We met with our SR and PM today to discuss all the details about the house. This meeting was almost 4 hours long! I'm not sure it's that long for everyone...we talked about a lot of things and got off topic a few times (just say'n). Our PM seems really great to work with and hope that remains true throughout this process.
During the meeting the PM & SR go over all of your selections. Placement of lights, outlets, speakers, etc. We were able to go over the plans and gathered a ton of info from looking at those. From looking at the plans we realized that by choosing
Elvation L we added an additional
2 ft in the living room & bedroom #3. This makes the home 3934 sq ft instead of 3800 sq ft. The locations of the windows in bedroom 3 changed as well. We have 1 centered on the wall that is the front of the house and 1 on the side of the house close to the closet. Speaking of Closets OH MY! the kids closets are HUGE! The basic floor plan doesn't list measurements for those. The closet in Bedroom 1 is almost 10' wide and has large double doors. The closet in bedroom 2 is almost 9' wide and the closet in bedroom 3 is almost 8 ft wide. I think standard width is 6'.
The Olsen Model has I Joist contruction. This means that per code our basement ceiling will be drywalled even though we have an unfinished basement. I-Joist info via Wikipedia
An engineered wood joist, more commonly known as an I-joist, is a product designed to eliminate problems that occur with conventional wood joists. Invented in 1969, the I-joist is an engineered wood product that has great strength in relation to its size and weight. The biggest notable difference from dimensional lumber is that the I-joist carries heavy loads with less lumber than a dimensional solid wood joist.[1] As of 2005, approximately 50% of all wood light framed floors used I-joists.[2] I-joists were designed to help eliminate typical problems that come with using solid lumber as joists. The advantage of I-joists is they will not bow, crown, twist, cup, check or split as would a dimensional piece of lumber. I-joists' dimensional soundness and little or no shrinkage help eliminate squeaky floors.
Pre-Construction
Questions
Scheduling?
I would like to know step by step of the process.
Our PM went over this info with us. We also learned that our finish date has been pushed out a month! EEK, I really hope they can move it up but the new date works for us still.
Visitation?
I’d like to visit each day there is activity. Yes, I can visit. The PM just wants us to call first.
What
is the total square footage of the home?
Electrical
panel locations, contents. We went over placement of this in the basement
Ceilings
smooth or textured? Here in Ohio they do textured "spider web" looking ceilings which I don't like. In PA we had smooth walls and ceilings. The insides of the closets were smooth too. Here they do a gross texture thing inside the closets. I'm not a fan!
BLOCKING
in the walls next to or in front of for a rails/towel bars in
bathrooms/stairwells. Yes this can be done.
Outlet
voltage/locations. We went over these and had a few outlets moved up higher on the wall like in the study were I will have a work counter and in the garage.
Closet/pantry
shelving - type/location/can it be moved? PM is going to let me choose the heights of the shelves which will be interested because I learned that when you add the bonus room the stairs to the bonus room cut into the pantry. There will be a slanted "dormer" type celing in the pantry. Hopefully this doesn't affect storage too much. I also learned that the ceiling in the pantry will be 7 1/2' instead of 9' I think the pantry will still work but I'll have to see.
Review
Guardian locations. We reviewed locations for this and realized that the surround sound speaker location was never plotted by guardian. PM is double checking where these are going
Drywall
Concerns. Flashing The drywall job in our first RH was horrible! I voiced my concerns to the PM and he listened. Maybe some encouragement and doughnuts on drywall day will get the job done right.
Tree
on the Tree Lawn? This is the HOA's job so are checking with them.
Stair
Hand Rail to match hard wood floors? Yes
Side
garage entry painted to match front door? Yes
I
want to select or granite slab. Yes
How
big is the space for the Fridge? Not sure since the plans only listed the width not the depth.
Where
is the attic access? Right now it's in my daughters room (bedroom #3) right when you walk in the room. PM is going to try and move it to the laundry room.
Extra
Studs for hanging cabinets in the laundry room & office Yes
Light
switch for garage carriage lights location? Forgot to ask this so will email or discuss during framing
Single
sink, can I buy one for you? Ha! PM looked at me with a blank face for a while. I really really want a single sink put in because replacing later will be a total pain since our countertops are granite. I offered to contact the manufacturer and see if they have the same "shape" sink but wihout the 60/40 divider. I've seen them online in the 60/40 shape single bowl. I know the sink cutout is done off site so it has to be the same as the one RH offers. I will update if I get what I want. - FINAL ANSWER NO, I can't have my single sink!!!!! SO VERY DISAPPOINTED
Where
is the switch for the disposal? PM is checking on this
Drain/pan
under washing machine? Yes
access
panel for jetted tub location? In front of tub. Not the most desirable place but its ok.
Master
Bath Shower Head Heights. We want a his and hers. I'm short, hubby is tall. Yes, just have to remind him come plumbing time.
Under
hardwood red rosin paper or builder's felt? Yes they use and underlayment with a vapor barrier.
Is
there a cabinet above the Fridge. If so can it be built out? Yes and Yes
Is
there a mailbox provided? Yes
After reviewing the home I'm getting really excited about it!
Front corner of our property looking diaganoly at the house
You can see where all the stakes are.
View from my front door. That huge dirt pile is where the Cul de Sac is. I'm not sure what they are doing with it?
View to the side. It's clear now but eventually all you'll see are homes.
View of the other side. The road starts to curve toward the end of our property. We don't get a lawn put in but per code RH has to seed the front of the lot prior to and post build. It's not anything nice but better than dirt.
Back of our property. Learned today that there is poison ivy back there. Yikes! We'll have to see about getting rid of it...time for a Google search.
There is a golf course directly behind this row of trees. When all the leaves fall off our view will definitley change. We'll have to plant some evergreen trees back there.
