Final Walk-Through

Friday was the the second biggest day I have waited for. The final walk through went pretty well. There was still a lot of activity going on at the house. Cleaners, painters, trim guys...you name it, they were there. The walk thru pre-settlement demonstration only lasted about an hour and a half. There really wasn't anything major to gripe about. Overall, Ryan Homes did a great job and our PM's Brett and Sam came thru for us. Besides having about 50 flies in the house from the door being open, I really enjoyed the house in its 99.9% completed form. Jen and I simply did not want to leave because it almost felt like closing time. I even decided to go ahead and use the bathroom for the first time. :-)

Besides some minor scratches and dings that I know will be fixed at 30 day inspection, the one thing that still needed to be fixed was the fireplace that had some air in the gas line, which prevented it from lighting. . I didn't get a chance to see it lit but I will be checking it again Monday or Tuesday before I close. The plumber is supposed to fix it by time we close, so no worries.  We ran the dishwasher, which was pretty quiet. (wonder if it will still be quiet with dishes in it), turned on the oven and stove and used the microwave. Everything worked fine. The one thing I did not like however was the towel rack in the Master Bath. I actually wish it were on the wall under neath the window vs. above the toilet. We like to be able to grab the towel off the rack from inside the shower and not have to completely get out and walk over to toilet. That will mostly get changed at the 30 day inspection. We;ll see how it goes. Sometimes change is good. Other than that, every was great. I can't wait to close and get the keys to our new home. 2 more days!! :)

Not a lot of pics, but i'll try to post more later.

Fireplace w/slate

Kitchen

Kitchen

Entry/Foyer

Steps toward basement

Upstairs Bath

Master Bath. Would like to possibly move towel rack to underneath the window

2nd BR

Dinette/Family Room

4th BR

MBR

MBR

Our new favorite neighbors Venice crib from the 2nd BR

Landscaping Means "Almost Done"

This afternoon I got my weekly update from the PM and it simply said  " See you on Friday".  To me that says they will be finished on time for the Walk-Thru. Now that is the confidence I like to see from my PMs. I saw the plumbers working in the house finishing up doing what they do. Appliances look to be in place from what I was able to see peaking in the windows this evenings drive by. Protective plastic wrap was removed from the carpet and floors. I feel like the house is almost done. The Landscapers planted some bushes, shrubs and a tree in my front yard. They still need to lay some seed and hay...Other than that, what else is there left?

Need a mail box, front door needs painting and Guardian needs to come back I think and put a cover plate for a future wireless radio and speakers. I'm sure there is probably some drywall needing some TLC to fix holes and no doubt trim and a good cleaning is in order.

Now anyone who follows this blog and my take on trees knows that I fancy flowering trees. The tree I got was a Honey Locust. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I mean, that tree gets kinda big.  I really had my heart set on a cherry, dogwood or red bud. I am hoping they give us another flowering tree for the side of the house.

After shrubs planted 

One more week and I will be doing my Carlton Dance...maybe this how I act after settlement

Got Appliances...Time To Pack Up

Coming down the home stretch now. Friday we got our appliances, minus the dryer which will be delivered Monday. Apparently it got banged up or something, so it needed to be swapped out. No big deal. As long as it is in by the end of the week I'll be happy. Looks like gas was hooked up for our fireplace also. The only thing left is for the plumbers to do their thing and some last minute trim touch ups, paint, closet shelves, cleaning etc. It is really, really close now. Probably looking at 90% complete. I'm off work til next weekend, so I'll be busy packing and finalizing/transferring some utilities changes for the new house. We did get to feel the carpet and walk on it. It isn't exactly the softest I've ever felt. I can see maybe changing it further down the road in the basement. Damnit, I should have upgraded or added more padding. I do like the Berber Carpet though in the rest of the house. I am hoping it holds up to the wear and tear of 2 cats, a dog and our kiddos. Here's just a few more pics I took while doing a quick walk thru Friday.

Washer

Stove

Basement rough-in

This poor dog was apparently abandoned and dropped off at our house and neighbors house and it hung around waiting for someone to let it in for 2 days. Finally called Animal control who came by and picked her up. She was old and full of worms according to Animal Control Officer. I hope they are able to find it a good home.

Basement

Jen and her imaginary toilet

Kitchen /Dinette Tropical Cherry flooring

Berber Carpet

Good News: Cleared To Close...

