Fun weekend

On our way back from camping this weekend, we stopped by the house and noted the work done from days 38, 39, & 40.  The main water line was finally run into the house, the basement shower was set up, and additional plumbing was run from the main water line.  I am exhausted, so no pictures today...but if I remember correctly, PM said insulation Monday & Tuesday?  I guess we will see when I stop by tomorrow :)

Day 37 - Pre-Drywall

Today we had our pre-drywall meeting.  It was pretty uneventful, however, we did have a couple good surprises!  In the master bath we get a recessed light over the soaking tub as well as over the shower, and we get a recessed light over the girls bath tub.  Also, since we have a finished basement, they give us a backup sump and a dehumidifier.  Score!  Other than that, everything seemed to be in its place.  There was a forth hall light in the upstairs, which PM didn't know what happened cause we were only supposed to have 3...but hey, I'll take 4 if they want to give them to us :)  PM said last plumbing & electrical touches will go in this week.  Next week they will be putting in insulation and starting drywall.  He also mentioned he expected the drywall guys to work right through the long holiday.  When we asked again about when we might close, he said August 15/16 is when his schedule is showing complete...it used to be August 13.  We told him our lock expires August 23...so they better get on that!  PM then said once the drywall is hung, there should be right on track the rest of the time.  Keeping our fingers crossed :)

Day 36 -Nothing confirmed

I didn't go to the house today because I am beginning to get frustrated with the snail pace of the past week.  Hubby stopped by and said he "could not confirm" if anything was or was not done at the house...well hello Mr. Observant ;)  He said he thinks the basement was power washed and that was about it.  We have our pre-drywall bright and early in the morning, and I am hoping we get a close date since we locked in our interest rate already...eeek!

Speaking of NVR - we received another call today from them (btw they called hubby after we have told them multiple times to call my line - CFO of the family ;).  The documents we sent them two/three weeks ago (for the second and third time) they are now just getting to them and decided one of the documents they couldn't read, and need us to resend.  Well of course NVR... 

It is interesting to me how NVR works out for people.  I have been reading blogs over the past week or so where NVR was higher/lower than other banks/mortgage companies.  Part of me wanted them to be higher for us because I am not a fan of them selling our mortgage basically the day after we close, but they were the lowest for us, so we are going with them.  I don't like not knowing which bank will be getting my money...maybe that is weird of me?  There is one or two banks in particular that I would rather NOT do business with...so I am hoping NVR does not sell my mortgage to them.

Day 35 - Graffiti?!

What is this?

Drywall Stock?

Again - really not much happened today at the house, a few notes around the house like this one.  I feel like we are getting behind :(  Pre-drywall scheduled for Thursday, hopefully he will have our closing date, or at least reassure me that we are still on track.

Days 32-34 & annoying interest rates :(

We were able to see inside the house today...only to see there was a whole lot of nothing done.  I am feeling a little discouraged, as some of my blogging friends that started building within a day or two of our house, have now by far surpassed where we are at.  We started at a rapid pace, now I feel like the past week has been slllooowww.

On to NVR and these stinking annoying interest rates.  LO was supposed to send new GFE with updated rates & down payment on Friday...never sent it.  So Sunday 5pm I called his cell phone.  I hate doing that, but we were really starting to freak out about the rates increasing.  He sent the GFE Sunday evening.  I emailed him after we received it, and told him we wanted to lock in ASAP.  He called me to verify what I wanted to do, right before I had to start a meeting for work.  Needless to say I did not get a chance to talk to him, but he did manage to get out that the rates for today were not yet available and we would have to chat later.  I got a call later on from one of his associates because my LO had offsite appointments.  BAD NEWS ALERT: the rate had increased .5% overnight - WHAT?!?!  if I wanted the same rate I was just quoted the night before...I would have to pay 3 points. UGH...if he would have gotten back to me on FRIDAY like he was going to, we would have locked in and I would be fine...After a lot of back and forth and not being able to talk to my LO, the points went down slightly later in the day to 2.25 for 4% interest rate.  Hubby and I decided to lock in.  I HATE paying these points, but I did a spreadsheet, and we are planning on being in this house LONG term, so it would payoff in the end for us.  I still have a request out to talk to our LO and have asked for NVR to work with us on the point issue...so we will see.  I did a frantic search for interest rates, and again NVR had the better rates, even with the rates I didn't have to pay for.  BIG PICTURE - 4% is still an amazing rate...just not as amazing as the rates were when we decided to build :(

We went furniture shopping this weekend!!!  Lots of it.  Not a ton of decisions made, a few things picked out.  We bought a table for the morning room, now have to decide on some color schemes.  I will post some more on our furniture selections later...getting a little sleepy :)

Day 31 - Not Great News

Well today was a bit of a disappointment.  I sent an email last night with some concerns to PM asking about the rain, house getting wet, more rain coming...what's going to happen?  From this he said, he wanted to power wash the basement, put in a humidifier and make sure it is completely dry before doing the furnace, electrical, plumbing in the basement.  So my disappointment is - why didn't he take these actions this week?  It was sunny and beautiful this week...and starting tomorrow for the next 5 days - it is supposed to rain...and more water could potentially get in the basement since the house isn't sided.  Because of this, pre-drywall got pushed back to Thursday morning...boo.  Kind of disappointing :(

