Stucco - Sheetrock - Flashing - Paint

Well things are moving along!  And of course the rain is just another thorn in our side.  We have stucco applied - all three layers - and flashing was actually being installed today.  The house is really coming together on both inside and out.  We have our first coat of primer on the lower level and even 3 paint swatches (we easily could've had 10 but were asked to keep in "within reason".)  When the weather cooperates I'll take a couple better outside pics.

The sheetrock has been applied and floating and taping continues.  It really has helped to visualize the layout. 

It's Been A While...

Long Time No Post
So it seems I haven't posted in a while! Haven't taken many pics lately as most work has been going on inside and right now the windows are covered in plastic so it's kinda dark for phone pics. Here is the current outside view:

Stucco Prep
The mesh is up and they're prepping for stucco.  It's been off and on rain but plans are for application by the end of the week.  We've got one window over the front door being replaced above the front door and everything should be set.  Once completed the house should be sealed at the roofline with flashing making it watertight and able to be prepped for sheetrock.  Also, after stucco application, we will then get the metal applied to the "tower" and front door overhang.  We spent quite a bit of time finding the right color of metal and after driving out to Mercer Park in Spring to see the color in person on a structure out there.

Inspection
We've had much pre-sheetrock work done so we decided on getting an inspection.  Plumbers, electricians and AV technicians have been out (numerous times).  Before everything gets sealed up, we wanted to get objective view of the process so far.  We submitted the report to the builder and they'll followup on a the items noted.  Nothing earth shattering which is a relief, but a few things need attention which is normal after any attention.

Concrete Staining
The initial process of polishing and staining the foundation has been completed.  We've chosen a fairly dark acid-etched finish close to walnut.  It's turned out well.  While working on the floor the contractors indicated we had a very good foundation pour.  Makes their job easier and makes for a much smoother finish. The whole surface is now covered in a protective (and slippery) wax coating until later in the game.  It'll end up polished to almost glassy. 

Hoping for good weather!
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Roofing, Windows, and More

Soooooo, they finally got a roof on the house. We went with the Weathered Wood color on the main house and garage roof. We went back and forth quite a few times, leaning towards a darker roof that would "disappear" from our view from the Master Bedroom window, but decided we didn't need the extra costs associated with a charcoal roof - energy costs, ordering delays, etc. In the end it worked out. The front door overhang will most likely be roofed in a dark black or charcoal since it is so close to the house.

The overhang has been a bit of frustration for us as we have had to move away from our original plan of the attached overhang. Now that is has been incorporated into the framing and mainly constructed of wood (luckily at a possible significant cost savings!) we are looking at colors for the applied metal facing. We found the correct profile for the metal on the foyer/master closet "tower" and now are scouting out the colors for 2 different metals surfaces, the stucco, and siding. This is a challenge and has meant knocking on doors and asking whether the owner knows the name of the house color. After two days and about 150 miles of driving in circles through neighborhoods, we have a few solid choices. We're waiting on the names of a couple colors from the builder and we should be able to get some swatches soon.

The custom windows were installed and they are amazing. Even the back study window which is smaller than we first thought fits the scale of the room very well. A friend of ours pointed out the crack in the corner of one of them (aaargh) and so that goes on the list of things to bring up to the site supervisor. We racked up quite a list already as we know that sheetrock is scheduled in the next couple weeks and you have to speak now or basically hold your peace. The AV installer is scheduled and we have concrete polishing and staining on the calendar, too. We confirmed the quantities of tile and have placed all the orders (cha-ching cha-ching).

Windows and Plumbing and HVAC, Oh My!

Oh, and let's get a roof in this sucker!!!!


Well quite a bit has happened lately so I'm behind on the posts. Luckily we've had quite a good stretch of good weather and a lot has been accomplished. The exterior elevation is basically complete. It really looks like a house now!!! Tech shield roof underlayment is in and metal hurricane strapping installed. Firewall inspection completed. Even siding has gone up on 2 out of 3 sections.  Most of the front portions will be in stucco or a metal.  The pop outs of the master bedroom and the bathroom look great and balance out the elevation.  The windows seem even larger now in the bedrooms - fishbowl living.  LOL. 



