Pallet Project - USA!

Every home needs some "Merica in it.  So I rounded up some pallets and created a US Flag that is 43" x 36".  I put it on the ledge in the stairwell going to the basement, since we are down there often to watch movies anyways. You can do about and design with any product by googling it, so nothing too hard to make.  This is just an idea on what we did.

Accent Wall

Just finished making an accent wall in the basement.  Since I get to decorate the basement, I figured I would start with something simple.

Tools:

2" Brad Nail Gun.  I used 1 5/8" nails
Air Compressor
Orbital Sander
Jig Saw
Level
Rubber Mallet
Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw

2.5 packs of Antique Laminate Flooring from Lowes
1 matching transition strip to finish the right edge of wall with a clean line
2 sticks of quarter round for left edge and top of wall.

The only tricky part was cutting the top part as the left side of the wall was 3/4 higher than the right over the entire length.  The easiest method I found was to measure 2.5 feet at a time and make the cuts, as its easier to get a straight line at 2.5 feet then the entire length of the board.  I used the Jig Saw to cut the top pieces since I dont have a table saw to cut at an angle.  Maybe Christmas will be good to me???

I recommend taking the face plates off whatever you have on this wall as it makes it easier than trying to cut around and it looks better.  We will eventually replace the covers with something that goes better with the flooring.  For perspective, the tv is 60" and mounted on a full swinging arm. I didnt take it off during the install of the wall, as I could just move to either side to make room for the boards.  I also ran the boards to the edge of the wall mount as 1) you wont see it and 2) it was not worth the time and effort to cut little pieces to fit inside the mount.

I may add rope light behind the TV to give it a nice glow when watching movies, but we are still undecided on what we want to do, as we usually leave the single basement light on, as seen in the bottom picture, while we watch movies.

Pre-Settlement Walkthrough

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.

2 weeks away!!!

So we are a little more than 2 weeks  away from the house being complete.  We visited the house last week and it did not have cabinets or flooring. Well.....today we have cabinets, counters, flooring and sod!!!

Holy smokes the house coming together quick now.

So far there has not been any real issues with the build. Sure their have been dings and stuff along the way but it has all been fixed. We were given the chance to see a home in our neighborhood that was finished already and it does help put things in perspective when you are worried about little things.

The best thing I can think to describe a house in construction is like waking up to your wife with no make up on. Just give her sometime and she will be beautiful!

Finally got to see our home in person!

 We finally made to the east coast and had chance to walk through the home with our PM.  We are happy with how things have come along and he answered any questions we had, which were not many as him and our RH Rep have kept us in the loop through the whole process.  We did figure out we will be getting balusters for the stair railings, which will help with getting furniture up and down the stairs easily.  The rooms were larger than seeing pictures online and every space is utilized in the house to give it an open concept that flows nicely.

We drove around the neighborhood and confirmed with the PM that only one other Elevation E is in our section, so it will be nice to stand out!  We chose the spanish olive siding with the black shutters, and are happy with how it has come together. It definitely gives the house a little more pop with colors that compliment each other, when we weren't sure how they would come together.

The one thing that was a surprise was the fireplace is noted as being a slate fireplace with white mantel.  I know I have talked with the RH Rep about having a stone fireplace that would match the stone from the front of the house.  Hopefully we can get that piece figured out, anyone have advice?

Front of house, siding and trim completed, just need to paint remaining trim.

From rear of property line.  Good little space for fire pit and dog to run around

Huge master walk in closet. For reference, I am 6' tall.

Our future homeschool area below the morning room in the basement.  Much larger in person!

View of kitchen and morning room from living room.  I think there are 9 lights in the kitchen area, more than we thought we were getting.

Morning room from Kitchen.

Pre-Drywall Meeting

We had our pre-drywall meeting today.  We are unable to be there in person as we live on the west coast and building a home on the east coast.  I want to take a minute and say that RH Rep, NVR and our PM have all been outstanding during this process.  It was a little bit crazy from the start with getting documents together and selecting our options, but now its time to sit back and let the process do its work.  We had a good idea what we wanted our house to look like before we selected RH as the builder and thankfully, most of our requests were all ready included or added for a small fee.

Now the meeting....

Our realtor was our boots on the ground and did a great job.  We had about 1 weeks notice from our PM about the meeting, which would give us enough time to get an inspector if we wanted.  We decided not to get an inspector after talking to some local inspectors who said RH does a great job and did not point out any known or systemic issues.  Some of the other blogs I've read have mentioned the RH Reps in the Northeast Region and D.C. area were some of the best across the nation, which seems to be very true!

I talked and email our PM the week before and we went over the following questions.  I did not ask too many that I found on other sites as I felt like we would be micromanaging the build.  I could see how this could wear on the PM and RH Rep if they are constantly being bombarded with requests (responses in red)

Can extra support be added in the laundry room floor to reduce vibration from washer/dryer? It is currently designed with double joists for that reason

Where is the attic access located and is there any room up there to store anything? It is located in the laundry room.  There is no storage access.  Main purpose is to install blown insulation into attic

Is there insulation between the shared bedroom walls and laundry room? no

Is there insulation in the garage? Yes on the adjoining walls to the house only

Do any vents terminate in the front of the house? no

Where is the outlet for the deep freezer located in the garage? There will be 2 outlets in the garage.  These will however be GFCI per code

Are the light switches for the garage inside the house? No they are located in the garage

Where is the electrical panel located? In the mechanical room

Where are the thermostats located? There is one thermostat located in the family room

Is the framing or structure treated to protect against termites? Not sure if this is an issue in Maryland. No we do not treat for termites

Will there be any dead space between lighting in the kitchen and room with fireplace? Can the lights be adjusted to minimize this or will it affect the lighting in each respective room? Yes.  The lights cannot be adjusted as they are required to be installed per the blueprints

Wanted to verify that two outlets are in the kitchen island, on opposite ends of it. yes

Also, the garage door lights are in the garage and near the door, not on some irrelevant wall like I saw on other blogs!

Overall, the responses were consistent with what I found on other blogs but most of the blogs about RH were from 2 to 3 years ago, so hopefully our blog will help those in the future or currently considering RH as a builder (not paid for endorsement :) )

The only thing we asked to considered is the placing of was the surround sound in the basement. I asked the PM if they could hold the duct work tight to the wall and he said he would, but said their needed to be space for the wiring, plumbing and fire sprinkler system.  I relayed that info to Guardian who said they would try to fit the speakers in the bulkhead first and if not, they would have be outside the bulkhead.  We did not want this as it would place all 5 speakers in a short area, thus eliminating the effect of surround sound.  

THANK YOU PM!!!!!!