Carpeting & Cabinets

The carpet for the two guest bedrooms was installed, apparently yesterday afternoon.

The kitchen island was relocated to the correct, final location and the pipes moved to agree with the correct location. Nice base trim was installed around it. The replacement / corrected kitchen cabinets arrived and were being installed.

Some trim work was done in the Laundry Room and near the Great Room doorwalls.

We're now two weeks from our walkthrough, or orientation. It looks doable, provided the cleaners and caulkers do their work soon, so all the touch up can be done.

Exterior Doors Painted

Today the garage doors and trim around them were painted. The painter had also masked the front door and was preparing to paint it, if it didn't rain.

The water was shut off at the meter and a sign posted - "do not turn on - open water valves". While I didn't look, I assume the kitchen island is not yet replumbed at the correct location.

Two small pieces of tile were installed in the Master Bathroom, but other requested tile work about a foot away was not done.

No other new work was obvious.

Structured Wiring Box Door

It's Saturday - little progress today. I noticed that the structured wiring box door was installed.

23 Days and counting down!

More Sod

The remainder of the sod was laid today. The landscaping from Pringle is complete except for some paving stones and the initial adjustments to the sprinkler system. Some extra sod was laid where my planting beds butt up against the vacant lot next door. This was to keep my mulch from escaping. Nice.

We had a bit of problem with the sprinkler system. One of the two main valves still did not have the electrical wires connected on Friday mid-afternoon. I asked my builder to get it fixed so there would be irrigation for the newly installed plants and lawn. He called me around 4:00 PM and advised that the irrigation company was there and fixing it.

The garage "attic storage" steps are in a box in the garage, to be installed next week.

The missing latches for the nook slider were installed.

A painter was caulking, but stopped at 3:30 PM. He said he would return on Monday.

The remaining kitchen cabinets are due on Tuesday. My builder plans to have carpet installed by the end of the week. Then it is on to the development of the punch list.

24 Days and counting down.

HVAC Startup & Palm Trees

The HVAC system was started today. There was an initial leak in the refrigerant line which had to be soldered and refilled. The HVAC contractor didn't seem to have a lot of experience dealing with the Lennox brand of zoning equipment, but they got it started and demonstrated both cooling and heating on all four zones.

The plumber was back to install the faucet, drain, and garbage disposal for the kitchen island.

The main power feed for the home was apparently repaired yesterday afternoon, so the landscapers planted the two remaining palm trees, the landscape Bird of Paradise plant, and spread some more mulch. They are still missing about 3/4 pallet of sod.

The irrigation system works manually, but clearly has a maximum capability of 50% in automatic mode, since one of the two valves doesn't even have the wires connected. Some of the sprinkler heads need adjustment of A) height, B) location, and / or C) throw. I suspect this is part of the normal startup of an irrigation system. I'll have to watch over the next few days to be sure that the new landscaping does get water. Since we are now into the "cooler" season, the plants will be less likely to burn until the irrigation system is fully adjusted.

Our Builder and I discussed a solution for the problem of the utility room door interference with our utility room refrigerator. If we finish the rear wall flat (e.g. no baseboard behind the refrigerator area) and add / move the electrical outlet so we can plug in just beside the refrigerator instead of behind it, we'll gain and inch and a half, and we only need one inch, so we should clear. This will avoid having to move or downsize the door from the utility room to the garage.

Trees, Sod, & Oops!

Our remaining trees were delivered today, and all but two of the palms were installed.

There was a "oops!" digging the hole for one of the palms. They hit the main power feed to the house. It's a good thing they were using shovels with fiberglass handles, as the workman was not injured. The shovel blade has a new configuration now. Here is a picture. The electrical feed is on the left, below the sprinkler pipes.

It's amazing how shallow the power wires are buried. They appear to be off center from the markings, and were buried with no caution tape above them.

The sod was delivered and installed. It appears to have been grown on good, dark, topsoil (or muck).

Our pine bark nugget mulch was also installed.

The landscaping is almost done, except for planting the two palm trees in the front yard and one landscape bird of paradise plant which should be delivered tomorrow. Then we're into the sprinkler head adjustment.

