Day 48- AND They work on Sundays!

We love subcontractors! :) They worked today and just about finished the HVAC. All vents are in on all floors. The black ductwork tubing is in all over the house... looks really funky! :) Just need electricians and Guardian and we're ready for drywall!! This is moving along!!

Day 47 - They DO work on Saturday! :)

We stopped last night to see all of the HVAC out of the garage and couldn't believe they had gotten it done... until we went to the basement... they had just moved it downstairs. But at least we knew they had been there. Yesterday the plumbing was started and we had red and blue tubing which is water into the house. So.. some work done... but didn't look like a lot.

I drove by this morning at 8:30 and was surprised to see the plumbers there today and early! So, we went back tonight and we were shocked to see  how much was done today...a Saturday!

Today's accomplishments:
Plumbing finished (or at least really close to it)
Water heater installed
Furnace installed
Gas lines to fireplace, stove, and outdoor grill installed
heating vents installed upstairs
tubs and showers installed

We also went into the Vic Falls down the street. They are set to close Aug 28th. and I was expecting them to be much further along than they are. Drywall is done, linoleum is in one bathroom and tile in the other. I would say a week or 2 ahead of us which puts us well within our deadline.

I guess the subcontractors work weekends since they are paid by the job and want to finish. The framers are paid by the hour, so they don't work weekends.... hoping for lots of subcontractors from here on out!

And there was another block party tonight over on another street. We didn't go this time, but just another example of how great this neighborhood is going to be!

Day 45 - Shingles done HVAC didn't start

Roof looks great. We didn't get to take pictures tonight so I'll get some tomorrow. HVAC was supposed to go in today, but it didn't happen. We noticed LOTS of markings from what looks like an inspection and TONS of things to fix. So, we were disappointed to see this on one hand, but also glad on the other that they caught a lot of the framing issues we weren't too happy with.

We talked to a neighbor that is building a Vic Falls down the street. They are a few weeks ahead of us...although they have so much done! Flooring is going in tonight and they don't close until Aug 28th. I don't think there's anyway they are going to make the deadline. I emailed PM to see if he had any idea if it was still possible or not because if not, I have to start looking for a back up plan. We'll be homeless! :(

Update: PM emailed me within minutes of my email with several questions. He was very thorough with all of the information and says he still thinks we can make our deadline. :) I like positive thinking... still going to have a backup plan in mind... I was quite impressed that he emailed so quickly and thoroughly!  :)

Day 44 - Prewire Meeting

We met with Guardian today for our prewire. We marked cable outlets in all the bedrooms and above the fireplace in the family room. We also marked out for the home theater system. We didn't finish what they call the media room. We are using it for storage, but we are going to hang a projector in the basement and we got the surround sound system. So we marked for speakers. We were also able mark for them to hide all of the components under the stairs so we won't have any wires or receivers showing. It's going to be SWEEEET! I think it's my husband's dream basement. He keeps saying he can't wait until football season... I just hope we're in for football season!!!

The workers were doing all of the outside trim work while we were there. PM says shingles and HVAC will start Monday. Wiring will start early next week! We did realize that the basement windows aren't in yet...but all of the others are in. I didn't think to look around to see if they are there somewhere...will check that next time. Predrywall was supposed to be Monday.... that's definitely not happening... still hoping for sometime next week though. Still hoping PM will give us an actual estimated date instead of early to mid September!

Day 43 - Framing DONE! Windows and stairs in!

We went to the house tonight and it looks like a completely different house than it did last night both inside and out. All of the trash and mud is gone. Not sure how they cleaned all of that up, but they did. So, the framers are done. Insulation and HVAC will go in tomorrow. We have prewire meeting with Guardian tomorrow afternoon. AND the poles are now straight, as well as some holes they needed to fix. Feeling MUCH better about things today!!

Windows and front door are in!

 

 Framing between kitchen and morning room are in.

 

Finally, we get to peek upstairs.



The view from my son's room.

My daughter's room.

 

My son's room.

Kids' bathroom.

Guest room.

My closet!

Master Bathroom.

View from the master bathroom.

Those grand stairs!

French doors are in! GREAT breeze with all of these windows!!!

