First time homeowner garage

[tigerxj]

Good news, the contractor had included a W/D in the budget even though I told him on a few occasions we already had a W/D we would move with us. So we are gonna finish off our bonus room with carpet. Normally I'd like to paint first but the wife wants that to be the nursery for the next baby and we don't know what we'll be having (and we aren't pregnant yet!). So we will paint it and trim it later this year or early next year.


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[4*4]

Very nice build! Good for you!

 

[tigerxj]

I went by for a bit this morning. Electricians on site and hanging lights. Crew is also grading for driveway, sidewalk, and prepping the porch for the pour. Concrete scheduled for this afternoon. Still have to haul off the dumpster because we are having a turnout poured right where it is. Also getting a trench drain in front of garage door. Back deck should be started today as well.

Exciting to see it approaching the final stages. Inside we are waiting on mirrors and shower glass, installation of appliances (they are delivered except fridge), laundry laminate counter, electrical which hopefully finishes tomorrow, and carpet. Also final paint on walls/Trim and stain on steps. I think we are within 2 weeks.

Wife is gonna take the kids this afternoon to put their hand and feet prints on the corner of the driveway.


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[tigerxj]

Unfortunately it was a little hot today and my wife couldn't get there in time to let the kids put their prints in the concrete. This is the third time we missed. We live about 25 minutes away and my wife doesn't get off till 5 at the earliest, I work 10 mins from the house and don't get off till 5 either. Maybe when we pour a sidewalk to the rear.


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[tigerxj]

Went by this AM, ac is finally running. Had it down to 66 even though the stat was set on 70. They must have it in some sort of emergency mode I guess because none of the Tstat functions would do anything. I'll see how it is this afternoon before I address it.

There is one big concern/question I have for which I would like some input. The freon line runs from the attic down the master bedroom wall through the basement shop wall then out to the unit. The basement is not conditioned, so it was about 73 degrees and 84% relative humidity this morning. Water was condensing on the freon line, even had a little ice forming on it. However it was also condensing on the outside of the black pipe insulation. My concern is when I put OSB up on the shop and fiberglass insulation in the walls, am I gonna end up with mold with all that moisture? We will be adding a dehumidifier to the basement set to continuous run, but will this be enough to remove moisture from the basement to prevent significant moisture collection in that wall?


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[tigerxj]

We are supposedly 2 weeks from completion and a week to punch list. We found a few things when my dad the builder walked through it this weekend. Won't bore you with details but one my dad caught would have been a big headache later.

He noticed this in the laundry room. We assumed the plumber didn't place the water supply for the washer correctly. Told the builder to look at it because we would not accept them cutting either the countertop or the box to fit. Turns out the installed the wrong base cabinet. Put a 36" wide base instead of 30". Turns out a standard washer/dryer would not have fit. So today the ripped the old base out out. And since the tile went in after cabinets, they now have to redo the tile

Oh the joys of building. We did decide to finish the bonus so that will bump us up to right around 3000 feet, and we should get way more than what we have in it on the appraisal.


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[55cadillacking]

^ good catch! Looks like a fantastic home.

 

[tigerxj]

^ good catch! Looks like a fantastic home.

Yeah, my dad has an eye for detail. I can only imagine how annoyed my wife would be on moving day when we tried to install the W/D only to realize they wouldn't fit! He caught a few other big things, but most of the rest of it is punch list **** we can touch up later.


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[bonecrrusher]

Good progress - your about to have to move!

Unpacking is the worst part! We still haven't got everything put away - and I've been painting my garage for almost a month!

 

[tigerxj]

Good progress - your about to have to move!

Unpacking is the worst part! We still haven't got everything put away - and I've been painting my garage for almost a month!

At this point I would welcome it. We are 6 weeks behind today. No one worked on it yesterday, I was there till 10:30 and no one came by. I am praying that we will be moving in 2 weeks, which would give us a week to finish and a week to punch. That will put us 2 months behind, which is right in line with our average of everything taking 50% longer than they tell me. I'm really frustrated with the electricians at this point. They've been on the job for 2 weeks hanging fixtures and installing outlets/switches. Feels like they hang 3 fixtures then peace out to another job or something. They only have 3 interior fixtures left, and they are all the high ones, so I can understand maybe they are waiting on scaffolding, but it took them 2 weeks to get here. Not only that, but one of our dining room lights doesn't work and two of the garage lights don't work. Also have not installed any of the basement lights. And none of the exterior. Still waiting on gutters and downspouts and we got crushed with rain 2 days ago.

the good news is our basement is dry. I did get a dehumidifier hooked up yesterday. In 24 hours it took RH from 85% to 69% in a 2000sqft basement, so I'm happy with that.


They did start pointing up on the interior, but still a lot of work there.

Unfortunately if we don't move in 2 weeks, we will have to cancel on all my siblings, my parents, and my 5 neices who were planning to stay at our house for the Clemson-Notre Dame game on 10/3. I will be irate if that happens.


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[bonecrrusher]

^^ Hey nice pond!

