Windows Installed

On Tuesday, the rest (almost) of the windows were installed, along with the large sliders for the Great Room and Nook. The framer built the wooden frames to go around the curved windows over the front door and the dining room window. He also closed in the small area above the "stacking location" for the large Great Room Slider. It stacks completely to one side, so all three panels can be open.

The crew is missing one window for the garage. Since this is not a standard item, that is probably how it got missed. This will be less of a problem, as it is on a masonry wall that doesn't get insulated or drywall, so it should not hold up construction. They told me the missing window had been ordered and should be here in two weeks.

The framers finished the platform for the HVAC in the garage. Still no electricians. The roofers have about 5% of their work to finish, but were not there today. The plumber has a bit more work to do on the gas line and the master shower, but was not there today. There is NO WAY that we will be ready for pre-drywall inspection on Friday. It may not even make Friday next week.

Judi and I spent some more time looking at the yard for landscape planning. Pringle got the speed limit sign out front moved. It would have been in the middle of our driveway, but is now on the property line between our house and Bob Chapman's.

I also picked up lots of nails and trash outside. If I don't do it, I suspect they will just final grade over it, and I will be finding nails in the lawn for years.

Windows

Today the framers redid the "buck" around the nook slider opening. No action seen on HVAC.

The windows and the sliders were all delivered this morning. By mid-afternoon, a two person crew was installing the windows.

I checked with Cliff, our Builder, about the front door, as we did not expect to have 3/4 glass (but do like it). He said that was what we got with the design we selected. It's great, as we were only expecting 1/2 size glass.

Judi and I spent time at a garden center learning about trees, various varieties of palms, and shrubs, so we will be ready to meet with the landscaping company on Thursday.

No other activity at the site.

Ductwork Going In

We've been away for a few days, so this has not been updated.

On Friday morning, I stopped by and talked with the HVAC installer. He told me that in other communities they would have been able to run some extension ductwork to avoid having to locate the HVAC where I don't want it. However, Mount Dora will not allow that type of work-around. I've measured the distance remaining and will have enough space for the cars, so will live with the change.

It appears that the only work done on Friday was mounting of many of the vents and returns in the ceilings of the various rooms, along with mounting of the cases for the bathroom fans. There was also a big delivery of ducts and HVAC plenums to the garage.

Since no electrical wiring, pest defense, or window work was done last week, I think we are drifting behind schedule. I really don't see how things will be ready for a pre-drywall inspection by Friday, 8/03.

Builder Meeting

My Builder and I met at the site this morning. He told me that the HVAC people were adamant that they could not install the ducts per the design with the furnace / plenum at the rear of the golf cart garage because there was not enough head room due to the slope of the roof to the side. This was very upsetting to me, as we had specifically discussed placement during out design sessions. However, after the Builder's explanation, I understand the issue and will have to live with it. If I had known at the design session, I would likely have extended the garage by two feet.

We discussed the niche for the refrigerator and settled on a way to make the entry from the hall to the kitchen a few inches wider. The cabinet people had been in and marked the location for the stove vent.

The concrete was poured around the relocated master shower valve plumbing. HVAC plenums and ductwork was delivered. The width of the opening for the nook slider was finally fixed.

Most of the shingles are applied, with just the small overhangs over the garage and front porch to do. Window installation is scheduled for tomorrow.

The Builder said that he expects all the rough-ins to be completed next week and our pre-drywall inspection to be done by next Friday. If that happens, then I think we are on track for a 4 1/2 month completion of the home.

Shingles & a Front Door

There was good progress today. The roofing crew got about 35% of the roof shingled this afternoon. This morning the front door was delivered and by late this afternoon it had been installed. The installer said he did not like doing installation of the eight foot high exterior doors, as they were difficult for him to handle and level due to their weight.

Also, the electric meter box was installed on the outside side wall of the Study. No power was connected, but now the electricians have a main box for their main power cable. I'm somewhat amazed that the main power pedestal is on the left side of the house, and the cable, telephone, water, and gas are on the other side. The cable and telephone installers use the same ground as the main power, so they will have to tunnel under the driveway to get to it. Logically, it would seem that all the utility points should be on the same side of each house, to reduce trenching and installation costs, but I guess it doesn't work that way in real life.

The roofers left trash from the shingle packages all over the site, as well as the containers from their lunch and water / soft drink containers. I spent some time picking them up and taking them to the dumpster, so the trash would not blow into the lakes or onto the neighbor's yard. Apparently the concept of clean-up has not been considered by most construction crews.