PM says we are still on schedule... hoping it stays that way! :)

 

Day 42 - Um aren't those poles supposed to be straight?

We haven't been in the house since Friday. No work happened over the weekend. We finally went in tonight and the stairs were in to the basement so I got my first look down there. Things look good down there except 3 out of our 4 support poles are extremely angled!!!!

Is this fixable??????????

We are also disappointed in the quality of the framing. There are several split boards that have split when they nailed them in. Lots of boards that are not flush and several crooked boards. What does it take to pass framing inspection???? We were told they waited an extra couple of days to get this "experienced" crew... I can't imagine what it would look like if they were inexperienced. So frustrating... we are calling PM in the morning.

The house looks so dirty and mucky. We've had heavy rain come through the last couple of days and there is just dirt and mud everywhere.

We are completely under roof and the windows are supposed to go in tomorrow and HVAC on Wednesday. We are supposed to do prewire meeting on Wednesday. I have a feeling that will be postponed, again. :(

I'm really not a negative Nancy.... it's just been a frustrating experience... and if anyone tells me I shouldn't expect good quality because it's not a custom home, I will SCREAM!!!!

Day 38- Turned in notice to vacate

So... we are taking a HUGE leap of faith... we signed our notice to vacate today. This means we HAVE to be out in 60 days. The put almost all of the roof trusses up today. Basement and roof should be done by Monday. SURELY they can get this done in 60 days! My husband ran in to PM at the house this morning and showed him again several holes and gaps that need fixed. PM explained the plans to fix them all. Still no stairs to get upstairs yet, but my husband climbed the ladder. I can't wait to get up there!!!

We went through another Vic Falls down the street tonight. Their drywall is done and things look really good down there. Our realtor called today and he went and measured the garage yesterday and he agrees that he thinks the truck will fit. :) It's gonna be tight, but at minimum, in bad weather, we'll be able to get it in!!

Day 37 - Starting to look like a house!

We can finally tell which elevation we are building! PM says it should be under roof by Monday at the latest. That kind of surprises me since it's only Wednesday... looks like there isn't that much more to do to be under roof.

We were supposed to do our prewire meeting tomorrow but PM said we need to push it back to at least Monday since they haven't started the basement yet. So our guardian guy wants us to wait until he touches base with PM to schedule our prewire meeting.  We still can't get upstairs yet. Can't wait to check it out!!!

Looks like rates dropped a little bit today... hope they keep going down!!!

Day 34 - Sunday no work Day 35 - 2nd story added

I am amazed how fast they throw these stories up! Second story is almost done, I think. We can't get up there because there are no stairs yet.

Things look pretty good... we have a couple of holes in particle board that we are asking to be replaced. There looks like there is a couple inch gap between particle boards on the front of the garage. I'm guessing this is from them adding a couple of inches to the frame of the garage. So, we are asking how that will be filled in.

This is the back of the house....

This is one of the BEST parts of the house... MY walk-in closet. My husband gets his own smaller version on the opposite wall... :) I CANNOT wait for this closet.

 

 

 

So, our PM emailed me back last night and said that he feels fairly confident that he will be able to meet the deadline for us to be out of our apartment by the time our lease is up in September. He says there is about an 8-10 day cushion with that date so that should be fine if there are other delays, but of course, he can't be held liable if there are more delays than that....

 

So... we are debating whether or not to gamble and put in our notice to vacate.. we have to give 60 days notice which means we'd have to do this by Thursday or add another month to our lease... and we have NOWHERE to go if we have to be out of the apartment and the house doesn't close in time.... 

 

He also said we are on track to do our predrywall meeting on July 29th... which of course.. is the first day of school for both of us!! Hope he can meet in the evening!!!

 

We also noticed tonight that when it's hot and muggy the mosquitoes are REALLY bad!! And my son blows up like a balloon when he gets bit... so now I'm on the hunt for the best mosquito repellent I can find!!!

Day 33 - No work on weekends?

We were disappointed that our framers did not work on Saturday. Since the framers across the state are at least a week behind schedule, we thought for sure they'd work the weekend. :( No progress this weekend. I'm guessing if they weren't there on Saturday, they won't be there on Sunday.

