Ground finally broken - well, more like, finally took some pics!
08-07-2006, 07:13 AM
#41
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Originally Posted by LuvMyTSX
Yep...there's no big business there to build a tax base, so it's all on the residents. Sucks big time. Similar thing in Branchburg, where I'm at.
So are you in Country Classics, then? Not sure if they are still building there or if they're done. The older (first) part of that neighborhood is really pretty. I moved from HB before they started building on that farm on Hillsborough Rd, near Steeplechase Manor, but drove by a couple times and saw a sign for a new development, is that where you are? So many developments are going up!
So are you in Country Classics, then? Not sure if they are still building there or if they're done. The older (first) part of that neighborhood is really pretty. I moved from HB before they started building on that farm on Hillsborough Rd, near Steeplechase Manor, but drove by a couple times and saw a sign for a new development, is that where you are? So many developments are going up!
08-07-2006, 08:16 AM
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Couple pics - brick done. Close up shots cause the sun was coming right into the camera - always get there late in the day it seems. 
Inside work coming along - still plumbing and electrical going on. HVAC looks done. They ran all the underground pipes for the downspouts - they all run underground and into sewer. The handful of discolored bricks I complained about before actually just looks like some dried brick dust or something on there - seems to come off easily. Will do by hand or power wash it. Front door and sidelights will be painted black, with nickel hardware - the door sidelights have nickel inlays in them and there will be black lanterns on either side of door as well.
Inside work coming along - still plumbing and electrical going on. HVAC looks done. They ran all the underground pipes for the downspouts - they all run underground and into sewer. The handful of discolored bricks I complained about before actually just looks like some dried brick dust or something on there - seems to come off easily. Will do by hand or power wash it. Front door and sidelights will be painted black, with nickel hardware - the door sidelights have nickel inlays in them and there will be black lanterns on either side of door as well.
08-14-2006, 08:36 AM
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Another 7 days have gone by....last week just had rough plumbing and rough electrical done....and now...front is almost done...insulated...sheetrocked and 1st coat of spackle! Wow. Just a couple pics - outside front, then a couple from family room and kitchen...
Kitchen to family room view...
Family room looking to future french doors to living room...
Family room looking to kitchen...
Kitchen to family room view...
Family room looking to future french doors to living room...
Family room looking to kitchen...
08-28-2006, 07:47 AM
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No real changes on the outside - the biggest one being I cleaned the bricks that had that stuff on them I told you about - a wire brush and water took care of it. Once I started doing it I saw a couple more I will hit after closing. Probably already freaked out enough passing neighbors by scrubbing my brick! Inside they have done the first coat of paint, garage doors are in and the openers - however they installed the wrong openers, so they will need to put in the correct ones. 
Does anyone know - do they usually put the island and cabinets in first and then hardwood up to them or do the hardwood floors go down first - then cabinets and island?
I guess this week should be all the crown molding and other trims.
Last pic - saw a neighbor had their Sat. Dish in the exact location I want to do it - so I will show this to installer and say here - do it like this one - if he won't do it, maybe I will just find out who this guy used.
Does anyone know - do they usually put the island and cabinets in first and then hardwood up to them or do the hardwood floors go down first - then cabinets and island?
I guess this week should be all the crown molding and other trims.
Last pic - saw a neighbor had their Sat. Dish in the exact location I want to do it - so I will show this to installer and say here - do it like this one - if he won't do it, maybe I will just find out who this guy used.
08-28-2006, 08:59 AM
#49
Originally Posted by TBone2004
No real changes on the outside - the biggest one being I cleaned the bricks that had that stuff on them I told you about - a wire brush and water took care of it. Once I started doing it I saw a couple more I will hit after closing. Probably already freaked out enough passing neighbors by scrubbing my brick! Inside they have done the first coat of paint, garage doors are in and the openers - however they installed the wrong openers, so they will need to put in the correct ones.
Does anyone know - do they usually put the island and cabinets in first and then hardwood up to them or do the hardwood floors go down first - then cabinets and island?
Does anyone know - do they usually put the island and cabinets in first and then hardwood up to them or do the hardwood floors go down first - then cabinets and island?
As for the island... it varies by builders. Some builders cheap out, install the island and base cabinets, then hardwood around them. Others install the hardwoods first, then install the cabinets and island. We actually thought our builder cheaped out and installed around everything, but later came to find that they hardwooded the whole floor, and installed the cabinets and island on top... which is what we were hoping for.
