Hidden Trashcan

Finally installed the hardware to hide the trashcan into the cabinet. You do loose cabinet space however with this kitchen for us there's still plenty left. Bought the kit at Lowes and to attach the cabinet door like we did requires another kit sold separate. 

The granite company came out to fix the countertop and the rep also came to try and talk us into keeping our island countertop. When I told her we weren't budging based on her own technician's comments she then started to put down Ryan Homes and the construction of our cabinets and what we could and could not do with granite countertops. It really solidified my decision to have it replaced because I wasn't going to deal with her crazy ass down the road. I was really shocked how she behaved in a customers home in front of her client (RH). Needless to say that will be the last time I deal with them. Now we can start on our back splash!

Window Treatments

We got the window treatments done in the family room. At first I didn't like them as they came out of the box but once we got them up I really like them. I wanted to do some type of drapes in the living room however on elevation C they separate the windows in the living room and there is a dividing wall between the living room and foyer and it would be hard to hang drapes so I'm going to do more cornices instead and hang drapes in the dinning room.

Still waiting on 4 more chairs for our dinning room table and sideboard and trying to decide what kind of window treatments for the morning room. Also want to find a rug to go under the table in the morning room as well.

Update on the granite counter top. They came a week ago Monday to replace our counter top by the cooktop. They called before coming to say that the piece they were replacing was cracked and they had another piece but was unsure if it would match in color. Before I would let them take the counter off I wanted to see what they brought. Of course the one they said was cracked was a no off the bat and the second one was not only cracked but had gold flecks all over and didn't match at all. We refused the piece's and they're coming tomorrow to try again. Tomorrow is their last chance and then the game has to change and I will demand that a new company come in.

Making Little Changes

This a such a low cost conversion for the kitchen and it keeps all your sponges out of the way. I also found that it works great in the master bath and provides a quick and easy hideaway for my toothbrush. We've also got the conversion kit to hide the trash can in one of the cabinets.

You can purchase these kits at Lowes for about $17.00. They have them at HomeDepot also but they're sold as individual plastic trays and Lowes comes 2 to a pack. 1 plastic try will fit in the faux drawer front in the master bath and if you got dual vanities you'll have one for each side and each packet comes with enough hardware to do two doors.

Hanging Out At The Island

This has been a very busy week. It's so hard to work out of state every week and and try and make appointments with the contractors to get things fixed. That being said I scheduled the flooring guys (tile and wood), Guardian, furniture delivery, granite company and GE for the dishwasher all to come Friday.

The furniture company called to confirm on Thursday that our window was between 7am and 9am. Of course If I needed to go somewhere the time would've been between 10 and 2 with them showing up at 3. Nope they called at 6:30am and said they were 20 minutes away so no sleeping in for me. The got everything in set up and gone by 7:30.

Next to arrive was the granite company. Not to install the new piece but to have a meeting with us and try to convince us that they could fix the chip and make us happy. When our PM called me in Chicago and said that Ryan homes was committed to replacing the granite and that we didn't have to take the meeting I thought what the hell if they want to send their people in to the lions den then so be it. I agreed to "a meeting" but what showed up was a 3rd party repairman who took a look at the area and said he could buff out the seam and finish the job. Had we not complained that's how our counter top would've stayed with a rough uneven seam. He laughed when we told him that was what they left us with that they considered that to be finished. He however said he couldn't fix the chip and if that's what we were expecting he was sorry to waist our time. Of course we sent him on his way and our PM said it was being replaced.  I'm very frustrated with this company as I used them before when I remodeled the kitchen in our last home and they did a wonderful job. I can't install our backsplash until this is fixed.

Flooring company came in and fixed the damaged boards in the kitchen floor and tile in both the master and hall baths which took up most of the day. I must say these guys are very good at what they do!

GE came to inspect our dishwasher. We got the upgraded appliance package and our dishwasher is supposed to be quiet. However every time we used it during certain cycles it would vibrate really loud for a long period of time. The repairmen was here maybe 45 minutes and replaced the water pump and now I have a super quiet dishwasher.