There was work done on the kitchen island countertop today. There is a clearance issue with the sink faucet holes which needs to be resolved.

Tomorrow the HVAC is supposed to be programmed / put into operation.

Landscape Plants

There was a burst of activity starting at 11:15 today.

An Awesome Home Theatre installer showed up with a few items for the low voltage trim and explained that they are waiting on parts to complete the job.

Three cabinet installers arrived to quickly set the replacement center kitchen island, as they had been told the countertop was arriving at noon. I was glad I was there as we were able to agree on exact positioning of the island. They did not even have time to permanently attach it to the floor before the countertop installers showed.

The countertop was installed on the island.

A plumber came and installed the dishwasher and insulated the water heater pipes.

The landscaping crew arrived with the majority of our trees, shrubs, and plants. They positioned them on the yard and then asked us to check that everything was ok before they were planted. The landscaper arrived and answered questions about growth rates. He did a great job helping us reposition a few of our selections. I think the benefit we have gotten from Central Florida Nursery is great compared to the small cost for upgrading some of the choices. It was a rough start in August, but worked out well.

The ValleyCrest groundskeeper who manages the irrigation system arrived and did an initial evaluation of the irrigation system. He assured me that he would check to be sure it was programmed in the "new landscape" mode to water daily for the next few weeks.

By the end of the day all the landscape trees, shrubs, and plants were set, with the exception of a few of the palms and two plant types, which are due to arrive tomorrow.

Next up, mulch and sod.

Count Down

There are either 16 or 15 working days left to finish the house before our "orientation" or walk through. Fifteen days is if Veterans Day is a holiday for the construction crews. In Michigan, the first day of hunting season would be a holiday, but I don't think they do as much Bambi shooting here in Florida.

No work was done at the house today. The landscape crew did not show up, even though scheduled.

I have 64 work events (e.g. install carpet, install screens) on my list of tasks that need to be done before closing. This project is going to need some multi-tasking to get finished by Pringle's scheduled closing date.

Pringle did post new pictures today. Try this url:

http://myhome.pringle.com/thumbs.asp?Date=10/22/07&CName=Thomas&LotNo=LM0189&f=

Water Shutoff Valve Cover

One other visible sign of progress - the cover was installed over the valve to shut off the house water. The temporary water spigot was cut off and capped.

In LoMD, the main water line is run about 12" underground to the side of the house. A plastic shutoff valve is installed and a section of 4" drainpipe is placed upright over this valve. To help keep this clear and accessible, a sprinkler valve box with cover is placed over this 4" drainpipe.

I was surprised that the temporary water spigot, placed in the main line just after the water meter, was just cut off about 1" below ground level and capped, rather than being completely removed. We'll have to remember where it is so we don't try to plant a shrub there later and break the line.

Closing Date

We got a call at 7:45 AM today giving us a choice of Homeowner Orientation (also known as walkthrough) and Closing dates. We selected the earliest possible, with the orientation on November 14 and the closing on November 19, a month from today.

A reminder - if you send an email or message to me from one of my Building the House pages, and want an answer from me, you MUST put your return email in the TEXT of the message. Otherwise, I don't know where to send a reply. I've gotten several messages in the last week which don't have a reply email address.

Not much was happening at the site today. Awesome Home Theatre, the low voltage trim subcontractor, did show up with the plans and looked to see what they needed to properly complete the job. The supervisor who showed up said the crew that only did a partial job earlier in the week "no longer worked for the company". I was surprised to learn that speaker drops were just unterminated wires under a cover plate in the wall. I'd expected that they would have binding posts or jacks at each end.

There are newer pictures on the Pringle site at: http://myhome.pringle.com/fullpic.asp?ID=344357&CName=Thomas&LotNo=LM0189&f=

.

Irrigation System

The irrigation system was installed today, one day earlier than I expected. It's all rigid plastic pipe about 8" below grade, with tees and flexible feeds about 2' long to each sprinkler head. That should make it much easier to raise / lower and slightly reposition the heads over time.

