Getting Settled

We're still here and catching up on everyone's progress! Can't believe how fast time has gone and we've been in for almost 3 weeks. We're getting furniture ordered to fill this empty house, but it won't be here until after the New Year.   Our 30 days walk through is next Friday, so we are getting our list of things together.  Nothing major, so we're thankful for that.  Below are some pics of our place now that we're settled.  We're ordering binds and installing curtains this weekend so it will look more complete.  Can't wait to get it all decorated for Christmas!

Her backside and a good idea of how big our yard is.

Morning Room

Formal living room.  Our Christmas tree is going here this year, so all the decorations are in those boxes.

Foyer... LOVE the hardwood!

View from the sitting area at the top of the foyer

2nd Bath

Sitting area in master

Master Bedroom

Master Bath,  love the granite and cabinets together!

Jacuzzi tub, shower to the right, toilet to the left and 2nd walk in closet straight ahead

As I'm uploading these, I realized how hard it is to get an accurate picture of the size of the rooms, but you can get an idea.  Also, didn't upload any pictures of the other rooms, because there isn't anything in them and they all look the same!

Quick update- We're done!

So this is going to be a quick update.  Tuesday we had our final walk through with our PM and it went well.  He already got some of the items from the independent inspection report completed by the time we go there on Tuesday.  There were some things we wanted to show him in person so he could get a better idea what we were talking about.  Most disappointing were the finishing touches on the house that were skipped.  Fast forward to today when we finally closed!  Process lasted about 45 minutes and we didn't have any problems.  After we got the keys we of course went to the house, only to find some of the major things we had stated on Tuesday were not fixed.  Don't know if they will be fixed now or if we will have to wait until our 30 day, but its highly disappointing since we were under the impression everything on Tuesday would be fixed by today.  We're moving this weekend with the help of our families and have about two more boxes to be packed.  Tomorrow hubby will be working on installing fans and sealing the tile in our bathroom, kitchen and morning room.  I'll update with pictures once we get settled sometime next week!

Final Independent Inspection

Our final walkthrough with Ryan Homes was to be Friday, but on Monday it was delayed by our PM due to the tile issues still not being resolved.  He wants to present a complete house to us, which I understand, but we brought this issue up over two weeks ago.  Final walkthrough has been moved to Tuesday and we will be closing Wednesday or Thursday.  Not sure which date we're closing because PM says he needs until Thursday, but NVR is saying it is still Wednesday as originally scheduled.  We were given the green light to continue with our independent inspection on Saturday which lasted about 4 hours.  We went over every inch of the house and should receive the report to pass on to our PM today.  Nothing major came up, which was a relief.  Mostly cosmetic changes need to be made which include the tile issues in the bathroom needing fixed, some scratches on the hardwood, the refrigerator makes some weird noise when you open it, sump pump has a lot of dirt in it, emergency float switch on first level HVAC unit doesn't work at all, a couple windows don't open, tile in the morning room wasn't laid exactly flat so there are gaps, and one place in the bedroom has a squeaky floor.  We're hoping all these issues, big or small, are fixed before we move in. Sod was installed on Thursday, driveway was paved and mailbox is up.  So exciting to see the address on the mailbox :)  Anyone with sod know if they "roll" over it with a steamroller type thing to smooth it out?  Its very wavy in the backyard and I'm concerned with this when it comes time to mow the lawn it will be choppy.  Other than what we've found I'm very happy with the house, hoping things will move smoothly this week.

Our current living room with some boxes ready to move!

Hardwood in foyer

Carpet in family room and formal living room.  The 2nd floor, dining room, & stairs are a bit lighter.

Outside view...looks so different with the sod and driveway paved!

My kitchen! Not crazy about the side by side, but we'll see if I get used to it.

Almost Our's!

My husband stopped by the house on Wednesday and found hardwood and carpet installed on the inside along with appliances.  Outside our trees and landscaping, minus the sod, were in.  Also, the driveway was paved, our garage door opener was installed and we have a mailbox with our house number on it!  I wasn't able to get to the house in time to see it from someone with a key, so I have yet to see the carpet & hardwood, but hubby says it looks good so I'll have to take his word.   Everything seems to be moving along good with our final walk through on Friday.  We have yet to hear anything about a resolution to our tile concerns and hope it gets fixed before we close.  Can't believe its coming up so quick and it won't be just a place we visit, but will actually LIVE there!  Packing at the apartment is moving along good.  I'm such a "planner" and need to have it done before our families arrive moving weekend.

