T-minus 3 Days: Final Inspection

Hello, hello.

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted something new, but we've been busy. The house is basically done, so now we are on the worst kind of countdown: we know the house is ready, we could be living in it, but we still have to wait for the closing date. It's painful.

We ended up hiring an independent inspector to come to the house and provide us with an experienced pair of eyes before our walkthrough. He was recommended by a family member who works with him and he did my mother-in-law inspection a month or so back. We met him on Friday 5/26.

We are very happy we hired someone to complete this step with us. Andrew was very knowledgeable and thorough on his inspection, pointing out not only concerns, but also things Ryan Homes has done right. Chad and I took over the blue tape and marked every little mark on the walls and floors we could find. Most of what we noticed was cosmetic: some marks on the wall, a little paint on the carpet, a few dented hardwood boards, scratched door knobs... that kind of stuff. I suggest you guys look at every single inch of your home and don't be afraid to run out of tape. As Andrew said, ask for anything you're not happy with and go from there. RH won't fix anything you don't point out, so might as well ask for it.

He did find a couple of major things:
- Our dishwasher is not functioning properly. Water is pooling at the bottom and not draining properly during the cycle.
- Our furnace is not working. Gas is not being fed to it, so we have no heater in the house.
- There are a few shingles that were cut and glued instead of replaced. He said that's not as big as a deal, but it won't last as longer and there's no reason why they couldn't have replaced it.
- Where our dormers meet the roof, there is a gap that will allow critters to enter. He wants RH to board it.
- In that same spot, the siding should go under the board to allow for water flow. The siding is over that, so water may get behind the siding.
- The exterior trim paint is very sloppy. There are brush marks, missing spots, and even a hand print. He wants RH to redo it.

We looked at all cabinets, outlets, faucets, appliances, baseboard, trims, etc.
We have our official walk through in a couple of hours, so I'll make sure to add anything that has been missed in this post.

See you all later :)

Bathrooms Progress

We stopped by the house today. Our railings were stained and the walls are painted (not sure how many coats were done and will be done). The main update is in our bathrooms--we got flooring and tiles. It looks great! Oh, and we got our electric meter, so no risk for delays :D

Stained railings 

Master bath tub

Master bath shower

Hall bath shower

Main floor

Electric meter

More Drywall and Some Siding!

Quick stop today. They are finishing up taping and muddying the drywall and I was pleasantly surprised to see we have some siding on the back of the house. We love the gray color! We couldn't choose, but we were happy not to get stuck with a tan house.

Kitchen and sunroom

Living room

Hallway seen from master bedroom

Basement

Garage

Siding on the back of the house

Pre-Drywall Meeting

Hello!

We had our pre-drywall meeting today. Our PM tried to reschedule it to this Thursday since they haven't started insulation on our house yet, but our inspector said he actually would prefer to see the house without it and make sure nothing major would be behind any insulation. So that's what we did.

Frank was very nice to us, as usual. We walked the house and he explained to us what we were seeing. We had a few questions about the house, but we didn't know exactly what to look for. Having the inspector with us was very important as he did catch a couple of things we would have never thought of (a crack on the window frame, a disconnected HVAC duct, a couple of cables not nailed to the walls). Nothing too major, according to him, but glad he caught it. He will be sending us a report by tomorrow.

Now, the most important thing: the closing date.
According to Frank, they are having some issues with the electric company coming over, installing the meter, and starting service in the homes. Apparently, demand is way too high and they are having issues keeping up with it all. Frank hopes and is somewhat confident that they will have it all taken care of by first week of May. If that's the case, we should have our walk on 5/27 and close 5/31. We had talked to RH about closing in June, so I'll remind our SR of it and maybe we can schedule it for a couple of days later-- 6/2. That would work perfectly for us :)

We asked Frank for a few favors, but unfortunately he couldn't help us. They were:
- leave the granite lip out for backsplash
- install our fans
- install our cabinet knobs (we bought oil bronze ones). This he may be able to help after the house passes the QA inspection.

This is it! We are so excited and can't wait to move! :D

Pre-drywall Meeting Scheduled

Our pre-drywall meeting has been scheduled for this Tuesday, 4/4. So exciting!
We didn't know if we should have an independent inspector with us or not, but after asking a few people, we decided to go for it. We are not sure what to look for, so having that (experienced) extra set of eyes will definitely be helpful. Very worth it the fee. We will pay our inspector $300.

On a side note about our dormers issue, PM said they will be installing the dormers late April as he needs the framers to come around with a crane and we are past that framing stage. We are ok with it, as long as it is installed properly and before we move. Just a heads up for those following our blog in case they might wonder where the dormers are :)

Issue Resolution

This afternoon Chad and I received a call from Sam with a resolution on our dormers issue. Ryan Homes will honor what they represented to us and we will be getting our cute dormers. Woohoo!

I must say that we are very satisfied with how they handled the issue. Yes, it was stressful and yes, we were upset, but RH, well-represented by Sam, took ownership of the mistake and gave us a resolution on our issue in one business day. We weren't looking for anything more than what was promised to us and we got it. So leaving this one behind and moving on with enjoying the exciting process that is building a new home. Oh, and Frank stated that the shingles will be removed so the dormers are installed properly and that we shouldn't see a delay because of this.

