Thursday, June 20, 2013

Roofing a Completed Frame

Since last week the framing has been completed. AAA for speed without a doubt, but I have seen some quality issues. We 'get it.' This will not be built as finely as if we did the work ourselves, but I was hoping for better quality control.

There were lots of cracked/broken/half rotted pieces of wood that one would think would be replaced, along with some obvious spaces in the framing were it really should be flush. I have an ex-coworker who is now a custom builder in the area, and I know from a friend who built with him that he would return any piece of wood that was not perfect, He is also much more expensive..

Marvin and his Amish CT Construction crew were framing the house next to us when I stopped by to thank him for what they have done with our house. He said, "You got a roof today." And lo and behold, I look up and see that we have a roof indeed! It looks very black and sharp, don't know how else to describe it.

We also met the neighbors building the Courtland Gate being framed next to us (visible in one of the pictures below, the house not the neighbors). Very nice people and hail from far-away-lands-across-the-ocean like us. We exchanged some ideas and information, along with our off-track build schedule. It was a pleasant meeting all together and very nice folks, very glad to have them as neighbors.

Basement gets poured tomorrow, assuming ground works pass inspection today. I wonder if many people read all this gibberish or just skim through the pictures. So here is a sentence to test that, "Not thrilled with the level of communication at the moment. Emails to PM seem to go into a black hole. Didn't get a weekly update last week either. I get that RH has him building a bazillion homes and he is busy and we may sound like whiny children for a Master Builder who's built hundreds of homes and has seen it all before (meant truthfully, no sarcasm involved, the man is nice and easy to work with, and provided us with the most comprehensive build schedule anyone but PMs have ever seen). But we are bleeding to pay for this home, and we would not complain without cause. There is a higher than EPA recommended level of Radon in this Palmer Village development that Ryan Homes does not address (of course they have a blanket disclaimer in all agreements about not testing for or being responsible for naturally occurring gases and materials). Ryan Homes will not help us setup a pipe under the basement slap for future use in a Radon Mitigation system in case it is found in our home, even when we offer to pay for it ourselves." So there goes..

and here are some pictures..






8 comments:

  1. I am right there with you the lack of communication with the PM. We told him at our preconstruction meeting that we would like weekly updates. That was 3 weeks ago and we haven't heard from him yet. Again, I know he's busy, but don't ask us if we want weekly updates if they aren't going to happen! We are visiting our lot daily... well, multiple times throughout the day actually... but we still want to hear from someone! We are a couple of weeks behind you... just poured our basement walls on Tuesday... getting very antsy here!! :) We are also building a Victoria Falls but a different elevation!

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  2. Definitely try to get the damaged pieces of wood replaced that could cause problems later. Secondly your PM really should be trying to make you happy these homes aren't cheap but they seem to think we will except anything when it comes to quality. I know what you mean with the communication we don't know anything unless we go to the house and catch the builder there! Whatever you do try to do whatever you can about the radon that can be dangerous. Your home is big and beautiful Im sure you will be happy with it in the end! Stay strong.

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  3. Ella, its looking whole and good! Yes, I'm right there with you on the quality control piece! And I completely agree with you that RH may have built bazillion houses but this maybe the greatest purchase of our lives!! And communication is key, let them know that. They are (no matter how busy they are)suppose to keep you involved and informed.
    And I can feel your pain, they won't change a thing even if you are willing to pay for it!

    There! I passed your reading test....Din't I??? ;-)

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  4. I so agree with you about the communications with the PM. I, too, feel like an errant child if I send an email about one concern or another, and that irritates me. And I would certainly pursue the radon issue. We inherited a house with a rampant radon problem in the basement (the key reason we wouldn't even think about a basement in our new home), and it was a right pain in the neck to address. It can be done, of course, but not without great expense and effort. Good luck with that--wishing you well.

    On a bright note, your house looks lovely! Love that oval window and smart black roof. :)

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  5. We are in the same boat. I have to email our pm otherwise I never hear from him. What is the point of telling us he'll communicate if I have to reach out to him first? I can only stop by the house twice a week so I am hoping for more info. I would just keep bugging them and if you stop getting a response or too much of a delay ask to talk to their manager. That is how I have finally got treated the way I expected.

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  6. I’ve been trying to picture my dream house for years, but your pictures helped me figure out what I wanted for the house. With those kind of roofing frames, I’m guessing that it’ll do good against storm winds. Also, with those windows installed, I’m pretty sure that it will just give the right amount of ventilation I’ll be needing for my house.
    - LeakProofRoof.net

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  7. and communication with my PM has been great so far but communication with the SR was awful!

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