Day 32 - First floor almost framed!!!!

I can't believe how much they got done in a day!! The first floor is almost completely framed! Okay... completely excited again!!

 

 This was last night....

 

 

 

 

This was tonight!!!

 

And here come the pictures!!!

 

 

This is from the driveway.... my garage suddenly feels HUGE! We measured and they may have actually found those couple of inches... need to figure out how thick the garage door is and where it will come down for sure.. but walls make the entire house feel SOOOOOOO much bigger!!

 

This is looking into the mud room, and through that doorway is the laundry room and window, obviously.

 

This is coming in from the garage facing the family room. The cut out for the fireplace is in. We did not get the 4 foot bumpout. We kinda wish we would have now... but after living in this apartment... this house will feel like a mansion without it! :)

This is from the same spot facing into the morning room... check out that view!! so glad we got all of those windows!!

 

This is in the morning room. We got the French patio doors which will go out onto the deck.

 

This was taken from the morning room windows.  My kids love the pond already!

 

This is standing in the kitchen/morning room facing the pantry.

 

This is the dining room taken from the kitchen.

 

this is standing in the living room looking through the dining room. Again.. awesome view!!

 

This is the living room taken from the entry way. We did not do the optional windows in the living room. I'm glad now because it would have just given us a great view of the side of our neighbor's house.

This is taken from the front door looking at the coat closet.



 This is taken from the front door... this will be where the stair case goes.

This is back in the mudroom... there is a triangle of wasted space here... documenting this.. it will be a GREAT spot for built in shelves!

 

 

This is taken from the pond looking at the back of the house.

Another shot from the pond...different angle.

 



One more shot from the pond...

 

We were able to visualize and talk about where we wanted furniture... can't believe it's happening! Love it more each day we get closer!!

 

I also have TONS of pictures from the 2 Victoria Falls models in Indy. I will create a tab for those and get them uploaded soon!

 

Oh, almost forgot... we also scheduled our prewire meeting with Guardian for next Thursday... I'm guessing that means our pre-drywall meeting will be soon too! Is that AFTER the prewire meeting?

 

So.... we are so excited and hope to be moving in just in time to enjoy nice nights on the deck overlooking the pond at the end of summer!! Can't wait!!!! 



 

 



Day 31- Framing has started!!!

The framers were there early this morning and were still working when I went by around 4:00. We went back at 8:30 to check things out after they were gone. There is floorboard on the entire first floor so we can't see into the basement and I have no idea how they do these things.. looks like the laid frame boards around the edges of the entire house and put the floor boards down... Of course with the I beams in and other boards I'm sure (have I mentioned I have no idea how they do all of this).

I know a lot of people have said things seem small at different stages of the build... and things just seem small... it's just so hard to imagine all of this as a house.. can't wait to see what they get done tomorrow. We are supposed to have great weather for the next 4 or 5 days, so I'm hoping they'll get it all under roof by the time rain moves in again next week.

We also received our notice from our apartment office that we have to put in our 60 day notice to vacate by the end of next week.  So, so, so glad to be seeing apartment living coming to a close! So.. we will touch base with PM probably Monday or Tuesday to make sure we are on schedule for early to mid September!

Starting to get excited again! No pictures this time... We took a couple, but school starts in a few weeks and I had to be back at work starting yesterday... and, well... I'm just too tired to go get my phone and mess with posting them... will post more tomorrow!!

Hoping to catch up on everyone else's blogs tomorrow night!!

