The Bluffs... A work in progress

The model home, The Hammond, finally getting her stone work. There is still a lot of work inside that can't be accomplished until the electric is finished. 

She is the first to have a mailbox, though.

 

The Camden, up the road, has been framed and they've just finished roofing and putting in the windows. 

The Pinehurst II is in the process of getting the roofing done. 

The Bentwood, Cathy & Johns, is getting the brickwork done. The plumbing, wiring, etc. looks to be about finished. They should be at pre-drywall soon. 

Then our Darby II. Slowly but surely. 

Electrical Mess

They are in the process of putting in the electricity at The Bluffs. I'm not sure why they waited so late to put it in. The water, cable, and whatever else is under there, were all put in before the roads were paved. This has just made everything a complete mess. 

The first thing they did was put up a pole at the entrance and brought the electric from the other side of the road. 

Then they started digging a trench just a few feet from the curb with a tiny backhoe. 

They have started to fill in the trench at the entrance leading up to the model home. The wiring popping up in the ugly green boxes and caps. 

They have strung the wiring through most of the entrance road, and have started to curve it around onto our road. 

We ran into Susan on our visit. She was checking their progress, as well. She told us they had about 2 weeks and then they'll get the nasty roads cleaned up. 

So that's what it's for...

It's Saturday and it's raining for the second day in a row. The Bluffs are nothing more than a mud pit with 5 homes in varying stages of completion. 

The electic company is still at work burying the lines. So far the entrance road has been dug up, the lines laid and half of it is covered again. The lines now stretch above ground around the corner to our road, but they haven't dug the trench yet. I'll get pics of their process tomorrow when no one is at work. 

In the distance sits our house. One of the gravel piles has disappeared and a small tractor sits in front. 

They have pushed the gravel down the slope into the footers. The best part is now I have a gravel walkway to get pictures. No more muddy shoes!  However, this is not on the side of our driveway. I have a feeling we will be picking little rocks out of our front yard for years to come. 

It looks as though they didn't get much farther than pushing it down the slope.

I find it interesting how there seems to always be progress of some sort, though I never come upon someone actually working.  

All of the rain this week has turned our foundation into a pond. But what do I see?? The infamous black tubing being put to use. They have laid it on the inside and outside of the foundation footers. I'm assuming it will be hooked up to the sump pump?  

Braving the mud

Monday they poured, then Tuesday it poured. It rained all day and night. Wednesday the sun came out and the temps hit the 50s. 

Unfortunately that meant my boots were put away and I wore my ballet flats. No match for the mud. 

So today I pulled my trusty boots on and visited the site. The molds are off and we're waiting for the next step. From what I can see that next step is pouring gravel at the bottom and putting the forms on to pour the walls. I'm not sure when those steps are planned. 

On the plus side, we've gone from saying "the lot" to "the house". As in, "Did you stop by the house on the way home?" It's becoming more and more real. 

P.S. The trick to keep from sinking in the mud... Follow the tire tracks of the big equipment. 

UPDATE: I picked our son up from school and took him by the house to see the progress. In the two hours since my last visit they have delivered the gravel. YAY!  Now we just have to wait for the forms to be delivered. 

Doing what they can

It's in the mid 20s right now. Though starting tonight it's supposed to warm up. 

I stopped by the site to see how everything is coming along. There are tarps lying everywhere and I was surprised when I walked up into my lot. They have already placed the forms for the footers. From the picture you can see where the upper and lower basement will be. That's our house!!  It looks as they they are ready to get things rolling on Monday morning. 

Things just got real

We received a call from our landlord yesterday. He wants to show the house tomorrow morning. 

Our lease isn't up until the end of July. He seems to be getting a huge head start. 

Our area is around Wright-Patt AF base.  Spring time is moving time here. People coming and going. We toured the area and picked the house in April, though we moved in during July, four years ago.  

So from now on we're going to have to keep the house tidy and ready to go for these showings. Not an easy task with two kids. 

Then the thoughts of actually having to pack ALL of this up. Ugh!  

The excitement of building is great. My innate ability to procrastinate and dread of having to organize, clean and pack??? Not so much. 

The Infamous Black Tubing

This black tubing appears on every lot just before they pour the footers. I have absolutely no idea what they use it for. I've never been on site to see them use it. Now it's on my lot. 