On to the next disappointment - talked to LO from NVR today.  He told me for a 4% rate we would have to pay .75 points or $1639.  I asked him to send me a new GFE since we haven't seen one since we made updates, I wanted to change our down payment amount, and see how this higher rate would impact us.  He said he would get the information to me today...well he didn't :(
I did research after the phone call...and don't you know, that rate he gave me was the best one I could find!  I looked on Zillow, Bankrate, and our bank...and yep - NVR had the best rate!  Who would have thought?!?!  Honestly we would have probably locked in today - IF HE WOULD HAVE SENT ME THE GFE!  But no such luck...so I am hoping to get this settled on Monday.  The rates will not be going any lower. Period.

I know in the grand scheme of life - 4% interest on a home mortgage is AMAZING!  But...when we started looking the rates were 3.125% so that is now over $100 a month we will just be paying the bank...blah.

Third disappointment - we are TOTALLY locked out of the house...every window, front door, back door, garage.  Booo...so needless to say, no pictures today.  We checked out the backyard and the porch.  Very excited to hang out in both.

Day 30 - Just a 'Lil Bit

No pictures today because there really wasn't a whole lot done.  Noticed a couple more black wires and some additional tubes for plumbing, but nothing significant.  The electrical and plumbing were not completed in the basement, and the basement is still wet.  I am getting a little bit concerned about the water/weather situation.  Here it is:  PM said house can still get wet inside until house is sealed and sided.  Siding has not been done yet, pre-drywall is Monday AM.  It is supposed to rain Saturday-Tuesday (at minimum).  My question is - all of these cables that were just installed, outlets, etc. are they going to get soaked? And if yes, is that ok?  Will they wait to put the insulation/drywall up until the siding is done?  I am concerned that there will be no progress until the house dried up...I was thinking about emailing PM just to set my mind at ease about the situation...Maybe I will do that.

I emailed LO last night.  Asked for a new GFE since we had made a few changes and rates have increased since our last GFE, and would like to know where we stand.  Also inquired about how I can check the rates every day...no response today.

I am not really sure what work will get done tomorrow, or if they will be working this weekend to get everything completed for pre-drywall?  Or if they will do pre-drywall with some things NOT completed?  Oh boy I am full of questions tonight!!

Day 29 - Electrical & More Plumbing

When we showed up today, the electricians were just finishing up work.  I didn't get great pictures because I had to watch the little ladies, and I didn't want to get in the workers way.  Today they did a lot of the electrical wiring, but the man told me they would be back one more day.  They have to wait for something in the basement to do the electrical in the basement, and finish up a few odds and ends in the house.  There was more plumbing done today, but again they still have to finish up the plumbing in the basement also.  We scheduled our pre-drywall meeting for Monday at 7:30am!  That is kind of exciting :)

Family room recess lighting

 

Kitchen recess lighting



We have a fireplace!

AND...were locked!

Day 28 - Plumbing

Quickly stopped by and took a couple pics today of the plumbing.  It is hubby and my 8th anniversary, so we were on our way out to dinner :)  Here is what we got today:

Girls bath

Girls double sink plumbing

Master Bath toilet plumbing

Powder room plumbing

Master bath shower

Soaking tub

The bathroom in the basement has not been set up yet.  The sump is installed. The master bath shower floor seems a little small, but I like the shelf things.  The soaking tub is short too...I am pretty tall...so we will see about that :)  Last time I talked to PM he just told me what was happening through Wednesday (should be electricians).  Wondering if they will be there the rest of the week?  Or if there will be other work going on also?

I haven't heard anything from PM about it - but I am hoping maybe we might have our pre-drywall next week?  Fingers crossed.

Day 27 - Beautiful Day

 

Well it was an awesome day outside, and per conversation with PM last
week, was expecting plumber out today and tomorrow...no signs of any type of plumbing inside.  We were also told electricians would be out Wednesday.  This is what we did find:

One random wire, up from basement to 1st floor

Garage door!

Floor plans & electrical info on the window

EEEK - does this mean me???

So that lovely no entry sign, I am one that typically follows the rules, so I hate that this sign is up :(  Does it mean that I am going to stop stalking the house everyday - of course not!  But now I will feel like I shouldn't be there :(  Also, I think they are getting ready to lock our door...they put some hardware on the door frame that I didn't notice before.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring some plumbing and electrical (?) The basement still has a slick layer of water on it...AND I noticed some additional/extra framing in the basement that was not previously there...so wonder what that is about.



Day 24 - Duct Work

Day 23 was a wash out with no work done.  Day 24 was duct work.  The also set up for the town to come and run the electric to the house.  PM said plumbers will be out Monday & Tuesday and electricians on Wednesday.

When I stopped by today there were some RH people walking through the house...I think the one man was PM's boss.

