Wait is this REALLY your day job?

So 1 guy came to handle the nail pops.  Seriously, 1 guy for a house this size is crazy.  During the last 1/2 hour another guy showed up.  So, when all was said and done, they should have just left the darn nail pops!

• Some were skipped even though we put the blue tape on them. 
• One nail pop that he fixed and painted... popped out again within 2 days after being fixed.
• Those that were fixed and then painted... well they didn't paint in the same direction as the paint on the wall.  So you look at something they repaired and there are these lovely squares that catch the eye. 

Clearly this guy didn't know what he was doing. So, that left us quite displeased.  The walls we are going to paint so not a big deal as the paint will cover that.  However we are not planning to paint the ceiling so these strange paint squares are an issue.  

The Ryan PM came for the final inspection and when we showed him the strange paint square issues he said it wasn't right and he will have it fixed.  That's the way things should be done!   He lived up to his promise and had a painter out to repair the ceilings we requested.  Now.. the painter walks in and goes oh this is wrong, very wrong.  And then says, "those drywall guys are really bad at it".  He fixed my ceiling squares as best he could and it does look better.  Perfect.. no, but better.  Why isn't it perfect?  Well, the unskilled drywall guy repaired the nail pops on the ceiling but didn't sand properly and then painted on top of it, so the paint guy had a hard time fixing it.  He did fix the majority of what was needed. 

Next up.. paint!  Finally.  All colors have been chosen and some of the areas are being painted as this is typed.  After it is all done I will post photos.  You will be very surprised as it isn't all tan!  Don't get too excited, yes there is tan and lots of it but not everywhere and in the spaces that are tan there are different shades of it (baby steps people!)

1 Year!

Time has really flown by.  Today is our 1 year "houseaversary".  This morning I was greeted by a pile of cat puke in the hallway.  Sadly although I cleaned it up I can see a stain so Chino gave us our first carpet stain on the house anniversary.

Today is also the day that the nail pops and cracks are getting taken care of.   There is a lot if blue tape marking nail pops so it's going to be a long day for repair.   The good news though is that WE CAN FINALLY PAINT!!!!!!  Well once we find a painter to hire ( our painting skills are lacking) and of course there is the whole paint selection process ( remember I am fond of tan)

HGTV "ish" Tour

We wanted family in North Carolina to be able to see the house.  So the best way wasn't through multiple pictures, but a quick video.  Now be warned, I am not a videographer, it is shaking so hold on tight, and don't laugh about the Amish furniture... clearly we love buying from the craftsmen.


So click on the link below (the one that says Our House Video) and enjoy the shaky ride:)




Our House Video

What's Happening Now

Blogging has taken a back burner to boxes, deliveries, and getting back to work.

Unpacked... kinda sorta
All of the boxes that we can unpack at this point are unpacked.  We are still waiting for the furniture to be made for the master bedroom, dining room, basement so those boxes still remain untouched.   8-16 weeks is a LONG time.  We cannot wait until the furniture arrives so we can get it in and make plans for our open house.

Blinds
YES we finally have blinds.   We got them through Home Depot.  That was a project in itself.  First deciding what kind we wanted (cellular) and then going through books to pick which brand then single cell versus double cell versus blackout, cord or cordless, right side or left side cord.   Don't get me started on colors. Let's just say that I was glad when the selection process was over.
The good news:  While waiting for the blinds to be delivered and installed we didn't have any accidental peep shows :)

Old House
The old house sold.  It wasn't a difficult process and we are so thankful for that.  I suppose the stars just aligned and we were able to find an interested party and move the process through.  The keys were handed over yesterday and it is really truly official now... we are no longer residents of Bucks County

30 Day Walk-through
The builder does a 30 day walk through to fix anything that requires fixing.  We have our blue painters tape around so we remember what needs to be fixed and have sent our list.  Most of what we see are nail pops and seams from taping but that won't be fixed until the 10 month drywall fix.   Some of the things on our list include:

• Paint in unfinished part of basement is chipped (looks like somebody didn't seal)
• Glue on part of the counter near the cooktop
• Scratches on the cooktop
• 1 Bent register return
• Paint chipped on garage door (which is expected considering it was winter when it was painted). 
• Missing baluster (yes I said MISSING).  If there are 8 on one side there should be 8 on the other not 7!
• Upstairs hallway creak

Not too bad.  It will be interesting to see what they say about the drywall taping issues especially when the book says "the issue needs to be seen in the daylight".  Guess when they really show up.. AT NIGHT with limited light!  

Side note:  I still hate the paint color.  It's so light and let me tell you trying to wipe off a scuff does not work well.  But it's here and will need to stay here until after the 10 month drywall inspection.  So, bland paint that you can't wipe is here to stay for many months.  

I will work on getting some pictures on here soon  PROMISE. 

Settled

We
Settled on Wednesday 2/12.  The movers helped by changing the move date to the same day as settlement.  So while we settled my Dad worked with the movers to make sure everything was taken care of.

The moving company was fantastic.  When they got to the house they unloaded and set things up quickly.  We were able to unload the uhaul, get the movers in and out, go back to the old house to pick up the baby beast and arrive at the new house before the snow storm.