Now on to Guardian. I received an e-mail from them about controlling our system from our computers and our cell phones. When I called them about that service instead of quoting me a price they set up an appointment for a sales rep to come out. Since I had nothing going on on Friday I thought what the hell. We also needed them to come install the center speakers both in the family room and basement since we hung our tv's and they agreed to do that at that time as well. They called to confirm a 1pm appointment on Thursday afternoon and called at 11:30 Friday to tell me the rep was going to be a little late. Then called back right before 1 and said that the rep wouldn't be coming and we would get a call from our original sales rep when we signed the papers with Ryan. He called had no idea what was going on said he would call back and we never heard from him. Sat here until 5 and sent him a few texts that went unanswered. Needless to say I don't need a sales rep anymore and he'll get an earful when I do talk to him on Monday. I want my speakers installed!

Here are the new lights above the island. I didn't like them at first but now that they've been up I love them.

1st Week Down

We've been in the house for an entire week and still so much unpacking to do. I've been sick so I really didn't get very far this week.

We did go shopping at Levin's for a dining room set and one for the morning room. I've went back and forth over the last month on once particular set and finally decided to go in and buy it. Luck was on my side because they marked it down by another $500. They're delivering all the furniture on Friday so I'll have more pics then.

Thought I would throw in a few pics of what we've done so far in the family room and in the hallway. We also added a new tv and console.

5 Days Down

We've been in the house 5 days and I'm loving it even though I haven't been able to sleep in on my vacation because of the geese in the pond out back (yes at 3am they honk) and the framers start at around 7:30am on the house next door.

We got the washer and dryer hooked up last night and started laundry. This was one area of the house I was the most worried about. We didn't think the big monstrosities of a washer/dryer that we have would even fit and still be able to close the door. Door closes with a little bit of room left over. Then we were worried after hearing from others with a second floor laundry about noise and the machines shaking the house.

So before they drywalled the house we put as much insulation up in the ceiling of the first floor as we could to limit as much noise as possible. We also put insulation in the areas of the bathrooms too. So before we installed the washer we bought "Shake Away Noise Insulation Pads" from Lowes. I've done a few loads of laundry and can barely hear either machine. I even threw towels in the dryer before I went to bed closed the laundry room door and left my bedroom door open and couldn't hear a thing. I'm so relieved.

We also have all the blinds on the windows. I bet the neighbors are just as happy about that as we are! More pictures will follow....

We've Moved In

Started this morning early and it's now after 1am and I just got a chance to sit down. Directv, Time Warner (internet), Lowes and Sears all showed around the same time. It was crazy trying to juggle everyone of them. Thanks to the delivery guy from Lowes who gave me a free water line for the ice maker hookup that saved me $40.

We bought a Craftsman belt driven garage door opener that does just about everything but start the car for you. I recommend to everyone a belt driven opener. This is so quiet you cannot hear it in the master bedroom or even the kitchen. It also has a automatic close option and a cell phone app that will allow you to open and close the door from anywhere. It was around $289 but it comes with peace and quiet.

I love my new home and very pleased with the job they've done building it! I can't wait to have everything done. For now I'm going to drag myself upstairs and sleep sleep sleep!

The Bank Owns Our Home

We did our walkthrough and closing today and the bank officially owns our home. As we did our walkthrough it was very minor things that needed fixed other than the scratches on the wood floor and the counter top. They did an amazing job and we're very pleased.

Closing took all of maybe 25 minutes. Our meeting was set for 2 got there a few minutes early and out the door by 2:10. This is the fourth time in less than a year selling/buying property and I think this was the fastest closing yet. 

Now on to the worst part...... MOVING but thanks to 2 Men And A Truck I can only sweat the small stuff!

Pictures will come Saturday or Sunday......

Lola Loves It

I took the dog over to the house today to let her get a feel for the place. Once inside the door it was almost like she knew this was going to be her new home. She immediately started running around like a little kid would in an open space with no furniture. Every time she was worn out she would run back and plop down on the fire place.

Thanks to the City of Brunswick I don't have to buy a battery backup for my sump pump. The city changed code and now requires a battery backup to be installed so we lucked out.