Plumbing - Errors Corrected

Today the plumbing crew broke out the slab at the lines for the Master Shower and moved them to the correct location. They also chipped out concrete and moved the ice maker connection back a few inches to the correct spot in the stud wall behind the refrigerator location.

Other plumbing rough-in was done, including installation of one plumbing stack vent. We've even got outside hose bibbs (sillcock,spigot,faucet -- depending on what area of the country you grew up in).

Also, it appears that the roof sheathing / truss inspection was completed. No other work was done. I'm waiting for the electricians to get to work.

One problem surfaced. It appears that the dumpster emptying truck was not very considerate of my neighbor's property, as they drove across his grass and broke a section of his sidewalk next to our property line. I'm seriously thinking of putting up my own silt fence to better delineate the line.

On the overall subdivision front, there was good progress today. The front gates are being installed and they are really nice looking, simulated wrought iron gates. Also landscaping was put in on the bridge abutments today.

Gas & Plumbing Rough-In

Today the plumbing crew worked on the rough-ins. They installed the gas connection point beside the house, ran the gas lines to the furnace location and the gas dryer location, and ran the gas line for the future standby gas generator. They also did most of the plumbing rough-in. They still have to install the master bath shower valve plumbing, after the lines are moved to the right location, as well as the refrigerator ice maker line and the washer hot and cold water lines.

The framers corrected the issue with the Great Room slider stacking location and cleaned up the wood pile from the back of the lanai.

The dumpsters were all emptied again. That's it for today.

Weekend Off

No work was done this weekend. However, strangely, the three dumpsters that were empty on Friday afternoon are now full. I suspect trash from other locations was dumped there.

I did some work adding blocking materials between studs where we intend to put up some cabinets post closing. Also, Judi spent an hour picking up trash in the yard. Our two wirehair dachshunds spent a few hours getting familiar with the smells and bugs around the house and yard. Woody really liked the woodpile out back, as there were lots of opportunities to chase bugs.

Finishing Framing - Almost

Today the framing crew is almost completely finished - I'd say 95% done.

There were a few issues that I saw today and discussed with our Builder, Cliff, and with the framing supervisor. I'm being very careful to not give the subcontractors, direction, but to just ask them a question or two, and then to contact my Pringle Builder. I want Pringle to be the entity giving direction to any subcontractors, just as I will hold Pringle responsible for the overall home quality.

There was one issue with stud space for an electronic box that fits between the studs. This was easily corrected. There was a bigger issue with the frame / box for the HVAC system in the garage. We had specifically worked with our Designer to have the HVAC installed in the rear area of the golf cart garage, with the area to the rear of the double car garage clear space. However I found the HVAC frame being installed partially intruding into the double car garage area. The subcontractor told me that they were just following the instructions from the HVAC contractor. After talking with Cliff, he told them to do it per the drawing and it was changed. I'm glad I caught this before the HVAC system was installed, as it would have been very difficult to change later.

The pocket door frames for the correct 8' high pocket doors are standing in the garage, so I expect they will be installed next week.

This evening, after the contractors were gone, Judi and I walked the house. The only new issue is that the framing for the "stacking space" for the Great Room door wall is on the wrong side of the room. It's near the Master Bedroom, and the print shows it on the Nook side. I'll have to talk to Cliff about that on Monday.

In addition to a picture of the rear of the home with the roofing paper installed, I've included a picture of the maintenance boat while work was being done in one of the lakes and an interesting picture of two of our new residents checking out the area near the future mailbox site.

Builder Meeting

We met with our Builder at the site today. Cliff had asked to meet since I had emailed to him with several questions. We went over my punch list and I got answers to several of my questions. Cliff said that he would have the Master Shower plumbing moved to fix the bad location problem.

We also discussed and agreed on the exact location for the "Media Junction Box", which in LoMD is different than in previous Pringle communities. It is a true junction box, where the cable, internet, and phone inputs terminate, and the runs for cable, telephone, and internet to all the rooms terminate. We had decided to locate our Media Junction Box in the Laundry Room, on the side wall of the pantry we moved there from the Kitchen. It is in an area where I will have clear access to the panel.

