Walk through

No pictures for this one. The power was turned on shortly before we arrived at 2:30. We actually had to postpone the meeting because of this. Here's a shortenend list of issues. Of course, we found dings and areas that needed to be repainted, but here are "major" issues that we found.

In no particular order:

1. Master Bathroom Fan didn't work
2. Guest Bathroom fan didn't work.
3. Window in the front door had a hairline crack
4. Ripped vinyl in kitchen.
5. Gutter on the back of the house was covered in dirt.
6. Doors in the house drug on the carpet.
7. Hardwoods in formal dining area not aligned properly.

Other than that, it appear's we ready to go and have another walk through the day that we close.

Carpet

Pictures of the carpet. It's been so long since we made our initial selections, that I've forgotten the particular type of carpet. It's definitely a much better grade than what we have in the apartment. Right now, the house looks very.. brown.

Chair Rail and Hardwoods

Chair rail is in, and hardwoods have been installed. The carpet and padding are being installed now.

We have a initial walkthrough scheduled for Tuesday. Other than the punchlist, there really isn't a whole lot left.

We're getting there..

Within the last week, the hardwood in the foyer and formal dining rooms has been installed. The sod (I hesitate to call it grass in the beginning of December) has been put outside, along with the accompaning sprinker system. There's a 12' maple in the front yard, and a good amount of shrubbery. The outdoor heating/cooling units have been installed.

We did have minor issue in the back yard, where they left a stump from a tree. Kurt asked them to remove it and it appears to have been done. I haven't really been out to the house as often as I would like to go, now that it's dark when I get home in the evenings.

Kitchen

We went in yesterday at lunch and took some pictures. Here's one of the kitchen cabinets with the countertop. There's a protective cover on the counter, so it can be hard to see unless you look closely.

They're also grading our yard out for the sprinkler system and grass.

Toilets are in. Door knobs are now on. Vinyl is down in the kitchen and bathrooms. Appliances are in (dishwasher, fridge, microwave, and stove).
Lights and ceiling fans have been installed as well.

Locked

The doors are now locked after working hours, so it'll be a little harder to get pictures. The countertops are in, kithen floors are in, and there are now recepticles for power downstairs.

Here's my first "what were they thinking" picture. The sidewalk outside the front of our home.

Painting

90% of the house has been painted. This includes doors, trimwork and walls. Here's a picture of our formal living room.

It's all in the details

Chair moulding and trimwork went up over the weekend. We saw them working on it Sunday. The trimwork around the doors has also been done. Here's a picture of our formal kitchen area. Yep, that's paint in the middle of the floor.

Cabinets, Ceilings and Doors -- oh my

It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to go inside the house. By the time I get off of work it's usually dark. We did get a chance to stop by yesterday. The majority of the interior doors have been hug. The ceilings now have a textured look to them (no, not popcorn ceilings),The cabinets in the kitchen and bath have been installed.

Vinyl is up

The vinyl is up. I haven't had a chance to go out and take a look at it yet, but here's the picture that I do have. Closing date is December 28th. We're now loan shopping.

Sheetrock started

Kurt and I went by the house today, and the sheetrock had been hung throughout the house. They still need to spackle it. Pictures to come later.

Brickwork completed.

The brickwork for the front is completed, and there is a lot of drywall laying around in the house.

Brickwork

Brickwork for the front of the house has been started.

Pre Drywall Meeting

Kurt and I went around and inspected the house so far. Yes, we go and look pretty often, but it's nice to go through each room and take the time to inspect everything.

We did find 2 small hiccups that need to be addressed. There's no gas line for the gas stove, and it appears that there's no light inside the master bath area where the shower is located.

On the plus side, the phone jack has been moved from behind the refridgerator to a more suitable location.

They intially told us that it's 8 weeks from the time of the pre-drywall meeting. I'm crossing my fingers that we're in by the end of the year. If not, it's not a huge deal, but I did mention that we were going ot move into the back yard on January 13th. Rent goes up $150 per month once our lease expires.

Pre-drywall Meeting Tomorrow

We meet with the builder tomorrow at 7:45.

Insulation

Insulation and Windows are going in today.