It is essentially a dual system with two feeder pipes running totally around the perimeter of the lot and in parallel in sections of the rear and front yards. One feed is for the planting beds for shrubs, trees, and flowers. The other is for the sodded areas.

Since I didn't have my camera with me, I was sketching the location of the lines. It was a race, as they were burying pipe about as fast as I could sketch the location. I was able to see where they ran the lines under the sidewalk in two places, but they were ahead of me on a third.

Now we're ready for the actual landscape installation.

LV Trim & Flatwork Painting

The LV trim was partially done today. Cable outlets were installed, along with telephone. The Ethernet outlets were missed, either just covered with a blank, or a smaller telephone jack installed instead of the Ethernet outlet. None of the terminations at the panel were done. Our builder called the subcontractor and said she was having problems with her installers.

The rest of the front porch and lanai painting was done. They will still have touch up to do, but there was some progress.

Out builder said that the replacement kitchen cabinets are being expedited, and should arrive by the end of the month.

Gas and More Plumbing

When I visited today, I found the gas meter had been installed and the buried gas lines marked so we won't put trees over them when the landscaping is installed.

The plumber was on site, redoing the plumbing for our whole house water filter. Mount Dora requires backflow preventers on both sides of the filter, and none had been installed.

Some cleanup work had been done inside the house.

We're in somewhat of a holding pattern, as final inspections are being scheduled and we are waiting for the replacement cabinets to arrive and be installed.

Irrigation is supposed to be installed on Friday.

Final Grade

On Monday the dirt was moved around to establish a final grade. Most of the debris was raked out, although some remains.

Monday afternoon we had a meeting on site to again discuss our landscaping plan. In addition to Pringle's landscaping contractor and my builder, the Pringle Construction Manager, the Pringle Director of Construction, a City of Mount Dora Planner, and the University of Florida's Yards & Neighborhoods Multi-County Coordinator attended. This was apparently because we had developed a more detailed plan for landscaping from the "standard" menu of plants than other customers had done, and the Florida Friendly Landscaping expert had been asked to review the plan.

We got suggestions on some changes / additions / deletions on the plants we had selected from the standard menu. Some would grow too large, others were not appropriate (right place / right plant), and others would not do well on out lot, which is essentially full sun. As an example, we were strongly discouraged from using Pampas Grass to screen the A/C unit as it would grow too large, has sharp edged leaves, and might attract snakes. We also found that we could substitute some other recommended plants that were not on the standard plant menu, at no increased cost to us.

It was agreed that we could upgrade, at our cost, from the standard pine straw in the rear to earth tone pine nugget mulch. We also agreed on the rear "buffer" landscaping.

Overall, it was an acceptable meeting for me, an "OK, but not great" meeting for my wife, and I hope satisfactory for the other players.

Our landscaping is now scheduled to be installed on Monday, October 22.

Misc. Work

The shut off valves for the gas line for the gas clothes dryer and the stub out line to the future generator were installed. The gas line was connected to the water heater. Now the gas meter needs to be installed.

The shelving in the Master Bedroom Closet has been corrected.

An almost-final grade has been done on the lot in the rear, sides, and part of the front. More dirt is needed and more raking to get the stones / junk out of the dirt to get to a final grade.

The painters were working on the inside doing the caulking of the baseboards. Actually, when I went in at about 2:30 PM, the three painters were lying down resting in the Great Room. A few minutes later they were back working.

The critical path for completion is now Florida Designer Cabinets correcting the cabinet errors. If, big IF, they get their act together, we may be able to close by Thanksgiving, otherwise we're potentially into December. I called the cabinet manufacturer, Wellborn, yesterday and have some potential solutions, but don't know if FDC will go that route.

Cabinet Issues - Again!

Five of the replacement cabinets arrived. Two are correct, two may be ok, and one is again wrong.

The Powder Room vanity is now the correct width, but has full height doors instead of drawer and doors. The two island base cabinets that are reduced depth to 12" with full height doors arrived as 30" high wall cabinets. The cabinet installer says he can use these and build up a kick plate area so they will look fine. However the Powder Room vanity will need more work.

