Pre-Construction Meeting

It happened!

We finally had our pre-construction meeting yesterday afternoon, 4.18.16. It's been a long wait, since we signed the contract back on 12.26.15!

A couple of surprises -
1. Different PM. We thought we were getting C, who had been the PM for the development to date. Surprise! New guy - B. B will be dedicated to our development, since it's really hopping with new starts right now. Only 6 lots remain unsold in our single loop of 38 homes. I would estimate half are fully completed and occupied to date. B seems warm, personable, and dedicated to building us the best home possible. He's coming from a development finishing up in a neighboring county. One nagging concern, he's never built a Rome model.

2. Start date is pushed. Wahwah.
We were excited to break ground this week, but it now appears we will start the week of May 16. I'll be traveling for work that week, so I'll have to rely on Hubs and Muchie for pictures of the early exciting progress. This delayed start, of course pushes our estimated closing date. We had been looking at early August. Now looking at late August/ early September. That makes our homelessness even more challenging. Our current home closes on July 15. Hubs is secretly thrilled because this means no mortgage payments until November.
The reason given was the delay due to the plans/permits on the custom front porch. My theory is that they don't want to break ground before we give Ryan our last scheduled deposit.

Meeting took 2.5 hours! Didn't end up walking our lot, but thanks to ya'll, my fellow RH bloggers, I had a TON of questions for B. I may have scared him a little. Also weren't able to have the meeting while walking through a Rome model (my wish). This meant I couldn't really ask about moving vents, outlets, etc. live, which was frustrating.

Q&A

Communication (didn't end up asking most of these. In the moment, it felt really obnoxious to start a relationship requiring trust with them. It's not like we could change PM's anyway!)

1. How long have you been in the industry - not asked
2. How long have you been with Ryan Homes - assumed answer, enough time to have PM'd at least one other development
3. How many home builds have you overseen - not asked
4. What can you tell us about the crews that will be working on our home - not asked
5. How often will you be onsite during construction - daily, 7-4ish
6. How to handle our visits? - call/email to give notice, 24 hours ideal but flexible
7. Best way to reach you for questions? - call/email 
8. How/when should we expect updates from you? - weekly, or biweekly at most. Will include pictures, progress, and plan for the week. 
9. Vacation during our build? - maybe a day here or there, no big vacations.
10. How/when to schedule external inspector? - just let him know, welcome to use, but not really needed.

Exterior

1. Sod vs. seed? What happens if it doesn’t grow? - Hydroseed, on us if no-grow.
2. Hose bib locations? Outlet locations? 2  bibs -1 in front, 1 in rear at opposite corners. 2 outlets - one in egress under morning room, 1 on porch, 1 in garage
3. Warranty – roof shingles? Brand & color? warranties will be covered in-depth at house orientation, yes warrantied (didn't ask)
4. Standard outside lights? - 2 on garage, 2 recessed on custom porch overhang, 1 at morning room door
5. Dimensions of backyard for fencing? - have plot plan, didn't ask
6. Driveway width? Location? 2 coats? Can we work with vendor to make wider? 20' long, 26' wide. first coat pre-close, second coat X months later. maybe - work with vendor for private deal (but he didn't say this) 
7. Location of outdoor AC unit? Flexible, smaller yard side (noted my preference)
8. Location of water/ gas meters? Next to AC unit
9. Round or square porch column. Stone? Round - standard.
10. Pick trees? didn't ask, but don't think so. Unclear if trees on landscaping plan are existing trees at back of lot, or new, to be added. Apparently those are developer duties, not RH? 
11. Grading – how will finished contours look? Deck or patio height? How many stairs? See plot plan. 4-5' from ground level to morning room door expected. 
12. Do we get stairs to grade or baby gate over door? baby gate, no stairs.
13. Where will the water/sewer/gas connections be? in the basement, where we plan to build a wet-bar. We may have to do some cabinetry work to cover the access panel.
14. Custom porch entry – real pics? Another in the area? Only crappy B&W pic posted elsewhere on this blog.
15. Porch foundation leak barrier? Fixed on new designs. No longer an issue.


