW_g9z-8q1LIO05bSyN0Wnb2elgh9UIrxol6ZaXRXbC9AIUZzRKY_cVX4ACzMLM/s640/IMG_0295.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
I stopped by after work yesterday and saw our finished slab. Next week framing will start.<br />
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Is this normal (pic below)? The metal piece inside the concrete (exterior) wall is exposed. I'm afraid water can get in and rust can form. Also can start cracking the concrete since there are so many opening. Was it done on purpose or just a bad job?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-66628702738348034312013-05-13T07:23:00.003-07:002013-05-14T04:25:38.212-07:00Ready for concrete slab pouring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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PM (thanks!) sent this photo and informed us concrete pouring will take place Monday. Actually our PM sends us a pic of each major activity so far and we appreciate him keeping us informed.<br />
I'll go check it out after work. Does anyone know why the dirt (in pic) are divided into separate beds? Whats the purpose? Looks like there are some damaged concrete to the left garage opening. I'm pretty sure that wasn't there before.<br />
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We can't wait to see the framing and roof. <br />
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<b>UPDATE: </b><br />
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Looks like they fixed the garage entrance concrete. and poured the slab as well.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-67784246425005932412013-05-01T05:29:00.001-07:002013-05-01T05:36:53.627-07:00Waterproofed - I think.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I stop by the site and saw they've waterproofed the foundation walls. Looks like they also waterproofed the inside of the garage as well. Not sure how the spray type Ryan use vs the actual waterproofing membrane panels will hold up. Hope I don't have to find out when my basement turns into a fish tank.<br />
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Some of them use both spray and membrane panels. Spraying is probably the cheapest and quickest way of doing it but will it hold up in 5, 10 years. I guess we'll be the guinea pigs for Ryan.<br />
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3 layer waterproofing, spray, tar? and membrane. That's what I call waterproofing!!!</div>
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My Ryan Home waterproofing. good or bad? Hope we don't find out.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-75784167536565276162013-04-29T07:51:00.003-07:002013-06-27T19:20:29.070-07:00Change brick selection - is it possible?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6olxCY3pkY4NobdU-pgPuvdQc-VJ2Q-24mfsSttK8vNs-ukELo69NaPRpxhSvwdCiUlOXWjZKe8KkRW51RpUw5_nJ66rQU_O-w5TZ-dL-Wa1ZAAE2KqYRi4d1p-M8sBZKH6jAe8U0h-o/s1600/Wondering.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6olxCY3pkY4NobdU-pgPuvdQc-VJ2Q-24mfsSttK8vNs-ukELo69NaPRpxhSvwdCiUlOXWjZKe8KkRW51RpUw5_nJ66rQU_O-w5TZ-dL-Wa1ZAAE2KqYRi4d1p-M8sBZKH6jAe8U0h-o/s320/Wondering.JPG" width="310" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwk4T9NvW9XOB5T87MVGMrsKFFe0bIHlbSXMmeQKzLzoveIcb7nqQMEPa0cVU_Z52b0E4zE4A0huvQrbyxvID2P0Tj0QC6BERYoRhnCD8Ke3sRJXFJTB-FE8-DG_ifs8lFRzUOV09sDk/s1600/cat_bricks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwk4T9NvW9XOB5T87MVGMrsKFFe0bIHlbSXMmeQKzLzoveIcb7nqQMEPa0cVU_Z52b0E4zE4A0huvQrbyxvID2P0Tj0QC6BERYoRhnCD8Ke3sRJXFJTB-FE8-DG_ifs8lFRzUOV09sDk/s320/cat_bricks.jpg" width="320" /></a>Has anyone successfully changed their brick selection after the foundation walls have poured? I know it's still early in the constructions process and probably another month or more before they lay bricks for the front of house. We want to change our brick selection to a brighter color because our current selection is a little too dark. We emails our SR about our concern and hope they have not ordered the bricks yet. We are really hoping our SR can pull through for us at least this once and let us change our brick color. <br />
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Has anyone done this before? Maybe not for bricks but may other major options like granite, cabinet, sidings, etc after the cut-off date. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-26546201836198071712013-04-29T07:41:00.001-07:002013-05-31T07:38:45.919-07:00Ground break and foundation walls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Quick update:<br />
On Friday our PM emailed us that the concrete crew is ready to pour our foundation with a picture attached. We are happy to see construction has finally begun.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-28915749345208653822013-04-23T10:49:00.000-07:002013-05-31T07:38:32.976-07:00Questions and Answers for and by our PM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Questions and Answers during our preconstruction meeting</b></h2>
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As mentioned in my previous post a few minutes ago, our PM is very "by-the-book" type of person. After talking to him the first 10 minutes I knew most of our requests will be a "NO" answers. Here are the list of questions we asked our PM.</div>
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1) How many meetings will we have during the whole building process?</div>
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<i>3 times: Preconstruction, Pre-drywall, Final walk-through. The first 30 days (after closing) will depend on how many issues we have. After the 30 days, we will contact another person to fix things or contact RH customer service.</i></div>
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<i>2) </i>Can the basement window be moved to another location so it's not blocked by the deck?</div>
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<i>yes and he actually recommended to move it to the side of the house.</i></div>
