Six Months

Updates

Well, we've been in the house six months.  I promised various content months ago and never got around to it.  Hopefully that opportunity comes as I have more I'd like to share, but life tends to get busy after building a home.

Our old house didn't sell in the time we had it on the market.  When the Syracuse, NY snowfall was nearing we decided to lease the house out.  I found a fantastic tenant and we actually organized a rent-to-own style deal that has advantages for both sides.  I would highly encourage looking into this as an owner if you're struggling to sell your house.  This works much more in our favor than a simple sale would have.

The new house has overall been very positive.  We have had a multitude of parties and group events and the floorplan of the Bateman is perfect for large gatherings.  When I get around to the A/V post I have wanted to do I will detail our design but I am very happy with the way things came out.  We do, however, need a larger TV.  A 60" looks very tiny in the large space and the room division leads to sitting too far back for such a small screen.  We will likely put a 75" in that space which should be adequate for normal daily viewing.

We have typical settlement issues with cracks in moldings and trim and a few floor squeaks that are close to unbearable, but that is all 10-month stuff that should be taken care of.  We have had two service calls so far - one for a leak from a toilet in the upstairs bath and another for our furnace.  The blower motor in our furnace seemingly had a bolt holding it on that wasn't torqued to spec at the factory.  It came loose and when the blower fired up it was spinning around and rattling inside the squirrel cage.  It was concerning as it sounded like a jet engine and shearing metal all at the same time.  While the HVAC company wasn't too happy about a warranty service call at 9pm, that is the nature of selling furnaces in Central New York.  After some moaning and groaning the on-call technician came over and took care of the issue.  Luckily we caught it early and it didn't need any additional parts.

We're still working on our final decisions for rooms, furniture and overall design.  We're busy people and are not able to spend a ton of time on these items. In the time that we do have free, we're typically trying to decompress and catch up with one another.  My wife is a teacher and I am the general manager at a busy night club in addition to owning the A/V company.

The Survey

I want to encourage everyone reading my blog to do Ryan Homes a favor and honestly respond to the surveys.  Much of your build process will not be a "10" - and the company needs that information.  As buyers we are pressured from nearly the beginning of our sales interaction to keep in mind that they need our 10's.  You don't earn a 10 by asking for it - you earn it based on your actions.  One also isn't able to say, "Let me know if there is anything else I need to do to earn your 10."  This puts the responsibility on the customer and simply isn't appropriate.

I have come to the conclusion that one of two things is going on with the survey.  Either Ryan Homes is oblivious to the fact that their structure leads to inflated scores, or that they have intentionally built the system this way to artificially keep scores higher for marketing purposes.  Either way, pressuring a new homeowner into a particular score when that homeowner is also under the belief that the score directly affects compensation for their SR and PM is unacceptable.  We shouldn't be forced to choose between a 7 and a 10 and have a thought in the back of our mind about our PM not being paid for something.  While I'm fine with them getting paid based on the survey, that should never be a concern of the customer and the general public should in no way be aware of how their simple answers on a survey may effect the quality of life of someone they just worked with for three months.

Our experiences varied throughout the process, and I admit that my survey scores were inflated.  Not only for the above reasons, but also for the simple fact that I need to live in this home, in this community where the contractors, SR and PM work daily, and I need to continue to interact with these people.  Once my survey had been completed, most of my additional communication with the PM was sparse.  I became unimportant.  I just don't feel that the RH survey process is well designed nor is it useful in the current system they have.

Post-Post-Settlement Inspection

The post below has been in my drafts for a while.  I still haven't submitted my survey and plan to do so honestly in the next week.  I have more I want to do with this blog, but here is the "airing out" from the last list.  This was all over a month ago, so outside of what's already typed I haven't added much.

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So, the PM came and brought a young guy along with him that works for a general contractor.  The guy spent most of the day addressing various items on our list.

The PM walked in and saw our blue tape marking the drywall imperfections and went "Whoa!"  He explained that they'd take care of any workmanship issues that are visible in natural light from 4-5ft away, but nothing else.  That set the tone for some of the meeting and I explained that a majority of the spots we marked fall into his criteria.

See below for a list:

-Cracked white stair banister to be replaced.
The banister was replaced, but the replacement is not a perfect match.  It isn't noticeable unless you're looking for it, but the top of the spindle is wider than all of the others.  Even after the second painter (see below) was in, they did not stain around the base of this where the old one used to touch. 

