Still waiting...

Okay, it's about time for another update...

After the weather got nicer, it was time to finish up some of the seasonal items that could not be done in the late fall.  Here are the items that need to be done this spring:

1. Final grading of the property
2. Re-pouring of two sections of sidewalk that were cracked by machinery in the fall
3. Installation of the lawn

On April 12, I received an email explaining that they would begin completing seasonal items at the end of May.  Seasonal items need to be completed in this order (generally): concrete, grading, lawn.  In addition, the lawn must be installed within 5 days of the engineers final inspection. I was notified that we would receive weekly updates each Friday regarding these items and either Jason (the construction manager) or the concrete company would contact me to let me know when they are planning to do the prep work on our property.

On May 24, we received our COO (permanent certificate of occupancy).  I am assuming that since we received this document, the grading and inspection is done.  Based on previous communications, this is usually done after the concrete is finished (which, in our case, it is not) and the lawn should be installed within 5 days of this final inspection.  Maybe I am just confused about when the final inspection is done, though. The email including the COO also stated that the concrete contractor was scheduled the following week.

In late May (I can not remember the exact date), the concrete company framed and pour one of the two sections of concrete.  They did not complete the second section of concrete, probably because it started to rain.  They have not come back to finish the work.

Other than the two emails that I have already mentioned and one more in response to an email I sent asking for clarification on the work scheduled to be done, I have not received any additional updates.  On Wednesday, June 19, I sent an email asking for an update, expecting to hear a response (even a short one) on Friday, June 21.  I have not yet received a response.

I do understand that there are a lot of items to be completed at this time of year, but I have to say that I am getting a little frustrated with the lack of communication.  It isn't easy to live in a home with no lawn, especially with two young children and a dog and it is even more frustrating when you have no idea when the work will be completed or exactly why there is a delay.  Hopefully I will have an update soon (and a lawn!)

**UPDATE**

I received an email back on June 28th, stating that they hope to have the concrete people back out on July 18th.  July 18?!?!  What happened to the end of May? Why are the people who are just completing their homes and aren't living in them getting all of their work completed and those of us who have been living in theirs have to wait? Some people on my street don't even have driveways yet.  My kids have no yard to play in.  All because K. Hovnanian won't get their act together and complete the items in a reasonable time frame, or in the order that we finished our homes.  This is total crap.

**UPDATE**
August 4, 2012: Still no work done on my place, but they installed two driveways on my street.  Now Jason is on vacation until the 19th (which I only found out because of his auto reply to my email requesting an update).  I emailed the guy in charge while he is out. Seriously, people, why is this still not done?!?!

Three Month Update

Well, we've been here for about three months now so I thought I'd post an update on closing and our 30 day walk through and the time in between.

Closing went fairly well.  There are a couple of things that are still on the "to-do" list for K. Hovnanian:

• Sidewalks need to be repaired/repoured (they cracked them when they did the grading of the land).  This will have to be redone in the spring...
• The siding on the back of the house needs to be repaired where they screwed in the railing needed for the house to be up to code.
• The stain on the railings needs to be redone.  Whoever put the second coat on did a sloppy job that is definitely below expectations.  There was even a brush bristle in the finish coat!
• The lawn needs to be installed, but that will have to wait until spring.

After closing, we got appliances (after 2 delays), moved in boxes and purchased and hung all of the window treatments.  We have noticed that the two front bedrooms are noticeably colder than the other rooms in the house.  The HVAC guys will have to rebalance the heat a little. One bracket on the bridging in the basement has pulled all of the nails out.  It needs to be reattached. [This was repaired quickly, although with a slight scheduling hiccup]

During the 30 day walk through, we pointed out a couple of items that were concerns:

• The stain on the stairwell (K. Hov's fault)
• A small dent in the sink (unsure of fault-could be ours)
• A small pop in the countertop, presumably from moisture, although it is not in a typical problem spot (probably our fault, but strange
• The siding on the back of the house was never repaired (K. Hov's fault)
• The painters got colored paint on the tops of most of the door moldings, which should be white (the painter's fault-sloppy!!!)
• The heat needs to be balanced (normal for a new house)
• The kitchen sink's seal popped (probably normal, but I'm not sure)

Perry (who is amazing, by the way) scheduled a repair date around my work schedule.  On the morning of the repairs, all of the contractors showed up on time and did an amazing job on the repairs.  They removed the dent from the sink (even though it was probably not their fault), sealed the countertop, resealed the kitchen sink, repaired the siding, did paint touch-ups wherever necessary, and rebalanced the heat.  They also sanded down the stained railing and re-stained and sealed it properly.

I especially want to complement the paint/stain guy.  He arrived at 9 am and took almost 4 hours sanding down the railings.  He had another scheduled job at 1, which he went to (at my suggestion) and then returned to keep working.  He was back around 3.  He worked until 5, when he had another job which he went to (again, at my suggestion) and then returned around 6:30 to finish.  He left our house around 8.  He never once complained, and his work was impeccable!!!  The stain looks amazing.  I can't say enough nice things about him!  I wish I could remember his name...  I think it was Lee, but I could be wrong...