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3) Can we put extra insulation in the laundry room and garage?</div>
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<i>yes as long as it's done after the county inspection and not getting in the way of workers. It'll has to be a day when they are not working on the house or at night.</i></div>
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4) Can we add an extra switch for the backyard floodlight?<i> 1 in the morning room and one in the basement? </i></div>
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<i>He'll need to ask the electrician and pay for extra labor and material. Don't know the cost yet.</i></div>
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5) Move wetbar rough-in? <i> Yes but we kept it at the same location as the model home.</i></div>
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6) Can we select our garage door? <i>PM and SR didn't know there were 2 types of garage doors. 1 has the squared windows and the other has curve/elliptical windows. We wanted the elliptical one.</i></div>
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7) Put in 2x4 where we will hang our TVs?<i> Yes but we'll need to bribe the workers with coffee and doughnuts :)</i></div>
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8) Do showers have soap dish?<i> According the the SR, yes, If not then they will not provide them, we'll have to install it after.</i></div>
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9) Move the washer/dryer hookups lower so we can install a counter-top?<i> No because it prevents future access for maintenance. We'll need to mount the counter-top higher or cut around the lines like pictured below.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SIm6fpnc-8HW6XP1C91nfAuQM0AHFqKw8vQRrKHRxISWL8-o6Xjh9tPewJdK-R_GwKrVQmlkS1pvKnuri6TLU22SdKGeOoguJ8V7D6DszxjUET1HQduItYBwSaf0qwp6ZwAVa1yirng/s1600/WD+counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SIm6fpnc-8HW6XP1C91nfAuQM0AHFqKw8vQRrKHRxISWL8-o6Xjh9tPewJdK-R_GwKrVQmlkS1pvKnuri6TLU22SdKGeOoguJ8V7D6DszxjUET1HQduItYBwSaf0qwp6ZwAVa1yirng/s400/WD+counter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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10) Can we expand our basement bathroom to use up the empty space behind the wall?</div>
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<i>No, it has to go by the blueprint. I really wanted this and it's not much work needed.</i></div>
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11)HVAC specs: Our concern was that our house is 3 levels, over over 4000 sq ft, 2 story foyer and family room but we are only getting 1 zone unit. Our PM said it should be enough and we just need to close the vents to regulate the cooling and heating. It doesn't sound very comforting. <br />
<i>AC unit = 13 SEERS (I was hoping 14 or higher), 13 is bare minimum.</i><br />
<i>Heater = forgot to ask about this one </i><br />
<i>Water heater= Was told 55Gal high efficiency. Didn't ask for make and model</i><br />
<i>Insulation: Walls = R15, Attic R45. Sunroom is R38 since the ceiling is sloped.</i><br />
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12) How are drywall installed?<br />
<i>They use glue, nails to hold, screws to tighten. This is what I was hoping they use and it's good. If it's only nail than you'll see pop nail everywhere after year 1.</i><br />
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13)Type of door is the front door?<br />
<i>Insulated Fiberglass. This is good, it's efficient and long lasting vs wooden door. </i><br />
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14)If I bring my own medallions for the chandelier and foyer lights, can you install them?<br />
<i>He'll need to ask his installer for labor and paint cost.</i><br />
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15) Can I use my own building inspector?<br />
<i>yes but let him know when</i><br />
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<i>16) </i>Can we paint the walls before the 10month inspection?<br />
<i>yes but not recommended. If you paint the walls and repairs are needed, they will only prime the area but you'll need to do the final paint to match the color. </i>I'm ok with that.<br />
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17) We didn't pay for the fireplace blower ($350) but will there be an electrical plug inside if I install the blower myself in the future?<i> Yes </i><br />
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18) Can you keep the extra building materials in the garage instead of dumping it?<br />
<i>No, they have to clear the house of any material for inspection but I'm free to jump into the dumpster and salvage anything I want.</i><br />
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19) Some other stuff I didn't even bother to ask because I knew the answer will be no but I'll list them here anyway in case <i>your PM is more accommodating.</i><br />
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<i>-Extend my front porch a little wider.</i><br />
<i>-Walk way from the garage to the front door (we have a side-loading garage)</i><br />
<i>-Extend the driveway 1' to the left and 1' to the right to make it wider.</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-38397770210709246712013-04-23T08:25:00.002-07:002013-05-31T07:38:18.852-07:00Finally....Preconstruction meeting....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mYznvzYO1qwzCzAo8d3jCgxPgNCGnanvVd1B7i4kgHinxovwZmrbnnwWp1bkw5Lvuu0Y_hFFOS_KCQcNO7jtOBUDkIyRz7DLHGdE5ZbO0PoUMpYTQRD4YrRV4c74w29bS91PUuMzh4Y/s1600/Images_Permit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mYznvzYO1qwzCzAo8d3jCgxPgNCGnanvVd1B7i4kgHinxovwZmrbnnwWp1bkw5Lvuu0Y_hFFOS_KCQcNO7jtOBUDkIyRz7DLHGdE5ZbO0PoUMpYTQRD4YrRV4c74w29bS91PUuMzh4Y/s320/Images_Permit.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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<b>Finally we can start building</b></h2>