Day 30 - Framing rained out

Framing was supposed to start today.... but it didn't.... rain showers all day. :( It's Wednesday... PM update day... not sure if we'll hear anything since we're just waiting on framing to start at this point. Crossing my fingers that things will start tomorrow!

update: PM did call... framing was supposed to start this afternoon but didn't due to rain. It should start tomorrow morning. He's meeting with the "head" framer in the morning to make sure that he knows the plan to frame it in a way to give us the most amount of space in the garage possible... glad to have had some communication.:)

Day 28 - "You'll just have to trust us"

So, we met with the sales manager today about our garage issue. He says that he has met with our project manager and that the framers can do some things to get us a few more inches on the garage but he won't know until it's framed. So, we asked what happens if it frames and it still doesn't fit. That's when we got the "you'll just have to trust us on this." Okay.... we  trusted our SR when she told us "I'm sure it will be fine" when we asked about the garage size. We trusted our PM when he said he'd call us weekly to update us on how things are going, and we had to remind him to do this. We trusted them both when they signed off on our preconstruction meeting only to realize several things were checked off and not done.... (They did at least "redo" this meeting.) I could go on... but it's pointless. So, we are supposed to let them start framing and once the garage is framed, we are supposed to check the measurements and see if there is enough space. We asked what happens if it doesn't fit and of course the sales manager said he didn't want to go there. So, we pushed and he basically said we'd lose our deposit if we choose to walk away from it.

I asked about an appraisal issue I'd heard about on the blogs where houses are appraising for less than the price of the home and people have had to take money to closing to cover the difference. He did say with both my husband and I sitting there along with the SR and our two realtors that they would eat the difference if this happens. So, I at least feel better about that.

So... we are still moving forward. Framing is starting Wednesday, hopefully... depending on the weather.

We went to the block party on our street this weekend and not only did we have a good time, but our kids had a blast. So... I hope this can get resolved. I really want this house and more importantly, I want to be happy with it.

Day 25 -Framing is scheduled

We received an email this morning from PM that our framing is scheduled to start next Wednesday. We are moving forward with things so far. We have a meeting Monday with the sales manager and our realtor to try to come to a resolution on the garage issue. In the meantime.... I'm shopping! I ordered bedding for my 6 year old's room and am just waiting for it to arrive.

I'm on the hunt for bedding for my 11 year old son. He wants either an orange bedroom or black and red which is his school and swim team colors.... So we are going to go shopping tonight and see what we can find.

I'm also looking for a new knife set and will be looking at rugs for kitchen and bathrooms. Although I will probably wait for the rugs until we get in. I'm also looking to find some dresser drawer pulls to change out the ones on my son's dressers. They are very old and coming off! So... this might be a good project to give me something to do while we wait for things to be figured out and framing to begin!

Update after meeting

We met with PM and SR today. We basically went over our preconstruction checklist today in detail since there were things we didn't go over the first time. I feel much better about that aspect of things and am again excited about the selections we have made. I like our SR and PM and I don't feel like they have intentionally done anything wrong, but I do feel like they have both been very busy and very rushed which caused our issues. We did go to the lot and we measured the garage. Through this process we found out that the dimensions on the floor plan are not the dimensions we should expect as usable space. So.... not only would our truck not fit even if it was built to these specs as usable space, but the actual interior to interior size of our garage is smaller. This leads us to believe that we were even less informed about the true size of our garage. So... we have asked to meet with the manager on Monday to see what they can do to compensate for this. It's too late to fix it without tearing things up and then I worry about being able to make the turn into the garage as well as having things be pieced together and not solid like it should be. I have some ideas in mind as far as compensation, I'm not sure what they'll offer.

So... if you are thinking about building with Ryan and you have a truck or SUV, you might want to double check some dimensions if parking in the garage is important to you. Come to find out the family who just closed last week has this exact same issue as well as 2 of our other neighbors, one of them that built with Ryan and closed last fall.

While we were at the lot we saw that lots of deliveries have been made... windows, stairs, and more lumber... PM said he would find out where we were on the list to see when we could expect to see some framing begin. We also noticed several lots that are Fischer lots are staked and being dug. Even saw another one whose basement was being poured. So, lots going on... hoping to have a good resolution on Monday.

Happy 4th of July long weekend to everyone! We will be going to the block party in the new neighborhood on Saturday! Looking forward to getting to know some more neighbors!

Meeting with PM and SR today about issues

Wish us luck! Noone from management is able to make the meeting... so I have a feeling we will be scheduling a 2nd meeting....hoping I'm pleasantly surprised!

Is there anyone out there who would build with Ryan again?

Is there anyone out there who is happy with their Ryan home that would do it again? I've seen so many people say they would not.... anyone? anyone? Ugh!