Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Closed

Today we closed on our new home.  It took about an hour and a half and 100 signatures.

We will spend the next two days painting, installing ceiling fans, installing blinds, installing the garage door opener, and installing cabinet pulls.

The air conditioner and cable are being installed tomorrow.

The appliances are being delivered on Friday.

We are moving on Saturday.

It's going to be a very busy couple of days.


Saturday, May 25, 2013

Pre-settlement walk through

Yesterday we had our pre-settlement walk through and we couldn't happier.  Our project manager went over all the features of the house and warranties.  He was surprised by my how much I already knew about the house and Ryan Homes post move in followups.  I guess I learned something reading all the Ryan Homes blogs for the past six months.

Our project manager did an excellent job with the house.  It was hard putting our trust in someone we didn't know with something so important to our family.  I wouldn't hesitate recommending him to anyone.  He will be getting a 10 out of 10 from us.

Now what everybody really wants; the pictures.


Living room inside the front door
The first floor half bath
The first floor half bath
The family room
The morning room
The morning room
The gas stove and 42 inch cabinets

The kitchen sink
A closer look
Going up...
Second floor bathroom
N's room
N's room
Baby's room
Master
Master
Master closet
Master bath
Guest bedroom / office

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

What we have purchased...

21 gallons of Sherwin Williams paint at 40% off


4 Ceiling fans from three 3 different stores - yes we are picky


A refrigerator
LG LFC25776ST





















A washing machine and dryer
Whirlpool Duet WFD94HEAW
WED94HEAW






















A garage door opener - Sommer Direct Drive












Sunday, May 19, 2013

Week 10 Wrap-up

"For all intents and purposes the house is finished."  The status from our project manager this week.  We have our pre-settlement walk through with the project manager on the 24th and are scheduled to close on the 29th.  


Friday, May 17, 2013

Week 8 and 9 Wrap-up

At the end of week 8 we scheduled a walk-through with our project manager. The drywall was up and the first coat of paint was on the walls.  We were shocked by how dark the flooring in the second floor baths looks.  We didn't remember our choice being so dark but it was what we choose.


At the end of week 9 the cabinets and trim were installed and the driveway was paved.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Week 7 Wrap-up


The drywall is ready for paint and the siding is up.
















We have a walk-through scheduled for this Friday with the project manager so expect more pictures this weekend.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Week 5 and 6 Wrap-up

At the end of week five we had our pre-drywall meeting.  Everything in the house looked great except for the rain coming in through the roof and one of the walls.  The roofer failed to install the roof vents in the morning room so the rain was coming in.  Somehow the rain was getting behind the house wrap and seeping through a wall in the kitchen.  The project manager assured us that the insulation would not be installed until the wall had dried.

During week six the house was insulated, the drywall was hung, and the garage door was installed.  

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Week 4 Wrap-up

Not much to report this week.  The roof has shingles, the basement floor has been poured, and the plumbing has started.

Our pre-drywall meeting is scheduled for this Friday.

Our tentative closing date is May 29th.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Week 3 Wrap-up

Our house is framed!!!!!!!!

We knew the building materials would be delivered this week and that framing would start but we couldn't have imagined that it would be completed.  We were shocked and very excited when we heard the voice mail from our project manager last night.

So far I am very impressed with our project manager and his team.  The site was also remarkably clean.

Our Venice

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

In the beginning....

There were big piles of dirt.  Construction on our new home started on Monday; I'll be posting pictures of the progress on the Construction Pictures page.

It's a very exciting time but also a little never wracking since we haven't sold our current home yet.

We have a tentative closing date in mid-May but the end of May beginning of June seems more realistic.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Pre-Construction Meeting


Today we had our pre-construction meeting.  First we met with the project manager who seems like a really nice guy.  He was the project manager on a friend’s house and they have nothing but nice things to say about him so I think we are in good hands.  We reviewed our selections for accuracy and then walked our build site.  The surveyors had just finished staking the site; it was really exciting to the outline of our future home on the site.

Next we meet with the electrician who also seems like a nice guy and is definitely very patient.  This was the most stressful part of the day because we had to make decision on the spot.  In the scope of building a house these decision are quite small but you just want to make the right decision all the time. 

Total time at the meeting – two and a half hours.  We did ask a lot of questions.

Apparently our future neighbors have a large dog.  I say "apparently" because we didn’t see the dog just his calling cards. 

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Why? Why? Why?


Why we are moving

My wife, son, and I currently live in an eleven hundred square foot ranch home and the walls have been closing in since his arrival.  Now that we are expecting our second child it’s time to move. 


Why Ryan Homes

We started off by looking at existing homes in the fall of last year.  On our list of must haves was an updated kitchen, open floor plan, four bedrooms, a laundry room on the first or second floor, and a good school district.  All of the houses we found in our price range would require a kitchen remodel, didn’t have four bedrooms, or were not in a good school district.

So we started looking at new construction in areas with good school districts.  The only builder in these areas that was in our price range and met all of our requirements was Ryan Homes.   An additional bonus was that Ryan Homes are Energy Star certified and the development we are building in has dedicated green space behind our lot. 

Why we chose the Venice

The first time we walked into the Venice we knew it was our future home.  The first floor has everything we were looking for.  It has an open floor plan between the kitchen and family room.  The gourmet island in the kitchen gives you a lot of extra counter space and additional storage.  The optional morning room gives you a dining area right off the kitchen.  There is a mudroom off the garage; something you need in upstate New York.

The second floor has four large bedrooms; this gives us an extra bedroom for guests or office space or both.   There is also a spacious laundry room upstairs; no more trips to the basement!  The walk-in closet in the master bedroom is huge, plenty of space for all of our clothing.