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It's been a long 4 months and 22 days since signing our contract with RH. </div>
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Our building permit has finally been released and yesterday we had preconstruction meeting with the PM(and SR). It was suppose to be a 45min meeting turned into a 3 hour meeting for reasons good and bad. Bad because we had to correct some errors in our selections. Good because our PM took his time to explain things to us and make sure exactly how we want our house to be customized. What I meant by customize is locations of our electrical outlets, water bibs, rough-ins and things like that; no non=standard requests :(. Our PM seems to be a very "by the book" type of person, very calm and organized. </div>
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This can be good and bad. Good: We know he'll be very detail oriented therefore less mistakes. Bad: Can't ask him to do things that's not in the blueprint. </div>
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There were a few things that I was disappointed with during the meeting.</div>
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1)We wanted to extend our basement bathroom all the way to the wall (about 3 ft) and make use of the empty space but our PM has to build it by the blueprint. GRRRRR. This should be fairly easy and simple to do.</div>
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I don't mind paying for the extra 15 pieces of ceramic tiles on the floor and labor. I'm going to nag him again about it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCpFI-XDrV4p7YOiL-PIc3BMWs3EyImfT4USfsV4g8LDklfdtQlDOVzzLlIKnUpnNrf6RSR0j3UMUp9JraDRLeMPav7XFndsZMMUp8bt0sHBkAa6Lphe1pHqAb7WW7zINsbemClqbpb4/s1600/empty+Space.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCpFI-XDrV4p7YOiL-PIc3BMWs3EyImfT4USfsV4g8LDklfdtQlDOVzzLlIKnUpnNrf6RSR0j3UMUp9JraDRLeMPav7XFndsZMMUp8bt0sHBkAa6Lphe1pHqAb7WW7zINsbemClqbpb4/s320/empty+Space.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2)The sink upgrade never made it the original selection sheet and our SR have no record of us talking about the sink upgrade. We wanted a single sink, not the standard 50/50 because we find it more useful when washing large items like pots, pans, wok, etc. It was one of the first upgrade we mentioned to our SR and she has no recollection of any of it. We were told it's too late to make any changes. grrrrrrrrrr</div>
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3)We just found out the recessed lights above the fireplace are not eyeball lights, they're just regular recessed lights like the rest of the house. The one on the left if preferred for the fireplace and that's what we thought we were getting. All the pictures we looked at have the eyeball lights. GRRRRRRRRR so frustrated with these little things.</div>
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These folks have eyeball lights above their fireplace:</div>
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http://ehravenna.blogspot.com/2013/05/stone-fireplaces.html?showComment=1368809329760#c8263755474326619472 </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1oxHfJSP7YM7D1xf65ZwVn00vEMvbpz-7o67fvDQspagZ0HaZQgzuzF0XP63_WuaVjasBFoUmjPtT7OVbElfxidpHKxjq0iJ9DUAtZ09c8ahFuTi9NJGd-u5sc88MctNt7vzOJAEjC8/s1600/eyeball+lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1oxHfJSP7YM7D1xf65ZwVn00vEMvbpz-7o67fvDQspagZ0HaZQgzuzF0XP63_WuaVjasBFoUmjPtT7OVbElfxidpHKxjq0iJ9DUAtZ09c8ahFuTi9NJGd-u5sc88MctNt7vzOJAEjC8/s200/eyeball+lights.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMaltBvNBMXg5zvvrrhTIXYDVL7yaMNRbw73PT7FmR446LuuyP1d-8mYyHKJbJLaus1SdxtaFh59ZlzBcTo-67AHXLfcx1MVPbC9QK2evFeI8j1H0QxQXrBXAGy-AKFPMPMhhBtoPx7Q/s1600/recessed+light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMaltBvNBMXg5zvvrrhTIXYDVL7yaMNRbw73PT7FmR446LuuyP1d-8mYyHKJbJLaus1SdxtaFh59ZlzBcTo-67AHXLfcx1MVPbC9QK2evFeI8j1H0QxQXrBXAGy-AKFPMPMhhBtoPx7Q/s200/recessed+light.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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4)I wanted to change the chandelier in dining room and foyer hanging light color from Bronze to a lighter color Sea-brook and our SR also turn that down. These are very minor request and yet they can't even make it happen<b>. </b></div>
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<b>What happened to customer service, satisfaction and accommodation? I'm paying for a home (a very expensive one at that), I'll remember this come survey time. </b></div>
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<b>See next post of our questions to the PM and his answers.</b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-3312466636472405242013-04-15T11:17:00.000-07:002013-05-31T07:36:29.521-07:00Permit still pending + Parking Ticket in DC???? WTF!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOUohsGJGZ45Rcf5cfbPPG5dTpodGHIskYRmOWjkp7Tp3XMrseb9kIq-1DEYBQX_MgyM_7M7yCq49-N240WWKikHbUPee3e1zsJO_t5Q56GExBGoQ3z1qA5NkLhGYzqfnCCK42F6vtR0/s1600/waiting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOUohsGJGZ45Rcf5cfbPPG5dTpodGHIskYRmOWjkp7Tp3XMrseb9kIq-1DEYBQX_MgyM_7M7yCq49-N240WWKikHbUPee3e1zsJO_t5Q56GExBGoQ3z1qA5NkLhGYzqfnCCK42F6vtR0/s320/waiting.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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We only need one more permit to go (WA Suburb Sanitation Commission) in order to obtain the final building permit. Some of the blame can be place on Ryan for not starting the permit application until almost 4 months after we signed our contract (Signed 12/31/2012). We were originally told the delivery date would be in June but now slipped to July. It'll probably slip further. Our house will be the last house (Out of the 5 houses) to get built on that section and I think we were of the 1st to buy. Go figure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v8Jr0RlnMDQzUOWItcNcHgXK3kyQyffy9PjLdE1gg8WROiTUNEmd4e-al8GYcz1HuuU9qLNQi7dNHpMkbgwHVBUB2b3Nd6OORrTZxoZE9XcJitJaTTrxXSzNppRhsabdcf2ZSbJ0cPU/s1600/angry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v8Jr0RlnMDQzUOWItcNcHgXK3kyQyffy9PjLdE1gg8WROiTUNEmd4e-al8GYcz1HuuU9qLNQi7dNHpMkbgwHVBUB2b3Nd6OORrTZxoZE9XcJitJaTTrxXSzNppRhsabdcf2ZSbJ0cPU/s320/angry.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
