Monday, March 25, 2013

Finally, An Update!

Here we are!

Just as a reminder, we closed on February 14, and got the keys on the 15th.  That weekend then became a whirlwind of trying to get some stuff in boxes and over to the new house, while also calling to switch over cable, electrical, and gas.  Of course, we couldn't switch over the cable right away, so there was about a week of heading back to the old house to do work-related projects that required internet access.  That was fun.  Plus, I missed a bunch of shows!  It was rather painful to read Facebook updates about The Walking Dead when I hadn't even watched it yet!

I'll get to pics in a second, but first I want to bring up some of the things I mentioned in my last post a month ago.  I mentioned that our PMs have been pretty good overall, save for an occasional lack of communication.  This came to the forefront the day we closed.  Apparently, there had been an issue with the dishwasher that we were completely unaware of.  At some point in the cycle, the dishwasher would leak a small amount of water from the bottom righthand corner.  Now, at the pre-settlement walkthrough we were not told any of this.  No one mentioned anything to us about it.  According to what our PMs told us later, they had assumed that it was fixed since they had GE show up before the pre-settlement date to repair it (that was repair attempt #1).  After our pre-settlement meeting that day, one of the PMs decided to try to run another cycle to see if it was fixed.  It wasn't.  There was still a small amount of water that leaked from the bottom right corner.  After we closed on Thursday, I called our main PM to let him know that we were able to sign the paperwork (and left a message, since it was after hours).  He called back shortly afterward and told me THEN about the dishwasher problems.  AFTER we had already signed off and closed.  Wonderful.  He was lucky I answered the phone and not the husband.  The husband was pretty upset about it, and rightfully so.  No mention was made of this to us.  We had no clue that ANYTHING was wrong with ANY of our appliances.  It made me wonder, "What if something else was wrong with something else, and we had no idea before we closed?"  In addition to all that, now the house is ours and there will be someone trying to get in to repair this dishwasher - and of course they'll likely want one of us there to supervise.  Well, great, but neither of us were able to take any real time off work after closing because of our work schedules and conflicting colleagues' vacations.  So, uh, wouldn't it be better if this had been fixed BEFORE we closed, instead of now one of us having to leave work randomly to try to be there for a repairman?? 

And then the repairman!  The PMs made an appointment that following Monday (I think) to have GE come out and try to fix it again (repair attempt #2 - apparently they try three times before calling it a lemon and replacing the appliance).  Okay, we told the PMs we want someone there to watch the guy, as we started moving stuff in over the weekend (including our two cats).  The PMs said one of us had to be there too.  Great.  Now the husband has to leave work (as we were short staffed at my job and I couldn't get away) so he can be there with the repairman.  Luckily, both our PMs were also there.  The repairman comes in and starts working on the dishwasher - this is where it gets good.  First he breaks a couple parts off while trying to figure out what's wrong, including the bottom trim and the plastic top part where the buttons are.  The husband and PMs kept looking at each other like, "What is this guy doing?"  He then proceeds to throw down one of the broken pieces on the counter, and exclaims "I don't know how to fix this.  I can't do this.  I'll have to call another service guy."  And he leaves.  Just leaves, with our dishwasher now broken.  Husband and PMs look at each other, husband says "You guys are gonna replace this now," PMs say "Yes, this will be replaced."  A little while later, one PM calls the GE service department to find out whether a new repairman will be coming out or not, and GE tells him that the first guy never even checked in!  Never called, nothing!  They have no idea where he is.  By 6 pm or so that evening, they still didn't know where the original repairman was.  Apparently, our dishwasher broke the guy.  I think he left the country.

Another thing I mentioned was the cleaners.  I know some people on the blogs have complained about the cleaning being less than ideal before closing.  I'll have to second that.  We are rather lucky that our paint color for the walls matches the tile colors closely - otherwise it would be really really obvious that there are paint drips and messes ALL OVER the tile.  They did a good job with the obvious trim paint overspray that we had on the hardwoods, but the tile was terrible.  I know that because of the fact that our paint and tile colors were so similar led to them not being able to see how much paint was on there, but seriously.  I could tell when I was sealing grout - I know the cleaning staff was on their hands and knees cleaning the tile as well (we walked through the house one evening while they were there, so I saw them).  Our PM even told us that he had them come back through to clean right before we closed, but I find it hard to believe.  Obviously some of the stuff can't be helped - lord knows there's a ton of drywall dust still settling today - but paint on the tile?  Come on.  It was pretty obvious to me.  Of course, I wouldn't be blaming the cleaning crew if the painters had been more careful, but whatever.  Expecting people to do things right the first time seems to be a pipe dream.

Finally, on to the pics.  Overall, we're rather pleased with how it all turned out.  I still thank the husband daily (out loud or in my head) for changing the paint color to Pavilion Beige - I can't imagine how the other paint choice would have turned out, but this is perfect for us.