08-28-2006, 09:07 AM
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Sounds as if you mastered the brick challenge. The stain you saw was probably salt leaching out of the brick. Moisture gets into brick, during the manufacturing process and during the storage process, and then, as the brick sets up, the moisture leaches out and effloresces, with a whitish "blush". A mild solution of muiriatic acid (same stuff in eyedrops) will remove it along with, as you've discovered, wirebrush and powerhosing.
Don't be surprised if you see some more leaching over the next year. Sometimes the salts that are waterborne will take as along as a year or two to completely leach out. In no way does this represent a compromise of quality in relation to the brick, other than that it was probably a "sof/porous" brick to begin with.
Don't be surprised if you see some more leaching over the next year. Sometimes the salts that are waterborne will take as along as a year or two to completely leach out. In no way does this represent a compromise of quality in relation to the brick, other than that it was probably a "sof/porous" brick to begin with.
08-28-2006, 09:20 AM
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Originally Posted by juniorbean
Wow, you cleaned your own brick? When they were finished with construction and the sod was laid they powerwashed the entire house twice... so everything was clean when we moved in.
As for the island... it varies by builders. Some builders cheap out, install the island and base cabinets, then hardwood around them. Others install the hardwoods first, then install the cabinets and island. We actually thought our builder cheaped out and installed around everything, but later came to find that they hardwooded the whole floor, and installed the cabinets and island on top... which is what we were hoping for.
As for the island... it varies by builders. Some builders cheap out, install the island and base cabinets, then hardwood around them. Others install the hardwoods first, then install the cabinets and island. We actually thought our builder cheaped out and installed around everything, but later came to find that they hardwooded the whole floor, and installed the cabinets and island on top... which is what we were hoping for.
I am trying to find out about the hardwood and cabinet order of install. I hope it is like yours - I think that is better. But we shall see...I have question out to them about this.
08-28-2006, 09:21 AM
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Originally Posted by ric
Sounds as if you mastered the brick challenge. The stain you saw was probably salt leaching out of the brick. Moisture gets into brick, during the manufacturing process and during the storage process, and then, as the brick sets up, the moisture leaches out and effloresces, with a whitish "blush". A mild solution of muiriatic acid (same stuff in eyedrops) will remove it along with, as you've discovered, wirebrush and powerhosing.
Don't be surprised if you see some more leaching over the next year. Sometimes the salts that are waterborne will take as along as a year or two to completely leach out. In no way does this represent a compromise of quality in relation to the brick, other than that it was probably a "sof/porous" brick to begin with.
Don't be surprised if you see some more leaching over the next year. Sometimes the salts that are waterborne will take as along as a year or two to completely leach out. In no way does this represent a compromise of quality in relation to the brick, other than that it was probably a "sof/porous" brick to begin with.
08-28-2006, 11:30 AM
#53
Originally Posted by TBone2004
Yo - of course they are going to power wash the entire thing when we are done - c'mon...this ain't some cheapo outfit here man....I just wanted to know NOW rather than when they did the washing prior to closing if this was going to come off of the handful of bricks it affected or if I needed to get in their faces about specific brick replacement etc. I am not one to sit around and wait for something. Luckily from other post below it sounds like what I expected it is - or can be - a normal process and perhaps these handful of bricks (6-10) where just afflicted worse than others. But they were no match for elbow grease and a wire brush.
I am trying to find out about the hardwood and cabinet order of install. I hope it is like yours - I think that is better. But we shall see...I have question out to them about this.
I am trying to find out about the hardwood and cabinet order of install. I hope it is like yours - I think that is better. But we shall see...I have question out to them about this.