The giant hole got even bigger today. They etched out around the garage area and where the upper rec room (aka our office) will be. It's a room that's halfway below ground and leads to the finished basement. 

They created a ramp to get in and out of the hole. 

It has been raining ALL day and is supposed to continue into the night. I'm going to guess that this muddy mess will make it impossible to work with until Monday. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's mid forties today but raining. I asked if they would be able to pour the footers in the rain.

They are finishing the dig today and expect to pour the footers tomorrow unless it rains too much. It's just kind of sprinkling now. 

If they can't pour tomorrow. It will be too cold Thursday and Friday to pour, so they will wait until Monday. 

Crossing my fingers for tomorrow. Now stop your rain dances out there wherever you are. 

Not just any giant hole, but MY giant hole

I couldn't help myself. After dinner I made my way over to The Bluffs. The sun was setting and the place was empty. 

They accomplished quite a bit today. 

It's hard to see the hole from the road.  We chose a large pie shaped lot. Our house had to be pushed back 9ft to make room for our 3rd car garage. It's going to make for a big front yard and long driveway. Great for guest parking. 

The beast and his spoils of war. It's a giant pile of dirt in our side yard. I'm not sure if they are hauling it away or using it to grade the back of our lot. 

From the front. The light in the trees is from turning the brights on in my jeep. 

From the back. You get a good view of just how deep it is. That notch of earth in the corner we are facing will be our garage. 

It is a lot bigger than I envisioned and does  make the backyard appear a lot smaller than expected. On our lot plan the yard looked huge. I'm hoping once they backfill it gives us a bit more yard. 

Tomorrow we are expecting temps in the mid 40s but it may rain. I'm not sure they can pour footers in the rain. We shall see. 

It's happening!!!

While at work today Susan sent us the good news. 

So my boyfriend and I went to the lot at 2pm to see the progress. The big equipment was sitting at the edge of our property. The truck next to it had it's hood up. I'm not sure if that meant they were having issues or if the guy was just taking a break. It is still pretty cold out. 

I was able to get pics of what they've accomplished so far. 

The hole looks a lot deeper than what our neighbors did. Our PM told us that was his plan. Dig it deep and flatten the back slope out a bit. I am just so excited that we've finally started!!

One more blast from Mother Nature

Well they didn't dig today. The temps never climbed out of the 20s. To top it off, they are calling for more snow tonight. One forecast calls for 1-3". The other for 3-5". 

So what does this mean for our dig?  The news today is that it will happen Monday, unless we get too much snow. Mother Nature had better cooperate if she knows what's good for her. 

The final concern is that they removed all our stakes and spray painted the snow. Now another couple inches will be on top of that. How are they going to know where to dig?  Susan sent an email to Jeff to make sure that was being handled. I sure hope so. 

I love surprises

On the way home from work my boyfriend passes by The Bluffs. As he did so today he saw the big equipment sitting in the far corner. (Where our lot sits).

He turned in to see and was surprised to see some progress. I wouldn't call it an actual dig, but they are definitely ready for one. 

Looks like there is a possibility they may dig tomorrow, a Saturday.  I might just have to bring the lawn chair out!! LOL

Bluffview Dr

Our sales rep, Susan, cruised by the Bluffs today to check the progress.  She was sweet to send us an update. 

They are framing The Chelton. They are finally putting in the electric, the last utility to go into the development. They are prepping the entryway for the big monuments stating, "The Bluffs". And we now have street signs. 

As you can see the snow is still hanging around. Crossing my fingers for a Monday or Tuesday start to our home. 

Winter blues

We just received the message that our dig wouldn't be happening this week either. Bummer deal. 

I've been watching the forecast like a hawk. It's supposed to be in the mid 20s tomorrow and Wednesday. Apparently that's not quite warm enough. Next Monday and Tuesday will be above freezing, at least part of the day. I'm crossing my fingers we get the go ahead for next week. 

I drove by The Bluffs and the only thing happening was indoors. There was a van parked in front of the model home and Cathy & Johns place. I'm assuming trim work in the model. I think it was dry-walled a couple of weeks ago. Cathy and Johns Bentwood is coming along nicely. The windows are in and the barrier is on the roof and exterior walls. They put the windows in at the end of last week. Now it's electrical, plumbing and all that fun stuff. 