They've also finished off the plumbing and rough-ins. Most of this looks good. The water valve system fit nicely in the 2nd bedroom closet without the need of robbing the space with a thicker wall. The picture below is before install was finished. Shower placement of the handheld might need to be adjusted, but overall satisfied.   We're awfully particular, so it's good that this is looking alright. Gas lines were also installed.  Amazing the maze of pipes this creates.  We even have a gas bib ready for that outside gas grill in the future.  (Which we might be able to purchase in 2040.)


The fixed windows arrived and most have been installed. They have not installed the transom windows as of yet, but the skinny windows of the bathroom, closet and sidelights are in.  Since they don't have a view, they all are placed high in order to capture light.

Functioning windows: This has been a debacle (to the builder more than to us) They are still on order - custom after all - due to the discontinuation of the previously selected models.  The three windows  are crucial to the look of the exterior, and interior, of this house and the builder had a hard time arguing otherwise.  Just had to look at the drawings to see it.  There were adjustments made to meet egress codes, but we shall have our windows.  Sometime.  Hopefully.

Exterior doors - Debacle #2.  We selected metal exterior doors, as they are durable, cost effective and certainly worked with the design of the home.  To our frustration, however, they have a raised "crown" molding edge around the glass.  Not very contemporary or clean, even when painted out.  So we had to go back to square one and chose a fiberglass composite door style - with very clean edges - that will work well.  This did not come without a nice little dent in the wallet.  Installation is planned for midweek. We did adjust the size of the back balcony door to eliminate the need for a custom size but it only changes it by 2 inches.  See, we're flexible.   



The HVAC system has been installed.  We have gone with a Carrier system. Good placement over the bathroom.  Well-supported area and easier access from the attic entry and not too far from the "emergency exit" designed into the back balcony.  Basically a space has been set aside that could be removed easily in case we ever have to replace the system.  The ductwork is pretty straightforward.  We had to give up some master closet space AND 2nd bedroom space to allow for ductwork to the main floor, but placement isn't the worst.  One intake in the master bedroom ceiling tray is less than ideal, but with the slope of the roofline, we can't find an alternative.  We've also discussed the placement of the outside units with the site guy and it's looking better than we thought.

The tankless water heater made it in too.  So we now have most of the mechanicals in.  As you can see in the blurry pic below, we also have the tech-shield roofing in place. It's composite wood on the other side with metalic paper on the inside surface.

We're quite anxious to get that roof on.  The rain chances have returned which is frustrating.  The tech shield is not waterproof and can delaminate when wet.  Hopefully they can at least get tar paper on this thing soon.  A meeting has been set up with electrician and roofer to finalize details, but the delay is driving us crazy.  Keeping our fingers crossed for dryness - at least a few more days. 
I'm being understated in our anxiousness about the rain possibilities.  (Also, we may have had our first intense discussion with the site manager - whatever, this is a business deal and our home)



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More framing, some issues, and windows

Framing is coming along. A few weather setbacks but overall pace is good. This does give us time to look closely at construction. At this point the 2nd bedroom and master bath have framed to ceiling level. The garage was finished off today.



Actually since I didn't finish this post from yesterday, they've basically finished the main frame. As you can see in the pics the basic elevation is complete. It looks great!!! The height is comparable to the neighbor's so no issue there.



A few things come up every day it seems. The project manager has been very reassuring and listens. He's been good at diffusing someone's temper. ;-).