Our Builder met with the cabinet company today and discussed all the changes they need to do to fix the kitchen. They will fix it, but the replacement cabinets have not been ordered. They will order on Monday, 10/15 with delivery expected on Tuesday, 11/06. Then the cabinets will have to be installed. One of the countertops may have to be replaced, if it can't be refitted. I'm now thinking 11/14 for the kitchen to be done. I suspect that puts us at Thanksgiving week for closing, unless everything else is completely done and the City is prepared to issue a C.O. in one day.

No real work was done at the site today.

Blinds and Stuff

The wrong shelving in the Master Closet was pulled out today.

The drywall "mudding" crew was in doing touchup. The electricians finished except for the kitchen island.

The "green" yard treatment (poison?) was applied today. They spilled some of it on the concrete drive and front walk. We'll see if it will wash off when Pringle power washes before closing.

We met with a fourth blind company, liked their information and pricing, and ordered all our blinds. They were impressed with the straightness of our window openings, as there was very little variance in width from top to bottom. They also suggested that we have the baseboard trimmed back at the edges of the doorwall, so verticals could hang evenly and not be pushed to the side by the 1/2" baseboard.

We also met with a concrete treatment company to get an estimate to have the garage floor coated with a decorative epoxy before we start using the garage.

The replacement kitchen and vanity cabinets have not arrived.

Builder Meeting

There was no work at the site today.

Judi and I met with Cliff, our Builder, and went through some issues which he will have corrected.

The shelving in the Master Bedroom Closet will be corrected to the right height and arrangement. We had planned this out carefully so that clothes on hangers would not drag on the floor or shelf below. However, it was installed with about an inch less clearance which would have had some items dragging. Also, there was about 6' less shelving for short items (shirts, blouses, jackets) than planned, and about 6' more for long items, which we really don't use here in Florida.

We talked about some medium issues, which will be fixed, such as the towel bar in the Power Room set about a foot too high and the water heater remote control installed in the garage when the print clearly shows it in the hall near the kitchen / utility room.

The issues in the kitchen cabinets were reviewed. My plans agreed with those the builder had, but not with what was installed. Cliff will have the Cabinet company put in the right cabinets. Of the 27 total kitchen cabinets (wall, base, and island) 17 were the wrong size. Not a good percentage. Of the seven bathroom cabinets, one was wrong.

I'd recommend that anyone having a new home built get the cabinet plans clearly specified at Design, including width, number of drawers / doors, hinge left or hinge right, mullion strip or no mullion strip, along with any options such as lazy susans, pull out shelves, fillers, and crown molding. Then be sure to keep a copy of what you specified and ordered to use as a check list when you view the installed kitchen. I would also have a note that the owner is to be notified of any changes in cabinet size.

I don't think this was a Pringle error. Rather, I think the cabinet supplier just didn't bother to look carefully at the specifications / drawings when they ordered the cabinets and assumed that they could just put in whatever they thought would fit.

The low voltage electrical trim, completion of the household electrical trim, gas connections, and HVAC connections are due this week.

I also have meetings for a quote on window / door blinds and garage / driveway finishing scheduled for tomorrow. I talked to the cabinet company I have selected for some post-closing cabinets today and we'll get those ordered early next week. The dock construction company called me and will call back at the end of the week with more dock information. I also got my lawnmower out and ready to go, now that the year long sabbatical from lawn care is almost over.

Critical Path to Completion

Good progress was made last week. The critical path, or the items that are now controlling the closing date seem to be:

- replacement kitchen cabinets for those that are wrong. If they have to be ordered, there is a three week lead time.
- irrigation system installation and inspection,
- landscaping, which is pending a meeting with the City of Mount Dora,
- a lot of city final inspections for plumbing, electricity, sewer, gas, landscaping, etc.
- final Certificate of Occupancy

We'll see what happens this week. While the Critical Path says that we could be done by the end of the month, if everything goes just right, I'm now beginning to think that even the week of November 5th is optimistic, and that the week of November 12th is more likely.

