Tonight we had two showings so we had time to kill. Often we kill time by driving out to see our lot, the new build progress, and our new neighborhood. We were excited because we have cleared out back yard and not getting as much negative feedback on our house, our PM noted that they should be framing no later than Monday, and we have two showings.
We got to our Landon to find nothing changed since Friday of last week. The I-Beams were still sitting on the foundation and not put into their pockets. We were so disappointed.
Our home showings both went late. The 2nd one was supposed to be there at 7:30 arrived at 8, so we basically got dinner and sat outside with our dogs. They were still at our house when we drove past so we parked and waited in a back street in the woods. They sounded like they liked the place, excited over how big the yard is, and the trail that leads from the bridge. More disappointment when their agent left me a message they didn't like the hillside. Odd though, they drove back past and parked in front for a while after the agent said they weren't interested.
So today was nothing new.........nothing but flowers
(Nothing but flowers is an awesome Talking Heads song from the 80's)
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
It's not all puppy dogs and rainbows
I believe for many of us who are buying a Ryan Home, we are current home owners upgrading to a home for numerous reasons. Regardless of the why, it seems most of us are selling a home why we are building. The sale of our current home is part of this experience.
We had received some negative feedback that the yard was over grown. My property backs up to the woods and with the hillside, it's a pain to tend to. Since I never used it, I let it grow in. Saturday we made plans to start clearing it all out. Friday while at home depot renting a brush hog, I got an email from my agent. The couple at the house was preparing an offer.
I was excited for our first offer, but I was leery. This agent had scheduled to show his clients my house on Tuesday and cancelled last minute when his clients made an offer on the house they were seeing before mine. When he called to arrange another showing time slot, he said the deal for the other house fell apart and he'd like to show them mine. While driving up to our build lot, I wondered why their prior deal fell apart. Was it:
1) Financing issue - If they can't get financing, why are they seeing my house....that cant be it.
2) Home Issue - Maybe a home inspection found something, but then again, hard to get a home inspection that fast.....that cant be it.
3) Low Offer - Maybe they made an extremely low offer and it was rejected. I suspect that must be it.
The offer was 82% of the listing price and included seller assist money back to them. We already lowered our price to something more like what others have sold in my neighborhood, but they still only offer 84% of that and asked for a discount of just under 30,000. I was pretty insulted as they priced my house the same as the townhomes in my neighborhood which have no yard, hottub, or newer kitchen and bath.While I wanted to tell them to go F@#$ Off, my agent said to keep diaglog open, I should give them a counter. We gave them a counter off and then they gave us one. We were still 25,000 off. I decided at that price I could rent the house and make a killing on a single parent who wants their child in a killer school district. My agent even got frustrated with them as it didn't seem like they were basing their price on any local comparable.
We stopped talking to them as we had an open house to get ready for. Saturday I hired some day labors to cut out my brush and clean up my back yard. While it isn't perfect, it is a huge improvement. The day labor wasn't that expensive and we got 80% of what I wanted done complete for the open house.
Sunday's open house was good. We had to stage and sit it ourselves as our agent doesn't sit them and she couldn't find an agent to work it. So we got signs from her, put out the cookies, and my fiance worked the open house while I took the dogs. We had lots of positive people and 7 showings.
While building might seem overwhelming picking colors and options, it's nothing compared to the horrible experience it has been to sell a house.
We had received some negative feedback that the yard was over grown. My property backs up to the woods and with the hillside, it's a pain to tend to. Since I never used it, I let it grow in. Saturday we made plans to start clearing it all out. Friday while at home depot renting a brush hog, I got an email from my agent. The couple at the house was preparing an offer.
I was excited for our first offer, but I was leery. This agent had scheduled to show his clients my house on Tuesday and cancelled last minute when his clients made an offer on the house they were seeing before mine. When he called to arrange another showing time slot, he said the deal for the other house fell apart and he'd like to show them mine. While driving up to our build lot, I wondered why their prior deal fell apart. Was it:
1) Financing issue - If they can't get financing, why are they seeing my house....that cant be it.
2) Home Issue - Maybe a home inspection found something, but then again, hard to get a home inspection that fast.....that cant be it.
3) Low Offer - Maybe they made an extremely low offer and it was rejected. I suspect that must be it.