We had a few issues that have taken a bit more work to remedy however. We know the plans like the back of our hands so it seems as though we catch everything.
- Closet was about 3 feet short and the master bedroom was about 3 feet too big. Fixed already but meant some additional framing as well.
- Stairwell - a step was overlooked. We peaked on the second floor with the makeshift ladder and discovered there was no step on the second floor landing. Great, we thought, until we realized you can't just remove a step. Soooooo that means our first floor landing is now 7 inches taller and a step is now protruding into the walkway. Best alternative and we have the space. Better than chopping up a truss.
- Windows. Huge deal. Even had to meet the vendor over this one. They stopped production of the 3 most focal windows of the elevation. He is looking into custom options - which better happen before we blow a gasket.

Overall we are excited and can't wait. March seems like such a ling time away!



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Framing begins

Things are moving faster now! This is so incredibly exciting!!!! I think our cheeks hurt from our big ol' grins.

The waste dumpster arrived yesterday and just last night we had the bamboo trimmed  from the neighbor's property that was leaning into our property and posing a problem for the framers.  (It was shocking how much had to be trimmed!)  The landscapers finished up early this morning with cleanup and the framers arrived. 





It's certainly easier to see the shape of the main floor and the layout.  We were initially concerned about the width of the fireplace surround, but are no longer.  With 12 foot ceilings the proportion is fine. We're also very pleased with the amount of opening for the back sets of French doors and transoms.  The site manager speculates that the basic framing should be done by end of week. The shell should be complete within 3 weeks or so.  (That's when the next long wait begins!) 




Oh, and of course the port-o-potty was moved.  Looks a bit precarious. LOL.





Now the builder wants a list of all the products that we've purchased just to have as a reference.  And, apparently we need to get a doorbell - or not.  Can't people just call on the cell phone? I mean really.  No, really? Can't they.  See the things we stress over. 
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We have a slab!

After too many delays to count, days of incessant rain courtesy of Tropical Storm Hermine, and general frustration, we have a foundation poured! The forecast finally showed a window of low rain chances and the builder was ready.

The mudpit of a site needed some prep as the rain had fill portions of the form with mud and water. After several hours the first truck arrived and the pour began around 1:00 PM. The mix was very thin as it was being pumped via a hose to the back of the form. This filled the form quickly and got into all the nooks and crannies well. The first truck left and the delays began.

Assured that "it would be 5 -10 minutes" turned into 45 minute and 1.25 hour waits for more concrete. Not a huge issue other than the concrete left in the hose has a tendency to harden. We did have a quick rainshower about 3/4 through the pour, but it lasted only minute or so. No big deal in the end.

The final batch for the garage was much thicker in consistency. It poured nicely but being so late in the day it took quite some time to set. The finishing crew was great, working until after 10 pm - even finishing the garage floor to a shine.

We stopped by on Saturday morning. The forms had been removed and stress lines sawed. We also sprayed down the slab to keep it cool and reduce the hairline cracks.

Overall it looks good, we're just adjusting to the height. Soon the framing will start. Can't wait!










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Before Pics...while waiting

While we have had 2 days of dry weather, it looks like rain chances are back in store for next week.  This most likely places the slab pour on hold.  They've dug a trench from the foundation to the culvert to help drain the area.  Midweek it was all just a big soggy mudpit. Stressful! They've assured us that they'll get it all cleaned out and setup again before pouring, but it still is concerning to us.

It thought I'd post a few pics of the house on the lost before we purchased it.  It was demolished before we closed on the lot, so it was never ours, but you'll soon see that it's an extreme difference from what is planned. LOL.  Apparently the house had a colorful past in recent years - with a variety of less-than-savory activities going on.  We could tell that more than a few couples had enjoyed each other's company in the abandoned road beside the 3 lots.  Needless to say you couldn't even recognize these lots now with the completed and ongoing construction.

Side of original house, after Hurricane Ike

Front of original house prepared for demolition

Rain delay

Structural engineer visited the site on Monday. Met him out there to look at setup. Everything checked out, just a few points to look at to make sure adequate concrete coverage around rebar.


The bigger problem is rain. Project manager also was at site and agreed to postpone the pour until next week. The water will need to be pumped out & lime applied under plastic moisture barrier. Chance if rain all week but looks clear next week. This time waiting is not a problem.


