Groundbreaking

We have officially broken ground on our new home!  The excavator was there working bright and early.  By 11am there had been some good progress made.  The PM called to inform us about the progress taking place.  We lucked out and are going to have a gravity sewer vs. a hung sewer which comes in thru the foundation wall above the floor and would have required an ejector pit and pump to handle the basement bathroom.  Also, the PM seemed very pleased with the quality of the soil they excavated.  It looks like very fine, nice soil.  Not like the hard clay that is prevalent in the area.  Being a former farm field we were not surprised.  Should be great for growing grass, plants, trees, etc.

When the PM called this morning he stated the digging would be done today, however we visited the lot this evening and it looks like they still need to finish digging under the family room and in the garage areas.  I'm assuming these areas will be done tomorrow and then work on the footings will begin.  They did place insulating blankets on the ground where the footing is going to keep things warm.  Wish it weren't still so cold here but assuming the proper procedures are followed we should be fine.

Delayed...

Just got word from our PM today that digging, which was supposed to start on Wednesday, (today), is being pushed back until tomorrow due to the mason's schedule.  Still trying to hash out the driveway slope/grading/elevation so it's probably not a bad thing we are delayed.  We are hoping things commence on Thursday as planned.

Lot Walk-thru Prior to Breaking Ground

A few days after our pre-con meeting, our lot was staked out.  We met the PM at the lot today to walk around and go over a few things prior to breaking ground.  The stakes allowed us to visualize where our new home would be situated on the lot and the PM showed us the approximate property boundaries.  Luckily there are a few permanent markers to indicate the property lines.  A fire hydrant on one side, utility equipment on the other, and a chain link fence that runs along most of the rear of the property.  Our PM suggested that we drive some re-bar stakes in at the corners if we want additional permanent markers of our property.  

The official ground breaking is scheduled for Wednesday the 13th when the hole for the foundation will be dug.

We are pleased with the size of the lot and fact that it is relatively flat.  The trees around the back provide a nice buffer from the rear neighbors.  In addition, RH is going to be adding more trees and landscaping.  There should be a good natural barrier around the property for privacy.  

Pre-Con Follow-Up

Had our pre-construction meeting today.  Met first with the electrical contractor and were very pleased with him.  He had a lot of good ideas and suggestions.  Was very laid back and friendly, not pushy at all.  Decided to add the "future tube" which is a 1.5" PVC conduit running from basement to attic to simplify adding additional wiring in the future.  We also opted to replace 2 of our kitchen recessed lights over the island with lighting pre-wires for pendants as well as add an additional light rough-in to permit a total of 3 pendant lights to be installed over the gourmet island after settlement.  He was also nice enough to put these on their own separate switched feed at no additional charge to us.

Immediately following that we met with the sales rep, project manager, and production manager for our division.  It was informative.  We went over the entire process and a tentative schedule for the process.  We were given a tentative settlement date of June 5th, but we are hoping to be closed on it in May.  We had several questions for the PM and, for the most part, got the answers we were looking for.  There are a few items we will have to keep an eye on, but for the most part, we heard what we expected to hear.  We knew going into it that RH was not a custom home builder and that is one way they keep the costs down.  They had not staked out the lot yet so we did not walk the lot, but staking is scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday and the digging starts next week.  Looking forward to seeing some progress!!

Pre-Construction Meeting

Hopefully tomorrow things will begin to move forward.  Our "pre-con" with the PM is scheduled for 2:00PM.  In our market we also get to meet with the electrical contractor to go over switch and outlet placement details, as well as any additional electrical items we'd like to add.  Apparently that is first on the agenda then we meet with the project manager.  Then, time and weather permitting, we will be heading out to walk the lot and observe the proposed positioning of our home on the site.

We have reviewed the electrical drawings and, for the most part, are pretty happy with the standard receptacle outlet offerings.  There are a few receptacles we want to move slightly based on proposed furniture placement and a few switches we'd like to relocate for improved functionality.  We are also hoping to have 3 of the kitchen recessed lights replaced with round ceiling boxes and blank covers to permit installation of pendant lighting over the gourmet island at a later date.

After studying the construction drawings and looking at several RH blogs, we also have a list of numerous items needing clarification we will discuss with the PM tomorrow.  There are so many aspects and details, both big and small, involved in building a house and we want to make sure we will be happy with our purchase for years to come.  We will be posting a page on the blog with specific items we are going to be asking about and will then follow up with the results.

We have neighbors!

Upon driving thru our neighborhood yesterday to check our lot for signs of progress, we discovered that the lot next to ours had a SOLD sign on it.  Rumor has it they are building an Avalon!  We hope that's true!  Stay tuned...

Some Progress...

Well we have started to move forward with the sale of our current home.  The buyers had their home inspection done last week and came to us last Sunday with a request for a large concession to replace the HVAC systems.  Since they do work, we were a bit hesitant to grant this concession.  However, we negotiated back and forth for a few days and have reached an agreement both parties are okay with.  So one hurdle is cleared.  Only two to go.  Hopefully both items are uneventful.  We'll keep our fingers crossed...