After discussing my punch list, we talked about the construction plans for the next two weeks. Finally, we talked about a time range for completion. Cliff thought we would likely be finished in the range of the last week of October to the first week of November. With the post-closing improvements we want to do, that means we should be moved in to our new home by the end of November. The actual Pringle construction timing, if Cliff's estimate holds, will be 4 1/2 to 5 months from start of construction. While I hope we can still do better, I'm beginning to feel more comfortable about getting it done and in by year-end.

While we were meeting, the trades were continuing to work on the framing and on installing the roofing paper.

Framing the Interior

Today the framing of the interior started. The layout for each wall was marked on the concrete slab. Information for the door openings was marked (e.g. opening size, door height, header size) as well as information about any pocket doors. The crew put treated lumber on the markings on the floor and built the stud walls and headers.

It was about 65% completed today. Now we can walk around and get a real feel for how big or small the rooms will be.

I found one potential major problem. The input / output lines for the Master Shower valve are in the slab right in the middle of the entry to the shower. I'm told they will be moved, although I hate to have the slab opened up to move them.

The roofing crew started to install the tar paper on the roof this afternoon. They were also doing more work on the fascias and other wood "trim" work.

Over all, I think there was very good progress today. Tomorrow my Builder has scheduled a short meeting at the site to go over some open questions that I have emailed to him.

Putting Up the Roof Decking

Today the crew was finishing up the roof decking, and installing the piggyback trusses at the highest point of the main roof. I cleaned up some trash from the neighbor's side yard, as the construction crew was not very caring of his lawn.

Even though I had my hard hat on, the workers were nervous that I was on the site. After about ten minutes, the builder came by and politely asked me to stay off the site while they were working on the roof. It's a reasonable request, so I left.

However, before I left, I did ask why there was one large truss left on the ground. Cliff explained that they had dropped one truss when it was being installed, damaged it, and a replacement had been fabricated and installed. I'll try to get some pictures later tonight.

Trusses are Up

By 11:00 AM this morning our trusses were up. They look ok, although there are two strange ones above the kitchen. They look as though they were designed for a tray ceiling, although we did not order that option. I've asked the builder about them.

When we were over in Mount Dora at 6:15 this evening, the crew was just knocking off for the day. They have the plywood roof decking almost fully installed. Good progress for today. I'm hopeful that we can get the truss inspection behind us and start the interior room framing. Then the mechanical trades can go to work.

I'll try to post some more pictures tomorrow.

Getting Ready for Trusses

When we went by the home site on Saturday afternoon, we were really surprised at all the activity. I had not expected any work to be done on the weekend.

The misplaced concrete windowsill in the nook had been raised to the correct position. The masonry wall insulation had been installed and the wood that goes inside each window and door location had been installed.

The crew had constructed and installed the load bearing wall between the garage and house, and a small load bearing section in the wall at the master bathroom. The small knee walls at the top of the front porch had been constructed and installed. Also, the laminated beam for the back of the lanai was put in place.

Also, the truss pack had been opened and the truss sections for the left and right sides of the roof, along with the two gables for the front, had been pre-assembled. It looks like they are all ready for action on Monday.

Pumping the Lintels

The concrete columns and lintels got pumped full of concrete today. Most of the broken concrete block and trash in front of the house got cleaned up and removed. Other than that, there was not much action.

Trusses & Wood Pack

The trusses and wood pack were delivered today. The wood pack has the lumber for the interior framing, the interior block insulation, the plywood sheathing for the roof, and various other supplies such as caulk, metal connectors, etc. As soon as it was delivered, a roofing contractor pulled out a dozen sheets of plywood to take to another home. This seems inefficient, as now they will have to steal sheets from somewhere else to finish our home. I wonder how many house to house transfers are made, rather than correcting the original shortage.

The Builder found a few more errors in the masonry work that need to be corrected. The nook window sill is installed too low. This is because we had chosen a different window size and the masons just installed at the standard height. Also, the nook doorwall size is a bit too small and needs to have the block shaved. The garage door openings need to be chipped out a bit at the bottom.

On the good side, the lintel inspection was passed today, so perhaps they will pour the concrete into the lintels on Friday. The Mason Supervisor told me he did not like to leave the block walls for very long without pouring the concrete, as a strong wind might push them down.

My punch list has 9 open and 5 closed items now.

Checking Before Block Pour

Today the masons were doing some final tuneup work before the cement is poured around the steel rebar embedded into the concrete block. Yesterday they walked the site with the inspector and noted where they had missed installing rebar. Today they are drilling into the slab to anchor the missing rebar and then connecting it to the steel that goes up through the block. Then a final inspection is due.