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Slabwork

We skip driving by the lot for one day (the calendar showed work on Monday) and look what we find! More foundation prepwork. Two friends went to meet us at the site to see the (previous) progress and we were surprised to see so much had happened over the weekend. We can see clearly where the structural load is. It's become even easier to see the layout of the first floor and garage.  Of course, all I mainly see is tons of rebar / metal. Talk about getting your heart rate going!

We've put in a request to meet the structural engineer out at the site when inspection is done. We're pleasantly surprised overall at the height of the foundation. We've had concerns about the home looking squatty next to the neighbor's but with 12 foot ceilings and the foundation height we should be fine. They layout and use of the property is what we were looking for. 

We are hoping for good weather during the pour. We have chosen stained polished concrete for the first level and it is best if there is no rain on the slab after pouring. Of course most days this week have forecasted 30% chance of rain or more. Lucky us.

Finally to really prove to us that they are going to build this house, the obligatory port-a-potty arrived.  :-)

  

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OMG progress!

So things have begun moving along! I guess when nothing seems to have happened for so long, every little bit of action is exciting. We stopped by the lot last evening and came across this sight! Actually the plumbing for sewage went in today, but the slab frame went up yesterday. A quick call to the builder today and we now have an updated calendar. Plumbing inspection on Friday. Begin digging for foundation and then (get this!) possibly slab poured next week. This is crazy!!! We are months away from completion but it feels great to begin to see progress.
We have a list of things we need to do soon though.

• Confirm the color of acid-etched concrete on the ground level (super dog friendly surface!)
• Order the hookup of the temporary electric source from Reliant
• Arrange for water setup
• Get plumbing rough-ins to builder office
• Get back to drawing board on carpet (sure ain't gonna upgrade carpet with 2 dogs)
• Finalize tile selections
• Finalize a countertop selection in the master bath - very cool new choice just made available. We're strongly considering changing from the quartz solid surface in the master bath to a new product.

Wow. We realize that this is just a start, but we've been waiting for this start for quite some time. Initially the shell should've been constructed by the time that school started this fall. Now that we don't have time off, we're at this stage. Go figure. LOL.

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Stakes!

So I spoke too soon. Drove by today and see that they've staked the lot. Got us a bit excited, although anything happening at the lot gets us worked up. Maybe more next week?


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W a i t i n g

Yep. Just waiting. Apparently the permit has been held up. Oh and our builder is on vacation.

We did look at another option for the bathroom countertop that we are living and about 30% less than the Okite option we had chosen.


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Permits

So we are waiting......again. The building permit has been held back due to some clarification needed on the front overhang. The engineers were to finish up some drawings and possibly the permit will be issued today. We shall see. It would be great to be able to see this foundation poured before school actually began. Won't hold my breath though.


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Foundation Prep!

After a record-setting stretch of July rainfall, we have finally had a break! Soil compaction and site prep has begun! Exciting... nerve wracking...a relief...where do you even begin to describe this moment.

We did not even expect this to start this week. We were waiting on info about demo permit from the previous owner/seller.(Yes, demo...which was done before we even got the lot!) Bottom line of all that is more money. We are becoming well aware of the cha-ching sound in this endeavor.

Only two days earlier we were excited about the fact the AT&T support cable had been moved to a new pole. We hadn't seen progress in weeks, so even that was exciting.

Besides the site prep, they also are setting up the culvert. Definitely a source of frustration. Due to all of the pipes running through the front of the lot it runs at an undesirable angle (We're particular about the details LOL) We've been assured the angle will be able to be covered when the driveway is poured. Next step - form survey and setting up the foundation frame.