Baby beast wasn't happy.  He hid in his litterbox refusing to come out until 10 am the next morning.   Once he did come out he explored and has been his normal self since.

Snow totals of more than 20 inches between Wednesday and Thursday morning made for an interesting few days.  Unpacked... NO but slowly getting there.

So at this point we are tired and sore but we are here.  The good news is that even though we don't have blinds yet we haven't exposed ourselves to the neighbors :). Speaking of neighbors we met a few and they seem really nice.

Ice Ice Baby

No, I'm not bringing Vanilla Ice back, but it seems that the year we decide to move we have a true winter. Some sort of ice or snow event weekly.  Many trees down and power outages.  So, is this post a weather report?  Nope, it's to say that the last ice storm means our settlement has been moved back a few days. Chester county was hit pretty hard with the storm so there was no power in the new neighborhood or in the township building.

The new settlement date is 2/12.   We had to change all of the planned deliveries to fit with the new date. The movers are scheduled for 2/13 and of course you know the forecast is for snow with a possible switch over to rain.

Final Walk-Through

 We had the final walk through on 1/31/2014.  We were a bit apprehensive because I had read many blogs and was so afraid that things would be done wrong.  My blog reading of course turned into showing them to Rob.  My constant worry invaded Rob's mind and made him start to think in the same worrisome way.  This all made for two people walking into the final walk through ready for battle.   As it turns out we didn't need to.  Our Project Manager had done his job and the house was beautiful.  BUT... like I said in one of the first posts.. our momma's didn't raise no fools.  We have an inspector coming on Monday to make sure everything is in order.

Kitchen Pantry (I really wish builders would use wood shelves instead of wire ones)

The kitchen (minus the fridge which we purchased on our own and will arrive once we move in.. hope it fits)

Morning room

Living room 

Dining room (the paint in the house is an off white but not dark enough for me.  Can't wait to paint so that molding really pops.  Of course if it was up to Rob we would never paint)

Stained stairs.  A nice match with the floors

By the stairs looking into the family room 

Master bathroom shower and tub

On the way back down the stairs 

Still love the wood grain on the stairs and the banister 

The Kingdom of Rob and Chino.  It is amazingly huge and according to Rob it had a wonderful cool temperature

Back of the house

Foot prints on the deck

Driveway part 1.  It still needs the top coat but that has to wait until the weather is better

If we had to do it all over again, there are a few things we would have done differently: 

1. Put granite in the bathrooms 

2. Change the color of the cabinets in the master bath 

3. Hardwood in the upstairs hallway

4. Ceiling fan or ceiling light rough in for every bedroom and not just some and Rob would have added a ceiling fan in the basement 

These aren't things that have to do with the builder it's just some choices that would be different if we did this again.  

What's left?
1. Driveway finish (mostly like in the spring)

2. Landscaping (in the spring) 

I for one will be glad when we are done.  I'm getting tired of Lowes/Home Depot and furniture stores. 

Settlement on 2/10!  And no, we haven't finished packing yet.  We are 75% done though :)

The Outside

Went by the house on Saturday 1/18 and work on the outside continues.

• All shutters are on
• The door is painted red (yea!) 
• The final column has been added to the porch 
• Foundation final coat is on ( a much nicer color gray) 
• Sidewalk is poured (tsk, tsk, tsk, somebody left a coffee cup sitting out there by the curb)

Still on track for final walk through on 1/31. Can't wait!

Almost There

Took a visit to the house on Saturday and it continues to change.  What's changed: 

• Another coat of boring builder white paint (can't wait until the 10 month inspection is done so I can change that)
• We have house numbers
• Staining is taking place on the stairs
• Bathroom fixtures are in 
• Floors are in 
• Wall ovens are in
• Granite and backsplash are in 

Because the stairs were being stained when we arrived, we were not able to go upstairs.  So, no pictures of any of the rooms upstairs but we do have a few from the other areas.  

We have house numbers :)

2 of the porch columns are in.  1 more to go (and the additional shutters on the windows that have the stone)

Stairs getting stained.  Messy stuff.  After the staining of course the white parts will need to be painted again

Lovely floors that are beautiful even when dusty

Taking a peek at the 1st floor bathroom shower

Someone in the finished part of the basement talking about how it's "all his kingdom"  We will see what Chino has to say about that!

Fireplace with the painters stuff on it  No worries.. these guys were working hard on the house (and Rob getting that photo of the stairs being stained)

Here is the dining room chandelier

Molding in the dining room with those lovely floors showing.  Eventually the walls will be painted so that the molding really stands out.  Can't wait for the 10 month time frame

Hello family room

And now... what I've been waiting for... my kitchen!  Double wall ovens are in, granite is in place, backsplash is done, I am loving the lazy susan and the pull out shelves and the pantry (although I think I'd rather have wood shelves instead to keep smaller items from falling through those wire shelves.  We shall see about changing that in time. In the interim, baskets and containers will be key)  Also there are knobs on the drawers instead of pulls.  Didn't notice that in the model.  I feel rather "meh" about those.  We shall see if I really hate them when we move in and put them to use. 