The missing window sills are indeed installed. There is also a very interesting saw cut at the top of the front door space. I think it is wrong, but we'll have to wait and see.

Missing Sills Installed

My builder called me this morning and said that he was aware of the two window sills that had not been installed and had told the masons that he would not schedule the inspection until he had checked the work to be sure it was all complete. He emailed me this afternoon and said that the two sills had now been installed.

On a different note, the home we are renting temporarily is in Royal Harbor, another community built by Pringle. We had an under slab water leak about a month ago. Pringle had the plumbers find and fix it. It was a major project which involved breaking out tile and part of the slab to find the line.

Today, when the annual irrigation system back-flow check valve inspection was done, the inspector found that water was flowing someplace in the house. It appears to be in the hot water circuit under the slab again. Pringle's warranty inspector came out and checked, and has scheduled the plumbing crew to be here tomorrow morning to find the problem. It will be another fun day, I'm sure.

Finished Blocking the Walls

Some Pictures -









By Monday afternoon, the masons had finished blocking up the walls.
Blocked Walls









The walls seem straight and even. They have cleaned up their trash and scrap pieces from the inside of the home. Cleanliness on the outside leaves something to be desired, as there are pop and water cans scattered about. That's what happens when a state does not have a bottle deposit law, which Florida is sadly missing.

There are two small window sills left on the ground in the front. I'll have to think about those for awhile, as all the window openings look to be finished.

Weekend - Time Off

There was no progress over the weekend, which was expected. We're beginning to think more about landscaping. I've found that Pringle is not running landscape upgrades through their books, so there is no markup for additions. This is good.

We hope the block will be finished by the end of the day Monday, so it can be inspected on Tuesday.

More Block - and $$$

Today the masons kept working on the cement block walls. They are about 65% done. When I talked with them, their expectation was that they would be finished on Monday. The window openings are larger than I expected, but will probably be about right after the window sills are installed and the windows are put in, as there is less glass area to admit light.

Also, Pringle asked for their first draw, the Slab payment.

Our Builder emailed to me this morning regarding plans for next week and followed up with a phone call this afternoon. Everything seems to be going well.

Further, after talking to some other people who are about six weeks ahead of me in building, I learned that Pringle is now having the owners meet with the landscape contractor before landscaping is installed. This allows for some variation from the standard locations and for upgrades (at a cost) when the landscaping is installed. This will probably save us from running around to various nurseries to get plants.

We've Got Walls - At Least Part Way Up

When I went by the building site this afternoon I found a full crew of block masons working. The had the walls partially up. I am now able to see how the windows on one side will line up / not line up with those on the existing neighbor's home. I watched a crew of six workers lifting the lintel for the small garage door into place.

I also found out that the 8" x 16" block with the u-shape cut outs is for the top course of the wall. One of the workers explained that steel rebar is put into the u-shape and concrete is poured around this to provide a stronger wall with connection through sections of block to the slab and footers.

My neighbor is a bit concerned about the construction noise and early starting times, as he has houseguests arriving this weekend. Maybe they will get all the block work done tomorrow. Noise and construction debris are the price we have to pay for building a new home in a new community. I do wish that the builder would put up a silt fence on the lot sidelines to keep debris from the neighboring finished yard, but I guess it is not to be.

Pringle also sent some new pictures today, that are available at the picture link on the home page.

Lintels and More Block

I've learned that there are at least five different types of block used to build our new home. There are:
- 8" x 16" with the interior wall only 1/2 depth,
- 8" x 16" with the interior wall a full 8" deep,
- 8" x 8" hollow block,
- 4" x 16" hollow block
- 8" block that has a 45 degree angle, for our lanai wall.

We also got most of our lintels and exterior window sills delivered.

The heavy afternoon rain softened the sandy soil around the site. Judi sank down to her ankles walking up to the slab. The water standing in the shower depression in the slab was put to use for a foot wash.

No work was done at the site today.

Block Preparation

Today when I checked our building site, I found that the materials for building the concrete block walls had been delivered. These include the mortar sand, bags of cement for the mortar, reinforcement rebar, and many pallets of cement blocks, both 4" and 8" high. The blocks were set in various areas of the slab, much as bundles of shingles are distributed across a roof, before they are installed.

No work was being done, just staging of materials. I picked up a few more nails around the site to try to keep them out of our tires.