-The floodlight above the garage needs some work.  It doesn't detect daylight properly to stay off and the motion sensor only works when around 6-8ft in front of the garage.  Anything closer or further and the light does not engage.  The unit cycles itself on and off regularly and this likely caused the failure of the initial bulbs in the unit.  We replaced the bulbs, but have not been able to solve whatever issues there are with the sensor.
This item was taken care of. The light was never taken out of factory test / store display mode when it was installed.  It now works properly (after we bought new bulbs to replace the originals that had blown from being left in test).

-Haven't received paint touch up kit.
We received the kit.

-The basement stair paint touch up wasn't done (mentioned to painter at pre-settlement).
WAS NOT COMPLETED.  The painter was a jerk and couldn't stop talking crap about the PM.  He said he was told there was only a few items at our house and he slipped away as soon as he could, having only addressed about 2/3 of the items he was supposed to.  I let the PM know in no uncertain terms that the original painter was disrespectful, rude, and did shoddy work.  I told them he would not be allowed in our home again. The PM set us up with the service painter that typically does the 1yr drywall reviews.  These guys were great and attentive.  They took their time and ensured they asked along the way if everything was satisfactory.  This stair paint was left incomplete even after second painter came in, but it was a minor item and I'm not mad about it.

-The railing going into the basement makes a very loud creaking sound when any weight is applied.  Seems to be coming from the mounting bracket in the center of the rail.
Fixed by adding additional railing brackets.

-The wood railings going upstairs are very rough. Enough to scratch hands in places. Sand/poly?
Another item not done by the original painter...  The second guys sanded and cleaned these up.  They are great now.

-The walls at the sides of the master bath shower door don't look to have been touched up.  Blemishes don't show with only vanity lights, but in sunlight or brighter lights they are very rough.
These areas were skimmed and repainted.  Unfortunately the painter is awful at his job and it looked better before he covered the grout unevenly in paint where the wall meets the shower door.  The second painter addressed this and cut in a nice even line.

-Both of the shower heads in the master bathroom leak from the fitting where the head itself meets the arm.  They visibly spray water back onto the tile behind them and also drip water down at a steady rate from the bottom of the fitting.
Plumber tightened them.  All set.

-The carpet tack strip where the master bedroom transitions to the master bathroom tile needs adjustment (padding?).  The tack strip comes through the carpet completely in this doorway and has cut a foot open.  The spikes are visible in the carpet when looking in this area.
This item was interesting.  The "official" reply according to PM is "don't walk on it."  When that was obviously unsatisfactory, they hit the area with a hammer to dull and bend the tacks.  Problem solved.

-The garage door track isn't properly aligned where the primary upright meets the curved section (both sides).  It looks to have risen slightly when concrete was installed (I remember it opening smoothly, like the rear garage door still does, before the concrete was poured).  Door opens very rough because of this.
Some sockets and a hammer solved this.  The garage door installers bent the rails back into place and now everything is smooth.  (Update:  the garage door track still isn't perfect, but it is easily solved with some bracing we planned to install for shelving anyway).

-The pantry doors receivers, mounted to the door casing, are not aligned causing the doors to not close flush. Same issue in northwest bedroom (only bed with double doors).
Fixed.

-The HVAC doesn't keep within 3 degrees.  Temperature upstairs is 8-11 degrees hotter than thermostat temp downstairs.
Still in process, but mostly resolved.  We opened up the upstairs dampers and closed some of the downstairs.  There is still some balancing to be done but I will focus in on that once we have some additional time.  The house is much more comfortable now.

-The HVAC setup whistles from the cold air return on the first floor.  It is quite loud and is an unpleasant frequency.  It is much louder in the great room/kitchen area than it is in the basement standing next to the unit, so it seems to be caused by the air movement and something that could be adjusted?
The position of the grill covering the cold air return was causing this.  The airflow around the fins was acting like a reed. The installer flipped the grill in all directions and we chose the one that was most quiet.  That said, with the grill removed the system is completely silent.  We'll be looking into other grill options that can quiet this area down.  Maybe something with a flat front and larger holes?  Not too concerned with the aesthetics.

-The metal doors (front, mud room, and back yard) all have paint that is bubbling and peeling off.
The painter told us he's never seen this before and asked how it happened.  He was attempting to blame us and he only partially addressed these.  The second painter did a great job sanding and blending these in.

-The garage/mud room door hinge springs may not be tight enough?  Door doesn't always shut itself.
The door was deemed to be closing properly.

-Free fertilization.  Could you provide more details on that?  Do they just come out and walk the lawn with a spreader and fertilizer or is this something more?  We planned to call and set this up in September.
Didn't have much info.  Was told to call and that it was dependent on the time of year.  I signed up with Carefree Lawn Care and have not called the original landscaping company as they haven't done a great job around the neighborhood.  I really wish they had used a bit better seed...