First, the first floor...


The Stairs - I really love how these turned out


The Living Room
(There is now furniture in here!  I'll post pics later today)


View from Living Room into Dining Room


Fireplace
(update to come on this one - they're replacing our hearth stones as one of them has a very sharp edge)

Morning Room (and awesome view)

Kitchen


Kitchen from Morning Room
(Another update - GE is replacing our freezer door since it's dented near the handle...perhaps someday I will discuss this more, right now it's a bit touchy)
 
Dining Room

 
Another view of the Dining Room



Overall view of Family Room (a little out of order)

Mudroom/Laundry Room

First floor Powder Room - rather hard to photograph

First floor Office - also hard to photograph

Windows in the first floor Office

And now the second floor...


Master Bedroom Sitting Room
(Closet door to the left)

Master Bedroom - lots of these rooms are hard to photograph
(might have to use panorama next time, when there's real furniture in here)

Master Bathroom sinks

Master shower

Jetted tub (yay!)

One spare Bedroom (next door to the Master)

Foyer chandelier

Stairs looking down (you can see our shoes!)

Hall Bathroom

Hall Bathroom sinks

Smallest Bedroom and my future Craft Room

Another spare Bedroom

Finally, the basement...


Basement (to the right of the stairs as you face them)
 
Basement (continuing to the right of the stairs as you face them)

 
Basement stairs

 
Basement (to the left of the stairs as you face them)


Basement Powder Room

Unfinished Area
(Only unfinished storage in the whole house)

Unfinished Area
(and  some leftover carpet and hardwoods)
 
Another shot of the Basement - the back of the stairs are at the far right of the picture

 
Future Hearth Room
(planning on putting a fireplace in on that open blank wall)


The Future Bar Area
(finished space under the Morning Room - doors to outside are in this area)
 
Doors to the Media Room


Media Room (back)
 
Media Room (front, where the TV will go)

 
View from the walkout doors - inside the tiled Future Bar Area
(Lots of mud right now, but hopefully a patio in the future)

 
The Front of the House!


There are more things to come in the near future (like other complaints, how things went at the 30 day inspection, etc.), but I think that's all for now.  I'll try to get pics up soon of some of the rooms with furniture. 

14 comments:

  1. Sorry you had to go through all of that. But I must say your house looks lovely!!

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  2. Sorry things were less than smooth! But the house looks BEAUTIFUL!! Can't wait to see it with furniture! Love the bay window and the dining room generally! Yay!

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    1. Thanks! The dining room is one of our favorites too - I think that's why it was so hard for us to pick a table and china hutch for it. We want it to fit perfectly, and I think we've found the set to do it...pics once we get it!

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  3. I noticed you said you closed on the 14th and got keys on the 15th. Is there a reason why it was a day later? I have been planning on closing on the 11th AND getting the keys on the 11th. I hope I'm not messing myself up!

    Sorry you're dealing with so many issues in your BRAND NEW home! Hopefully they will remedy everything soon. I know what you mean about people needing to be home, that's why I'm trying to schedule all the new hookup stuff for the 12th or 13th. I have a feeling I'll need to save vacation days for repairs by RH in the future...*sigh*

    You're house is B-E-A-U-T-F-U-L !!!!!!! I can't wait to see it with furniture. Great job on your selections!

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    1. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L !! oops :) Missed the I

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    2. Thanks!

      We closed LATE on the 14th - our appointment with the title agency was at 4 pm, and our signing went past five. So, since we closed so late in the day, we wouldn't be able to get the keys until the following day. If you close early enough for the bank to get the closing funds squared away, I think it's possible to get your keys the same day. Also, it may depend on what state you're in. I would talk to your SR or LO (or your PM, but ours wasn't too familiar with how that stuff worked), and ask them what the odds are for getting your keys the same day. Good Luck!!

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  4. It looks amazing! I can't wait to see it all furnished and decorated!!

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    1. Thanks! I posted some pics of furniture, but it's totally a work in progress.

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  5. Your house is beautiful.....we wished we had purchased all the recessed lights you have in everyroom...looks great!!

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad we did the can lights, although it can be a bit bright sometimes (it's either too bright or completely dark if we're watching TV). We will be installing some dimmers in the near future, so hopefully that will help. And the only room without cans is the living room, and it doesn't have any lamps yet, so it's pretty much useless after the sun goes down! At least that's the case for now...lamps to come soon I hope!

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  6. I am drooling over your home and it doesn't even have furniture in it! It's absolutely beautiful!!! I hate that you have had so many issues but I'm sure they will soon get better! Congrats on your beautiful home!

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    1. Thank you! I'm hoping things continue to get better. I'll have to keep everyone updated with the 30 day stuff (since we just passed that mark). It's a process, I'll say that much.

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