Electrical

Electrical wiring is being done. We've only found 1 snag, and that's where they appeared to have wired the phone jack for the kitchen behind the refridgerator.

HVAC

The rough HVAC has been installed. Mostly just pipes.

Fire Place

The fireplace is being installed.

Shingles

Shingles are now on the house. They added water sealant, which is the green stuff around the bottom. I've added a picture of what kind of shingles that were used, because someone will ask me what kind they were.

Plumbing

Plumbing is about half way done. Most of the pipes have been run, and there are now 3 showers in the house. No whirlpool bath yet. Pictures to follow later.

Framing Completed

More pictures of the framing. Next is shingles, plumbing, wiring and HVAC.

Framing Continues...

The framing continues.. some walls are appearing

Framing - part 2

The second floor is mostly done, and the trusses for the back of the house have been placed. Next is the front trusses and the roof.

Framing - part 1

The first floor is mostly framed, and you can start to see what the house will look like.

The Slab Is Poured

One of the last parts of the foundation is done. The slab has been poured and once the concrete gets to strength, the frame will start being constructed. If you look closely at the background of yesterdays picture, you'll see where the builder has dropped off the materials for the frame. Framing Next!

Partial Slab

The house is getting ready for it's slab. The plastic is down, and the garage portion already has it slab down.

Pipes

The pipes have been placed into the foundation.

The pipes that are closest are for the master bathroom. Behind them is the laundry room, and the pipes that are the farthest away are for the kitchen. Next, dirt will be brought back in and compacted back in preparation for the slab to be poured.

Foundation - continued

The brickwork has been completed and now the builder has gone in and filled the area with dirt. The dirt was compacted and evened out. The next step is to dig ditches for the pipes to be laid out.

I did take pictures, but haven't had the opportunity to get them off of the camera.

Foundation

Yesterday, the bricks and CMU blocks were delivered. Today, the builders made good use of the bricks and concrete blocks by putting up the foundation. You'll see where the sides of the house already have brick, since they will be vinyl. The front of the house is going to be brick, which will be done later.

Footings

It's officially started. The permit has been posted and the footings have been dug. In the next day or so, they will pour concrete into the footings and that's what the house will sit on. The footings allow the house to sit on stable ground. It's a common construction technique for houses that are on a slab foundation.

Preconstruction Meeting

Today, we reviewed the plans for the house and verified our selections. We looked at the placement of the wall sockets and switches. I made particular attention where the wiring for each of the fans and lights went and made sure it made proper sense. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that one bedroom's closet door and entry door both have the same swing area. In the model home, there were folding doors on the closet, but the builder decided against those types of doors since they were easy to run off track and break.

As part of our preconstruction meeting, we reviewed our plot of land. We're going to have a huge back yard. If I understood correctly, the builder is only going to landscape the back 20 ft of our yard, and that there is going to be a dip a few feet away from the house to allow water to drain properly. (Water standing near the slab is a bad thing) Not a big deal, but I feel that it's worth mentioning.


If you are facing our home, we aren't going to have a neighbor on our left hand side for a year or 2, since it's currently being used as sediment pond, and can't be developed until the subdivision is 80% developed. I don't pretend to understand drainage laws, so don't ask me to clarify that one. We do have a "neighbor" on our right hand side now, and it appears that his/her house will be built at almost the same time as ours. Their land has been cleared and staked.

From this point, the house should take 4 months to be built. Our next meeting with the builder is the pre-drywall meeting. Everyone cross your fingers, our apartment lease expires on the 2nd week in January

Kitchen Decor

I've decided on the theme for the kitchen. Roosters. It ties in with my Alma Mater. I've picked up a few items, but I plan on keeping my eye out for some towels, pot holders and a few other accessories.

First Pictures

Sadly, we don't have any pictures of the land before the land was cleared. Here's some of the first pictures we have of the house, well, lot. I'm still learning how to use this blog software, so please forgive any glaring errors.

A New Experience

In late June, we signed a contract on a new home. We're building a home with Essex Homes Southeast. We've already completed the selection process (July 10th), and the preconstruction meeting is just around the corner.

The purpose of this blog is to keep friends and family up to date of the progress of the house, and to also have something to look back on once it's all complete.