-What brand/style are the towel rods?  We want to know to order matching hand towel holders and other bathroom accessories.
One word: Kinsley.  That is all they have for me.  I did a quick search and didn't find anything.  I do have the contact number for the supplier they use, though.

-The hot water heater blower is very loud when engaged.  Is this normal?  It can be heard from anywhere in the house.  Would rubber isolation mounts help?
Everyone thought I was crazy on this.  The plumber went down with me and we noticed that the PVC vent pipe was resting against a joist.  We pulled the pipe up half an inch off the joist and... near silence!  For now we put some insulation between the pipe and the joist.  I'll find a permanent solution in the future.  Now it doesn't sound like an earthquake when the water heater is running!

-Scratched faucet handle in kitchen not replaced from pre-settlement.
Plumber swapped this without issue.

-The upstairs bath (not master) has white material mixed in the grout all over the room.  Not sure what it is, but it seems to be mixed in as we tried to wash the floors and it didn't come up.
The assumption was that this was from sanding joint compound.  It was removed by scratching out with a fingernail.  Glad it wasn't my nail.

Whoa! - Post Settlement Meeting Preparations

So - I did exactly what I planned to avoid.  I had a huge post lapse after we started moving in!  Things get crazy and I wasn't excited about sharing pictures of the mess we have created in the moving process.

We have a few things left at our old house to move and a variety of finishing and touch up work to do over there.  I'd like to start meeting with realtors this coming weekend and get the house listed ASAP.

I've been taking pictures of a variety of our projects and things we have done and promise that I will post them soon.

That said, here is the list of items we are sending to the PM for our post-settlement meeting that is happening this coming Friday.  We have been keeping track of items as they arrive in the Google Keep app and the list has grown a bit since we moved in!

Items on our list:

-Cracked white stair banister to be replaced.

-The floodlight above the garage needs some work.  It doesn't detect daylight properly to stay off and the motion sensor only works when around 6-8ft in front of the garage.  Anything closer or further and the light does not engage.  The unit cycles itself on and off regularly and this likely caused the failure of the initial bulbs in the unit.  We replaced the bulbs, but have not been able to solve whatever issues there are with the sensor.

-Haven't received paint touch up kit.

-The basement stair paint touch up wasn't done (mentioned to painter at pre-settlement).

-The railing going into the basement makes a very loud creaking sound when any weight is applied.  Seems to be coming from the mounting bracket in the center of the rail.

-The wood railings going upstairs are very rough. Enough to scratch hands in places. Sand/poly?

-The walls at the sides of the master bath shower door don't look to have been touched up.  Blemishes don't show with only vanity lights, but in sunlight or brighter lights they are very rough.

-Both of the shower heads in the master bathroom leak from the fitting where the head itself meets the arm.  They visibly spray water back onto the tile behind them and also drip water down at a steady rate from the bottom of the fitting.

-The carpet tack strip where the master bedroom transitions to the master bathroom tile needs adjustment (padding?).  The tack strip comes through the carpet completely in this doorway and has cut Brittany's foot open.  The spikes are visible in the carpet when looking in this area.

-The garage door track isn't properly aligned where the primary upright meets the curved section (both sides).  It looks to have risen slightly when concrete was installed (I remember it opening smoothly, like the rear garage door still does, before the concrete was poured).  Door opens very rough because of this.

-The pantry doors receivers, mounted to the door casing, are not aligned causing the doors to not close flush. Same issue in northwest bedroom (only bed with double doors).

-The HVAC doesn't keep within 3 degrees.  Temperature upstairs is 8-11 degrees hotter than thermostat temp downstairs.  I can call ResCom on this - We had AC installed by them after close.

-The HVAC setup whistles from the cold air return on the first floor.  It is quite loud and is an unpleasant frequency.  It is much louder in the great room/kitchen area than it is in the basement standing next to the unit, so it seems to be caused by the air movement and something that could be adjusted?

-The metal doors (front, mud room, and back yard) all have paint that is bubbling and peeling off.

-The garage/mud room door hinge springs may not be tight enough?  Door doesn't always shut itself.

-You mentioned the free fertilization.  Could you provide more details on that?  Do they just come out and walk the lawn with a spreader and fertilizer or is this something more?  We planned to call and set this up in September.

-What brand/style are the towel rods?  We want to know to order matching hand towel holders and other bathroom accessories.

-The hot water heater blower is very loud when engaged.  Is this normal?  It can be heard from anywhere in the house.  Would rubber isolation mounts help?

