3:00 p.m. EDT
Our pre-drywall meeting happened! Can't believe we're already at this step.
I apologize for this post having no house pics. I'm still waiting for Hubs to send them over from his phone, and will add them as soon as possible!
Hubs and I met our PM and his trainee at the house at 3 p.m. sharp. We also met Hubs' friend, T, who is a PM for several other big local builders, and would be acting as our unofficial (free!) home inspector.
We started in the garage, and PM explained everything we were seeing. Because we had snuck into the house over the past couple of weeks, we were pre-loaded with questions. First was the strange lack of plywood in certain spots. PM explained that what we were seeing in those spots was actually dry-lock(?) board, which is apparently standard. T gave us the DL nod of approval, so we're okeydokey.
We moved to the basement next, where PM explained the framing, showed us our crappy HVAC unit, and answered our questions about the sump-pump, and the logistics of adding a water jet system after we move in, which after researching, is definitely preferable to a battery backup for the sump. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, this random article from NJ.com explains it pretty well. We mentioned to T that we had hoped for a tankless water heater, but that Ryan did not offer that option in our hood. He gave us the idea of quickly taking the crappy 60-gallon one Ryan is installing, and selling it to a plumber friend of Hub's, taking the proceeds, and buying our tankless system, or even a bigger/better regular storage unit. Brilliant. Also had some discussions about layout of the future wet bar and powder room we plan to install with our rough-ins.
Moved back up to the main floor and selected locations for the ceiling fan/chandelier in the morning room (a little complicated by the door swing), ceiling fan rough-in , and 4 recessed lights in the family room. My heart sank when I realized (and T agreed) that we probably should have added additional recessed lights in the family room. 4 just aren't going to cut it. 8 would probably have been the best choice. He also thought that due to the way the ceiling joists run overhead, that they won't be easy to add later (well, CRAP!) I'm thinking we'll end up with a ceiling fan with lights in there (plus lamps) to help.
Then the epic battle ensued. I was torn, but had decided that I wanted to install the TV on the outside wall between the windows, leaving the fireplace on the long end alone so that I can decorate the mantel, etc. See this Rome model pic as my inspiration:
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| My Ideal Family Room Setup |
Hubs insists the TV should be installed over the fireplace so it can be watched from the kitchen easily. I see his point, but only really agree to this plan if he is willing to install built-in cabinetry along the entire wall, which helps ease my decorating concerns (but not my sore neck concerns).
We debate this extensively with PM, trainee, and T all chiming in. Note, I am the only source of estrogen in this TV debate; and I ultimately lose the battle. Gah. Hopefully in the end, it will look something like this:
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| Hopefully what the TV over fireplace wall will look like |
The kitchen was fun. PM confirmed which side I would like the wall ovens on our custom change moved double oven/cabinet wall (I chose to the right - closer to the kitchen, vs. to the left, closer to the family room). I explained the plan to run 3 pendant lights down the long island after closing, and asked that all recessed lights in the kitchen (standard) be placed logically around the island, while not encroaching to throw off the spacing with the other lights. He agreed, and spray painted the floor for the electrician to call him to plot the placement when he comes through.
Moved upstairs to confirm placement of the thermostat in our master bedroom, and changed door swings (Master bath changed to swing into bedroom, and laundry room changed to swing into hall). Confirmed placement of attic access in laundry room.
Sadly confirmed that due to the itty bitty sized wood/framing Ryan uses for the attic floor/ second floor ceiling, that nothing weighing anything can be stored up there. It's so weak-looking that I'm honestly nervous about sending my slender electrician nephew up there to install lights and ceiling fans without falling through! PM also confirmed that laying plywood down to store anything will "smoosh" the insulation and cause us to lose energy efficiency. Wuh. Wuh. I guess some portion of the basement will always need to remain unfinished for storage!
PM explained the upcoming county and energy efficiency inspections, and next steps with the house - HVAC and plumbing to be finished, electric to begin, the spray-foam party to fill the million open cracks and holes, and framing to come back for tweaks after his personal framing inspection. I don't think there's another official meeting before our pre-settlement walkthrough, but PM indicated that he would get us back out after drywall is roughed in. Yay! Also confirmed we are still looking like August 22 for the walk-through and closing 2-10 days after that.
We also figured out the timing of when we can sneak in to install insulation in the exterior garage walls/ceiling, etc. I'm still trying to sell Hubs on putting in sound-proofing insulation around the laundry rooms and bathrooms too. But of course, none of this is Ryan sanctioned, so shhhh! :)
T confirmed my strategy, and thanks to other Ryan bloggers for recommending it!
My follow-up email to our PM after the meeting included these items, some of which we had talked about, and some T had pointed out to us after the meeting:
Interior
- Can we add a stud at the back corner of bedroom #2 (see cable marking), where the wall backs up to bedroom 3’s closet without support? Nothing there to support future hanging TV.
- Add bracing for wall-mounted TV’s – master bedroom (see cable marking) + family room fireplace + family room wall between windows
- Basement divide wall by return vent not secured to floor.
- Framing/toe nailing between loft and bedrooms #3 & 4 very loose
- Laundry room drain pipe visible in garage – not connected anywhere?
- At least one hanger not nailed in – can’t recall location, maybe stairwell?
- Last extra outlet needs to go high up in the mudroom closet - to power the TV components Guardian is wiring for in there.
Exterior
- Front of house - roof soffits on both sides are unattached and short.
- Hose bibs are on both sides of house, rather than opposite front and back corners as explained at pre-construction meeting. Can we have one installed on the front near the garage?
- House wrap at back left corner (near morning room) worn through.
After our PM and the trainee left, our Guardian rep. took over (he had been lurking). We didn't get much with them, so it went fairly smoothly. We walked through and picked locations for cable outlets in the basement, family room, study, the bedrooms, and the loft. Placed 2 data outlets, some other crap (something about routers), and confirmed that we wanted the wireless connections for the TV components installed in the mudroom closet. He was helpful in making recommendations and having us think long-term about which way beds would likely face, where a desk would be, etc. etc. He explained that Guardian would be back out 2-3 weeks before pre-settlement walkthrough to make sure their wiring was in and correct, and gave us some paperwork to that effect. Seemed straight-forward, but I was pretty fried at that point, and probably wasn't listening very well.
This weekend, the nitty-gritty packing gets underway. We're taking small trips over to our storage unit to clear out the house as much as possible now, and hopefully save ourselves a little money on move #1, coming up on July 13!
This is all feeling a little surreal.