 

[tigerxj]

Yeah we have a zero-entry pool. My mother in law will be so happy


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[Bib Overalls]

So, tell me how you pick a color for the nursery when your not pregnant and don't really know when you will be? White primer I guess.

I know a bunch of tradesmen and most of them take jobs to get them and then bounce around hoping their occasional presence for a day or two will make everyone happy. One couple I know sued their electrician for the interest on the building loan while he dragged the job out. We are talking a couple of months which adds up to a couple of grand real quick.

 

[tigerxj]

Exactly, we originally were just going to have them prime it, but now we'll let them put the same light gray we chose in the rest of the house.

It seems like you'd be more efficient getting in the groove and knocking a house out before moving onto the next. What do I know.


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[tigerxj]

We are slowly chipping away. Finally got the electricians back after a 2 day absence after they had to cut 14 holes in the drywall to fish a missing wire through for half the garage lights. They have a few more interior fixtures to install and they are working on the exterior fixtures.

They finally got the high ceiling fixtures, but still missing the light kit on the fan. I just don't understand sometimes. The fan is literally the only light source in the living room, and they planned/ran/hung all the lights. I would think they would think of that and ask someone if they weren't sure. Regardless both my super and I caught it so they'll fix it.

Landscaper was delayed a few days this week. He was on another job last week building a retaining wall. We got a surprise storm with 3.5" of rain last Wednesday which blew out his progress. 30 mins north or south of Clemson got a 1/4" of rain or less. He should be starting today.


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[tigerxj]

Went by after I finished up seeing patients at the free clinic. I was pumped to see lights in my shop were finished.

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[JCQuick]

cool updates

 

[tigerxj]

Landscapers are on the job this week. We took down a few more trees in the back yard, one had died from the back fill. They started yesterday hauling the excavated dirt from the front yard to the back yard. I observed the guy on the mini-ex attempting to bury the felled trees in a ditch in the back yard. I called the owner of the landscape company and told him they are not allowed to bury the trees. He met me in the back yard and gave me some BS answer about how he was not burying them, he was just filling the trench. He then asked me what I wanted them to do with the trees. Um, cut them up and haul them off? Our city even hauls off yard debris for free, just have to put it at the road. Obviously the plan was to bury it and they had not thought of a plan b.

We should be finishing the drain lines today and hopefully install the sprinkler system today. Turf should be delivered today and installed tomorrow.

They still have a little more to pull out of there

And the remainder of what they were planning to bury already hauled up to the street

Obligatory garage shot

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[tigerxj]

Started on the irrigation today, hopefully they wrap it up today.

Neighbors probably won't be too happy, but too late. Maybe it will be gone by tomorrow

5000sq ft of fescue

October glory maple

guess I need to figure out what these are so I know how to manage then

finished shot of the back porch
And back yard

Getting close. I am praying we get a co at the end of the week


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[wazzza]

Amazing build! Good job with documenting the progress for us! You have a downwards slope into the garage? Hopefully you have a good drainagesystem to keep the garage dry?
Does it get cold were you live? From my own experience I know that the drainsystem can freeze in winter and not function. Many people around here have heattraced their drainsystem and watersupply to keep it from freezing...

 

[tigerxj]

Amazing build! Good job with documenting the progress for us! You have a downwards slope into the garage? Hopefully you have a good drainagesystem to keep the garage dry?
Does it get cold were you live? From my own experience I know that the drainsystem can freeze in winter and not function. Many people around here have heattraced their drainsystem and watersupply to keep it from freezing...

Thank you. I love following picture heavy builds, of the whole house. This has admittedly been light on the garage/shop, but those will be coming next.

We are in upstate SC. We do get below freezing in winter, but the next day you can have a 70 degree day. Not an issue for us. My dad has issues at his house in Asheville.

Regarding the slope into the garage, that was my concern as well. I made them install a trench drain into the driveway. We had a 3.5" rain last Wednesday and didn't get any water in the garage, this was without a garage door or downspouts.

This was our front yard partly due to the trench drain pouring it out from the driveway.


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[Mr. Roboto]

Are the footings for your decking below grade? Looks like you've got the wood posts touching dirt, unless this will be re-graded moving forward.

 

[west_perf]

Looks great. hope they landscape so your backyard won't wash out the dirt in a rainstorm.

 

[tigerxj]

Are the footings for your decking below grade? Looks like you've got the wood posts touching dirt, unless this will be re-graded moving forward.

You are correct, and just another thing to add to the list. This portion of the deck is somewhat temporary. Original plans called for a 10' deep x 19' wide deck extended from the covered porch. We cut that out due to cost savings. We tried to nix things that we could "fix" later easily. This was one of those things. Either way I will be staying on the landscaper to make sure the keep the dirt away from it.

As far as the back yard, it will be sodded with whatever's left from the front yard then remaining areas seeded. We do have a ditch there I'm a little worried about. May have to add a few plants there or even go retaining wall which isn't in the budget right now. I'm hopeful it will do well.


