Irrigation System and On-going Landscaping

Within the past month or so we received bids from 3 landscaping companies.  Finally, we have selected a company to assist us with our irrigation system and on-going landscaping needs.  Initially we plan to install the irrigation system right after closing and the rest will have to wait until Spring.  We have a 3-5 year plan that includes additional landscaping (mulch beds, plants, shrubs, retaining walls, etc.), outdoor living area (patio, grill, etc), swimming pool, and play area for the kids. 

Gumpf Gardens is able to satisfy all of our needs.  One of the things that attracts us to working with this company is that it is a family owned (2nd generation) business that has serviced the local area since 1957.  We work directly with Jim (founder's son and current owner) who is a registered landscape architect and has many years of experience in designing and building garden centers. 

FINAL WALK-THRU WITH PM

We had our final walk-thru with our PM on Thursday (09/01/2011), which lasted around 3 1/2 hours.  The meeting started with the PM providing us with a binder of information regarding our house.  It has information regarding the RH service (30 day, 10 month, and on-going), warranty information, maintenance, community, utilities, lawn maintenance, etc.  Then we moved onto the walk-thru and this is when we brought up some of this issues from our meeting with the home inspector.

Attic
> Insulation rating - R38
> Hole in roof - PM will fix
> HVAC - PM will have inspected and fix leaking water
> Data Line - PM mentioned that we could hook up our wireless router

Master Bathroom
> Glass Wall - PM suggest to use RainX on the glass
> Spa Shower System - is broken and they are waiting for a replacement; PM will look for the remote control
> Shower basin - PM indicated he will re-caulk
> Exhaust fan - we found it interesting that the main area did not have an exhaust fan; only fan is in the toilet area; PM indicated that we can open the window, which we found a little odd.
> Closets - the extra space was closed of with no operable door; PM stated that this is not considered extra storage space; we were under the impression that we would have operable doors to access this space

Bedroom #2
> floor in closet - squeak, PM will fix

Bedroom #4
> baseboard - water damage, PM will replace
> light socket - sticking out from the wall; PM will fix

Bath #1/Bath #2
>Shower stalls - PM indicated he will re-caulk

Foyer
> Floor - soft spot, PM will contact Rusmur to repair
> Main Stairs - a few stain issues, PM will have fixed

Study
> Socket - loose, PM will repair
> Wall - back wall you can tell where Spackle; PM will touch up
> Window - top of window reflect caulking; PM will remove

Solarium
> Door - dings; PM will fix

Living Room
> crown molding - paint, PM will touch up

Kitchen
> Dishwasher - water leaked on floor; seal was not installed correctly; fixed while we were there

Family Room
> Fireplace - PM demonstrated how to turn on/off pilot; PM will touch up paint on bottom panel
> Stairs - landing, PM will fix bottom corner where wood is missing

Basement
> HVAC (solarium) - previously the pump was leaking; PM had it replaced
> HVAC (main) - PM will have inspected and fix leaking water
> Egress window - requested for a screen
> Door - to HVAC/storage area, louver needs fixed

Exterior
> Solarium - brought to PM attention our home inspectors concern regarding no flashing or caulking where the Solarium walls meet the brick: PM will fix

Roof - PM indicated that he feels that the roof is damaged from workers and does not feel that the shingles are defected; PM will have the roof and shingles inspected and will fix any issues

Garage
> ceiling - we found a leak above the 2 car garage door; PM will look into to determine where the leak is coming from

> floor - several areas of erosion; PM will repair
*PM suggest that we paint vs. seal

Walkways - PM suggest that exterior concrete be sealed with a penetrating sealer (i.e. EucoGuard 100)

Driveway - final asphalt will be poured in the Spring. 

Overall it went well and there are a few issues that need to be addressed before we move in on Wednesday (09/07/2011).

Here are a few pictures:

Bedroom #4 - light socket

Bath #2 - shower stall

Basement - HVAC Solarium - pump leaking
(picture taken a few days prior to pump being replaced)

Study - socket is loose

Attic - insulation R38

Master bedroom closet - door not operable ?

Electrical panel - inspected

Electrical panel - wires

Garage - leak in ceiling
PM will detect and fix

 Garage floor and the erosion found in the concrete; PM will look into and repair. 

