Only 2 more days!!!!!!!!!

So we can't believe it's finally here! All of this time and now only 2 more nights until we have keys to our new house! We close on Monday at 2pm. So exiting!!

Now to figure out which projects to start on first. There's a few small projects to do right away but the major ones will most likely happen after winter depending on weather. First will be building bedroom 4 wall, updating bathroom vanities, installing ceiling fans, pendant lights, kitchen back splash, and painting. Outside I'm going to try and get my shed built before the first snowfall but not sure if I'll have the time. Haven't really decided on placement yet either. Fence is also on the list before spring but I need more info from the township about height. When I spoke to the last week they said since we have a corner lot the side yard is considered a front yard and can only be a 4 ft. fence on that side. We wanted to install a 6 ft. fence. It can be changed we will just have to go through the process first.

We've been out furniture shopping lately and finally ordered a new sectional for the family room. We looked at so many table sets and finally decided on one with a matching server. We Also ordered 2 bar height chairs for the kitchen island to match.

 I'll post some updates pics once we get in the house.

Pre Settlement Meeting!!!!!!

So first thing yesterday our PM emailed me to set up our pre settlement meeting. Its next Monday the 15th! Its really almost time! The funny thing about that is that was our original delivery date of the house. We took a ride over today after taking our son to daycare and the front door is finally painted and really looks better then just a white door.

Grass seed and shrubs!

So after picking our son up from daycare we were going to take a ride by the house. Before even getting to the house we received a call from our PM letting us know current progress at the house. We were told the landscaping, hydro seed, and rear steps were in. We were told our pre settlement meeting was going to be on Sept 12th. I can't believe that's already here. Over the weekend we signed a lease to rent our current town house out on Oct 1st! Time for a new adventure!

Less than 1 month from closing!!

So a lot had happened since my last post on here. We are less than a month away from closing and can't believe it. We were able to walk the house last week and wow what a difference. It's so nice to finally walk the house painted and really see the layout. Our PM had the trades back in going over his final punch list. The house was painted but only sprayed so far and they still have to roll it. The flooring has been installed and looks better than we thought it would. Still needs to be upgraded but can wait a year or 2 hopefully. We upgraded to bronze lighting, cabinet hardware, and door hardware and it looks really nice. They graded the yard finally and wow what a difference. Our 2 year old kept saying "wow yard is so big" as he was running around.
We also purchased our appliances and can't wait to switch them out. We stuck with the standard black knowing we would change them out right away.

Pre drywall meeting completed!

So we had our pre drywall meeting on 7/29 and they started sheetrock on 7/30. Sheetrock was finished on 8/7. It's crazy how much they do so fast. Since they've painted, trimmed, installed the kitchen, installed bath vanities, and tiled both bathroom showers. They also have had the utilities ran to the house but I'm not sure if it's connected inside yet. We are going tomorrow to see the progress and take some new pictures. We were also told that rough grading should be completed this week or early next week. We can't wait for that because they will finally get rid of the huge pile of dirt in the backyard so we can actually see our backyard.

We also had the chance to walk the house prior to the insulation and any gaps that were visible have all been taken care of. They use foam everywhere to really seal what needs to be sealed. I made sure to point out every spot were we saw light from the outside so we should never have issues with any bugs!

During our last walk with our PM Bill we were also told that the hvac system had less than 4% loss. We were also told that they will complete another test closer to settlement.  I asked if I will see a copy of these reports and I was told I can. With a loss of less than 4% I really can start to see how much more energy efficient this houses will be. We also received a letter from Ryan Homes letting us know Sept 22nd is our closing date! Exciting less than 6 weeks away. Here's a few pics prior to sheetrock.

Just over 4 weeks into construction

Ok so we've had a lot of work going on at our house and in our development over the last 3 weeks. It seems like they are starting 1 or 2 houses a week at this point. Starting to really feel like a development now when you drive through.

As far as our house it has been completely framed, Windows and doors installed, roofing installed and rough mechanical almost complete. The house is due to be wrapped and sided by the end of the week.



Here's a few better pictures of the concrete.

There was what looked like a cold joint on the rear side and back of the basement walls. It basically looks like a crack but it's not. There was also 2 foam boards that were on the outside of the garage in the concrete and they where supposed to be on the inside. These are grade beams and are there for support and to keep your garage floor concrete from cracking. After talking to our PM Bill we figured it had something to do with the time between concrete trucks. It basically happens when the first truck starts to harden when the second truck is being poured. The good news is this doesn't hurt the integrity of the concrete it just looks bad. Our PM actually informed us that they are going to have the concrete company parge the left side and rear outside foundation walls to cover this.

Here's a few pictures that I have. This is the first house my wife and I are having built and I find myself there daily taking pictures. Is there anyone else who goes that often or will go that often once they start building your house?

Looking from family room into kitchen and morning room

2 zone hvac. I didn't know that was coming. Nice surprise. It will only use one unit for each but still better than nothing. 

New loft location.

Grey pipe is the conduit pipe I had installed. It goes straight from attic to basement. I'm going to have them add 2 2x4 to make It straighter here though.