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[Mr. Roboto]

You are correct, and just another thing to add to the list. This portion of the deck is somewhat temporary. Original plans called for a 10' deep x 19' wide deck extended from the covered porch. We cut that out due to cost savings. We tried to nix things that we could "fix" later easily. This was one of those things. Either way I will be staying on the landscaper to make sure the keep the dirt away from it.

As far as the back yard, it will be sodded with whatever's left from the front yard then remaining areas seeded. We do have a ditch there I'm a little worried about. May have to add a few plants there or even go retaining wall which isn't in the budget right now. I'm hopeful it will do well.


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Gotcha. If they can grade it down to the footings, that would be ideal. If not, you may want to at least did around the bases of the posts and fill it with gravel. That will retain much less moisture than the bare dirt.

It's really looking awesome though!

 

[tigerxj]

Gotcha. If they can grade it down to the footings, that would be ideal. If not, you may want to at least did around the bases of the posts and fill it with gravel. That will retain much less moisture than the bare dirt.



It's really looking awesome though!

That's a good idea. And to answer your question apparently no they didn't dig down. In fact they went ahead and sodded and mulched the back yard and under the deck. I'll have to go back in there and do it. It won't take much effort.

This fridge is a lot freaking bigger than I thought. It's a bit of an eye sore. I'd be willing to give up a few cubic feet for a few inches shallower. I don't even know do they make fridges that are less than 30" deep?

I don't know why it bothers me here, but has never bothered me in the last two houses. I guess it's because it's in the center of the kitchen instead of on the end?


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[west_perf]

That is almost the same one we have. Any way you can move it back further? It doesn't stick out that far in my kitchen but we also have it against one of the walls.

 

[tigerxj]

That is almost the same one we have. Any way you can move it back further? It doesn't stick out that far in my kitchen but we also have it against one of the walls.

It's against the wall already, and there is a stairwell behind it. The wife said it doesn't bother her, so whatever




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[navin]

They make counter depth fridges...We have a GE Profile one (it kind of *****)..

 

[west_perf]

Yeah it looks fine, and as long as it works and the wife's not complaining. You going to be moving in this weekend? Looks great thus far.

 

[tigerxj]

Yes, leaving work early tomorrow to get a 26' truck from Penske. I hope that will be enough. Our garage is basically full right now to about 4-5' high with boxes and furniture. We still have a bunch if **** in the house. I am hopeful we can get it all in the truck, but have a 5x10 trailer I can pull if we need to. My wife will be driving it so I'd like to avoid that if I can. We have to bring the truck back anyways so we can take another load if we have to. We will be moving Saturday


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[tigerxj]

Not about the house but annoying initially but worked in my favor. Got a call from Penske that they were all out of 26' trucks at the moment in my area. Since I'm doing round trip they offered me a 22' and offered a 50% discount on the truck and mileage. The kicker is I am picking it up Friday late afternoon for a 24h rental but the close at 2pm Saturday and not open Sunday. So as long as I have it back Monday morning it is considered a single day. Less stressed about stuffing it full now. Our rental is only 18miles from the house.


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[jbmatth]

Awesome, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. I don't envy you for having to move but I know it'll be great to have it done and be in your new home.
JB

 

[tigerxj]

Yeah we got 2" of rain last night and more today and tomorrow. Of course our street is muddy from the landscaping work, so we'll have to be careful not to track our red mud in. Not looking forward to moving in the rain!


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[ddurrett896]

I don't even know do they make fridges that are less than 30" deep?

Counter Depth fridges are 24" deep so flush with the base cabinets. Stick that one in the garage and use the overflow and beer.

 

[tigerxj]

We may look into it if it interrupts the flow in the kitchen. Wife doesn't care (yet) so I don't give a **** as much. We already have a garage fridge and a basement fridge, and a chest freezer.


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[jbmatth]

We may look into it if it interrupts the flow in the kitchen. Wife doesn't care (yet) so I don't give a **** as much. We already have a garage fridge and a basement fridge, and a chest freezer.


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Sounds like you will not ever have to walk far for a cool drink, that is important.
JB

 

[tigerxj]

Sounds like you will not ever have to walk far for a cool drink, that is important.

JB

Good point. I'll need one today. I worked for about 7 hours yesterday loading the truck. My wife joined me after she got off work then informed me our sitter fell through. All my buddies were on call, so we had no one to help us load or simply watch the kids. They probably added 2hrs to the process last night. My 3yo son was being very "helpful" trying to move boxes into the truck. We got almost all the furniture but we definitely have at least another full truck's worth of boxes and furniture. I was a terrible judge of the amount of stuff we had. We threw a few pieces away too.


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[jbmatth]

I know how much help 3 year old kids can be, ours helped us move and pack, but you have to love that they want to help out. I could fit 12 boxes in my truck each afternoon for the first week of the move and while I was at the new house I'd do a little painting so when the big move day came our 26' uhaul was only half loaded and the 16' open trailer was full of the playhouse and other odd shaped big stuff we didn't want to put in the uhaul. In the end it was pretty quick and painless even if it was snowing on us a little bit. Good luck today and have fun with it.
JB

 

[Mr. Roboto]

How'd you guys make out? Is your move in the books now?