The Build: Week 17

Wednesday, November 28th – Tuesday, December 4th

🎵

Quiet week, lack of progress week!
All is cold, all is bleak.
Round yon porch, basement and stoop.
Unholy concrete, please don’t droop,
Firm inside of this place,
Firm inside of this place.

  • Basement, front porch, back step concrete poured
  • Siding dropped off
  • Kaerek ‘Design Team’ there doing who knows what

17 weeks down, 8 to go.

The Build: Week 16

Wednesday, November 21st – Tuesday, November 27th

As anticipated, our adventures in PEX tubing continued into this week. We could’t find a plumber or hvac company to do the work in time so John went all in and decided to order the necessary components to do it ourselves himself. He was lucky enough to get a helping hand from his friend, Justin, and they made quick work of the install. 

The weather hasn’t cooperated this past week and we’ve seen an unseasonable amount of snow. We’re currently waiting for the concrete to be poured and we can’t progress with any interior work until that’s complete. You can’t pour concrete over snow or in extremely cold temperatures so we’re on hold until the builder and concrete contractor figure out a solution. It’s going to get colder before it gets warmer so for now, we wait. insert big sigh here

At this point I highly doubt we’ll hit our move in goal of January 31st. I’d estimate we’re at least two weeks behind schedule, probably more.

  • Happy Thanksgiving!
  • PEX tubing installed in garage.
  • Electrical connected.
  • Gas connected.
  • Snow, snow, and a lot more snow!

16 weeks down, 9 to go.

The Build: Week 15

Wednesday, November 14th – Tuesday, November 20th

We kicked this week off, day 99, with a meeting at the house with our expeditor, Rick. We had our list of questions ready and, if I’m completely honest, we were ready to go to battle.

We of course softened up a bit when Rick arrived and we started walking around the house. You catch more bees with honey, am I right? The plumber was still there working on some odds and ends which was helpful when plumbing questions were raised. In the end, our questions were finally answered and we drove away… satisfied.

Bill and Jennifer got a late night tour of the house on day 99 after we met for dinner. As you can see from the photos, we didn’t have the best lighting to capture the new bathtubs.

Day 104 began with a crew prepping the basement, garage, and front porch for concrete. Our goal is to have a local plumber install PEX in the garage for radiant heating but things aren’t coming together as well as we would have liked. Timing with the concrete crew has been up in the air for weeks and now that they’re ready, it’ll likely be a challenge to get a plumber in time. Stay tuned for more exciting news on that front.

  • First round of rough plumbing done.
  • HEY, look at that! That window was finally installed!
  • Concrete work began in the basement, porch, and garage.
  • Temporary mailbox in place.

15 weeks down, 10 to go.

The Build: Week 14

Wednesday, November 7th – Tuesday, November 13th

As you can see from the pictures below we are still missing a window. While this actually doesn’t surprise us anymore, it’s really irritating.

At this point our expeditor isn’t responding to any of our questions or concerns. I spent a few minutes today writing out an email to our expeditor and I’m not sure if I should send it. We really have no idea what’s up next on the agenda other than more plumbing. If we’re still on track to close at the end of January I’d be amazed.

So let’s talk about what was done this week:

  • Well was drilled. While that sounds like a great win, it was something we were responsible for so no props to the builder there.
  • The dirt pile on the southwest corner of the lot was moved towards the back of the lot so WE Energies can run electricity to the house. While that also sounds like progress, I should note that this was the second time the dirt was moved. We’re really not sure what they did the first time, but it definitely wasn’t what we asked.
  • Gas fireplace insert was dropped off along with the family bathroom tub and surround.
  • Low voltage wiring was done but this is another item that wasn’t done as we requested.
  • Plumbing was done in the basement and the garage. Still waiting for the plumbing in the walls to be done so insulation and drywall can begin. But with us still missing a window on the front of the house, it’s not like that can be started anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This should be a fun and exciting process, but the more I write the more my frustration grows so let’s call it a night and see what next week brings. Bye!

14 weeks down, 11 to go.

The Build: Week 13

Wednesday, October 31th – Tuesday, November 6th

There hasn’t been much change on the exterior of the house, but a lot has happened on the inside. The electricians, HVAC crew, and plumbers have been inside working their magic.

We had a small win with the electrician this past week when we marked the location of the floor outlets on the second floor. They had us penciled in for three locations when we only wanted two. This allowed us to plug a few wall outlets in that we had thought of after we signed our plans:

  • An outlet behind the toilet in the family bathroom for a bidet toilet seat. Our guests should also have the luxury of a warm, clean bottom.
  • An outlet in the master bathroom closet. The countertop gets cluttered quickly when you’re charging toothbrushes and razors.
  • And an outlet in the master bedroom closet. Just because.

We’ll be gone part of this next week to experience the newly opened taproom at Sandhills Brewing in Kansas. Hopefully they have a generous employee discount. And hopefully the crew installs those last two windows before we return.

13 weeks down, 12 to go.