"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

Siding

Had a crew out yesterday putting up our siding. They were about half way done when I left last night. I can't wait to stop by later today or tomorrow and see it with all of the siding on. I'll be sure to take some pictures and post them later.  I did have to go back and measure some windows again last night because I had totally forgotten about the kitchen window, which is 35" x 42" and also the sliding glass door. I guess it happens when your mind is racing with all the things you still need to do like trying to set up cable, trash furniture shopping, packing etc. for a smooth transition. Let's not forget the brutal heat and humidity in the house which has you sweating like a 2 cent whore.  It must be 100 degrees or more in there, even with windows open. No wonder it is easy to overlook things. All you want to do is get in and get out without having swamp ass. The basement however feels nice in comparison to the rest of the house.

Speaking of the basement, the storage room has had a puddle of water in it the last couple weeks. Not sure if it is because they left the egress window open when it rained before. In any case, I wish they would dry it up with a shop vac or squeegee. I'm kinda tired of looking at it. I never mentioned it before, but I worry sometimes perhaps windows may get left open during thunderstorms that can occur with little or no warning. Call me paranoid, but I don't want my drywall wet. 

Puddle of water. Could this be a plumbing leak of some sort or is it rain?

Siding going up