. But based on the pics, you can see it's good stuff... so no worries there. I guess we just have different thresholds for these things. I did not do a damn thing, and if something was wrong, they fixed it. They actually needed to come back after we closed and powerwash a corner of the house again. Basically it looked like some tilers dumped a dirty water/grout bucket out of the bedroom window during construction, and it got on the brick and stained it. So we just noted it during our walkthrough, and made them clean it. If it didn't come clean the tiling company would have had to pay the masons to rebrick that area. No way in hell I was going out there myself and scrubbing it. Let the builder deal with that shit... that's what I'm paying for 
08-28-2006, 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by juniorbean
It better not be a cheapo outfit based on the prices there in the Northeast . But based on the pics, you can see it's good stuff... so no worries there. I guess we just have different thresholds for these things. I did not do a damn thing, and if something was wrong, they fixed it. They actually needed to come back after we closed and powerwash a corner of the house again. Basically it looked like some tilers dumped a dirty water/grout bucket out of the bedroom window during construction, and it got on the brick and stained it. So we just noted it during our walkthrough, and made them clean it. If it didn't come clean the tiling company would have had to pay the masons to rebrick that area. No way in hell I was going out there myself and scrubbing it. Let the builder deal with that shit... that's what I'm paying for
. But based on the pics, you can see it's good stuff... so no worries there. I guess we just have different thresholds for these things. I did not do a damn thing, and if something was wrong, they fixed it. They actually needed to come back after we closed and powerwash a corner of the house again. Basically it looked like some tilers dumped a dirty water/grout bucket out of the bedroom window during construction, and it got on the brick and stained it. So we just noted it during our walkthrough, and made them clean it. If it didn't come clean the tiling company would have had to pay the masons to rebrick that area. No way in hell I was going out there myself and scrubbing it. Let the builder deal with that shit... that's what I'm paying for 
Because as you said it - I paid for this and it will be as close to perfect as a man-made product can be before I even think of closing on this baby. Thanks BTW - she is looking real sweet.
09-07-2006, 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by juniorbean
As for the island... it varies by builders. Some builders cheap out, install the island and base cabinets, then hardwood around them. Others install the hardwoods first, then install the cabinets and island. We actually thought our builder cheaped out and installed around everything, but later came to find that they hardwooded the whole floor, and installed the cabinets and island on top... which is what we were hoping for.
09-07-2006, 02:11 PM
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i thought you always tile or lay wood around the cabinets...that way if you end up changing the floor down the road you dont have to rip up the cabinets... 
09-07-2006, 02:16 PM
#59
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Originally Posted by RyeCL
i thought you always tile or lay wood around the cabinets...that way if you end up changing the floor down the road you dont have to rip up the cabinets...
09-07-2006, 02:39 PM
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It's cheaper to install the flooring first. Think about all the cuts they'd have to do to get around the cabinets. It's all about the $$$ it costs the builder. Any way they can save $$$ and not piss off the client, they do it.
09-21-2006, 12:20 PM
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Originally Posted by RaviNJCLs
House coming along really nice. You have any updated pics?
09-23-2006, 09:47 AM
#67
^ 
I love when people say that. We had a few that said that in our last house which was also new construction, and unlike our current home, the house was delivered with white paint, and that was it. It's like yeah, too bad the walls are white standard. What will I ever do? They need to make magicial stores where you can buy paint and a brush and change the color of a room in a day. 
Anyway, in all seriousness, new home builders typcially offer very few paint options. Afterall, they're not interior designers, they're home builders. You have white, and maybe 2-3 other shades of cream to choose from (which are really only small variations of white). So really not much you can do except wait a year or so for the house to settle, fix all the nailpops and other cosmetic details, then whip out a paint brush and add color wherever you want.
Hence the joy of home ownership... you can do whatever the hell you want to your house, and nothing is permanent... so colors can be changed in a matter of hours.
.
I love when people say that. We had a few that said that in our last house which was also new construction, and unlike our current home, the house was delivered with white paint, and that was it. It's like yeah, too bad the walls are white standard. What will I ever do? They need to make magicial stores where you can buy paint and a brush and change the color of a room in a day. Anyway, in all seriousness, new home builders typcially offer very few paint options. Afterall, they're not interior designers, they're home builders. You have white, and maybe 2-3 other shades of cream to choose from (which are really only small variations of white). So really not much you can do except wait a year or so for the house to settle, fix all the nailpops and other cosmetic details, then whip out a paint brush and add color wherever you want.
Hence the joy of home ownership... you can do whatever the hell you want to your house, and nothing is permanent... so colors can be changed in a matter of hours.
.
Last edited by juniorbean; 09-23-2006 at 09:52 AM.
09-23-2006, 10:33 AM
#68
Aaaarrrggghhhh!
Originally Posted by juniorbean
^ I love when people say that. We had a few that said that in our last house which was also new construction, and unlike our current home, the house was delivered with white paint, and that was it. It's like yeah, too bad the walls are white standard. What will I ever do? They need to make magicial stores where you can buy paint and a brush and change the color of a room in a day.
Anyway, in all seriousness, new home builders typcially offer very few paint options. Afterall, they're not interior designers, they're home builders. You have white, and maybe 2-3 other shades of cream to choose from (which are really only small variations of white). So really not much you can do except wait a year or so for the house to settle, fix all the nailpops and other cosmetic details, then whip out a paint brush and add color wherever you want.