We will, of course, be there later his week to see any progress in person :)

Construction Update - Roof / Plumbing and a Bump in the Road

Hi ya'll,

We received an email from our PM this Friday letting us know that framing was complete, shingles were installed, and plumbing rough-ins were done. As soon as we saw the picture, we raised the concern that our dormers had not been installed and asked if they come after shingles. And that's when shit hit the fan.

Frank said that no, dormers are installed before shingles, but that double checking our selections he could see that dormers were not an option in our home. Say what?! That is not what the SR sold us and definitely not what was on the contract we signed.

He said it was possible that the dormers are not offered in the community. Say what (2)?! If dormers are not available, then why would it be in the picture above? I do understand that he only follows the selections sheet given to him, so I thanked him for his insight and turned my attention to the Sales team.

Immediately I sent Sam and Shannon an email asking for clarification on the issue and received a response back a few minutes later stating that they were "just realizing that the home does not have the dormers on certain elevations" and that they "have passed this on to management." 

Since we stop by the house every weekend to see progress, we decide to wait for Sam to discuss this on person. She did say that she was not aware that the community wouldn't have dormers and did admit that she represented this information to us. She also said she will fight to get us what we want, but that there is a possibility that the developers will not allow the dormers and if so, there would be nothing they can do about it. And that's the second time shit hit the fan. 

We responded that we did not agree with this "solution." We said we would rather have the dormers, but if that was not possible, then Ryan Homes better think of ways to make it up to us. I might have used the word bullshit, but hey, who wouldn't? Not sure if she was a little surprised by this, but despite of what she says, we are the ones who need to watch for our best interests.

I even told her we didn't want to point fingers or be dicks to her, but now it is a big disappointment. We've been proudly showing the house around to family, friends, and even strangers, and we will end up not getting what we were promised. Every time we look at our home, we will be upset we are not seeing what we really liked. And some may think it's stupid, but when you were spending this kind of money and signing your life away, you do NOT want to have this type of stress.

The quick meeting ended with her saying she would get back to us once she heard from management. She mentioned something about extra closing help to make it up to it, but nothing was promised yet. We look forward to see how attentive Ryan Homes' customer service is after they made a sale. I will update with a resolution once we have one.

On a side note, we grabbed a couple of hard hats and walked in the house. Here are some pics:

Loving the bay window

Can't wait to see the deck

HVAC and hot water systems

HVAC again

Main floor, measurements for our island and kitchen cabinets / appliances

Master bathroom tub :)

Update!

Hello Y'all!

We heard from one of our SRs that the guys were working hard on our place on Saturday, so we stopped by today to see if there was any progress made since Wednesday (the day we visited to see how Tuesday's snow impacted construction). We got an email from the PM on Friday saying that the snow did delay them a little bit, but that the roof and HVAC will be installed next week. As of now, pre-drywall should be on the second week of April, but nothing has been scheduled yet.

We have exterior doors, windows, and I'm assuming they are done with framing. We snuck inside the house and took some pictures. Enjoy!

We got windows and a door :)

View from front door - stairs

View from front door - access to garage

Basement

Stairs from first to second floor

Morning room - pantry to the right. A nice deck will be outside those doors

Living room - <3 bay window

Second / main floor from morning room. Kitchen will be to the left, dining area to the right

Stairs from second to third level

Laundry room on the left; hall bathroom to the right

Master bedroom with master bathroom on the right

Back of the house

Rate Locked In

When we quoted the house, the interest rate used was 4.5%. All was fine and dandy with our estimated mortgage payment. We are not people who follow the market and as first time buyers, we weren't very educated on how much interest rates fluctuate and the several factors that can affect it. Fast forward 3 months and now we are here, dealing with a good economy and rising rates.

Our estimated date of completion at signing and pre-construction meeting was May 1. We were hoping to settle any time after June 1. Right before we knew that the new unemployment rate was going to be released, we tried locking. That was about a week ago. We contacted Patti (loan officer) and Frank (PM) to get their two cents. At that point, the rate of the day was 5% (ugh). Frank brought to our attention that some electric meter needed for the house to pass inspection could be delayed (two months!!), so he didn't feel comfortable telling us to lock in just yet. He would have more information at the end of this week.

We asked for today's rate and, sure enough, it increased to 5.125% due to unemployment numbers. Patti said the Feds were meeting again this Wednesday and most likely we will see another increase. We don't want to be stuck with a mortgage we can't afford comfortably! So I called my PM. He told me that even though he still doesn't know for sure if we will have the meter this week, he was being extremely cautious and that he is 90% confident that he can complete our home in 90 days. He wanted us to avoid paying for a rate extension. However, at this point, we decided we were going to pay for a 180 day lock anyway, the way rates are increasing, ev n if we couldn't lock for 90 days.

Long story short, WE LOCKED OUR RATES TODAY. We actually bought points to have the rate dropped to 5%, so that's what we will luckily have. Fingers crossed that we will have no major delays that will keep out home from being ready by June 13 :)

Construction Update - Week 8 - Framing (pictures)

Hello!