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More bad news (not house related). Over the weekend I received a letter from the DC DMV and inside it was a parking citation (parking abreast) that's overdue. It stated I owe them $50 for the violation + $50 for overdue charge. I never received the 1st citation because I haven't been to DC for the past 2+ years AND I don't drive an UPS TRUCK. The officer who write the ticket must made a mistake reading off the tag or some type of scam going around. I did a quick Google search and sure enough others people from different states are getting the same BS letter. This is such a big hassle because now I have to either:<br />
-Show up in person in DC (which I hate going due to traffic and long line waiting)<br />
-Don't pay but might go into collection<br />
-Change my tag (pay for new tag and other fees)<br />
-Write them a letter (wait 6 months or more). Many people are reporting the the latter option does not work and they will still make you responsible for the fine. <br />
It's such an obvious mistake, but yet they make people go through hell to get it resolved. Maybe I'll report this to the press.<br />
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http://www.city-data.com/forum/washington-dc/1474881-never-washington-dc-got-parking-ticket.html<br />
http://www.city-data.com/forum/washington-dc/849770-dc-parking-ticket-error-not-my.html<br />
http://www.welovedc.com/2010/08/10/parking-ticket-from-hell-anyone/<br />
http://www.wjla.com/video/2012/11/man-gets-parking-tickets-in-dc---but-never-parked-in-dc.html<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-15880249371554032042013-04-05T10:51:00.000-07:002014-03-19T17:02:44.910-07:00Living Room, Dining room & Family RoomI enjoy blogging more than I thought initially. It feels good after posting my thoughts and I can stop thinking about them like releasing a steamed pot of hot air. Maybe I'm getting old and my memory capacity has deteriorated. I need to free up some memory by posting/saving it in my blogs. Does that make sense?<br />
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Lets continue with the blog by talking about the other rooms on the main floor.<br />
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My last blog (yesterday) I talked about our kitchen selections, today I want to talk about the<b> Living Room</b>, <b>Dining Room</b> and<b> Family Room</b>/great room. These rooms don't have nearly as many options available as the <b>Kitchen</b> and the ones you want are mostly structural upgrades.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUi0NTaLW0QOKhBvsCvKoo_J7sgLWbAOqu6Dvf5_yxIXLJs07-bmY5eOO5F0pVYqn0l8LuUgr8zvG7Pr8ET_eH_Zq-aneWTZeKIb3bKKhPilUN7BheGsrMDxRSWCkYdetdF4rKCrvfxc/s1600/Mainfloor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUi0NTaLW0QOKhBvsCvKoo_J7sgLWbAOqu6Dvf5_yxIXLJs07-bmY5eOO5F0pVYqn0l8LuUgr8zvG7Pr8ET_eH_Zq-aneWTZeKIb3bKKhPilUN7BheGsrMDxRSWCkYdetdF4rKCrvfxc/s640/Mainfloor.JPG" height="564" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Living Room:</b> The Living Room is usually the first room people see when they walk into your home. It's really just an empty room so it's up to you to make it nice (or leave it empty). I don't see much use for this room but only to stage it to make the rest of the house flow and look nice. Our Shakespeare is Elevation C so we have a bump-out to the front but can't get the full porch which is fine since we prefer more interior space.<br />
<b><i>Our options/upgrades: </i></b>Really not many options are available for this room. Good place to save money and spend elsewhere.<br />
<i>-Side windows (+990)</i><br />
<i>-Hardwood floor ( +1695)</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CA788M44PqUGwmv7ef9Urr60b_Ftj-ZuvhYUFYCnW27wUME2UraOfOfzTi9jkjx4iCE8JqBpBWz0869eM0atBgYZCQW3LbOz4L7DsItK3dTckckZ0cuAdDT3v-mAhnL-CWzBgCxo6W0/s1600/living+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CA788M44PqUGwmv7ef9Urr60b_Ftj-ZuvhYUFYCnW27wUME2UraOfOfzTi9jkjx4iCE8JqBpBWz0869eM0atBgYZCQW3LbOz4L7DsItK3dTckckZ0cuAdDT3v-mAhnL-CWzBgCxo6W0/s640/living+room.jpg" height="246" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Dining Room: </b>We don't see much use for this room either since we normally eat dinner in the kitchen or dinette area. The only time we will use our Dining Room is to host dinners with family and friends, otherwise, we'll just stage it with a nice china, cabinet, dining table and chairs.<b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i>Our options/upgrades: </i></b>Again, not too many options are available here. Skip the upgrades if on tight budget. I would recommend getting any extensions or bump-outs where possible to add extra sq. ft. to your home.<br />
<i>-2' Extension (+1895)</i><br />
<i>-Tray ceiling (included) </i><br />
<i>-110v outlet in Tray ceiling (+75)</i><br />
<i>-Hardwood floor (+1995)</i><br />
<i>-Crown molding, chair rails and trims (+2895) - This can be done later but we prefer to have it done now. Definitely a skip if on tight budget. </i><br />
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<b>Family Room:</b><i> </i> One of the reasons we picked the Shakespeare is because of the double story Family Room. The 2 options I really wanted are the double story Stone Fireplace and Coffer-ed ceiling. We see ourselves spending a lot of time in this room. It's usually next to the kitchen so it's great for entertaining guests or just hanging out and relaxing. The room feels very open so it's great for that purpose.<i><b><br /></b></i><br />