Garage

1. Rough-ins for garage door opener? Yup
2. Sneaking in to add own insulation in garage? Yup. With tight scheduling, only 1 night to do it - after pre-drywall inspections by Ryan & county.  He'll let us know when but firmly stated that this is against Ryan standards! Good employee. :)
3. Garage drain or at pitch? Pitch
4. Garage light switch at front door with porch light? Made a note to request it with electrician.
5. Is door insulated? Nope
6. Sealant on floor? Nope


Kitchen

1. Confirm – gas cooktop & electric double-ovens. Confirmed
2. Move microwave elsewhere? If not possible – move a bit higher? It's as high as it goes, 18" minimum standard. Didn't ask about moving - obviously too late. :(
3. Move outlet above microwave over to allow for swap out to glass front? He can
4. Cabinets for custom double oven move? As pictured in sample. Nothing special, standard upper & lower.
5. Remove granite backsplash lip Will do. May be able to get granite guys to leave for us.
6. Measurement for fridge? Standard, but come measure to be accurate once cabinets are hung
7. Rough-in for fridge water line? Standard.
8. Cooktop vent - too late
9. Dovetailed & soft-close drawers? Now standard….are we getting???? SR checking. They both think we're getting these. Fingers crossed.
10. If not - can we give you soft close hinges we purchase to install? Stand by...
11. Outlet in pantry possible? No one really answered in meeting. I emailed SR this morning to officially ask.
12. Santa Cecelia vs. New Caledonia - the debate is over. They can't guarantee what the slab will look like. Since SC Light isn't available for kitchens (only bath tops), regular SC can come in gold/brown and not white/cream/grey. I can't risk that, so I stuck with New Caledonia. Sigh. that was an epic personal battle for me. 


Powder Room
1. Location of towel & TP holders - moveable?  yes - made a note to ask us.


Morning Room

1. French or sliding door on morning room? Screen? Double door, 1 fixed side. swings in. No screen.
2. What’s on morning room door? Stairs? Bar? baby gate


Family Room

1. Can we get extra framing in the great room stair wall and master bedroom for TV mounting? Yup.


Study

1. Glass-paned or solid door? Solid, glass only an option on formal study conversions (i.e. LR >study conversion). MUCH cheaper to do ourselves later.

Laundry Room

1. Size constraints of washer/dryer? Standard is fine
2. Leave off laundry room door (we want to add a barn door)? Can't - won't pass inspection
3. Confirm - Gas or electric dryer hookup? Plans show electric. I remember choosing gas, sent SR an email this morning to double-check. Not the end of the world, but not my preference.
4. Laundry room light? Standard white ball
5. Dryer vent higher/ inset so we can push all the way back? built that way - inset panel with 4-prong something or other.
6. What is the arrangement of the washer/dryer hook ups? Washer Left, Dryer Right
7. Can they be reversed if necessary based on our appliance configuration? didn't ask
8. Can we add insulation to help with noise? if it shows up....won't remove.

Master Bedroom

1. Can we get extra framing in master bedroom for TV mounting Yup
2. Location of vent – possible move? Will ask if needed at pre-drywall
3. Location of outlets – possible move? Will ask if needed at pre-drywall

Master Bath

1. Standard recessed lights over shower? Tub? Toilet? Flushmount standard
2. Shower door opens which way? swings left towards door to bedroom
3. Fan location? Some discussion on this. Newer floorplan version removes WC door, and gives 1 fan in WC ceiling. We THINK our plan calls for the WC door and a fan in WC and in main bath ceiling. B investigating. 
4. Tile run on diagonal or straight? Didn't ask. I think we missed the boat on this at flooring appointment, but wasn't sold on diagonal anyway.
5. Tile above the shower head? Yes!
6. Door to bedroom - swing? Standard is swing into bathroom (crashing into shower door). Requested flip to swing into bedroom. B will take care of it (shhh). 