During the last few days we've been concentrating on a lot of soon after close items we want done, such as the garage floor treatment, blinds, screening of the front porch, etc.

The next few weeks will be busy.

Lanai & Porch Flatwork

Today a crew cleaned the lanai and front porch concrete and applied the "knock down" texture. I expect it will be painted next week.

I spent an hour or so doing a detailed review of the kitchen cabinets versus the plans. There are lots of differences. It appears that the plans either didn't get to Florida Designer Cabinets, or they thought it was just a suggestion. I guess it's time to meet with Cliff on Monday.

I also walked through all the other rooms and updated my punch list. There are lots of minor issues that I expect would be corrected in the drywall / paint / electrical final reviews, even if I didn't note them. This is normal. I also found a few medium level issues including one window that seems to have a broken lift mechanism. This early punch list will, I believe, make it easier for us at the "final" walkthrough. Otherwise I think it would be overwhelming to check everything to be sure it is right.

Lots of Activity

Friday was a very busy day at the house.

The plumbing trim was done, except for the kitchen island and the powder room vanity sinks which are delayed until the correct cabinets are installed.

The electrical trim continued, and most of the electrical work is done. Again, the electrical to the kitchen island could not be done until the cabinets are installed. We're still waiting on the electrical box / GFI / wiring for our special hot tub circuit. All the light fixtures were installed. The smoke detectors were installed. A whole house surge suppressor was put in the main meter box.

The main control for the water heater was installed in the garage, even though I told the installer that it was not to go there, but in the hall as specifically shown on the print. Now they'll have to come back and move it and also repair the wall. I suppose the "do overs" generate income for the hourly trades.

The mirrors in the master bathroom and the guest bathroom were installed. The powder room mirror is, of course, waiting for the correct cabinet to arrive.

All the shelving for the closets and pantry were installed. They are all ok except for the Master Closet, where the installer again thought the print specifications were only suggestions. This will be a do over, including patching holes in the wall and paint touchup.

Between 4 and 6:30 PM it poured at LoMD. It was like a swimming pool in the area in front of the front porch that is enclosed by the front walk. I don't see how any plantings will survive in this area unless gutters are installed to route the water elsewhere. There was one minor leak in the garage around the furnace chimney. My rain gauge at Royal Harbor showed 3.53" of rain yesterday. The lake levels are coming up.

Plumbing and Electrical Trim

At mid-day today, both the plumbing and electrical trim were in process. The plumber had the whole house water filter installed, the external water heater hung and plumbed, the toilets set, and was working on connecting the various sinks.

The electrical trim crew had "dealt" outlets, switches, and cover plates around all the rooms near the electrical boxes and were busy installing them. The Dining Room, Nook, and Foyer hanging light fixtures were installed. There was a problem with the light strip over the Guest Bath vanity as it was about 6" too long. This will be changed. I think the fixture was actually right, but the framing shortened up that wall. The wall between the utility room and the dining room was about five inches shorter than I had expected, but the nook and kitchen dimensions had grown a bit.

The house is full of Love Bugs. Since the screens are not on the windows and the HVAC is not yet operational, the crews are opening windows to provide some air circulation. The cleaning crew will have a big job.

I'll spend time in the house over the weekend checking on the installations and updating my punch list.

HVAC, Door Hardware, Countertops

We're back from vacation. While we were gone the counter tops were installed, along with all the room door handles / locks. Also the HVAC compressor, coil, furnace, and thermostats were all installed. No electrical connections were made and I was told today that the electricians, not the HVAC people will do all that hook up. Then HVAC comes back to program / tune the system.

We got a surprise on the countertops in the bathrooms. They were not the same color as the kitchen, as we had expected, but were a more neutral color. This is, I believe, our mistake, as I went back and checked the individual decor change order and the kitchen and bathroom countertop colors are different. We got what was on the change order that we signed. It's not a bad color and we'll live with it, rather than spend about $2500 to change it.

All the electrical fixtures are in boxes in the Master Closet.

Cage

Pringle sent us new pictures while we were on vacation. From the pictures, it appears that the cage behind the Lanai was installed on October 2.