Final Countdown

So not much has really changed since the last post. The stone was installed outside and they finished it all. This is quite an accomplishment since it took them a few days to finish the other houses and it looked like they did not do a great job and ended up having to come back to finish those. The electrician was in the house today to (hopefully) finalize everything. There were a few switch covers, outlets, and a set of pendant lights remaining. All the wires running to the electrical box need to be connected as well. Carpet was installed yesterday and fully completed in one day! We chose to go with the basic carpet that Ryan Homes/Rite Rug provides and install our own immediately after closing and prior to moving in. We did this because after looking at the prices offered by Rite Rug for the upgraded carpet we wanted, we felt like we could get a better deal elsewhere. The funny thing was when our own carpet vendor came to measure the rooms for carpet it was when the Rite Rug vendor was also there installing and talking about how hard he was working to make sure it was as seamless as possible (AWKWARD!). Anywho, we went back to visit toward the end of the day when they were wrapping up and had a chat with him. Cool guy, very hard worker but by that time I'm sure he knew what was up however he was paid to do a job and he did it. I must say that the house looked quite different once the carpet was installed but I'm glad that we are planning to rip it out. Closing is still on for the 8th of January with the pre-settlement demonstration two days prior. Some concerns we have at this point should be addressed soon and include touch-up details such as the drywallers re-plastering some of the wall edges and touch-up paint inside and out. There is also a cabinet front that needs to be fixed. Our PM knows us very well at this point because we always make it a point to meet with him anytime we have concerns that we feel need to be addressed right away. We don't want anything to cause additional delays that could have been avoided.

Some Final Details

So as usual, we reached out to our PM to get a status on what's planned for this week. I must note that originally we were told that we would receive weekly updates with what was accomplished that week and what was planned for the week ahead however I think we may have gotten only one or two updates that we did not initiate. Nevertheless, our PM has been pretty good. He is very good about making sure the details are handled and also addressing any concerns we have and making any reasonable modifications/adjustments that are within his scope of power. We saw some issues that we thought needed to be addressed however when we went back to the house last night it looks like some of them already were. They finally painted the garage and the electrician has begun their work. There is still a bit left for the electrician - a few outlets and pendant lights over the bar. They have also begun (or perhaps completed?) installing shelves in all of the closets. To my surprise the closet in bedroom #4 is a little larger than the one downstairs. They both have bi fold doors but one is noticeably larger than the other...nice! They also installed about 90% of the sod. So Ryan Homes gives you the most basic landscape package that they can to pass inspection and make your house have curb appeal (so they can keep selling, of course). The front is St. Augustine, which is great. I forget the name of the back but I think it is Bahia - whatever it is, it's cheap and thin. They also do not install any irrigation in the back of the house which is not a big deal since we plan on getting a pool at some point. We asked if they could just not install sod in the back but were told that we would not be able to pass final inspection without it. We also asked about the placement of the trees as there is one directly in front of our beautiful house and who knows how large it will grow to be. We were told that the City requires a tree to be placed every 60' which doesn't make sense because the lot is only about 85' wide in the front and should only require up to 2 trees. We will research this ourselves and probably move the tree to the backyard after we close. I must say it looks better now that the sod has been installed but I still wish it wasn't there. We were told that this week's agenda included all of the trades coming back to finish off their work, cleaners doing their first run, drywallers installing closets, and start of carpet. This means we are close to the end, right? We also received our dates this week for our pre-settlement demonstration and for closing - three weeks from today. I wish it were sooner but this should give them PLENTY of time for EVERYTHING to be perfect. As I look over the house and there are not many more details to take care of, I cannot see how this should take three weeks unless they are factoring extra time for the trades that may be unavailable during the holidays. But everything happens for a reason I suppose...

 Garage door is finally painted, still waiting on stone to be installed. Sod is also in!

 View of the obnoxious tree directly in the middle of the front of the house.

View of backyard - very cheap grass but still plenty of room in the middle for that tree in the front to be relocated. 

Tree to the right is almost to the edge of the property line. Adjacent tree is on the property of our neighbor. 

Cabinets, Counters, and Sinks OH MY!

So immediately after the tile was laid, the remaining trim/baseboards was installed in those areas (it was already installed in the carpeted areas). Shortly after that the cabinets were installed and the next day the cabinets and sinks. We are very pleased with the selections for the cabinet and counters. We were very nervous because we know that sometimes what you see in the sample is not always reproducible in a larger slab with it being a natural stone. Oh and RH is sure to have you sign a document stating that they are not responsible if there is a variance is color from the stone you saw in the model and the one that is now yours to keep in your new home, luckily it shows just as we expected. The next day the A/C company came back and finished off their part. The units were installed and the vents were finished off. The plumber also came back in the days following the counters to install fixtures (faucets, handles, toilets, shower heads, etc.). By the way the shower heads were pretty nice and I don't feel the need to change them out immediately although they are not the handheld type that we've grown to love. The electricians have been backed up which is concerning because we do not want to run into any more delays than we already have (drywall company was already backed up by about 10 days). There are also a few things we noticed need to be fixed - one of the cabinet fronts was not installed flush so it looks like it doesn't close all the way and the exterior paint needs a lot of major touch ups - like a LOT! I assume they will be doing this when they come back to paint the front door and garage doors but we will definitely point this out so they can take care of it while they are there. As usual, I've included some pictures of the progress.

Interior Start

So the drywall has all been hung, taped, mudded, sanded and painted however it looks like they just did a rough paint because there are a lot of spots they need to go back and finish up. Giving them the benefit of the doubt that this is the way they do things and it will all come together without having to make a big fuss. They have also installed the garage doors and painted the outside. There is stone going on the front but from looking at the other houses that won't happen until toward the very end. The exterior paint also looks like they have a lot of touch ups to go back and fix...just looks very sloppy right now. Lastly they have started the tile and I am so happy with the selections we made and also with the choice to install on a diagonal. I peeked in some of the other homes that had it installed on a vertical and the diagonal looks way better. One concern I have, however, is that in the downstairs shower, the tile border looks different than the rest of the wall tile that is used. At first I was just thinking it may have been the lighting but after both of us going back and looking at it several times I know that it is wrong. We have sent the PM an email letting him know that we think they used some of the tile that was selected for the master bath for the downstairs border. He told us that he will be meeting with the tile supervisor and if anything is wrong it will be corrected - I sure hope this doesn't further delay their timeline but I do want it done right. I tried taking pictures but because the two tiles are so similar it is very hard to see in the pics. I am excited to see the cabinets and counters go in. We were told that once that happens the other vendors start coming back to finish off their work (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc.).