Our Home...move in ready!!!!

HOME SWEET HOME

We plan to post more pictures of the final layout prior to moving in; however, packing is currently a priority.  Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Building!!!

FINAL WALK-THRU WITH HOME INSPECTOR

We had our final walk-thru with our home inspector on Wednesday (08/31/2011), which took about 3 hours.  Below is a brief summary of some of the findings that the home inspector noted and recommended repairs or further attention. 

Grounds:
Driveway - finish seal coat to be a applied; maintenance and sealant needed
Front porch - advise side rails to any 2 foot or greater fall hazard

Exterior:
Walls - advise caulking all siding and brick junctions that are open or where gaps exist

Roof:
Shingle - Detected damage; advise roofer and/or manufacturer inspection and evaluation of all areas to determine if shingles is a manufacturer defect or installation defect.  Hole in roof noted from attic view.

Heat/Cool:
Heating - advise HVAC evaluations and repairs as needed due to leaking from A Coil/ flood pan area.  Advise evaluations of all units due to same installation time and installer. 
Condensate - advise HVAC evaluation of condensation pumps; lines and A coil area due to leaking and previous disclosed leaking
Cooling - advise further evaluation and repairs by qualified professional

Electrical:
Wiring - 1 loose wall outlet, located in Study

Interior:
Doors - French door to Solarium reflects dents/dings
Walls - moisture damaged baseboard in one of the bedrooms; small section of crown molding noted with incomplete painting on lower edge
Stairs - landing step tread was damaged and covered with carpet allowing for a tripping hazard
Attic - visible hole in roof; advise repair

Bathrooms:
Shower - advise complete caulking of shower surround connections to walls; master shower caulking to drain pan is separating and in need of resealing

Below are a few pictures that we took during the walk-thru:

Solarium - gap; advise caulking

Solarium - gap; advise caulking;
also, need to touch up paint along the exterior trim

Solarium door - a few dings

Roof above morning room - damaged shingles; advise inspection

Roof above morning room - damaged shingles; advise inspection

Roof above garage - damaged shingles; advise inspection

Attic - hole in roof; advise repair

Bedroom - baseboard water damage; advise repair



Drain in unfinished basement area
We were not very happy to find the pop can in the drain

The home inspector was very thorough and knowledgeable.  He answered all of our questions and concerns.  We received a detailed report via email first thing the following morning, which we took to the final walk-thru with the PM on Thursday (09/01/2011).  Overall the condition of the house is good; however, there were some areas of concern that we addressed with the PM, which we will post more details in a separate post.

We highly recommend hiring your own home inspector during the building process.  We are very glad that we did; not only for peace of mind, but it was also an educational experience. 

Additional info:
HomeSure Home Inspection Services Inc
(724) 869-11600
Inspector: Gary Gazda

Whole House Surge Protectors

Last week the lights went out due to a really bad thunderstorm.  When the lights came back on we reset all of the electronic clocks in our current house.  We woke up the next morning to find that the microwave was not working...no power at all...how could this be, the microwave is only 3 years old and we reset the clock so we know it was working before we went to bed.   So we did some research online...we tried to unplug and plug it back in, we check the socket to make sure it was ok, NOTHING!!!  We called GE, who sent out a technician, who told us that the circuit board was fried.  Of course, the microwave is over a year old and no longer under warranty.  So we asked how much it would cost to fix it...the technician worked out a deal that was less than replacing the microwave, which is also the vent over the range.  He also suggested that we purchase a surge protector, which may help prevent this from happening again.  The GE technician ordered the parts and we received them on Monday.  When the GE technician returned today to fix the microwave, he informed us that a house down the street from us go hit by lightning, which may have sent a surge that blew out the microwave. 

We are so very lucky that none of our other appliances or electronics were affected.  All of this got us thinking about our new house and how many appliances and electronics are now equipped with circuit boards and gadgets that can be affected from a power surge ... refrigerator, washer, dryer, microwave, TV, double oven, and the list goes on and on.   Then we Googled "Whole House Surge Protectors" to see if such a thing exist --- it does exist and it is even at a reasonable cost.  So then we reached out to RH to see if a Whole House Surge Protector is provided, we received a response from our PM and of course the answer was 'NO'. 

