October 2006
Monthly Archive
First set of improvements
Posted by Kaina on 26 Oct 2006 | Tagged as: Moving in
As much as this house is perfect for us, we have already begun improvements even before we have moved in. Yesterday, right after closing, I went to the house to break in our keys. The locks of all the houses in the community are set to accept a master key used by the builder only until the new owner first uses their new keys. So, I had to go to the house and turn all of the locks one time with our keys so that the builder’s master key will no longer work on our locks.
While insulating the garage is, technically, the first home improvement project we completed, I did two more on our first day of ownership. Continue Reading »
WE OWN A HOUSE!!!
Posted by Kaina on 25 Oct 2006 | Tagged as: Drywall & Finishing
WE OWN a HOUSE! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! Woo hoo! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! Woo hoo! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! We own a house!!! Woo hoo!
And we even got $127 back!
We’ll start some real moving this weekend!
Oh, the anticipation!
Posted by Kaina on 24 Oct 2006 | Tagged as: Drywall & Finishing
Will I ever get any sleep tonight? I doubt it. Closing on the house is set for 1:00pm tomorrow. I signed off on all of the touch-up work today. There were a few more things to cover but the builder got right to work to get it all done today. I signed off on all the repairs but, really, it’s no big deal if it’s not all finished because the house has a 1-year “bumper-to-bumper” warranty that will cover anything we find that we may have missed before. I signed off on everything because we need that form for closing tomorrow.
The builder also left me a sink faucet wrench so I can swap out the existing kitchen faucet with the new one we bought. I told him yesterday that that would be the first project I get to when we move in so he left it for me today. I’ll have pictures of the new faucet tomorrow.
Walk-through complete, counting down to closing!
Posted by Kaina on 20 Oct 2006 | Tagged as: Drywall & Finishing
Our walk-through was done with our builder, whom we are very familiar with by now. I can’t say enough what a great guy he is. This visit was much like some of our past visits – walking around the property and marking everything we would like touched up. This time, we did a top-to-bottom, inside and out inspection. If anything didn’t look top-notch, 10 out of 10, then it was marked for improvement.
Also, during this visit, he showed us how everything works, how everything was built, where our owners manuals are and reiterated all the warranties. He gave us a portfolio to keep all warranty paperwork in, including claim forms for KB Home warranty coverage and emergency phone numbers. Also, because KB Home only uses Whirlpool appliances, we get a special deal through them of a second year of full warranty coverage for free. Continue Reading »
Landscaping Complete!
Posted by Kaina on 15 Oct 2006 | Tagged as: Drywall & Finishing
We stopped by today to find they have completed all of the landscaping. The sod has been installed on both sides of the driveway and the shrubs have been planted along the entryway and under the kitchen windows.
The left side of the driveway is all set with rocks and sod and the wing fence and gate has been installed. Henry joined the shot for perspective on the size of this side of the yard. Continue Reading »
Landscaping begins
Posted by Kaina on 12 Oct 2006 | Tagged as: Drywall & Finishing
A couple weeks ago, I had swayed the builder to get the landscape going so we could have sod before the cut-off date for this year. Otherwise, we’d have nothing but dirt and rocks until next Spring. So, yesterday they got everything started.
The front yard is skirted by river rock and they’ve graded out the area for sod. The tree in the front is called Autumn Blaze Maple. The tag says it’s an oval shaped tree with rich green leaves that turn red and orange in the fall. It has silver bark and will grow 40′ – 50′ tall and up to 40′ wide. Here’s a picture I found online. That’s going to be a very big tree in ten years. This will also be a very good afternoon shade tree. Facing West, this side of the house gets all the afternoon sun, especially in the summer. Then, in the winter, the leaves will fall off and give us warmth in the winter afternoons. Continue Reading »
Almost there
Posted by Kaina on 06 Oct 2006 | Tagged as: Drywall & Finishing
Final grading of the front and back yard has been done and is awaiting approval. Following approval, the landscapers will come in and set up the front yard.
The AC condenser has been dropped in place and needs to be shored up with lumber since it’s on a slope. The plumbing portions are installed but not the power to the unit.
The builder did a walk-through on Tuesday evening to mark everything that needs touch-up. We came in at about 5:00 and added a few things of our own. I was amazed at all the little things he found that I never would have noticed. He marked things like the recessed light not being 100% flush with the ceiling, crown moulding on the cabinets is a little loose, some of the wall trim around the carpet did not have a 100% flush joint, a few nicks in the paint that I didn’t notice, things like that. On a scale of 1-10, he really is shooting for a 10! Continue Reading »