I don't know what the applicable building code is in your jurisdiction but the 2009 IRC says: "R703.8 Flashing. Approved corrosion-resistant flashing shall be applied shingle-fashion in a manner to prevent entry of water into the wall cavity or penetration of water to the building structural framing components. Self-adhered membranes used as flashing shall comply with AAMA 711. The flashing shall extend to the surface of the exterior wall finish. Approved corrosion-resistant flashings shall be installed at all of the following locations: 1. Exterior window and door openings. Flashing at exterior window and door openings shall extend to the surface of the exterior wall finish or to the water-resistive barrier for subsequent drainage." Unfortunately, this is not a very useful standard for window flashing so unless the contract required the windows to be installed according to the window and/or weather barrier manufacturer's instructions, you will probably be forced to pay for any changes in the work. The basic problem that you have stumbled upon is that decades ago home builders readily accepted the new nail-fin plastic and metal clad windows as essentially "self-flashing" (codes actually exempted them from needing flashing) and adopted the strategy put forth by DuPont, etc. that it was appropriate to seal the windows to a loose plastic weather barrier as a backup to the weathering face of the exterior cladding (brick veneer, siding, etc). This seemed to work until it was discovered that the nail-fin windows tended to eventually leak at the corners so the good builders went back to protecting the wood sill and jamb framing (sill pans, etc.). Of course, this is much more important in wet climates then in dry ones so attempts to develop a national standard to address this issue has so far been unsuccessful. Discussing these issues with a builder is basically telling someone how to do something that they have been doing for a living for decades so it can be a tough negotiation. This is why the installation instructions for windows should be bound into the construction drawing set or referenced by the contract and attached to it. And it doesn't hurt to staple it to a few of the rough jambs before the windows arrive. Good luck Here is a link that might be useful: interesting paper about window flashing

My neighbours did this; took about 5 years start to finish (from the time they bought the trailer to the time they sold it). It apparently took some convincing of the county because they were restricted to one house on the piece of land...so having the mobile home AND the new house was against zoning bylaws. Thankfully the county agreed if the mobile home was gone when the moved into the new house. There was about a month in which they camped out in the yard because the mobile home was sold and gone but the house hadn't passed final inspection. All that being said, it worked, they have a gorgeous house and no debts. That being said, they had TONS of family to help them with the build, and she was a stay at home mom (they have 5 kids!), and dad was a trucker who would be home for stretches at a time. Personally, I built my place in a year working only evenings and weekends plus my holiday time, without an entire crew of workers. $50k wouldn't have gotten it to lock-in stage, but it would have covered my excavation, foundation and at least 1/2 of framing (except I dug my own basement and poured my own foundation....so we're talking material costs). Where there's a will, there's a way right??

Forget talking to the construction manager. Find out who the CEO or President of the company is and write him a letter. Introduce yourself as a customer who is in the process of having a home built by their company at such-and-such an address by so-and-so construction manager. Compliment the quality of the work being done on your home (or how clean they are keeping the property...or something!) and that you are happy to be working with a company that prides itself on customer service. Tell him what a great reputation his company had back where you used to live and that you were so relieved when your original builder's company was taken over by his company. (Never hurts to lay on the compliments first.) Then state that you do have a complaint however and have tried to resolve this with the construction manager but have not gotten satisfaction nor any explanation that makes sense to you so you are hoping the CEO/President can assist you. Then, keeping it short, outline the fact that they broke ground on your home on date X and that on a later date (later dates) broke ground on three "inventory homes" at such and such addresses. Point out the ways in which these three inventory homes are substantially the same size, style, and quality of the home they are building for you and are in the same neighborhood. State that under the circumstances, it seems logical that the home that was started first (yours) ought to be the first one finished but that you now find that work on the inventory homes is moving forward MUCH faster than work on your home and further that you are being told that your finish date is being delayed significantly. In a chart, show the status of your home as of "yesterday" and the status of the 3 inventory homes on the same date. Point out again that the 3 inventory homes were begun AFTER your home and that the same CM is building all of them and using, as far as you know, the same crews. Suggest that it looks like the construction manager is delaying work on your home in order to concentrate his efforts on the inventory houses - presumably so that they can be finished and sold more quickly so as to maximize profits on them and that while you can understand the CM's motives, delaying work on your home to give priority to the inventory homes is simply unfair. Point out that while this INTENTIONAL (be sure and use that word) delay may be more profitable for the company and look good for the CM, it works a hardship on you and your family because if your home is not finished on schedule (by mid-September) you will have to move into a hotel with 2 school-age children at a cost of $x/week after September 30. Tell him - and quote me here because this phrase tends to be somewhat magical. "This is simply not acceptable. It reflects badly on the good name of your company." Suggest to the CEO that if they don't have your home ready by the originally promised date but do finish any one of the inventory houses that was started AFTER yours, it would be only fair for them to let you and your family move into the finished inventory house - and live there for free - until they complete your home. Then say that while this would be an acceptable compromise for you, what would really make you happy is for them to simply get your house back on its original time-line schedule and stop treating it like a "stepchild". If the CEO is a reasonable person, the fact that you brought the matter directly to his attention will tell him you are a savvy consumer. The fact that your complaint is stated in a rational manner and that you are not making irrational demands - only asking them to do what is right and fair - and that you still hold a good opinion of the company - is very likely to result in a message coming down from the CEO to your construction manager to get humping on finishing your house and to make sure it gets done BEFORE the inventory houses and before September 30th if at all possible. For the construction manager, finishing the inventory houses first is a big deal for his small portion of the company's bottom line. For the CEO, that extra profit is likely to be a piddling amount in the grand scheme of things. So, if the CEO can keep you happy by just telling the CM to make finishing your home a priority over the three inventory houses, he is very likely to do so. And, once word comes down from on high, you can bet the CM will do it. You may hear nothing back - other than maybe a letter that the CEO will "look into it" - but you'll know your letter succeeded if work on your house suddenly appears to become top priority for your CM. Good luck!

If your siding and trim are both true white, you could make your roof any color. To stay with the classic farm look, do keep the trim true white -- and not the glossy variety. Gray: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/700872760729013774/ Green: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5770305752326303/ Red: http://lyonmetalroofing.com/jamesville-nc/ Copper: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/523332419183327045/ Different vendors have different shades of different colors -- generally a large variety of colors and shades -- and there are different ways to put them together depending upon need: https://www.pac-clad.com/products/metal-roofing/ http://leivancarvalho.me/sheet-metal-colors/sheet-metal-colors-packed-with-exquisite-ideas-colored-aluminum-sheet-metal-j-m-l-contracting-sales-inc-industries-color-chart-firestone-sheet-metal-color-chart-ilx/