Now we are doing research to determine which surge protector we should purchase, how much it will cost to purchase/install, etc.  So once again we reach out to our fellow bloggers...does anyone have any advice, additional info, or words of wisdom that you wish to share to help us make our decision?

Additional info:
HGTV PRO.COM - Whole House Surge Protectors: Protect All Your Electronics
This Old House - Surge Protection

LANDSCAPING and FINAL TOUCHES - PICTURES (TAKEN 08/26)

We received our final weekly status update call from our PM today.  It was a bittersweet call.  We love receiving the updates every week and our PM has been great at keeping us up to date on the progress of the house.  We will miss our calls; however, we now know that we are just one more step closer to closing this chapter and moving on to the next chapter of our lives. 

According to our PM, they finished up painting the exterior trim, finalizing the interior painting, and started the landscaping.  We will receive the basic landscaping (mulch beds in front of house and a few shrubs/bushes/plants) .  Also, we will receive 7 additional trees (1"diameter breast height) to plant anywhere in the yard AND the township is requiring a row of trees (4"diameter breast height) to be planted along the main walkway, so that means we will receive an additional 8-10 trees that they will plant along the walkway.  We will be able to choice from the following type of trees - maple, oak, pear, birch, cherry.  We are pleased that we are receiving so many trees to replace the trees that we had to remove to buid our house.  However, we are not looking forward to raking up all of the leaves. 

The following are some pictures taken today (08/26/2011) of the progress: 



not sure why the mulch is not on the whole hillside -
we plan to follow-up with the PM.
RH is going to plant a ground covering, but we can't remember the
name of the plant.  We will ask our PM.




Our Home
street view




Front Door
color: Plum Jam
We didn't think we were going to like the color and
we were going to paint it black, but after seeing it painted
we decided that we like it and we are going to leave it as is.

  


Due to all of the rain, the landscapers were unable to use the heavy machines
so they had to do it the old fashion way....(see next picture)

 


...they had to rake out all of the debris

 


Back yard




Back yard



Back yard
from 2nd story window





Left side of property





Left side of property
from the driveway



Left side of property
taken from morning room
***The plants, bushes, and shrubs belong to the neighbor***
She is amazing and has been hard at work planting almost every day.





Front walkway
from driveway





front of garage





front of house
in front of Study window




closer view of the plants





front of house
in front of Living Room windows and Solarium



closer view of the plants



Ok, we know that you are probably tired of seeing the pictures of our stairs, but they finally finished the clear coat AND we absolutly LOVE our stairs.  They did such a good job and we are so happy we decided not to add a runner.  



main stairs
final paint and clear coat

main stairs
taken from foyer

main stairs
taken from 2nd floor hallway

Family Room stairs
taken from 2nd floor hallway

Basement stairs

Monday they will clean, final inspections, and the final walk-thru is on Thursday.  WOW...in less than 2 weeks we will be fully moved into our new 'HOME'.

Happy Building everyone!!!

LOOKING FOR A MIRACLE...

This post is from HW...

As you all know, we placed our current house on the market 109 days ago.  Recently, we lowered the asking price to see if that would stir up some interest, but no calls, no visits, NOTHING!!!  We are now looking for a miracle to help us sell our house.  Well let me just tell you what I found out at the hair salon a few weeks ago when my hair dresser mentioned to me that some people bury St. Joseph in their yard to help them sell the house.  I will have to tell you, at first, I was a little sceptical, but when I got home I looked it up on Snopes.com (click on link to see more info) to find out that she is not kidding.  They sell statues, a book, and kits (includes book/statue).  

So yesterday, I went to the local Family Christian Store.  They didn't have the kits and I didn't want to waste time to order and wait to receive a kit in the mail...

...and they didn't have the book St. Joseph My Real Estate Agent...

...so I just purchased a St. Joseph statue.

Now I am on-line trying to find out the proper way to bury the statue.  Does anyone have a "St. Joseph" story or advice they would like to share?

Other sources:
St. Joseph Statue
Prayer to sell a home
The Real Estate Blogger - Instructions For Your St. Joseph Statue and Selling Your Home
The Catholic Company