<i><b>Our options/upgrades: </b></i>Options are expensive but few. I wanted it to look just like the model home with the 2-story stone Fireplace and Coffer-ed ceiling.<b> </b>There is an option to turn it into a 5th bedroom (bonus bedroom is $15,095) upstairs but why close up such a beautiful room unless you need a 5th bedroom.<b><br /></b><br />
<i>-2 story stone fireplace (+5595) (Cost even more if you do this later so not too bad)</i><br />
<i>-Coffer-ed ceiling (+2195)</i><br />
<i>-Hardwood floor (+2695) </i><br />
<i>-2 eyeball recessed fireplace lights (250)</i><br />
<i>-2 regular recessed lights (250)</i><br />
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That's all for now, see you next time.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-17829131110712793392013-04-04T09:43:00.000-07:002014-03-19T16:49:21.820-07:00KITCHEN.....or something like that. :) I'm terrible at similes.<br />
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Hello, It's been about 2 weeks since last blog. The only progress on our house is .... not much. The permit application has finally been submitted and waiting for approval. Our SR didn't let us know, we had to check the county's website to find out. We also noticed our "lot" number was wrong but was fixed a week later (after we notified our SR). The lack of communication is a concern with our SR. She didn't even reply back to acknowledge the error and didn't let us know it's been fixed. Maybe she doesn't like us but still, one should always be professional and do what one is paid to do. <br />
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Continuing from our last blog, lets talk about the <b>KITCHEN </b>- The most important room in the house.<br />
One of the main reasons we picked the Shakespeare model is because of the kitchen. It has a large kitchen and we like the layout.<br />
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Shakespeare Kitchen <br />
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Shakespeare Kitchen <br />
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Shakespeare morning room- not very big but makes a perfect breakfast room.<br />
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This is the part of the house you don't want to skimp on. The kitchen
is more than just for cooking. It's a room for all kinds of gatherings, parties, dinners, etc... It will also bring value to your home if you decide to sell later. So why not spend some extra money here today? You'll get back a lot of the cost in the future and get to enjoy it yourself as well.<i> At least that's how we see it.</i><br />
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With the said, we upgraded as much as possible structurally and wisely upgraded on materials that are reasonably priced vs buying or upgrade later. If you are on a budget, I would put priority in the<b> Morning room </b>(also will give you extra sq footage in the basement and 2nd floor depending on your model and elevation), <b>windows</b>, <b>double oven layout</b> and<b> recessed lighting</b>. Any left overs can use for upgrading the materials. These are structural so can not be done later (at least not at the same quality or price).<br />
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<i>We were able to remove the refrigerator to save a little. We would rather buy our own because Ryan's selection was limited.</i><br />
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<i>We didn't know changing sink selections were this expensive.</i><br />
<i>A standard 50/50 split sink is included but changing to 40/60 is a $450 upgrade fee. huh??? </i>I'm flabbergasted. We went with a single large sink upgrade instead. (update: SR forgot to add this in the options so we but PM allowed us to work with vendor to do the upgrade. The vendor actual cost $100 more to upgrade vs Ryan's listed price).<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We selected:</i><br />
<i>-Morning room (included in promotion) - funny thing about the morning room is that you have to pay for the side windows.<b> Morning room is suppose to be bright.</b></i><br />
<i><i>-Side windows in morning room (+990) </i></i><br />
<i><i>-Hutch(+3595)- over-priced</i></i><br />
<br />
<i><i></i></i><br />
<i>-Gourmet Island</i><br />
<i>-Gourmet Island Granite</i><br />
<i>-Gas hook-up</i><br />
<i><i>-Appliance layout (+1990)</i> - <b>this is expensive for a layout (appliance not included)</b></i><br />
<i>-Premier VI Built-in
cooktop/oven/hood vent/no microwave (+3998)</i><br />
<i>-Single large sink upgrade - (+250) We found this more useful for washing large items (pots, wok).</i><br />
<i><b>Anything other than the 50/50 split sink will cost you. 40/60 sink was ridiculous $450 upgrade fee. What!!!</b> </i><br />
<i>-Wyoming square cherry Bordeaux Timberlake cabinets</i><br />
<i>-Kitchen recessed
lighting </i><br />
<i>-Hardwood floor (+2295)</i><br />
<i>-Pendant light rough-in above island (+175) --<b> don't forget this one!!! We only added 1 rough-in to save money and can split that into 3 later or buy a light with 3 bulbs.</b></i><br />
<i>-Pendant light rough-in in morning room (+175) - <b>Again don't forget to add this!!! I know someone who regretted not getting this because their SR didn't tell them about it (happens to be same SR as ours).</b></i><br />
<i>-Extra outlet in pantry (+75) - useful if you have electronics that needs charging or plugged in.</i><br />
<i>-Extra outlet on island (+75) more convenient having 1 on each side. </i><br />
<i>-Extra TV outlet in morning room (+150) - since the morning room is next to the kitchen, it's a good place to put a TV here instead of wasting precious space in the kitchen.<b> </b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