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Foundation & Structural Engineer

Today we met with the structural engineers to discuss the foundation yet again. We've moved from a pier foundation to a post-tentsion slab to conventional slab due to the results of the soil report. The soil is considered "good" in their eyes (for Houston) with a plasticity of 15 but the water table is high. Generally this means that there should be relatively little movement but digging piers would be difficult or possible problematic. The post-tension option was dismissed due to the lack of width in the slab to accomodate the tension required on the cables. The conventional slab is basically like placing a waffle on the ground. After digging out 6 inches, placing 24 inches of packed fill, and then trenching, the slab will be poured.

The exciting part is that this process can be started very soon. Everything else is wrapping up regarding plans. There will be a little bit of steel in the garage due to accounting for wind load. It was exciting to see the plans and the life of their own they have seem to have taken on. So many more notes and diagrams are on them since they left us. Next post - selections and allowances.

The Lot

A basic pic of the lot after the previous house was removed. It's actually alot more skinny than this picture portrays. We have planned the house around keeping the beautiful Sycamore tree in the backyard.


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Homeowners Manual & Foundation

Things are moving forward. We met with the builder and basically received the Bible if the building process. In actuality it's just a binder, but it details our timelines, etc. We've already begun setting up appointments for all the selections.

We also went over the soil report and geo-technical data. We'll be switching over to a Post Tension foundation as per the recommendation of the engineer. The soil is less-suited to the pier/slab construction we had planned. Talking at length with with the soil engineer had to happen first though. (of course). Now if the weather cooperates and begins to dry out, we can get this started. We are still also waiting for finalization by the engineer and permits. Our approval of the foundation helps move all forward.




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Champagne

Celebrations are in order - we secured our financing and signed our names on the closing paperwork TODAY! Whew! Tedious to say the least. We're probably a month out from breaking ground though. We've got engineering and permitting as the next hurdles, final meeting, and then the actual dig-in-the-dirt-OMG-don't-hurt-the-tree!-what-were-we-thinking construction will begin. It would be great to be done by the end of the year, but who knows. It's exciting and scary stuff to say the least.

More signatures

Well another step closer - the sign-off on the new contract by the appraiser has been returned. We're able to move ahead with financing (the never-ending process it seems). A few more signatures were needed and off the paperwork goes to the underwriters. More finger crossing/live chickens/drum circles/incense/etc. I am so kidding about the chickens. Of course the topic of budget is always on the table. We should hear more by the end of the week.

Another Contract

Well another contract has been signed. Let's hope I don't jinx it. LOL. After some renegotiating and "transparent" concessions - we're moving ahead. We've cut a few items that can be done later, without loss of integrity of the project. We're moving ahead with financing - quite the challenge. The bank has been relatively good through this all. We're just having to cope with the less-than-stellar appraisals. The entire system is frustrating. One appraisal used an attached mid-1980s built condo as a Competitive Sales. Really. We drove by to check it out and my jaw dropped. Let's keep our finger crossed for the higher appraisal to go through.

We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Continued...

I am continuing the previous blog under a new title. Viewing the building process as a "Project" rather than a "Dream Home" will perhaps create some objectivity during a potentially frustrating, chaotic, fun, challenging, exciting time.

Elevations

So we met with the architect for the first look at the elevation drawings. Generally we were excited but didn't expect much as this was a first pass. Our reaction - B L A H H H. Well I get it's back to the drawing board. We were a bit taken aback.


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Meeting the Architect

So we've met with the architect twice and the process has been smooth so far. (Except for his comment to go ahead and just cut down the tree - which won't be happening) He did ask how many years we've been working on these plans and all we could do was laugh. We've gotten two sets of plans and tweaked them a bit. Of course the square footage increased but we maintained the overall feel adding just a small overhang in the bathroom. This gave the study a bit more breathing room. On the first floor we gained a better setup for the pantry and a bit more room in the living. The architect is still working on getting some layout issues in the kitchen fixed.

We visit the lot frequently as the new house next door is really getting close to completion. This will help determine the orientation of our home. We're still struggling with that and the electrical issues that come up with both options.

With the interior shaping up, the architect will begin sketching out options for the elevations. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with.


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