Chad and I stopped by to see in person the progress that Sam sent us in the video. According to the PM, the first floor is finished and the fire wall (the purple board you see) has been installed. They will be working on the second and third floors in the next couple of weeks.

We're excited to see a pile of dirt and wood start looking like a house :)

The only thing we are a little concerned is with the slope in the backyard. Apparently, our backyard will be sloped due to water run-off. We asked the PM if it will be graded a little more so the slope is not as steep. I'll let you all know when the PM answers our questions. Enjoy the pics!

Front of the house. You can see the bump out above the garage

Apparently, we will have a very long front yard. I wonder how long the driveway will be

Row of houses. Our is the only one without the second level frame, grrr (haha)

Fire wall can be seen on the side of the house. This is the back of the house, the walkout basement

You can see the backyard slope

Construction Update - Week 8 - Framing

If you remember, during week 6 we received an update from our PM that in week 7 (last week) the slab was going to be poured and during week 8 (this week), framing would begin.
This past Saturday, I stopped by the community to talk to my SR and the slab wasn't done. I was a little upset, but since we're trying to settle a little later than the estimated completion anyway, I didn't stress about it. I figured framing was going to be pushed at least out a week or so.


Today, I got this video from my SR. Three days ago we didn't even have a slab and today we're pretty much done with the first level?! HOLY CRAP!


We'll stop by for pictures sometime this week.


YAY! :D

Construction Update and Pictures - Week 6

Hi all :)

In addition to Sam's video on Wednesday, Frank (PM) updated us on what's been done and what's coming next. Here's where we are as of Friday 2/17:

We've completed the foundation and begun tying in the water and sewer and doing the groundwork plumbing. If weather cooperates next week I'm hoping to have the slab poured so we can start framing a week from Monday.

Oh yea, Frank. Weather will be just fine :D

Chad and I stopped by on Saturday and took some pictures. Funny how during the foundation step of the process, the house looks so tiny!

Panoramic of our row. There will be 5 houses. We have the second from the right to the left.

Our one-car garage at the front of the house. The front door will be to the left of the garage. 

Picture of the back of the house. Our garage to the left. The neighbor's front door and ours will be side to side.

Another picture of the back of the house. It shows the foundation wall a little better.

Pre-Construction Meeting

Pre-construction meeting is out of the way!

We met Frank, our Project Manager, today. He was very nice and attentive to our questions and concerns. He's been with Ryan Homes for 5 years managing different communities. He seems very knowledgeable and didn't skip a beat when it was time to answer my questions. We liked him, which is a great start :)
For everyone out there: make sure you know exactly which changes you've made, even if you got your Addendum. We had an extra outlet in the basement ceiling and the single kitchen bowl selected, but they weren't on the PM's paperwork. That is exactly the purpose of those meetings, of course, but don't assume RH will have everything in place.

Here are the answers to my questions:

1. When will you be onsite?
Monday - Friday, 6:30am to 3:30pm

2. Will you be away on vacation during this build?
No

3. What's your preferred contact method and how frequent will we get updates?
Email or text. At the beginning, probably every other week. As construction pick up, weekly

4. What is the rough schedule from ground breaking to delivery?
Breaking ground tomorrow. Should be finished by end of April / beginning of May (we had asked SR at contract signing to settle in June, if possible. She said she's aware and we should be ok with that)

5. Can remnants be saved from construction (tile/wood/carpet/siding/etc.) and placed in garage?
Yes. We will keep it in the unfinished portion of the basement. Note that if we have to do any fixes in the first couple months after you move in, that we will use that material first before ordering more.

6. Will the subflooring be glued/screwed or glued/nailed?
Glued / screwed

7. Will drywall be screwed or nailed?
Both

8. What kind of insulation do you use throughout home? Blown/sprayed/batting?
Blown in the attic, batting in the exterior walls

9. Is each bedroom on a separate circuit?
Master is on one circuit, 2nd and 3rd bedrooms should be on another

10. What type of feed lines are run for plumbing? PEX/PVC/copper?
PEX for water and PVC for drain

11. Does our ump pump come with backup battery?
No. We don't need it since we are on a slab

12. How many coats of asphalt will the driveway get? 
Potentially two

13. What's the location of power outlets (and make sure he knows of the basement ceiling one we paid for)?
We were shown an electrical map of the house

14. Will the laundry room have light and outlets?
Yes

15. Are there outlets in garage and exterior?
Outlets in the garage wall, as well as one in the ceiling. One outlet by the front door, one on the deck, and one under the deck

16. Where is the hose connection located?
One in the garage and another one in the back of the house

17. Will our lawn be seeded?
Sodded

18. What are the dimensions of the backyard for fencing? 
He gave us a plot map. Should be 26 x 20', approximately

19. When can we visit site?
Anytime, just give him a heads up so he can expect us

20. Which way does the ceiling beam in basement run?
Side to side

21. Can you center the island lights?

No (this one was a bummer. We have 6 recessed lights in the kitchen, but the 3 lights above the island is not centered)

Those were the main questions. Now we wait until we see progress. Can't wait to start getting pictures :)