Basement

1. Basement door with glass? Nope
2. Balusters on stairs? Yup, a few at bottom of stairs
3. What type of lighting? In finished part - recessed, in unfinished - pull-chains

4. Dedicated outlet in basement storage space for fridge/ deep freezer? Nope, but can easily create double outlet pulling from finished part. 
5. Placement of egress window – depth underground? Moveable to different location? Standard = off to end on back wall of house (in the way of future patio/ deck). We requested to move it under the morning room for natural light and to be out of the way! B will do his best to honor our request.
6. Basement bath rough-in - standard. Will include pit for future waste pump.
7. Bath rough-in walls framed? Unclear on answer- wasn't paying attention
8. Other basement windows? Including 2 "hopper windows" 
9. Will we need a dehumidifier? Good idea, particularly with HW flooring.
10. Sump pump? Will we need a sump pump backup battery? Included. Will need backup battery and/or water jet system.

Misc

1. Bulkhead? B & SR checking. They *think* our blueprints exempt us because we have a basement, but are confirming. 
2. Thermostat location(s)? 1 - Living room (ish)
3. Doors open out – laundry, pantry(?), master closets(?), master bath (?), other? B will address all doors with illogical swings.
4. Quarter round at fireplace – stained to match floor – NOT white B's got it noted.
5. Locations of switches, vents & outlets? Didn't ask - will address at pre-drywall
6. Is termite treatment done during build? No, don't need
7. Trim – what is “exterior column round” from Level 3 trim package upgrade? No clue
8. Switches near doorways, not in middle of walls? Didn't ask - will address at pre-drywall
9. Pick locations of powder room towel bars/ TP holders? Didn't ask -  Addressed elsewhere
10. Tile above the shower head in hall & guest bath?Didn't ask -  Addressed elsewhere
11. Warranties – heating system & hot water heater Will be covered at home orientation meeting & in binder
12. Electric panel location? Basement near HW heater
13. Location of outlet in Laundry room? Kitchen Island? Where in garage?  Didn't ask -  Addressed elsewhere/ will address at pre-drywall
14. Window screens? Yes
15. Confirm locations of fan rough-ins & recessed light placements Correctly noted
16. Confirm finish selections – ORB/ brushed nickel Correctly noted
17. Touch up paint available for Ryan color? Yup. Will be left with a quart each of wall & trim paints.
18. How will the cable and telephone provider hook-up to the home Didn't ask
19. Will you leave any leftover materials? Siding/flooring/ tile/paint, etc? Yup, will leave in unfinished portion 
20. How are change orders managed triggered by issues encountered during construction Didn't ask
21. What Ryan & County inspections will the home undergo during the construction process Long list, didn't take notes 
22. Have there been delays with township inspections in the development? None noted
23. Energy Star inspections? Now called "BuildSmart" program - 1 at pre-drywall, 2 at final
24. What’s our estimated timeline or milestones for our build including closing date and rate lock in date? He'll keep us updated, can get accurate closing date 1 month out.
25. Can we get a copy of land survey for fence/ future playstructure, etc? Given plot plan and stakes, no need for surveyor. 
26. Any rooms without a vent? Nope
27. 1 or 2 AC units/ zones? 1 - 1 zone, very efficient.
28. Outlet in attic? Yes +  light

Other important info offered: 

• Standard bulbs in recessed lighting are 60W CFL bulbs - standard 6" cans
• None of the grout is sealed
• Attic not rated for storage. Mess up insulation rating and effectiveness if you squash it with plywood, etc. 
• There is no longer a 30 day or 10/12 month check-in for repairs. I'm a little fuzzy on this since it was information I wasn't expecting to hear at all. I *think* I understood that you now receive a certificate to use 1x for all repairs, and you use the service call number for everything else. This sounds like a recipe for disaster. But I guess TBD. Anyone who recently closed and have "the binder" know more about the new process? 

**From your experience - do you have any ideas for a Rome that you think would help improve our use of the house?
Ex – storage under stairs, movement of switches, anything?

B's first Rome; but he will get those answers from other PM's in their weekly meetings and other conversations.  We basically gave him free reign to address anything he sees as dumb/ illogical/ user-unfriendly in the build process. B gave us his word that he would, and that he would treat this house as he would his own. Stated "he's on our team". 

How true that is, will remain to be seen. :)