As you can see, we pretty much max out on the structural upgrades for the kitchen.<i> </i>We skipped on upgrading the granite to level 2 since we liked the Santa Cecilia anyway.<i> <b> If we upgrade the granite we would have to pay for the upgrades to the hutch and island counter-top as well.</b> They are asking way too much for those upgrades. We don't like how RH separate everything and make you pay for each individual pieces and upgrades. Who is going to upgrade the counter-top and leave the other counter-tops with different material? It would look whacked and out of place. Counter-top is counter-top and should be a set.</i><br />
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On the side note: We've heard great things about the PM (Craig?) from one of our neighbors . We can't wait to meet him and get started on building our new home.<i><br /></i>
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until next time.....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-11834901995973465952013-03-21T12:25:00.003-07:002013-05-31T07:24:01.643-07:00You picked your LOT and HOUSE, WHAT NOW?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Tips on picking OPTIONS and UPGRADES</div>
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So you have decided on your dream house and picked out your land/lot, whats next? Time to spend more money that's what, but you can do so wisely. Many of the options and upgrades from the builder are priced by either crazy lunatics or very very greedy people ( I think it's both).<br />
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I can tell you now that you'll not be able to get everything you want unless you are super rich. You will have to make hard decisions based on your family's needs vs wants. The reason we went with a new construction home vs an existing built home is to be able to customize our home but RH makes it a little difficult. Everything is at a high premium and you'll have to make a sacrifice or two at some point.<br />
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I think Options/Upgrades are the biggest money maker for home builders. They'll lure buyers in with great promotions; free this, free that, this much % off, etc.... <b>Just remember nothing is FREE.</b> The GOOD thing about options/upgrades are just that, OPTIONAL. The BAD thing is, some options/upgrades (structural) you have to get it now during construction. <br />
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Many of the tips here are from reading other peoples blogs, forums and some of my own.<br />
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<b>Note about BUDGET</b><br />
Plan your purchase with a soft budget so you are not stretched too thin but have room to up it a bit to accommodate surprises or must-have features that you didn't think of. If your start with a firm hard budget then you have no room to expand and you will stress yourself out. <br />
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Lets start....<br />
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<b>ELEVATION - The exterior characteristics of your house, the interior layout is the same.</b><br />
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The first option you MUST pick is an ELEVATION for your new house. Elevation can be very expensive depending on the material (vinyl, brick, stone), coverage (front, sides, back, all) and porch (none, half, full).<br />
This is the only option that will give you FREE extra sq. footage via bump-out (usually front bump-out). Most buyers will pick the elevation with the most sq. footage. During your lot selection, <b>it is important to ask your SR what house model and elevation is next to that lot (in all directions) because if the same house and elevation had been picked then yours can not be the same. </b><br />
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Being a first time new built home buyer, I made this mistake and ended up with my 2nd choice Elevation. We like the lot location so we sacrificed our 1st choice elevation. <b>It is to your advantage if you are one of the earlier buyers to a new community or at least to that street.</b><br />
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<i>What we picked: </i><br />
<i>-Elevation C </i><br />
<i>-Brick veneer front (anything veneer is not as good as the real brick +$12200) </i><br />
<i>-Half porch w/ porch metal roof (metal roof is required!!! +$750!!!)</i><br />
<i>-Side loading garage (no choice) due to our lot location but had to pay
$6500 extra. No happy about it but nothing we can do since we want
that lot.</i> If we had a choice, I would save the $6500 and get the front loading garage. I prefer front loading garage over side loading. It's more convenient and the drive way can provide more parking space.<br />
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From the budget point of view, it's not looking good. We are now already adding $20,000
to our base price and we have not even entered the house yet.<br />
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If your lot happens to be a true-corner (front and side facing street) then you are required to pay a premium ($7000+ ? )for the lot. On top of that, you are also required to pay for brick siding (an $18,000 option). Luckily our lot does not fall into that category.<br />
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There is really not much to it. Only a few available selections for the exterior and they are further limited by what options buyers before you have already selected. You have to be the 1st one to guaranteed your selection since it can not be the same as your neighbor's. <br />
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Next post, I'll talk about the kitchen and others. BTW, we are still waiting on the building permit to start constructions. It's been 78 days and counting since purchase agreement signed and 10% down. <br />
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<b>Cheers!!!</b><br />