I really love how they fixed up anything that was not up to par. Great job, maintenance department!

Finishings

Monday, October 15

Well, we had the walk-through on Friday, and we discussed some finishing items that needed to be touched up.  Here is what I can remember of the list and any updates I found after stopping by on Monday afternoon.

• paint touch ups everywhere, especially the basement (all paint touch ups were done.  I found one spot we missed during the walk-through, but I can touch that up myself since they gave us the extra paint)
• Railings/spindles still need to be stained and finished.  [This is still not done, but it looks like they were working on it today]
• Master linen closet doors were damaged.  Jason offered to replace them, since paint would not fully cover the issues.  [Done!]
• Furnace-possible gas leak, need filters [Done!]
• Cabinets-touch up stain and align cabinet doors [to be completed]
• Tempered glass window needs to be moved to the proper place [to be completed]
• Touch up paint on front door [Done!]
• Fix lump in basement carpet [to be completed]
• Add outlet in pantry [done]
• Nail side of cabinet in kitchen [Done!]
• Insert screw covers in back slider [Done!]
• Finish installing doorknobs [Done!]
• Reverse two switches [Done!]
• Adjust closet doors [Done, but I'm not totally satisfied with one of them]
• Repair sidewalks [They were cracked during grading; this may be done in the spring since the weather is much cooler now and the grading on our property may not be totally finished.] 

Bank paperwork tomorrow, keys Wednesday.  I also ordered all of our window treatments (shades and blinds), so that is now taken care of.  I started setting up utilities, but current debate is Cable vs Dish.  Any thoughts?

Finishings

October 4, 2010

I stopped at the house again yesterday.  Things are really moving quickly!  Here is a summary of what has been done/is left to do...

1. Flooring: Everything is installed, but I found a lumpy section in the basement.  Everything else seems to be pretty good.

Plumbing:  All faucets are in.  Shower heads are in the house, but not attached.  Three out of four toilets are installed (the one in the basement bathroom has been delivered, but not installed). All sinks have been installed. The hot water heater has been delivered, but not installed. Kitchen sink needs plumbing underneath and a garbage disposal.  Dishwasher needs to be installed.

Electrical: All lighting fixtures are installed.  Three outlets are wired incorrectly (I checked them all myself), and the exterior outlets and garage outlets have no power yet (but the breaker may be off- not something for me to mess with!).  One switch does not work properly.  Missing outlet in the pantry (the wiring is just covered up by drywall, I believe). Garage door opener is not yet installed.

Paint/stain:  The walls need touch up paint/a final coat. The spindles and handrails need to be finished.  Some new trim pieces need paint/stain.

Closets:  All shelves installed.

Bathroom fixtures: Towel bars/toilet paper rolls are installed.  Unfortunately, we were supposed to be called to discuss these before installation.  We wanted two towel bars in the master.

Doors:  All doors (closet doors included) are installed.  Some of them need some touch-up paint.  All need door knobs (which have just been delivered).

Jason (the construction manager) says that the electrical issues will be taken care of before the walk through. I hope he's right.

Landscaping: Met with the landscaper about lawn options.  They will bring in a machine to remove large rocks, spread seed and cover with hay for the included starter lawn.  For $700 they will also hand rake and remove medium-sized rocks and add fertilizer...  We haven't decided about this yet...  Any thoughts from the world wide web?

Walk through on Friday 10/12.  Signing paperwork on the 16th.  Getting keys on the 17th (hopefully).  I am now worried after reading a blog from another K. Hovnanian customer who was supposed to get his keys today.  Check out his blog: http://ourkhovexperience.blogspot.com.

Counters and railings!

September 24, 2012

I stopped by the house again today, and we have countertops and stained handrails!  There is definately some touch-up work to do on the paint from the other work being done, but I'm sure they'll fix it up.  Also, under the counter between the dining room and the kitchen, it looks like they cut the wall too short.  I'm sure it will be patched up, but I'm curious to see how they do it...

Kitchen countertops (Formica Calacatta Marble, beveled edge):

A better view of the kitchen counters (LOVE THEM!)

The downstairs bathroom (Formica's Portico Marble, beveled edge):

The railings, stained, but not sealed yet.  I'm so glad we did all stain instead of white or white railings with stained spindles!!!

Oh, and we meet with the landscaper on Wednesday!

Grrr... (update)

Got a very nice email back from the construction manager with all the information that I needed.  He also said that it may be possible to do the walk through in the evening if an alternate date can't be worked out.  I am MUCH happier.

Grrr...

September 22, 2012

Got an email back from the construction manager today, regarding the two sets of dates that he has sent me.  His reply?  The second set is correct.  "My bad." I already arranged my work schedule around the first set of dates, and scheduled *paid* training on the 12th, which is now supposed to be our walk-through. I let him know about the problem, and I'm awaiting a response. And I'm still waiting for a response to a question about the landscaper, after asking it twice.  FRUSTRATED!!!