All the knobs are in place and look great. Theres nothing left to do other than install the cooktop and replace the chipped granite piece.

This time next week I'll blog from my living room!

                                             Lola May  

Almost Done

They're doing the final touch ups and the house is pretty much done. The only thing that's still needing attention is the counter tops. I'm shocked they walked away from the job and considered it to be satisfactory. Still have a week to get them finished before closing.

They moved one of the cabinets to make everything flush with the other cabinets by the fridge and I'm loving everything. They also put in the microwave.

Floors are getting fixed tomorrow chipped counter top is being replaced and the wall oven is in. I'm loving it!

The Carpet's Been Laid

It's so hard to be here in Chicago and not see this in person but they finished the carpet today and the started to put in the dishwasher. I'm also waiting for an update from the PM regarding the counter tops.

                                     Basement

                                    Family Room

                                   Master Bedroom

                                   

                                  Our friend Kris "not the dishwasher" :)  Office

It's Slowly Taking Shape

It's starting to take shape and look like a complete kitchen with just a few more things to do. They installed our carpet today. Unfortunately the fix on the granite counter tops wasn't done very well but our PM is on top of it.

Couldn't decide which pictures looked best so I uploaded all of them.

Not Happy

Met with the PM today regarding the doors and counter tops. The answer on the doors if there is a good answer will have to do and I accept that. I just don't like the gap. The counter tops on the other hand is a whole different story. Our PM went back to the granite company to get them to replace the counter top on the island. I could not be happier with our PM he is a very fair and honest person.

Surprisingly thats not why I'm unhappy. We got our appraisal back and it was $22,000 less than what we expected. At first I thought this was just to get the house to appraise to the loan. But after speaking with the appraiser he considers the amount he listed to be "fair market value" if I were to sell that house today. Funny thing is we received $22,000 in incentives to buy that lot and finance with Ryan's in-house lender NVR.

They took off $ for living on a busy street and I paid a premium for the lot. At this point I feel I was forced to use their lender to obtain a home loan on an inflated value for the house to get incentives that have no value. I would check with your SR to make sure homes in your area are appraising for what they are being sold for. I just feel like we've already lost money before we've signed the papers.

Ask ask ask questions! Very unhappy soon to be homeowner!

It's All Coming Together

The countertops were installed today and I must say I'm not impressed so far. There is a very noticeable chip by the cooktop and a very large crack at the corner of the island. The L shaped pieces are uneven and have a hugh gap between them. There was no support for the under mount sink which I don't think is such a good thing.

The bathrooms are all put together however all the toilet paper holders are put right next to the toilets. You would have lean back or sideways to get toilet paper off the roll.

The interior doors are horrible. They have a huge gap at the bottom that I was told to help air circulation. If I had babies crawling around the house I would have to put a baby gate up at all the closed doors so they couldn't crawl under them.

I want to take our electrician out to dinner. He did a fantastic job with everything. If I could make a suggestion to everyone and buy a "whole home surge protector" and have it installed at your electric box. We bought our's at Lowes or Home Depot for $50. It's a cheap cost that will save you a lot of money down the road if something were to happen.

                                       My new neighbor and I

Maybe it's me just being overly picky but I was kind of let down when I went to the house today. I know it will all work out but it's still a little frustrating.

Lights & Stain

All the lights on the first floor are in with the exception of the 1/2 bath and I expect the the second floor and the basement will be finished today. They also started staining the handrails and I'm really liking the color. I tried to match it to the hardwood floors as much as possible.

Cabinets & Doors

Unfortunately I've come down with a nasty cold but I couldn't wait to go see the progress at the house as soon as my plane landed.

They got all the bathroom cabinets and countertops installed. Hung all the doors and did all the baseboards on the second floor.

They kitchen is still a work in progress. They got the cabinets in place so they can measure for the granite countertops.

Hopefully everything will be done by Friday. PM showed up while we were there and walked thru the progress with us. I'm so impressed with how he keeps us updated and pays great attention to detail!

                     I feel much better with my choices now that I see them together

                                         I love the contrast