<u></u><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-81743164638873107292013-03-19T08:56:00.002-07:002014-03-19T17:01:46.122-07:00The Shakespeare home - How it came to beThere are 4 builders in our community. Ryan homes, NV (parent company of RH but larger, more expensive houses), Beezer and Craftmart. Needless to say there are many models to choose from. We went with RH for many reasons but the major ones are:<br />
<br />
-They are <a href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bldrs_lenders_raters.nh_v3_guidelines" target="_blank"><b>Energy Star 3.0 Certified</b></a> (<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2EYWpEqQrDhQ1R6RXFNVi1KQWM/edit" target="_blank">pdf</a>)- hopefully it means a more efficient home and not just a logo.<br />
-They had the most selections in this communality and many of the models are available for viewing on-site.<br />
-They are also the most prominent builder in this community (over 80% are built by RH). Could be good and bad (too many similar houses).<br />
My thinking behind is that they will have more experienced construction teams/workers to build the home. We hope this does not backfire and the workers start to cut corners due to repetitive work, boredom or over-worked from all the homes they have lined up to build. <br />
-Most importantly, we found the model we liked and can picture us living in it for a long time. <br />
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We will be HIRING A 3RD PARTY INSPECTOR in all major milestones of the construction phase to ensure qualities are met. I recommend everyone to do so as well. It's a small investment to have a peace of mind. I'm sure everyone have heard of all the horror stories about RH homes with issues (I don't need to tell you where to find them :).<br />
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We currently have a townhouse so our goal is to upgrade to a single family home (SFH). That pretty much eliminates half of the models being offered in this community. Ryan Homes organize their models into the following categories:<br />
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Classic Traditional: FOX CHAPEL ($490s), OAKMONT ($510s), MARQUETTE ($520s)<br />
My thoughts: Very wide but short, the front has steep stairs walking up to the front door and basement is a walk-up (house usually sits on a hill), house appears very big when looking from the front (can see all 3 levels from the front).<br />
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NeoTraditional: ERNEST HEMINGWAY ($440s), JOHN STINBECK ($450s), JAMES MICHENER ($470s), AGATHA CHRISTIE ($480s)<br />
My thoughts: Modern interior, efficient use of space, very open floor plans, love the full covered porch that stretch the full width of the house. Lots are smaller, smaller yard space because the garage takes up most of the back yard.<br />
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Traditional: CHANTILLY PLACE ($510s), YATES ($520s), JASMINE GROVE ($530s), TAYLOR ($550s), SHAKESPEARE ($560s)<br />
My thoughts: My favorite category of the 3. Large lots (large yard) Interiors appears to have better architectural design. The interior is very warm and inviting. Each room has it's own character and individual space, yet still have the open space feel. Larger kitchen and master bedroom. 2 story foyer and/or family room (The Shakespeare has both) which allows for a 2 story stone fireplace!!. <br />
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<span style="color: red;"><u>Update: All prices have jumped $10k since this post (about 3 weeks ago).</u></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><u>Update: 5/15/13: All prices have jumped 40k since last update. The market is picking up fast. </u></span><br />
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Here is a picture of my favorite room in the "Shakespeare" (until I build my "MANCAVE" in the basement): The double story family room with stacked stone fireplace from floor to ceiling. That fan is not an option but looks really cool. <br />
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Unfortunately the prices in our area is among the highest in the country. Same model a few hours away cost half the price. My #1 complain with RH is how expensive their options/upgrades are. They are extremely expensive even for small upgrades like changing to a darker color kitchen cabinet will cost about $1k in upgrade even if the material and design are the same. I can provide many more ridiculous examples but I'm sure anyone who has purchased a home from RH knows that already.<br />
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So far I have posted some negative things about my experience and our house has yet to break ground (contract signed Dec 31, 2012!!!).<br />
When I do have positive things to say I will definitely share them as well.<br />
My opinion is purely based on my own experience. Right now I'm still somewhat neutral. Good luck and happy building your dream home.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-92071290692894132032013-03-14T11:43:00.001-07:002014-03-19T16:55:01.491-07:00 The difference is in the options<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whats the difference between your house and the same one down the street?<br />
The answer is ...... OPTIONS.<br />
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Options are what distinguish the same model from another. Building a new house is all about the OPTIONS you picked to make it your own. The trouble is options are not cheap!!!<br />
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If you see an advertisement "blah blah blah starting low 300s" but after adding a few options, you're going to be in the high 300s or low 400s. We ended up adding
close to 100k more (even after discounts and promotions) to even get close to what we want in our new house. $$$
will add up quickly.<br />
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Most options are very simple and easy to do but it's hard to do once the dry-walls are up so you ended up paying the premium to avoid destroying the walls later. <br />
