Day 23 - BLOWN AWAY - (Sunday)

Well, they tried!!  Sandy did not like the surprise to secure the roof with a semi-reinforcement (not sure what it is called).  The majority of the reinforcement was BLOWN AWAY!  So much for being prepared--the house has puddles of water through out.  I was trying to remain optimistic; but I could tell this STUFF may not withstand the winds because it was loosely tacked on the roof. When I surveyed the reinforcement, I could see the edges of the STUFF flapping in the wind.  Most of the water is in the upstairs master bathroom and was dripping straight through the house to the basement.  The only thing that kept us from being flooded out was the roof and I am happy to report that the damage is minimal; but I am still concerned what this may do to the durability of the floors.  I would rather be set back in our build than to have poor floor quality.  Our PM was already visiting the community to check out the impact Sandy had on the homes with open construction when we arrived on the scene.  I was happy to see him so that he could give us an assessment of the water damage. We were told that the plywood that RH uses is very strong and resilient.  The plan is to sweep the water out and should they find that the floor is too squishy and soggy before the drywall is installed they would definitely have to replace it.  They also plan to install the shingles on the roof tomorrow and not sure if the HVAC stuff will be delayed or installed because it was also soaked.  Forgot to ask!!  I must admit I felt sad seeing all the water in the house AND they tried to reassure me that this does happen and it should be fine because the plywood is built to withstand these types of situations.  On the flip side, the HOUSE is STANDING STRONG!!  We still plan to meet with Guardian on Thursday at 1:00 pm; however, the wiring for Guardian may be delayed until the initial wiring is complete which may take a day or two.  We have quite a bit of wiring and our PM wants the wiring completed before Guardian enters the house.  

There goes our reinforcement--DID NOT WORK!!!!!
It's raining in the house!

The STUFF landed in our neighbors lawn!

AND in the back of our yard!

I did not make my daily drive by on Monday which was the first time in a very very very long time; however, I will be there tomorrow (Wednesday) to check out the progress.  In the meantime, I will remain optimistic/prayerful that the plywood lives up to the standard the our PM described and trust that our home is in tact and will dry accordingly.

Day 22 - Surprise for Sandy!!! (Saturday)

SURPRISE FOR SANDY - WE ARE SEALED!!

I was very happy to see the men working on our roof during my daily drive by this Saturday because of the expected visit from Sandy.  I was concerned about the shingles not being installed because we are expecting a fair amount of rain.  This worker is pulling the slabs that were in place for the roof preparation.

AND THERE IT GOES!!

The attic access is in the perfect location - the upstairs laundry room.  Some are installed in the bedrooms - if you can get your PM to install in the laundry room this is a good deal.  I have seen them installed in the master bedrooms - NOT CUTE!

The plastic wrapping hanging from the roof!

The electrical panel is framed out in the small storage room.

A great view of our steps leading from basement to main level.

materials thrown from the roof

Our cross board for the front door!  

Not sure what this roof reinforcement is called but very happy they came to install it to prevent the water from entering the house from Sandy's visit.  Does anyone have any idea what it is called?

the roof  is sealed!!  YES!!  

Day 21 - The WOW factor!! (Friday)

What an awesome week it has been!!!  I am so impressed with our PM and his team!  I love their work ethics.  The men would work until 7 pm and prepped the house for the next day to give them a running start.  It was a challenge keeping up with those guys. 

We had our scheduled meeting with our PM to discuss HVAC stuff--nothing fancy, mostly for clarity!  When we pulled up to the house we had a nice surprise.  Our mentors from our church were doing a random drive by!!  We were so excited to see them and they were excited to see each other.  All of them are cheesing!  I have to admit this was a very special moment!  Awww......

As of 8:30 am this morning, the following was completed, windows installed with flashing, garage and front porch installed, shingles in place, gas installed, framing for front door, door is installed and lots of interior framing done on the inside.

WOW!  Look at this view from the morning room!!

Another view from the Living Room Window!  WOW!
Just Beautiful!

View from the Dining Room Window!!  WOW!!!

Fireplace framing!!  WOW!!

The Steps are Installed!!  WOW!!!

Another View of the Morning Room!!  WOW!!!

WOW!!!

Our PM making some adjustments for HVAC installation in the kitchen!

The Basement Double Patio Door hasn't arrived!  As you can see they have been framing out the basement because wood is everywhere.

Basement View with installed windows looking towards the pond!!  WOW!

The meeting is over!!!  

Me and the HVAC stuff and hubby in the windows taking this shot!  WOW!!!