What's next?  A lot of finishing touches!  Also appliances and the deck.  It is clear that with the weather being harsh we won't have our driveway when we first move in so we will have rock until spring and no grass or landscaping either. 

Final walk through is currently scheduled for 1/31 with settlement around 2/10.   Another update and pictures to come after the 1/31 walk through.

As a side note, we started packing.  We hate it since it is very difficult to pack while still living here. Certainly don't want to pack something away and realize that you need it (like I did with the immersion blender when I made pumpkin curry soup!)

Getting Closer

Took a visit up to the house and things are progressing.  We did not get many pictures because we were too busy staring and touching things.  At the next visit, there will be more pictures!

What's happened:

On the outside...

• Siding and stone are done 
• Shutters are up 
• Lights on the outside of the garage are in 
• Outlet on the front porch is installed

Still need the porch completed, grading of the front yard, shutters on the remaining windows, grading of the side and back yard, deck, painting the front door red, driveway and sidewalk.

On the inside....

• Cabinets are up in all of the bathrooms
• Cabinets are done in the kitchen
• Counters are done in the kitchen (most of the counters)
• Interior lights (and I don't have to change the one in the dining room because I actually like it!)
• Cable TV lines
• Stone fireplace
• Crown molding in the living room, dining room, entry way and upstairs hall (we didn't know we were getting it upstairs so that was a pleasant surprise)

Still need all of the flooring, toilets, finished 1st floor shower, finish fixtures in all bathrooms, granite on the kitchen island, appliances, completion of the laundry room, staining the banisters and stairs, closet clothes racks, paint, outlet covers/switch plates and cleaning. 

Here is the stone fireplace.  I am sure Chino will spend much of his time sitting on the hearth

Dining room molding is in.. too bad we didn't take a picture of the chandelier 

Railing with wrought iron balusters.  I love love love these!

The kitchen 

Peek at the kitchen counters.  So happy they are not peach.  This granite can either be brown tones or peach.  Of course this is just a peek.  The rest is under plastic being protected since work is still occurring.  Fingers crossed that there is no peach.. if so it's Rob's fault for picking them and he will be in big trouble

Master bath tub.  Must cover that window so there are no surprises for the neighbors. 

Master shower with seat 

Bathroom light fixture.  This is in each bathroom but size changes depending on the bathroom

First floor bath.  This is the one that was a powder room that we converted to add a shower and shower seat 

Here is the arch.   On the other side is the first floor bathroom and first floor bedroom

I am sure there are still things that need to be done that aren't listed.  We will be going back inside in about a week and a half and then the final walk through will be on 1/31/14.  We will have the inspector come back in and do a walk through just in case.  Settlement is currently scheduled for 2/10/14.  We shall see if that date changes or not.

I guess we need to get serious about packing!

Oh My it's a House

Went to the house for the pre-drywall walk through and the house has changed a lot.  The roof is on, the garage is looking like it should and the porch is close to being in place.  It is really starting to look like the house we have been waiting for.  Looks like the new completion date is 1/30/2014.  About a 2 week difference from the first date due to house size.

 

 

Here it is!  The house wrap and things are starting to really take shape.

 

 

We got to go inside of the house as part of the pre-drywall walk through.  It was great to see the actual rooms, yet strange to see them without insulation or drywall.  Oh.. and it was COLD that day so we were in the house with hats, gloves and shivering :)  Here are some pictures of the rooms.

 

 

 

Here is the front door.  To the right is the dining room and the left is the formal living room

 

 

Part of the dining room and the garage 

 

 

Part of the formal living room.  *side note.. lots of blinds and curtains to buy

 

Kitchen (straight ahead while we stand in the family room).  To the right is the morning room  See how bright it is there.. oh... and that means more blinds and more curtains

 



3 windows in the morning room



 

Sliding glass door in the morning room.  The deck will be located when you step out this door

 

Fireplace in the family room.  The fireplace wall will be stone (the same stone that matches our house exterior)

 

 

Stairs to go up (these will be hardwood instead of carpet)

 

Upstairs hallway

 

Part of the Master Bedroom (yes more windows... 3 in there)



 

Master bathroom (that big block there is going to be where my soaking tub goes)

 

 

Peeking into Asia's room

 

 

OK, so there are 2 more bedrooms upstairs, another bathroom and a laundry room but no point in adding more pictures of that.  Especially when I have to show pictures of the basement :)

 

 



 

Basement (the Kingdom of Rob and Chino the Beast) very large window is the egress window

 

Exercise Room in the basement

 

 

There is also a storage area in the basement and the HVAC area.

 

 

Next up:  Finishing the plumbing (the plumbers had come in when we were having our walk-through), and the electricians.  We are having the house inspected by an outside company and our Pre-drywall inspection with them will be 12/2.  Hopefully there are no issues.  

 

 

It will be a while before we have another blog update since most of what is happening inside the house right now isn't anything to photograph.  Once the drywall is up we will be back in to visit.  And of course, once the siding and stone are on the front of the house there will be photos.