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Here what we have experienced so far.........<br />
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- Elevation is consider an OPTION!!!! Yes and you'll have to pay for it and it's
not cheap. It's like buying a car without doors, a hotdog without the buns, ... well you get the idea. <b>It's tricky because without an elevation, your house is not a house. </b>It's probably
the most expensive option that's <b>REQUIRED</b>. Vinyl siding elevations are cheaper, ours were over
$12000 for veneer (hollow inside) brick front. If you see new homes advertisement starting in the low $350ks but it does not include an elevation. yes it's misleading IMHO. <br />
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- Options will add up quickly and you'll wonder where all your money have disappeared to because you still have so much more you want to add. <br />
<i>tip! best to do structural upgrades (extensions, rough-ins, wiring, et...) first before material upgrades (carpets, door knobs, facets, crown molding etc...).</i><br />
<b>On tight budget? If it's inside the walls, try to do it now. If it's outside of the walls, you can do it later.</b><br />
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- You WILL have 5 or more CHANGE-ORDERs to your selection. We had 9 but not really our fault. Most of the appointments were cut short because our SR was too busy with new potential buyers. Once you signed the purchase agreement, you are no longer the priority because you are locked in or lose your deposit money.<br />
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- Before you sign anything, make sure whatever the SR tells you is in writing. The SR is there to sell, sell, sell, that's their goal. Sometimes they will tell you what you want to hear and they WILL make mistakes (like ours did). Verify everything before signing, e.g.We were told we have a wall-up basement (I wanted) and a month after we signed the contract, our SR told us we do not. Verify everything on the blueprint.<br />
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- Don't expect your house will look like the model home. Model homes
have every OPTIONS/UPGRADE built-in and plus other things they don't even offer
to make the house look like a celebrity home. They are professionally
decorated, painted, expensive furniture, and all kinds of other techniques used.<br />
<br />
- Overall I think our SR was nice and friendly but she still is just a sales person who is looking after the interests of her employer. Mistakes were made but everything turned out just OK. She wasn't pushy to up-sell anything but wished we were told about all the options available. It would've cut down the number of order changes. Many of the upgrades I found out by reading blogs here and that is why I'm writing this blog to share our experience.<br />
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If you are unsure of something, you need to ask. Ask even the smallest of details.<br />
If you don't know if something is included, ASK and ASK again and again. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391926972159119514.post-13062107988032480392013-03-14T07:19:00.000-07:002013-06-28T15:54:27.402-07:00Still waiting on building permits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
TIC... TOC... TIC... TOC...</div>
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It's been about 75 days since we signed our purchase agreement with RH ($10k good faith down-payment paid - to show we are serious buyers). Additional 10% down-payment paid in full yet still no news on the building permit. Does anyone know when they start the permit process? If you live in Montgomery County (MD), you can check your permits status <a href="http://permittingservices.montgomerycountymd.gov/DPS/online/eSearch.aspx">here</a>. Looks like all our neighboring lots have permits issued except for ours. What are they waiting for? At this rate, my house will not complete until next year!<br />
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Here is a picture of our lot (where the orange stake outs are). It's only about 6800 sq ft corner lot and it's about 9' between the neighbor to the right. I think it's a little too close. I think 20' between houses would be much preferred. It's a corner lot facing 5 houses and share the green in the middle. The 2 outer houses are RH <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-we-picked-shakespeare-model.html">Traditional </a>and middle 3 are the <a href="http://shakeseare.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-we-picked-shakespeare-model.html">Neo-Traditional</a>. <br />
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The end-unit homes have side garage entrances (which requires a silly $6500 option) since the front of the houses have a large green area which is shared the surrounding houses facing each other (5 on each side).</div>
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closer look<br />
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backyard</div>
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This is what our house will look like when completed. Our house will have side entrance garage and the front windows will be closer together making it look like a single window instead of 2 separate smaller windows. I actually prefer front entrance garage. The drive way will be longer and more convenient accessing from the front door.(elevation B shown below, ours is elevation C) Elevation B was our first choice but was not available because neighbor across the street is building the same house and B Elevation. The rule in our community is no adjacent units can be the same model and elevation. This rule goes for exterior materials as well such as brick color, sidings, door color, etc...)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07932438626039135368noreply@blogger.com0