The other two homes are still at the basement stage. Wood has been delivered to both, which now sits in about 6 inches of snow. On the plus side, the roads are plowed and dry. 

Sigh, someday it will be our turn. 

How cold is too cold?

So we were unable to dig at all this week due to the weather. In fact, today was the first day in double digits. We are expecting another 3-5 inches of snow tonight. Winter is in full gear here in Ohio. I woke up to -4 degree weather.

I keep glancing at the forecast for this upcoming week, hoping something is going to change. Wednesday and Thursday seem to be the best window. It's supposed to be in the mid 20's those two days. The rest of the week is in the teens. So this begs the question, how cold is too cold?  Houses are built all over the country in the winter, so how does it get done?  It's time to visit my friend Google and see what she has to say on the matter.

Mother Nature is a little *&%?*

They were all set to dig out for our footers today.  But Little Miss Mother Nature was feeling a bit fussy and decided to dump 3 inches of snow, with sub-zero wind chills. 

They can't put in footers in sub-zero temps, and they can't dig unless they can put the footers in right away, before the ground freezes. 

Mother Nature has decided not to cooperate at all this week, in fact, so we continue waiting.  Hopefully next week it will warm up just enough. 

Happy Valentines Day to us

Our SR must really love us. Her Valentines gift was to message us with the great news that they start digging our house out on Monday or Tuesday!!!  We are beyond excited. 

Accessories for the new house

I'm sure everyone out there who is or has built a new home understands the struggle of finding just the right things to fill your new home.  There is a lot of online shopping and trips to the store to find just the right things.

Well... yesterday we found the best accessory for our new driveway. 

Our shiny new house just wouldn't look right without something shiny and new out front.  I wonder how many others buy a new car after building a home.

Large purchases are usually a NO-NO until after closing.  Our sales rep nearly had a stroke when we told her, but our lender said it was no big deal.  

We should start digging in just a couple weeks. 

Meanwhile, at the Bluffs

The Model Home

The Camden

The Pinehurst II

The Bentwood, (they fulfilled their promise to frame it first)

View from our lot, and the slope they have

Our lady in waiting. Just a couple more weeks

Our slight slope in the back

It flattens out on the other side. Aren't our rocks lovely. It's like free landscaping. 

The lot extends past the trees into that opening beyond. We are going to clear all the little brush and saplings to clean it up. 

Back on track

Sunday we met with Schumacher Homes. They were impressive, to say the least. Their models were masterpieces. I think they want to showcase how custom their work can be, as a lot of their models are customized beyond the standard plan. So much so, that it's hard to see how it originally comes.

They have a designer sit with you when pricing out. Then we went through everything about the house, top to bottom. We could change the roof pitch, any exterior element. Move walls, move posts or windows. We could add porches, decorative trusses. The choices were amazing. The best part is any change we made was shown on their huge monitor in front of you. You saw pictures of what it will look like. They had pictures of all their selections. I think they had at least 10 bathtubs to choose from for the master. There were 7 choices for fireplaces.  We moved walls and put in built-ins.

Our jaws were on the ground from the very beginning. The only issue is timing and the fear of the unknown. They give you a very detailed price list of all your selections, showing you where every dollar goes, with pictures of all your choices. BUT, they don't own the land, we do. They have no clue what's in the land or what it will take to build on it, so they make sure to inform you of additional costs that might occur. So the price your given is not set in stone.

They only do construction loans as well. Meaning we have to buy the lot separately, then as they build they are credited money from the lender as they meet certain milestones of the build. Which means we start paying interest while they are building, instead of at close. Plus, restarting the process would mean we would be about 2 months past the end of the lease of our current home.

Susan sent us a text the afternoon after we emailed her. Inverness agreed to meet our requirements to build. We met with her on Monday afternoon to trim down our selection list a bit. We got rid of the $1200 paint charge and will just stick with their white paint until our 1yr is up. We went with the standard shower fixtures and will put in our own after close. John made it clear that he would bring up their over pricing of certain features on our survey.

We also used this time to add in a change order we missed out on earlier. We are changing the sliding closet doors to double doors in the kids rooms. Susan put in the change order and as soon as she gets pricing we will sign the final version of the change order and be back on track. She thinks we are two to three weeks from starting the build, which keeps us on track for the end of June closing we want.

I am just so glad it's all over. I'm ready to focus on the move.