It's 2:11 a.m. and I'm here at work reading blogs and it occurred to me I forgot I got some good news today. My NVR loan processor called me today and said that we are "cleared to close" on the 29th. I just need to provide her my next pay stub this prior to closing. Our PM also provided some good news. Appliances are scheduled to be delivered today. He also confirmed we are still on schedule for our Pre-Settlement Walk Through/Demonstration next Friday, July 25th. Originally I was scheduled to have it on the 28th, followed by our settlement on the 29th, but since I was scheduled to work that day, our PM was able to fit us in early.  I gotta say, he's been pretty flexible with me when it comes to all our scheduled meetings since I'm a shift worker. 

So far this week they have paved our driveway, installed flooring, touched up more trim and yesterday they were putting down the carpets when I stopped by briefly. I didn't take any pictures because I generally try not to be a distraction to workers, but I will as soon as I get a chance. I can't wait to see the finished product. It's so close to being done it almost feels like the week before Christmas. 

"Let There Be Light"

I saw something different in the house as I stopped by for my quick sneak peak. Not normally the religious type, but it seemed fitting to me as I walked thru the house admiring the work of the electricians. Not normally one to speak openly about religion and hardly a bible thumper, I couldn't help but think Genesis 1:3, the First Day, where God said "Let there be light", and there was light.  I saw lights on in the house and the first time, the house seemed alive. I have been used to walking in a dark and powerless basement, relying on the flash of my phone to take pictures. Today it all changed. It feels like a corner has been turned.  Two weeks to go until settlement. It's so close now and time can't go fast enough in my book.

Foyer light

Light fixture for dinette

Lights on in Basement

Pic sent from our PM

Rommel The Explorer

Not much to report on weekends. Saturday, the electricians were putting in all the light fixtures and electrical sockets.  Sundays are a down day on the construction front, so this will be a boring post for most. I decided to do a drive by and just let our little 3 month old Guardian Rommel aka "Rommski" explore his future turf and yard off leash. I'm sure he would have enjoyed it better had there been grass. Can't believe how big he has gotten!

He's a good listener and comes running when called

Just had to pick up a stick

Check Out My Backside

Just a quick update. Painters should be finishing up with perhaps the final coat today. Spoke with them for about 5 minutes. Boy, painting has come along way. What ever happened to rollers and Mr. Miagi paint the fence methods? Apparently it takes an hour or so to paint the entire house when it is sprayed. Sweet!!  Just took a couple pics from behind the house showing the grade and future backyard. Can't wait to see grass and patio in the future.

Quick Interior Update

Did my daily drive by on my way to work and wouldn't ya know that there was a flurry of activity on the lot and in the house. Our PM's have really stepped up their game and have these contractors busy as we come down the homestretch (as I knew they would). Of course I took 2 minutes to quickly take a snoop in the house since the contractors were leaving for lunch anyway. From what I can tell, the cabinets are installed in the kitchen and bathrooms. Tile work has been started in the bathrooms and all the rooms now have doors. The AC unit was being installed as well while I was there. I assume plumbing fixtures can't be too far behind, along with final HVAC and electricians doing their thing and then the laminate wood and carpet. Things are starting to happen fast.  I didn't have time to take a bunch of pictures but I will eventually and post them for all to see. From what I can see, things look OK so far. Here's just a couple pics I took. The others didn't turn out so well.

Kitchen Cabinets

Just another angle

Siding complete

Pic from our PM


 

Hall bathroom tile work

Appraisal

NVR finally sent me a copy my appraisal today needed for my VA loan.. They needed me to sign the Acknowledgement of Receipt and send it back to them, which I did within 5 minutes. This the second to last item needed to close. The only other thing they need is a paystub from my next payday in 2 weeks and then my NVR harrassment will officially come to a close. Hallelujah.  

The good news is at least is that the house appraised for for slightly higher than the selling price. My only question is it seems to only take into account above grade rooms and not the finished basement. Is this normal? I really don't have the time nor do I feel like reading through all 24 pages of it at the moment, but seems to me, it could have been perhaps a itsy bitsy teenie weenie higher. In any case, I'm happy to be one step closer to closing.

Shit's About To Get Real!

Just a quick update and a couple pics. There has been a little activity going on the past week. Siding has gone up for the most part, they sprayed on the first base coat of paint and they have done some grading. Miraculously, most of the water in the basement dried up. Hmmmm. Imagine that. Closing is set for 29 July, a little over 3 weeks away. It's starting to get down to crunch time. We've already let our land lord know we are moving, so we can't afford any delays. I'm big on doing things right the first time. In other words, RH better pick up their game and crack the whip on these contractors. I'm going to be watching and checking their work daily. Jen has already started packing boxes for the move. It's all happening so fast. In other words, "Shit's about to get real!"

Front of House. Hard to tell color of shutters in the evening sun,  but they are brown. Why they haven't finished the siding yet I don't know. Perhaps they ran out of siding and need to order more?

Side view from our neighbors lot

First coat of paint

First coat of paint