OH MY, WHAT A BUSY WEEK....

The PM called us on Thursday, since he took Friday off.  According to the PM, ....the plumbing should be completed on Friday (07/08); the electrical wiring should be completed on Monday (07/11); and roof should be done by Saturday (07/09).   Next week, Guardian should be done by Tuesday (07/12), a few inspections will occur, and the PM will complete a frame punch-out (we believe this is his final walk-thru with the contractors to make sure everything is complete and correct before our pre-drywall walk-thru).  If all goes well the insulation will be installed on Thursday and they will begin to hang the dry-wall.  Pre-drywall meeting is set for Thursday, 07/14 at 9:30 AM.  (Whoooooo Hoooooo!!!!!!)  We are just a tad bit excited.

Yesterday (07/08), we met with Guardian to finalize the layout of our options in the basement.  We also added a few cable/data outlets (1 in the master bedroom and 1 in the family room).

We also met with a landscape architect to discuss our options regarding the landscaping for the front and back yard.  We expressed our needs/wants and within a few weeks he will provide us with a design layout.  We plan to meet with several other architects over the next few weeks and we plan to have a decision made on a landscaper by mid-August, so that work can begin as soon as we close on the house.

Landscaping plan (within the next 3-5 years)

• irrigation system - front and back yard (Priority #1)
• landscaping - front and back yard, includes maintain grass, add trees, add flower beds, etc. (We really need assistance in this area.  We have such a big front yard and we want it to be very appealing with a lot of curb appeal; however, since we have very busy schedules we need it to be low maintenance.  Neither of us know much about plants, so we are really counting on the landscaper to provide a lot of guidance.)
• front yard additions - terrace the hillside with retaining walls, add walkway from front porch to main sidewalk
• back yard additions - add partly covered patio off of morning room with area to entertain, a place to grill, and maybe a fire pit, add a play area (swing set, sand box, playhouse, etc.), convert egress window into walk-out from basement, add in-ground pool (last item on priority list)

Next week, we plan to call a few moving companies so we can get a few estimates.  We hope to receive our actual closing date soon so we can begin to schedule shut-off notices with the utility companies, update our address, etc.. 

We hope to make it out to the property this weekend to check out the progress and will post some pictures of the progress.  For now, we have to catch up on what our fellow bloggers have been up to for the past week.  Happy weekend everyone!!!

PROGRESS and MORE PICTURES (TAKEN 07/03)

Sorry this post is a little late...with the busy holiday weekend and our niece has been staying with us for a couple of days, we just haven't had the time to blog.  We made another visit to the property on Sunday, 07/03, this time we took some family members with us.  Not much changed since our last visit a few days ago; however, we snapped some random pictures of the progress.

This week...according to the PM, the electric and plumbing will be complete.  Guardian will begin; however, it may be held up since we have to go back on Friday, 07/08 to finalize the layout of the options in the basement.  Also, the roof should be started if not finished by the end of the week. 

Here are a few pictures....





front yard
entering the development

 



front yard
street view

 




back yard

 

front yard w/ rough grading
from right-side of property





roofing materials
will be completed by end of next week (07/09/2011)





more roofing materials



front foyer
taken from solarium

kitchen
taken from family room

family room stairs to 2nd floor

family room
taken from top stairs to 2nd floor

shower valve system



spa shower with plumbing

2nd floor hallway looking at stairs and 2 bedrooms
taken from master bedroom

Bath #2 shower/bath

backyard from 2nd floor bedroom
possible location of in-ground swimming pool

jack/jill bath/shower
for bedroom 3 & 4

rough-in for powder room
located in basement

It appears that they added the rough-in for the shower;
however, we didn't add the shower. 
Hmmmm...we need to look into that.

not sure why they have the wood hanging down into the
basement like this....very interesting.

master bedroom sitting area
taken from master bedroom

ceiling beam support in morning room

pantry and refrigerator area
kitchen

closet in laundry room

washer/dryer location in the
laundry room

service door in the garage
We are sooooo very happy that RH was able to
accommodate this custom request.

support beams
basement



GUARDIAN WALK-THRU and MORE PICS

We met with our Guardian rep. this morning to discuss the layout of the security system, outlets (telephone, cable, data), and audio/speaker system.  We were a little disappointed that we only got to the main and 2nd floor, and that we had to reschedule the walk-thru in the basement to next Friday because RH did not have the steps completed to access the basement; nor was the framing completed in the basement.  Also, according to Guardian, they are unable to start tomorrow because the framing and electrical is not complete.  The Guardian rep. indicated that they should be able to start on Tuesday and should be finished in a day or two. 

We contacted the PM to express our frustration because we feel we should have received a heads up regarding any delays with the framing or electrical because both the PM and RH sales rep. were well aware that we were scheduled to be onsite this morning.  The PM expressed that Guardian should have been able to finish the walk-thru today and begin work tomorrow and indicated that he would follow-up with the Guardian rep. 
During our walk-thru we notices a few more (minor) surprises that we brought to the PM's attention.

1) Master Bathroom decking was installed for an enclosed tub (see pic below). Now for those of you who have been following our blog since conception are well aware that we are installing a custom claw foot tub after closing.  When we brought it to the PM's attention; he informed me that he was aware of it and was not surprised that we brought it up.  The PM indicated that it was a communication error amongst the framing crews and that it would be removed.  Our frustration was if the PM knew about it and knew we were going to be onsite today; don't you think he could of contacted us (email, text, phone) to give us a heads up prior to us finding it out on our own.  Oh well, it has been taken care of and we are ready to move on.

BEFORE
bathroom with decking for enclosed tub

UPDATED PICTURE a few hours later...

AFTER
decking removed, ready for the claw foot tub

2) Master Bedroom closets - base on the layout specs that we received (via RH website) the access to the closets were via the bedroom; however, we noticed that the framing was completed that we would access the closets after we enter the bathroom.  Now we actually are ok with this layout; however, it would have been nice to know before hand just in case this was not ok with us.  When we brought it up to the PM; he was unaware of it and indicated that he would look into it when he got onsite.

UPDATE added at 4:42 p.m.: After speaking with the PM, it is our understanding that this is the correct layout for the bathroom because we upgraded to the luxury owner's suite with a 3 car garage; however, it does not reflect correctly on RH's website.  So we apologize for taking it out on the PM; we should have noticed this when we viewed the blueprints during the pre-construction meeting.  As we mentioned before, we are very happy with this layout and have no complaints.  We appreciate that the PM took a lot of time this afternoon to clear up the confusion.

doorway to the closet on the left

doorway to the closet on the right

The following are a few more pictures that we snapped during our visit. 

Fireplace in family room

HVAC system in attic
for the 2nd floor

bathroom and shower
bedroom #2

HVAC
for main floor and solarium

front view
grading is almost complete

Overall today's visit was very productive.  We will receive our weekly call from the PM tomorrow, which will let us know what was completed this week and what is planned to begin next week.

Until then, we are working on scheduling for a sprinkler system to be installed in the front yard and gathering estimates for professional movers.  Any information or guidance is greatly appreciated.