We had our pre-settlement walkthrough last friday and everything went well. Not sure how 2.5 hours went by so fast, but it was a good chance for us to go over all of the features with the PM. The PM did a great job, as usual, in explaining the walkthrough process and what to expect over the next week.
I printed out a list of questions or things to go over that I found on another blog, but did not need it. I read over it and felt that some of the questions were not necessary but everyone's experience is different. I have built new construction homes before so I am familiar with the process and we have been to the house several times during the build process and nothing has stuck out at this point.
We had our realtor there to help and they have been through other Ryan Homes but with a different PM, and they were glad to see that very little had to be addressed. I've thought of hiring an inspector to come out, but figured I would do that before the 30 day mark so that we can have a good run through of the house and we would have a list of issues at that point, if any.
SOMETHINGS TO NOTE:
Wife may have gone overboard with the blue tape, but its her home so we gotta keep her happy! I did not think until after we were done that in my previous home we only marked stuff that was 1-2" or longer or was a dent. Minor dings and scratches didnt need to be taped. That would have made sense as there were a lot more of the "minor" things that got taped then actual issues to address.
ITEMS TO FIX:
Shingles over morning room appeared to be scuffed and damaged. It was a small area, maybe only 4 or 5 rows and only about 2 feet wide. Not sure what happened but PM noted that it was not normal.
Only the master bath had a toilet paper roll thingy installed. Not sure how this was missed by us previously, but they will be installed. Heaven forbid we have a central "wiping" area in the house!!!!
Shower door was not installed level and was crooked. PM noted that it was not normal after trying to adjust rubber seal.
Some of the HVAC seal material had dripped onto basement floor. PM had noted this before we got there and was going to have it removed and/or paint the unfinished section floor as the glue stuff most likely would be removed easily.
NOT A FIX, but just FYI, there was some gaps in the stone of the front of the house where you could see through to the mortar backing. THIS IS NORMAL. We thought there wasn't enough mud between the bricks, but a layer of mortar is built around the frame of the house and allowed to dry before the bricks and mud get placed on it. It allows the brick to stick better to the house and creates an extra layer of protection.
Nothing else was notable and everything else turned on and off and flushed and drained as expected. Overall, we are very satisfied with the build of the house, knowing we have one of the best PM's around.
We will be closing later this week on the house after we do one more walk through to verify the items identified have been fixed. One thing I found helpful is ask the PM what the tolerance is for something before taping it. Some items are allowed a variance, like trim or walls that they can off by before they need to redone. Knowing this ahead of time saves the effort of marking every little scratch and sets a reasonable expectation on what can be fixed at the 30 day and 10 month mark. I've read some blogs where this has been an issue where people didnt want their baseboards filled with caulk because they were off the wall by 1/4" and wanted them redone or the wall redone, but that is within the building standards. Not everything is going to be perfect in a home and you just have to accept that.
