The test has to wait until the sample comes out a faucet. If we do not need the chlorinator then I like your system. If we have to treat the water, then it will probably be the unpressurized storage.
We have been working hard the past ten days and here is an update.
The cabinets are in place and look great. They were custom made by a Mennonite carpenter and every one of them fit in place smoothly. One problem did show up though the soffet is 2 inches to short over the refrigerator. It will have to be adjusted but it is better that it is short than too big. Much easier to add than tear out.
The tile is all down in the baths and the vanities in place too. The tops for them are just now on site so that worked out. I was beginning to get nervous that they were going to be delayed.
The new owner has taken the week off and has painted the first and second floors. Racing to stay ahead of the tiler, his mother. The finish electric is started and the first floor is about 80% done and the second floor is just started.
The furnace and a/c units arrived on Friday and the plumber will be doing the finish work starting Monday. So by the end of the week we hope to have a water line into the basement and a good part of the electric finished.
The best news is the excavator showed on Thursday. He has the septic partially installed and the propane tank buried. He will finish the septic and then do the grading. Finally I can put the grass seed down.
Once the plumber is done then we will put down the bamboo flooring. It was going to go down before the cabinets but we changed the plan so that as few people as possible will be walking on it while they are working. The kitchen cabinets were set on plywood to raise them to match the bamboo.
We hope to see some more big changes this week. I have to get back to work now.
Have been very busy for the last two weeks but here is a quick update.
The finish carpenter started the interior doors and and the finish plumbing and electric are very close to complete. Grading and seeding are almost finished too. The July 1st move in date will not be met but the original 120 days won't be until the middle of July. We lost two weeks with the drywall and insulation and just have not been able to make it up.
The list of "what's left" is down to installation of the water tank, outside lights, laying of the bamboo flooring and the usual long list of little things.
Still working everyday on the house and the end is near. Electrical inspection is Monday and the C of O should be in hand sometime next week. The touch up painting is being finished and the flooring is going down well. There have been a few more little problems but nothing that is a cause for concern.
We are a week later than I thought but we had some family issues that took time away from the house. There will be things left to do after they move in but then there always is.
The grass is coming up well as the rain keeps falling. All the rain has shown us where regrading is necessary and that will be taken done as soon as we dry out. Again not a big deal as we held off seeding those areas until the grade is corrected.
The finish topping went down last week on the driveway and the driver did a wonderful job of tailgate spreading the #1 crusher run. The three hundred foot drive took me about half an hour to touch up. I say finish but we will add another 44 tons next spring to take care of any settling over the winter. There are only a few truckers in our area that can tailgate spread a load. It sure does save time when there is so much to do.
The water turned out to be far less of a problem than I first thought. The well is still slow recovering but it is great water. It is only three grains hard and no iron, sulfur, or salt. It is wonderful tasting water and no conditioning needed. The storage tank has worked well and we have even watered the new grass before the rains came. Considering the water problems some of the neighbors have to deal with our son’s family is very fortunate.
There are still the windows to work out. The company rep was out last week and is replacing four sashes and several screens. I feel a stupid because after he left I found more problems with some of the other windows. I will call and set up another appointment. They may just need to have the hardware adjusted.
If the inspections all go well they will be in the house in a week. That light at the end of the tunnel is getting a lot closer.
We passed the electrical inspection and can go back to putting down the flooring. One big hurdle out of the way.
I had a scare though. The inspector wanted to see the motor grounding wire from the air pump to a copper water line. When I installed it there was no grounding attachment on the blower motor so I just forgot about it. Now there is only a small access hole from the closet behind the tub unit. After the inspector and I took turns reaching in and feeling around the motor, we got out the installation manual. No extra grounding needed since it is just an air pump not water. I have never installed a spa tub before so I was afraid that I had messed up.
On the one's I'm familiar with the pump actually circulates the water and the air bubbles is just a valve in the plumbing that allows air to be drawn in. But they make all kinds and varieties.
Good that the inspection passed....good job
I always worry that I forgot something and the electrical inspector will think I am an idiot.
The town building inspector came through today and we have the C of O. Looks like they will be moving in Friday. A little behind schedule but all in all not bad. We wanted to be in by the 15th of July but had flexibility to the 1st of August.
The house was full,of workers today finishing up the long list of little tasks. A hand rail on the steps off the deck were added. The dropped ceiling in the office was put in place. The gutter drains were connected just before a heavy down pour, They were tested well and worked fine. The last of the flooring went down and same for the finish trim. Repairs were made to some drywall damage and the painters will do their touch up tomorrow. The front step was put in place and the garage steps were widened.
We had problems with the charcoal filter and the plumber brought a new one today. This one seems to be working better.
I still have to work up a list of problems that popped up during construction and will do that as soon as I have a little more time
I have been meaning to write this last entry for sometime but just kept putting it off. The house is all decorated and my son’s family loves the new house.
Here is were we went wrong.
The electrical service could have been located better. It is at the bottom of the stairs in the basement and that caused some problems running the circuits.
Grading the driveway too tight to the house and a lack of a large enough turn around. That was corrected when the excavator returned to dig the pond.
The design of the garage entry is too congested with closet, basement, and exit doors. The solution will be to move the entrance three feet into the garage to solve the problem. That will happen next summer. The owners wanted it that way but now regret that. Luckily it will not be that hard to fix.
Not having a clear understanding of who was responsible for the large fan unit over the stove. That was just poor communications that lead to wasted time. All was accomplished in the end just because we had good people working on the house.
Just being patient waiting for the rough grading to get done.
Yep, that is it.
There are still jobs to do as there always is but all in all this project went very well. This is the second home I have built with these contractors and I was happy with all of them. Sure mistakes were made but they were fixed and fixed right. They all worked well together and were always willing to lend a hand if another worker needed help.
My advise to anyone planning on building is to plan well ahead and hire the best contractors. The time spent finding them is well worth it. If I were going to build another house, I would have the same contractors again. That is a lot for me to say because I am not the easiest person for them to work with. I know what and how I want it done and unless they can convince me of a better way that is the way I want it done. That does not mean that these contractors did not make suggestions, they did and fortunately some suggestions were actually very good.
Together we all built a very nice home and it has been a tiring but rewarding experience.
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