Happy Dance Post

I have been stalking the weather channel like a mad woman, hoping beyond hope that it doesn't rain tomorrow and we can break ground.  I guess all my mad ranting and mumbling have worked because now the chance of rain has dropped down to 20%!  Of course a mixed bag of rain and snow is now at 100% for Wednesday but that can still change.  The next couple weeks actually look real good for finishing the foundation of  the house.   Winter home building in the northeast is going to be a real roller coaster of a ride I can see. 

In the mean time- I will try to keep myself busy with my Etsy shop. Yep I have one of those too, I will talk more about that later.  Any who- as I promised my husband that I will pay for my hard fought for island- I need to make some serious cash with my little shop.  Normally, I wouldn't care as it is really still a fun hobby for me.  But now, I need some of last year's magic to make it happen.  So far I have about $700 probably more like $900 but I prefer to underestimate for this particular project.  

I CAN'T WAIT

We have stakes!

I decided to drive by our lot today. Okay, so since the new home is about 30 minutes away from our current home its technically not a 'drive by" but you get the point.  And it looks like they staked out the lot!  Unfortunately the forecast for rain on Monday has moved from 60% chance of rain to 80% chance of rain  :/  And maybe some snow flurries later in the week!  I hate bipolar weather

Now if look you look closely at the upper left corner, you will see that our neighbors have decided to place a playground set at the property line.  Not quite sure why they did that but I am pretty they are going to wish they hadn't. With construction starting soon and the fact that RH will have to regrade our lot, it will probably cause an issue with the setting of the play ground.  That is also the place where our sump pump will drain.  I wonder if they placed it there to help them remember the property line markings?  I will have to ask them at the next community event.  

Pre Construction Meeting- The Results

The pre construction meeting was rather productive.  Our PM (who has done this for 10 years but our house will be his first home in this community) caught a few mistakes in the selections and layout.  We were quite surprised that our free elevation came with a bay window for the living room, yes!

Another surprise- building permits are already in hand as long as it doesn't rain on Monday, we will be breaking ground on November 24th!  I was quite prepared to wait another 2 weeks.  No turning back now  :)

Settlement is projected to be at the end of March.  I need to ask if that pushes our first mortgage payment out to June. 

Kitchen

-how big is the island? We have a morning room hoping that the standard island will be on the larger side Resolved- change order for gourmet island submitted and accepted

how big is the refrigerator cabinet? trying to buy the largest refrigerator that can easily fit in this area 

The space for the refrigerator is 40- 41 inches wide, Plenty of room

50/50 or 60/40 sink Neither- 70/30 with the garbage disposal on the smaller sink

what is the model of the appliances? GE Profile- mid level

Do the cabinets come with sliding shelves?  Noticed this all the models have this feature would like to know if this comes standard with the cabinets YES!

Mudroom

can we have the light switch on the inside of the mudroom No need, 2 three way switches installed, one on the inside of the mud room and one on the garage side

is the bead board included over the bench? Didn't ask

Family room

where are the outlets located Every 12 feet with a little wiggle room

does the family room have recessed lights NO

Owner's Bedroom

can we put an outlet with a dedicated switch on the tray ceiling ledge Maybe- ask again when the electrician begins work

Are there recessed lights in the hallway/ archway? Yes

Can we move an outlet to the master closet? Possible- ask again with electrician

are there lights in the walk in closet? Yes

We are planning on installing a closet system- will this be a problem for our 10 month  drywall inspection? No problem

Bathrooms

does the towel bars come in the bathrooms? Where are they located? Didn't ask

Where is the toilet paper holder located? Didn't ask

Is there a shower rod in the hall bath? Yes

Exterior

How wide is the driveway 18 feet

Where are the hose bibs located Chose location while at the meeting (my husband picked the spots)

Where will the egress window be placed, Had egress location moved to were a walk out door would normally be

Placement of the basement windows in relation to the deck Only one additional window with no option to add others  :(

How big is the buffer- how much yard will it take up? 25 feet- we have a walking trail in our community and our lot is right beside it.  The buffer is trees that Ryan will plant and take care of on our property 

Laundry Room

How big is the laundry space?  What size washer and dryer can I feasibly fit into this space? 

Would the laundry door to swing OUT- so the door will not have to be closed while doing laundry
How high are the vents and the water valves placed (I'm short) Mixed bag on this one, the door is 28 inches, we can not move the valves to a different height and they will not change the door so that it will swing out.  I will ask again about the door- makes no sense to say no. 

Dining Room

Is the tray ceiling included? No and no option to add, previously a standard  but was removed

Is the columns between the living room and the dining included Yes, currently a standard in the CG

How will the tile in the bathroom be laid?  Can we get the tile in the hall bath to be laid at a diagonal?  This would add interest to all the white tile we placed in there  Grid style, diagonal request should have been made with flooring and tile selection

Starting to look at furniture purchases.  How wide is the door frame with the door in place? Is it easy to remove and replace the door if we have to? 36 inches, Mud room is 28 inches and basement door is 26 inches!