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AFTERNOON DRIVE BY

Some Progress--the trash is now outside!!  

The fireplace is installed!!  WOW!!!!

Love the graffiti showing LOT #28!  

We are prepped for Sandy--they locked all the windows and boarded up the other window which they will be completed on Monday depending upon the weather!

Notice the pretty white boards (trim) along the perimeter of the garage and front porch!  Our PM said we must be sure to maintain them because they have a special finishing.  Simply keep them painted to maintain there luster. Love our front porch!  WOW!

The Garage is spotless--they did a great job cleaning it up! WOW!

Gas Line is installed on this wall--look closely!  WOW!

Not sure what's going on with this vent--BUT IT IS DEFINITELY CROOKED!

They did a great job cleaning the inside of the basement, now they must get to this back pile!  Actually, this is a good time for dumpster diving!  Right Megan!!  

I think they used these guys for support during the interior installation!  WOW!!

WOW!! The front of the house is nice and clean!  All the HVAC stuff is in the garage and ready to GO!  They also plan to install the shingles and finish the dining room window on Monday!  These guys were in and out today and said they would return on Monday. I don't expect to see any movement tomorrow (Saturday); however, I will be driving by to check and see if they  show up.  From this point on, it will appear that things are slowing down because most of the interior work is scheduled for next week. What a great week!!  The house is fully framed out

Day 20 - GET BACK - There's GAS!!!! - (Thursday)

THURSDAY MORNING DRIVE BY 

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I made my daily morning drive by to the site and I can't say it enough- these guys are making some tremendous progress on our home.  As soon as I drove into the community I looked behind me and there was our PM.  He pulled up beside me and said, I need you to stay back today, they are installing the gas line."  I know he is being very patient with me because he knows how elated I am that the house is being built.  I really appreciate the patience he exemplifies.  He told my husband he would need his help with keeping me at bay.  LOL  What can I say, I want too and will document every phase of this journey each moment I get the chance too.  I am making every moment count. :-)

In the meantime, we received an email from Guardian who mentioned they will be scheduling our meeting on November 1 should we choose to be present--absolutely, there is no way we would not be there.  However, our PM said "he may have to push the meeting back because we need to have our pre-wiring meeting before they can begin their wiring installation."  We have lots of additional wiring throughout the home and we want to be certain that the additional outlets, recess lightening, pendant lightening and flood lights are in the correct location.  Our PM shared with me today to expect to see the shingles on the roof, windows and doors installed along with the gas line installation.

The gas company had signs posted every where reminding people to proceed with caution. On the right hand side of the house they marked the wall with wording that said, "Gas" and a no smoking sign posted in that area.  All of the utility men were dressed in orange.  The setting reminded me of E.T. when they wrapped the entire house.  lol  I drove through the circle and stayed in the truck.  I made sure to keep my distance.

Since I couldn't get any views from the front I decided to drive around the back.  Can't beat them, join them.  lol  Our house is HUGE!  If you look to your left you can see the Evensong Trail that leads to the other side of the Fairwood community.

In these two pictures you can see a worker installing the windows.  For the very first time, I felt like a stalker!!  It was weird because I kept creeping up closer to the house and one of the utility guys were looking at me like I was crazy.  lol  Yes, I am the homeowner paparazzi!!  This has become my new freelance job.  Hysterical!!  I am willing to do whatever it takes to capture these magical moments.

The Evensong Trail 

Side view of the house!

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AFTERNOON DRIVE BY 

During my morning visit I shared with our PM that the corner unit on the front porch wasn't flush with the house.  Apparently, it was addressed and the guy in the blue shirt is working on the corner unit.  You can see the patched up one has been taken down.  No short cuts on this house!!  Thank you,  Mr. PM!!   All the baby trusses are installed over the garage and front porch.  

Most of the guys are inside the house completing all the interior framing. The shingles are in place and ready to GO! Our PM called me this afternoon to schedule our HVAC meeting.  We will be meeting with him tomorrow, Friday, October 26 at 8:30 am  

The house looks great!  The gas guys are done with the gas installation.  No stalker feeling this afternoon!  lol    

Amanda,  all the windows are installed!  How you like me now!?

Evening Drive By

My husband did the evening drive by while I was in class and was completely WOWED OUT!! He texted me several times that I won't believe what he was looking at and was so pleased.  He kept saying WOW, wait until you see this!  WOW, this is gorgeous!  I will have pictures of those views after tomorrow's visit with our PM.  Stay tuned.......