Moving Right Along: Tile & Stone Work

We're moving right along with our schedule with tile & granite installed inside and stone outside. We're officially locked out so we can only visit while someone is in the sales office. I was unsure of my granite choice for the kitchen but decided to keep it.  Boy, I'm glad I did because I absolutely love it! It goes so well with the cabinets and the floor.  I think it will be great with our stainless steel appliances as well.  Tile was also installed in the kitchen, morning room, and upstairs bathrooms.  We opted for to get it placed at a 45 degree angle in the morning room and kitchen and it makes all the difference.  Upstairs the accent tile in the master bedroom is wave-y for lack of a better word.  It looks like it was installed quickly and poorly.  Our PM is on this and hoping to be able to get the crew to fix it.  It is super disappointing since we paid for this upgrade and it looks very unprofessional. The light fixtures were installed and much to our surprise there was lights in the bedroom... anyone else have this?  I was under the impression it was only a light rough-in and not the actual fixture.  HVAC units were installed outside and the house was heated.  Outside the stone was installed and I'm still warming up to the siding color.  My hubby loves it and everyone we've showed thinks it looks very nice, so I'm not sure why I doubt it.  PM thinks they will start landscaping this week and finish up tile.  Not sure what else he expects to happen on the inside, but I hope to see some hardwood this week.

Cabinet/Granite/Tile Combo

Granite has a shimmer to it that I didn't notice with the sample

Spare Bathroom Tile & Tub

Tile Detail... nothing crazy, but I like it

Bathroom Light Fixture

Bedroom light fixture... not bad, we'll probably keep it for now

Master bathroom tub & shower

Detailed view of "wave-y" accent tile.  Its like this in many places.

Three Weeks Until Closing

I'm beyond ready and excited to be closing in three weeks.  NVR activity has really picked up in the last few days with what they want.  They want all of it 10 days prior to closing, so we're busy gathering all of the paper work they have requested.  PM reported that our tile was being installed today in the bathrooms, kitchen and morning room and stone was to be placed on the house pending rain.  Well, it rained today so I don't anticipate that being done until Friday when it clears up.  He said the kitchen cabinet and flooring looks sharp and hes excited to see it once the granite is installed... me too!  We were originally scheduled to have the final walk through at 10AM and close at 1PM on different days, but these times weren't exactly convenient for us and our work schedules since they are on two different days so we asked to have them rescheduled and Ryan/NVR has been amazing in accommodating us with our request.  We've changed the walk through to 1 pm, so we only have to take a half day and closing is at 4pm so we don't have to miss any work.  Definitely pays to ask!  Hoping to get some pictures later this week when we stop by!

Kitchen Cabinets, Crown Molding, & Railings

We're done with drywall and into the "fun stuff"  The cabinets were installed in the kitchen and bathrooms and I LOVEEEE them!  I'm so happy with my choices and can't wait to see the granite installed on them. I was most surprised at how big our kitchen island is really going to be.  I will love all the storage space and I'm sure it won't take long for me to fill it all. Chair rail, crown molding, and cased openings were in progress also.  It appears the walls were primer-ed, but I'm not sure of what the final color is going to be.  We elected not to paint now and do it after we get in and I can get an idea of what I want to do with each room.  Also, the railings were installed on the stairs and along the sitting area of the two story foyer.  They will be stained very dark to match our hardwoods going in the entryway.  Shutters were installed on the exterior, minus the parts where the stone will be.  Stoop has been poured and covered.  Hoping that stone work will begin this weekend with the beautiful weather we're forecast-ed to have.We got an "official" final walk through date of November 4th and closing November 9th, which is right around the corner.  I'm praying we don't have any more delays because that weekend works perfect for my family to help us move, and I'm hoping to be in before Thanksgiving.  

Please bear with the pictures... they are from my phone and all I had on me when we stopped at the house last night.

Still not sure about the exterior, hoping the stone pulls it all together

Kitchen Cabinets, few more behind the basement door that is opened

Railing in sitting area of foyer

Chair railing in dining room

Siding

Siding is on and I wasn't so sure about it.  I think the initial shock was seeing it against the white house wrap.  I'm convinced it was NOT the color I chose, but everyone that has seen it has me given me confidence that it will look good with the stone color we picked, so we're sticking with it.  Plus, we don't really have much of a choice this late in the game due to its expense to change.  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the stone  or a good overall picture of the house.  We've been delayed about a week again and I'm hoping its our last.  Drywall was to begin today since it hasn't started as scheduled from last Saturday.  Our kitchen and bath cabinets were in the garage and I LOVE them.  Can't wait to see it all inside.  It seems the last two weeks that things have really slowed down, so I'm hoping they pick back up again.  Getting REALLY anxious to get out of our apartment and into the house and already started packing.

Has more of a yellow hue than I remember picking.

Looks better in this picture

Morning Room with the siding

Pre Drywall Meeting & Independent Inspection

We had our pre drywall meeting with the PM today and it went pretty smooth and was rather uneventful since we've seen the inside of the house quite a bit.  We had an independent inspection on Saturday and PM basically went through the report and looked at all the concerns we & the inspector had.  He anticipates things to be fixed this week & plumbing and county inspections to also take place.  Drywall set to start Saturday and siding in there sometime, whenever its not raining.  He's shooting for pre settlement meeting to be October 31st and settlement  November 4th... soooo close, yet so far away!  We also ordered our washer and dryer to be delivered after settlement.  Lowe's was having the set we wanted 28% off until today, so we couldn't pass it up!