-Scratched faucet handle in kitchen not replaced from pre-settlement.

-The upstairs bath (not master) has white material mixed in the grout all over the room.  Not sure what it is, but it seems to be mixed in as we tried to wash the floors and it didn't come up.

Busy First Weekend

We got quite a bit accomplished this weekend!

We moved a large amount of our big items on Friday and then followed up Saturday with almost all of the rest of them.  I had foot surgery back in April and was certainly feeling the impacts from that during this process!

We set up almost all of the furniture around the house.

We started to fill our cabinets and pantry.

We installed the new stove.

We installed the new dishwasher.

We installed our washer and dryer.

We built steps out of our back door.

We set up yard irrigation with hoses and sprinklers on timers.

We bought new lighting for in the garage (more on that in another post).

We measured all of the windows for shades.

We went to the regional market on Sunday (Flea Market day) and didn't find much.

We accomplished more than this list, but things moved so quickly and we weren't taking notes.  We're both exhausted and are taking a rest day for most of today.

Early in the mornings there has been condensation on the outside of our windows.  Seems to be happening since the A/C was installed.  Likely not a concern.

Installed the new stove.

Getting our washer and dryer up these stairs was not fun!!

Both washer and dryer are now installed and functional.

We saw these stools at Panda Express.  We'd like to find something similar for the kitchen island.

I removed the RH provided safety barrier and got to work on a set of steps.

I dug a brace down into the soil.  All in this took about an hour and ran around $95 in materials from Home Depot.

I removed the white outlets from the side of the kitchen island and replaced them with brown ones.

We learned this morning that we'll never be able to sleep past 6:45am until the development of the land is complete for the phase 2 area.  The land developers fired up their machines at 6:45 and began shredding wood at 7:00am on the dot.  Also - the development was PACKED with contractors working on different sites by 7:15am.

Busy Busy!

Not much to write today but many things are happening!

FiOS is installed and operational.

All of our new kitchen appliances were delivered.

The HUGE roman shower is AWESOME!

The ceiling fan in the GR is installed.

The ceiling fan in the master bedroom is installed.

The mailbox is up.

The driveway has been dug/expanded and stone put down.

I installed conduit under the driveway in case we ever switch to cable rather than FiOS.

I ran the gutter drainage under the stone of the driveway with PVC.

Fridge is fully functional.

Microwave swapped out.

Included stove is removed and we'll hook up the new range later today.

Most importantly: Central Air Conditioning is being installed as I write this post!!!

Still on the hunt for some counter height stools for the island.

Goals for this weekend:

-Move the big stuff (furniture, washer dryer) from our old house

-Install garage door opener on primary door

-Swap in new dishwasher

"Before" shot of the kitchen with all of the included appliances.

We installed the new microwave last night!

Fantastic views last night.  Our community has no street lights and the sky was BRIGHT!

Found this at Home Depot.  Considering putting 2 or 3 in the garage to replace the junk included fixtures.

We closed!

Hi all!

I have lots of updates coming and photos to share. We have been in a mad rush since closing on Tuesday.

We have started various projects, begun to move, and have had plenty of vendors through the house for various things.

For now, here are some shots. Next week should allow more time to post!

Closing gift from Kari and Andre! 

The ceiling fan we installed in the Great Room. We want to find a less bulky shade/globe for the light. 

Pre-Settlement Demonstration

Our final walk through is in the books.

We didn't spend much time on the appliances since I let the PM know that we are replacing them all the morning after we close on the house.  I'm going to list them for sale on Craigslist today.

Overall, the house looked great!

There were a few issues with the finishing but they were mostly minor and easy fixes.

PM is ordering a new stair baluster to replace the cracked one.

We noted a scratch in the resilient flooring that will be repaired.

The kitchen countertop issue is being resolved after closing.

We are waiting on a replacement cabinet door.

We noted that some other cabinets were scratched and or blemished.  PM is ordering new materials to fix those areas.

PM is going to have the master bath shower outer tile seam (outside the door) re-worked as the grout doesn't look great. (Note on this - the framing was a bit wide so the shower door fell in a spot where it wouldn't be able to mount to anything.  They doubled up the concrete backer board to make up the difference).

They had missed an exterior window in painting the trim.

They are going to power wash the basement floor (again) to clean up the remaining dirt.  It was pretty rough from the mud/water issues that happened during construction.

I'm sure I'm missing something and will post more notes later if I think of them.  For now, we're inventorying things and working on our current house to prep it for sale.  We have lots of deliveries coming with stuff for the new house and can't wait to begin the transition!!