What exactly is included in Trim Package #3?  Does it comes with the wainscoting in the dining room and up the steps?  Easy fix if it doesn't 2 piece crown molding through, chair rail throughout, paneling in the dining room

How far in advance do you schedule pre drywall and pre settlement meetings?  I need to be able to time the arrival our own inspectors.  Will call us to let us know when we can schedule

Which rooms get locks? Didn't ask

As for any left over tiling and flooring (handy for decorating,paint choices and repairs) Yes

The CG model in DE had storage under the basement stairs- will we also have that? No- will not pass inspection if it is not dry wall and it is not an option in the home.  I think I will bring the contractors a case of beer. 

How big are the ledges in the shower?  The ones we saw in the model in MD was rather small.  Can we make them bigger? Very small, intended for a foot not for a butt, cannot make them bigger.

Where is the access door  to the attic located?  Can it be moved to the laundry? Located in front bedroom

We are considering installing our under cabinet lights- can an outlet be moved into inside a cabinet to hide the wires? No

Dehumidifier- yay or nay?  What size and brand is best to accommodate the size of our basement? No to dehumidifier but recommends whole house humidifier for wood floors and some of the hand made furniture.  Recommends Aprilaire

Great Island Debate Part 2

For those of you who tune in JUST to see how the island debate worked out- its over.  The change order for the gourmet island was signed today.  My dear husband really does want to see me happy.  Now for all you fellow husbands who rooted for him, he will be fine. He still has the vast majority of the basement he gets to set up any way he wishes (except for sofa choices- last time I let him do that he picked a futon).  He also gets to finish out the media room and the area of the wet bar any way his heart desires.

One of the things he is looking at (not this game but I can't give away his secrets ;)

So I get my island- he gets his arcade games, big screen TV, pool table, wet bar, poker table and new gaming system.  Fair trade right?

The Great Island Debate

So I ran through several ways of approaching my husband on the issue of getting the bigger island.  Well while I was deliberating on how best to approach him the change order from our SR came through email- BOTH of our emails.  Needless to say he was not happy.  

Now here comes the argument.  He said we both wanted the standard island.  I had to remind him that I wanted it and that he said we didn't need it.  He then informed me that by signing I agreed (mind you it was standard so there was nothing really to sign).  He wants the open space for "whatever".  

What's the "whatever"?- I don't know. GRRR! 

I want the extra counter space and cabinet space (after stuffing everything into 2 main cabinets I don't want to have to stuff ever again).  His thinking that anything over the 2 main cabinets should be good enough.  AHHHHH!  Mars and Venus I tell you, Mars and Venus.  

I do know one thing about me- if I can't convince him to sign the change order, I will hold a grudge for a very long time.  It won't be pretty.   BTW- I did apologize for not coming to him before I started my crusade but I think I already knew this battle was about to go down.  

Island Dilemma Resolved (sorta)

After emailing customer care TWICE, I finally got a call from the regional director.  I explained my concerns about the lack of compromise and how I would just like to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.  I was reminded that Ryan Homes does not do custom work and was therefore unable to handle my special request.  She also told me a comparable cabinet to Timberlake that I can purchase at Home Depot but the name escapes me.  What she did offer was the ability to do a late add on of the gourmet island- at regular price.  

So the whole purpose of  my one woman crusade was to negotiate a larger island at a cheaper price than the gourmet island.  I got the larger island but it will cost me about $1700!  The only reason why we didn't add it to the original selections was because my husband insisted that the standard would be fine.  I think it was more to cut costs but whatever, I didn't argue.  Now guess what?  If  I REALLY want that island I am going to have to sweet talk him into it.

Geez!  This island better be covered in gold.

List of Companies that offer FREE Design Services

I read alot of blogs where not only are they building a fabulous home they are excellent DIYers and home decorators.
Let me be clear- my main set of skills lie in medicine, everything else is happen stance.  I know what I like- but how to tie them together without making a complete brown mess, on that, I am clueless.  Thus I was excited to find a company that would offer FREE (yes FREE) design services.  That company was Calico.  The more I searched the more companies I found offered the same service. This is a list of  free design services with and without the purchase of products


Lazy Boy

Calico

Pottery Barn

West Elm

Ethan Allen 

Bassett

Laura Ashley

JC Penney


These are just a few national chains.  There are plenty of local furniture stores that offer the same service.  The idea?  To get you to spend money in their store!  So if you have trouble (like me) pulling your home's look together but really only have enough for furniture pieces and not some fancy design consultant then this may be a viable option for you.

Happy Decorating!