Hence the joy of home ownership... you can do whatever the hell you want to your house, and nothing is permanent... so colors can be changed in a matter of hours.
.
I love when people say that. We had a few that said that in our last house which was also new construction, and unlike our current home, the house was delivered with white paint, and that was it. It's like yeah, too bad the walls are white standard. What will I ever do? They need to make magicial stores where you can buy paint and a brush and change the color of a room in a day. Anyway, in all seriousness, new home builders typcially offer very few paint options. Afterall, they're not interior designers, they're home builders. You have white, and maybe 2-3 other shades of cream to choose from (which are really only small variations of white). So really not much you can do except wait a year or so for the house to settle, fix all the nailpops and other cosmetic details, then whip out a paint brush and add color wherever you want.
Hence the joy of home ownership... you can do whatever the hell you want to your house, and nothing is permanent... so colors can be changed in a matter of hours.
.
Our house is 2 years old and I've already changed almost every room color and added a ton of new items (french doors, columns, finished attic, new mudroom, etc..) If you're into DIY and are actually good at it, there's nothing you can't do or change in your home.TBone - The cabinets look great. Looking forward to pics of the installed granite
09-23-2006, 06:53 PM
#69
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Originally Posted by AsianRage
Kitchen look great. Too bad the wall isn't painted with a darker color.
09-23-2006, 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Scribesoft
TBone - The cabinets look great. Looking forward to pics of the installed granite
picture taking. I will post as soon as the granite goes in and I can get a decent picture. Thanks again - I appreciate all the feedback guys - good or bad.
09-25-2006, 09:04 AM
#71
^ Yeah, they lock the houses here as well. As soon as applicances and light fixtures are in... doors are locked.
Of course when we came to visit to check on house progress we just stopped into the sales office and got the key if the doors were locked. If it was open and they were working, we just went in.
Of course when we came to visit to check on house progress we just stopped into the sales office and got the key if the doors were locked. If it was open and they were working, we just went in.
09-25-2006, 11:39 AM
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Originally Posted by juniorbean
^ Yeah, they lock the houses here as well. As soon as applicances and light fixtures are in... doors are locked.
Of course when we came to visit to check on house progress we just stopped into the sales office and got the key if the doors were locked. If it was open and they were working, we just went in.
Of course when we came to visit to check on house progress we just stopped into the sales office and got the key if the doors were locked. If it was open and they were working, we just went in.
09-25-2006, 12:21 PM
#73
Aaaarrrggghhhh!
^ LOL.. We lucked out while building our home. I happened to be walking through the house after work one night (I went every night during construction) and found that they had left the new doorknobs w/keys in the basement. I guess they didn't have time to put them in that day.
I ran down to Wally World and had some copies made then returned the originals back to the box. Never had any issues getting in after that!
Oh, and I did change all the locks right after we moved in... Just in case I wasn't the only one checking out the house that night.
I ran down to Wally World and had some copies made then returned the originals back to the box. Never had any issues getting in after that!
Oh, and I did change all the locks right after we moved in... Just in case I wasn't the only one checking out the house that night.
09-26-2006, 09:17 AM
#75
Originally Posted by TBone2004
^^ same here - we just grab the key from the sales woman. But in another week or two - when carpet is in - even we will be kicked out. Which is cool - the less traffic in there the better.
I guess it's different b/c we lived 750 miles away... so whenever we came in from NY to visit, they let us in no problem. If we lived here and came by consistantly, they may have turned us away some of the time (although I'm not sure about this since many of our neighbors who lived local never had a problem getting in regardless of progress)...
Last edited by juniorbean; 09-26-2006 at 09:33 AM.
09-26-2006, 04:12 PM
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Originally Posted by juniorbean
Yeah, definitely good when they keep people out after the carpet is laid. Here they covered the entire floor with either paper (on hardwoods and tile) or plastic (carpets) so we were never not allowed in. We did have to take our shoes off after the flooring/carpeting was done even though it was covered... but we didn't mind that.
I guess it's different b/c we lived 750 miles away... so whenever we came in from NY to visit, they let us in no problem. If we lived here and came by consistantly, they may have turned us away some of the time (although I'm not sure about this since many of our neighbors who lived local never had a problem getting in regardless of progress)...
I guess it's different b/c we lived 750 miles away... so whenever we came in from NY to visit, they let us in no problem. If we lived here and came by consistantly, they may have turned us away some of the time (although I'm not sure about this since many of our neighbors who lived local never had a problem getting in regardless of progress)...
11-29-2006, 01:37 PM
#80
Damn that is a gorgeous house!