Also received a letter from NVR yesterday...asking for 5 pieces of information that I already gave them...and they sent confirming emails that they received the information.  So last night I wrote an email to loan officer, loan specialist, and loan processor stating these are the dates I sent you the information and these are the dates you confirmed that you received the information...some of which was sent/received twice already.  We will see what happens with that...
I have been reading other blogs lately about going outside of NVR for financing...it maybe something I start looking at.  One blog (I don't have the link off hand) talked about how much of a "saving" or lack there of the incentive really is when NVR charges higher interest rates than other mortgage companies...something to think about.

Day 22 - Little bit of work & Neighbors!

Not a ton of work today, but some.  The sliding glass door was installed off the morning room, and the basement has begun framing.



Under morning room

The area under the morning room will be walled off, and we will have 2 double doors on it.  My intention is to finish it later on and make it a bedroom.

2 doors - one to utility area, the other to bathroom!

Standing in finished part, looking at storage

New doors

We also met our neighbors to the right of us!  Young couple that seems really nice :)  There house will probably be done within a week or so of ours.

Day 21 - Shingles & Concrete

Today we went to the house to find a completely shingled roof, our porch concrete, garage concrete, and basement concrete (all but one little square) were poured!

Shingles!

 

Garage floor

 

Porch

Basement floor

I think the small area that was not yet poured in the basement is for the plumbing.  PM said plumber will be out on Monday. 

Our neighbors house got 1st and 2nd floor framed today.  They have a Palermo - with a bonus room as we found out today due to framing.  Not sure their elevation yet.  There is no roof/peaks yet, so I couldn't tell for sure.

Wonder what tomorrow will bring?? :)

Day 20 - Finished Framing?

Day 18 & 19 were weekend days, so no work as expected.  Today was yet another rainy day...but quite a bit done.

Frame complete?

I think that they may be done framing.  I don't see any more wood piles, and the house is completely wrapped with the roof on.  On the inside, there are some wood pieces laying here or there, but looks like they may be extra or scrap.  All of the windows have now been installed, the front door (although you can't see it here) has been attached, and the egress casing put on.

The fire place is now bumped out. 
Previously it was flush with the wall

Front door

Master Bath soaking tub framed :)

In the front yard - there were a few goodies also!  Two bath/shower combos (girls bathroom & basement bath), Master bath soaking tub, and master bath shower.

One of the tub/shower combos...laying on its side. 
I had to crouch down to get a peek inside..
.mind you I was knee deep in the mud pit of my front lawn!

Master shower

 At our pre-con meeting, we were told that they are now going with a different shower as their "standard" for the upgraded bath.  I liked the look of the picture at the pre-con.  But now seeing this in person...this does not look like the picture they showed us.  I am not that picky about the shower, and it probably will not matter at all to me.  I would like to see the shower standing up though :)

 So here are my pictures to ask those of you who are seasoned builders, or at least have a clue about some of this stuff...if these things are "normal"??

Roof trusses.  There is about a 4-6" gap between
the front and the back plywood panels.  Is that normal?

Big hole in the ceiling plywood.  It looks like they
 created that hole to attach that red support thing.
 Is that normal??

Another hole.  Looks much smaller in the
picture, but it is probably about 3" or so.

Basement wall

Ok so this last one really worried me at first.  Hubby doesn't seem that concerned about it, but I am just not sure.  He said that it is ok since the water isn't coming "threw" the wall, rather it is coming from above and maybe it isn't "sealed" yet...well if the frame is up...shouldn't it be sealed??

All of these things that I am wondering if they are "normal" or not...are they worth bringing up to PM?  I really have zero home building knowledge, and don't want to harass him...just want to make sure my house is good :)

In an email, he said looking like plumbers will be out next Monday...we shall see what tomorrow brings :)

Day 17 - 2nd Floor Framed & Roof Trusses

I am so happy at how things seem to be moving along right now!  I really hope this progress continues.  Stopped by after work, and the 2nd floor was framed, some roof trusses had been installed, and some windows in!

2nd floor and some roof!

 I thought it was strange that they left the truck with that crane thing high in the sky...then I saw what was on it...a whole bunch of ladders!  I am wondering if they are coming back tomorrow, or if they are going to leave the ladders flying all weekend? :)

 

Girls bedroom - windows installed!

Guest bedroom - more windows!

Another girl bedroom :)

Master Bedroom!!

 

Master Bathroom

 

View from Master BR through garage

So hubby and I were wondering about this...how hard would it be to make that area above the garage usable?  Could we potentially frame that into a room with a slant ceiling?  Just a thought

 

Some materials we found outside -
for the roof?

The peak for our elevation C!

Day 16 - Wet frame

I wasn't anticipating work being done at the house today because it rained ALL day...so I was pleasantly surprised when I stopped by after work and I saw that they continued framing:

Wet Family Room -
floor boards for 2nd floor added

 

Added a staircase to the 2nd floor

My 2 yr old "pretending" to go potty
in the recently framed powder room

My office -
 nice view of the trees behind our lot

Framed powder room

Pretty sure it is supposed to rain all day again tomorrow...so we'll see what happens.  Hoping this wood dries out pretty fast.