Wiring & Plumbing

We went to the house to check progress today and the wiring and plumbing were installed.  It appears they are awaiting inspection.  Best of all my amazing jet bath tub was installed and I can't WAIT to use it after all the unpacking is done!  PM emailed this evening to schedule our predrywall meeting for Monday AM.  We're waiting to hear back from our private inspector to ensure he can meet us prior to the predrywall meeting.  You all weren't lying that time flies after framing begins!  We'll get our presettlement meeting time on Monday as well so we can schedule our moving weekend.

Roof, Guardian Meeting, HVAC

Wow! These guys are moving quick now and its hard to keep up with all the progress.  The framing finished up Wednesday and the roof is up with shingles as of Friday.  All the windows are in and the doors have their hardware. The HVAC was installed on Friday and my hubby was in all his glory checking it out throughout the whole house.  They did cut one hole in the incorrect place in the dining room that the PM said is on the list to be fixed.  We had our guardian meeting on Friday to place all our outlets and keypads, etc which lasted all of 15 minutes.  Kind of disappointing that we had to rearrange our schedules for such a short amount of time, but its something else that is checked off the list.  After the meeting since we were already at the house, we took a good look at all the rooms and stayed for about an hour. I think this is the point where I'm "officially" excited.  It so cool to see it all coming together and to get a real sense of where I want things to go in each room.  I've even started to imagine how I want to decorate the space once we get in.  

While we were at the Guardian meeting we ran into our PM.  He's saying we're on track to deliver at the end of October, but we will know more at the pre-drywall meeting next Monday/Tuesday.  He ended up adding more guys to the framing crew to get us back on track and we didn't even know.  He's starting to redeem himself :)  On the list this week is for plumbing and electrical to be installed. We'll have our private inspector come out before the pre-drywall meeting so we know everything to tell the PM to fix at the pre-drywall meeting. We've also started our washer/dryer research which has been a bit confusing.  I thought I knew what I wanted and would stay in our budget, but after checking out one store, the salesman told us not to get top loaders due to vibration.  So, we're on to looking at front loaders, which I never wanted.  It seemed as all were out of our price range, but I think we finally found a good set at another store that we will order this week and have delivered after we move in.

Working hard on the roof

1st floor furnace

Second floor furnace in the attic

In the morning room.  Kitchen is over the ledge and family room is through the pantry closet

Sliding glass door in morning room, may be my favorite room... right now anyhow

The reason we got the 4' extension on the family room... extra pantry!

Anyone else have this?! Oil rubbed bronze on the exterior and brushed nickel on the interior for the door hardware.  All doors that are installed are like this.

Powder room behind silver duct, entrance straight ahead and formal living room to right

Framing Progress

The weather finally cleared up around here Friday afternoon and it has been sunny and in the low 80's for the entire weekend.  The framing crew was out in full force all weekend and have made some incredible progress.  They are really nice and don't mind us staying and watching them work; which we did Saturday and Sunday for about an hour or so each day.  We even took them some Gatorade to make sure they would stay hydrated from all the work in the sun.  Good news with all the sun is that the puddles on the floor in the morning and family rooms dried up.  It appeared they swept some of it out to help with the drying process.  PM told us with OSB that we shouldn't be too worried about the water and they would get it taken care of, which they did.  We still need to ask him if this week affected our closing date or if this was part of the two week buffer they build in.  Its fun going over to the house so much and seeing the other house's progress in our community.  Soon enough we'll be locked out and only be able to make it over to the house on Saturday and Sunday, so the next week or so we're going over as much as we can.

Saturday's Progress.  First floor framing complete and starting on second floor.

Stairs to 2nd floor installed

What we found Sunday when we returned.  Amazing what they can do in one work day!

Morning room to the left, family room to the right

Garage

We do have more windows than are shown in the pictures, they just haven't cut them from the wrap yet.  Also, didn't realize that the morning room has three windows, in my mind I was thinking it only had two, so I'm glad we didn't add any additional ones to the left side.  I think we'll have plenty of natural light with the three in the back and the sliding glass door.

First Floor Framing

Our lumber was finally delivered and framing is underway.  The delivery truck was unable to get a permit issued from the shop due to loss of power from good ole hurricane Irene.  Hurricane Lee is not treating us nice this week either, and we have been delayed a bit more due to massive rainfalls.  I think we're getting used to delays and they don't disappoint us nearly as much, not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Anyone run into rain during framing?  Should we be worried about the lumber being wet?  There is one spot in the morning room that has standing water, but I hope its all okay! Below are some pictures of the first floor framing that is complete.  I'm hoping they will work this weekend when its a bit nicer to make up some time. 

Front of house, without garage

Back of house: Stairs to basement, morning room on left and family room on right

Closer shot of front: dining room on right, living room on left

Garage with man door in incorrect place, but we actually think we might like it better here than on the side.

In the kitchen looking into the family room

Morning Room

Front door <3  It was such a pleasant surprise to see! I think its just so cute with the windows on the top and sides!

All the windows and doors waiting for installation