I guess it is time for another construction update. Deb and I went to Livingston in November. We arrived on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. Deb left on Sunday, November 15, 2009 and I stayed until Wednesday, November 18, 2009.
We originally specified only specific interior areas to be painted which was basically complete. The builder was working on the trim. The final touchup painting was to be completed after the trim was in place. We made a change and requested that the entire interior be painted. This does not include the basement areas. The painting has not been completed.
The water has finally been turned on. We can use the bathroom now. They checked for leaks but some appliances were not hooked up so they could not check them.
The kitchen island was in place but had not been anchored to the floor. The island contains an electric downdraft cook top, so the floor needed to be cut for the electric connection and duct work. The builder wanted us to confirm the location before taking any irreversible action.
We made changes to the location of the stove after the house was dried in so there were problems with the routing of the duct work. In addition, the duct work for the dryer had to be laid out so that the washer and dryer could be put in place. All of these issues were resolved. The island is now anchored in place and the duct work is completed for both the cook top and dryer.
The built-in housing for the microwave did not fit the cabinet. In fact the microwave did not fit the cabinet. We had several discussions with the builder and the cabinet man. We could not get the space for the built-in housing so we decided to enlarge the opening for the microwave and exhaust through the side of the cabinet. This has not yet been completed.
The builder ran out of cabinet trim so additional pieces are on order.
We have some sediment in the water so I asked for a quote on a filtration system. I was expecting a simple system but the plumber quoted a Rolls Royce system. We also had a water conditioning service quote on the filter. They came in with a water conditioning system that was 6 times the price of the plumbers system and did not include the drinking water system. We would have to bypass the system for the shower as we do not like soft water for showering. We told him to just install a couple of inline filters that we could change as necessary. That has not yet been done so we re-specified the entire water filter system. This time I specified the actual components to be used.
We are using small electric heaters for the heat system. They are supposed to be on a separate service to take advantage of special heating rates. They were installed but the electric coop would not set up the service until the "smart wiring" portion of the system was in place. A part was needed to complete this portion of the heating system. The part arrived in December so the heat is now metered separately.
I finally was notified that the security and smart wiring are in place and need internet and cellular access to be completed. I called my contact at the ISP to have him complete the installation. He no longer works for the company and no one else has ever set up a system like I specified. I am waiting for a call from the ISP to discuss "Option B".
There were other setbacks but most of them have been resolved.
On a positive note, we have moved everything we had in storage and were able to drop that cost. We also took delivery of the bed frame and mattress set.
Our next trip is from Saturday, January 30, 2010 through Sunday, February 7, 2010. We hope everything is completed, at least to the point that we can set things up. We do have reservations at a hotel so that is not a problem.
- Congratulations Lew and Deb KenT 11:45:37 01/16/10
(0)
- Thanks for the update Elder Bob 09:24:30 01/15/10
(0)