The offer was 82% of the listing price and included seller assist money back to them. We already lowered our price to something more like what others have sold in my neighborhood, but they still only offer 84% of that and asked for a discount of just under 30,000. I was pretty insulted as they priced my house the same as the townhomes in my neighborhood which have no yard, hottub, or newer kitchen and bath.While I wanted to tell them to go F@#$ Off, my agent said to keep diaglog open, I should give them a counter. We gave them a counter off and then they gave us one. We were still 25,000 off. I decided at that price I could rent the house and make a killing on a single parent who wants their child in a killer school district. My agent even got frustrated with them as it didn't seem like they were basing their price on any local comparable.
We stopped talking to them as we had an open house to get ready for. Saturday I hired some day labors to cut out my brush and clean up my back yard. While it isn't perfect, it is a huge improvement. The day labor wasn't that expensive and we got 80% of what I wanted done complete for the open house.
Sunday's open house was good. We had to stage and sit it ourselves as our agent doesn't sit them and she couldn't find an agent to work it. So we got signs from her, put out the cookies, and my fiance worked the open house while I took the dogs. We had lots of positive people and 7 showings.
While building might seem overwhelming picking colors and options, it's nothing compared to the horrible experience it has been to sell a house.
Concrete!!
Friday night the lovely fiance and I headed to check out our lot. When I spoke with the PM mid week, he suggested they might have started framing on Friday, but most likely it would be Monday. The floor in the basement and garage was poured and smoothed. I-Beams arrived also and laid on the foundation but not installed. I found the steel shims but no posts to support the I-Beam that will go along the steeps.
We took some pictures and rushed home to clean and grab the dogs as an agent was showing the house. (Separate post on the home selling experience)
Enjoy the pictures
We took some pictures and rushed home to clean and grab the dogs as an agent was showing the house. (Separate post on the home selling experience)
Enjoy the pictures
SOMEONE LOST THEIR BELT
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Change, Change, Change
Yesterday I received an email from our PM asking for a good time to speak today. We set up a call for 9am to discuss my foundation concerns and questions. (See this blog entry for the problem: http://thelovelyladieslandon.blogspot.com/2015/08/foundation-concerns.html)
Our new PM basically told me the variance in my foundation is because of the HVAC change. Our Landon has a 1 furnace 2 zone system compared to the prior 2 furnace 2 zone Landon models. The prior model had 1 furnace in the basement and one in the attic which required less ductwork. Since we have 1 furnace that has to cover 2 zones, we have extra ductwork coming up from the basement. This requires more space and why our I-Beam structure support ends and doesn't sit on the foundation wall. Basically that space is needed to run a ductwork up to the 2nd floor. Ryan Homes makes sure the pipe support sits in a hole left in the concrete and is bolted to the I-Beam. While I would have rather had the I-beam sitting on the foundation, I confirmed with one of our architects that this is fine.
The diagonal wall was removed in the basement because it made the 3rd car garage too small to actually fit a model sized car. I know it is smaller and we planned to store our motorcycle there and our lawnmower. We lost a small amount of internal square footage but gained some usable space in the garage.
The new PM took his time to answer and explain things to me. It was much appreciated. Our sales rep noted that the marketing floor plans don't always match that of the actual floor plan. I think this is something Ryan Homes should work on, or at least point out differences in the pre-construction meeting.
Our new PM basically told me the variance in my foundation is because of the HVAC change. Our Landon has a 1 furnace 2 zone system compared to the prior 2 furnace 2 zone Landon models. The prior model had 1 furnace in the basement and one in the attic which required less ductwork. Since we have 1 furnace that has to cover 2 zones, we have extra ductwork coming up from the basement. This requires more space and why our I-Beam structure support ends and doesn't sit on the foundation wall. Basically that space is needed to run a ductwork up to the 2nd floor. Ryan Homes makes sure the pipe support sits in a hole left in the concrete and is bolted to the I-Beam. While I would have rather had the I-beam sitting on the foundation, I confirmed with one of our architects that this is fine.
The diagonal wall was removed in the basement because it made the 3rd car garage too small to actually fit a model sized car. I know it is smaller and we planned to store our motorcycle there and our lawnmower. We lost a small amount of internal square footage but gained some usable space in the garage.
The new PM took his time to answer and explain things to me. It was much appreciated. Our sales rep noted that the marketing floor plans don't always match that of the actual floor plan. I think this is something Ryan Homes should work on, or at least point out differences in the pre-construction meeting.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
In the Trenches
We stopped past the lot last night and expected maybe the basement floor would have been poured. It didn't look like much was done since our visit on Saturday. There is still a drain not connected in the basement. The only update we could see was that the trench dug to run the storm and sewer drains was filled in and a pile of rocks was moved.
I am still waiting on a call from the project manager who called me on Friday about the variance I brought up regarding the foundation. I suspect Ryan Homes is taking the cheap route and I wont have a foundation under one side of my I-beams and no project manager most likely has already written my concern off.
I am still waiting on a call from the project manager who called me on Friday about the variance I brought up regarding the foundation. I suspect Ryan Homes is taking the cheap route and I wont have a foundation under one side of my I-beams and no project manager most likely has already written my concern off.
Monday, August 3, 2015
I've got Wood
We stopped up at the lot Saturday while our house was being shown. I wanted to see what was done since last I was there, but I will still frustrated over the foundation inconsistency. You can see the foundation concerns here: http://thelovelyladieslandon.blogspot.com/2015/08/foundation-concerns.html
More work was done. They installed the basement drains, more pipes for the downspouts, and back-filled a majority of the house. They haven't poured the basement floor or the garage, but we did get a delivery. We got WOOD!
We had three large bundles and stacks of wood ready for framing. I don't know if they will start framing this week as they still have the concrete floors to pour and resolve my concerns over a change to our plans. We also do not have the steel I-Beams that support the house in spots.
Here are updated pictures:
More work was done. They installed the basement drains, more pipes for the downspouts, and back-filled a majority of the house. They haven't poured the basement floor or the garage, but we did get a delivery. We got WOOD!
We had three large bundles and stacks of wood ready for framing. I don't know if they will start framing this week as they still have the concrete floors to pour and resolve my concerns over a change to our plans. We also do not have the steel I-Beams that support the house in spots.
Here are updated pictures:
Houston we have a problem - Foundation Concerns
On July 30th I contacted my Ryan Homes team to question 1) why our basement doesn't have the diagonal wall that is shown on the Ryan Homes website floor plan and 2) Where is the foundation pocket spot for the support I-beam. Here is the response I received:
"The foundation wall now steps that corner section (as you see on your home), as opposed to being an angled wall there. With that, there is a stanchion post instead of the beam pocket."
I didn't feel comfortable with the response from our project manager as all I felt he did was state the obvious and didn't explain why our house doesn't have a foundation to support the I-Beam and why our foundation doesn't support the diagonal wall on the first floor. I emailed them the follow up email:
"1) noted that the “foundation wall now steps that corner section (as you see on your home), as opposed to being an angled wall there.” Can you explain why this change was made to our house and why it deviated from the floor plan listed on the Ryan Homes website and the one we purchased: (Floorplan at: http://www.ryanhomes.com/file-
This email went without response. So I called the office and expressed concern over why my house id different from 1) The plans listed online and I can't compare it to my plans as Ryan Homes refuses to provide me with prints on my house, 2) my Landon is different from two recent Landons made in the area one being started a week ahead of ours.
I was asked to send another email that the sales rep can send to the new project manager. On Friday the 31st, I sent the following email including pictures:
"Thanks for taking the time to talk to me over my concerns about a possible foundation error.
I received several responses from this. The new project manager called me Friday around 5:15 saying he would look into it. He noted he hadn't fully been brought up to date on my house yet as he just started this week. (Our current Project Manager moved or resigned) He said he would look into it and give me a call next week and to rest assure if it is wrong they will stop building until a fix is found.
I also received another email from the other sales rep on Sunday and she actually lives in a Landon her self that was made I suspect a year ago. Here is her response:
" I’m sure that your new project manager, Geoff, will explain this, but I figured I would give you some peace of mind until you get a chance to speak with him.
I still don't have the warm and fuzzy. My concern is because of a Landon being built a week ahead of mine and he experienced something similar. His footer was poured with the square design like mine, but was changed to diagonal after inquiring of the project manager. Here is a comment a fellow Ryan Homes Landon Blogger left on my page on July 30th:
"yeah they did make the mistake in the footer on mine, but I noticed it when I was looking at the drawings, so I questioned my PM. After looking into it he said they had used old drawings and not the ones they gave them, but they would correct it when they poured the walls which they did. In the older version he said they didn't do the diagonal wall in the basement and just framed the diagonal on the first floor. I'm curious as what they will do in your case."
Here is pictures showing his wrong footer and corrected diagonal wall.
"The foundation wall now steps that corner section (as you see on your home), as opposed to being an angled wall there. With that, there is a stanchion post instead of the beam pocket."
I didn't feel comfortable with the response from our project manager as all I felt he did was state the obvious and didn't explain why our house doesn't have a foundation to support the I-Beam and why our foundation doesn't support the diagonal wall on the first floor. I emailed them the follow up email:
"1) noted that the “foundation wall now steps that corner section (as you see on your home), as opposed to being an angled wall there.” Can you explain why this change was made to our house and why it deviated from the floor plan listed on the Ryan Homes website and the one we purchased: (Floorplan at: http://www.ryanhomes.com/file-
2) Can you explain why the I-Beam will be on a steel post and not in a pocket built into the foundation? I would think sitting the beam on the foundation is preferred over a post that can be removed.
3) Does this change affect the diagonal wall on the first floor?
4) If you are using a different floor plan than ours, can we get a copy of it?
5) Is there a list of other changes Ryan Homes made to their floor plans that will cause a change to ours?
The diagonal wall was a neat feature of the house. I would like it if you can expand on it more why it's not there."
This email went without response. So I called the office and expressed concern over why my house id different from 1) The plans listed online and I can't compare it to my plans as Ryan Homes refuses to provide me with prints on my house, 2) my Landon is different from two recent Landons made in the area one being started a week ahead of ours.
I was asked to send another email that the sales rep can send to the new project manager. On Friday the 31st, I sent the following email including pictures:
"Thanks for taking the time to talk to me over my concerns about a possible foundation error.
I am including a few files supporting my concern that the foundation wall was formed incorrectly to plan. The files included are:
1) The original floor plan from the Ryan Homes website where I circled the missing diagonal section and foundation beam support.
2) A picture of the foundation of a Landon being built by Ryan Homes in Oakbrooke/Cecil PA which was poured a week before ours.
3) A picture of a landon footer built in Twinsburg, OH showing the diagonal footer that was poured May 2015.
4) A picture of CX0623 showing the lack of a diagonal wall and foundation beam pocket. Our foundation is not consistent with any of the other Landons and plans shown online.
I have a lot of concern over why this was done different from the plan.
I'll be stopping past tomorrow. Please let me know if you find anything out on why our foundation is different."
I received several responses from this. The new project manager called me Friday around 5:15 saying he would look into it. He noted he hadn't fully been brought up to date on my house yet as he just started this week. (Our current Project Manager moved or resigned) He said he would look into it and give me a call next week and to rest assure if it is wrong they will stop building until a fix is found.
I also received another email from the other sales rep on Sunday and she actually lives in a Landon her self that was made I suspect a year ago. Here is her response:
" I’m sure that your new project manager, Geoff, will explain this, but I figured I would give you some peace of mind until you get a chance to speak with him.
When the HVAC system was redesigned for the 2 zone, 1 furnace system instead of the 2 zone, 2 furnace system, the diagonal wall in the basement foundation was changed to accommodate the new furnace system. However, the diagonal wall design will remain on the first floor. You would still be able to do the diagonal wall in the basement when you frame out the basement. This is actually what we did in our house, but modified it a little bit to fit our bar design. The one that you purchase was based off of the newer blueprints. Unfortunately, the marketing department has not caught up the general floorplans with the change, so the floorplans that are currently online do not illustrate it, but the blueprints that we have here in the office do show the new foundation. The online floorplans are also just used for marketing purposes and do not show many of the details that the blueprints do. I have attached a copy of the basement blueprint page so that you have it for your reference. Hopefully that helps to answer some of your questions."
I still don't have the warm and fuzzy. My concern is because of a Landon being built a week ahead of mine and he experienced something similar. His footer was poured with the square design like mine, but was changed to diagonal after inquiring of the project manager. Here is a comment a fellow Ryan Homes Landon Blogger left on my page on July 30th:
"yeah they did make the mistake in the footer on mine, but I noticed it when I was looking at the drawings, so I questioned my PM. After looking into it he said they had used old drawings and not the ones they gave them, but they would correct it when they poured the walls which they did. In the older version he said they didn't do the diagonal wall in the basement and just framed the diagonal on the first floor. I'm curious as what they will do in your case."
Here is pictures showing his wrong footer and corrected diagonal wall.
I'm supposed to get a call from the new project manager. Our sales rep made it sound like the square design is the "New" plan and the diagonal wall is the "Old" plan which would mean one of us currently building a Landon is not getting the truth. Also, her email makes it sound like her Landon had the square design, so why are newer builds getting the diagonal design with Ibeam foundation support?
I hope something positive comes out of this.
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