CP...it almost makes you wish you hadn’t started the whole process. At our age we should be enjoying peace and reading trashy novels and enjoying our family’s...not spending every waking moment worrying about some aspect of the house, researching, etc, etc, etc. Everyone says it will be worth it. Hang in there. You are almost there. Just a little longer. Me too. Then we can both sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Cp....we are not moved in, but we are doing our best to iron things out NOW. There are a LOT of glitches here as well. My security was installed over two months ago (cams, locks, garage doors etc.), and we are still getting the kinks worked out. In fact, a tech is coming today for a service call because one of the garage doors is offline. My builder kind of complained that I installed all the security as soon as permenent power was on, but I’m glad I did because it’s taken so long to get it working properly...plus I’ve been able to keep an eye on everyone coming and going which I really like :)

Also, my electricians have been back several times to fix electrical switches etc. (and they’re still not done). So, it does take a while to get everything working correctly (would hate for it to be in that state after moving in though). I can tell you, that unless it was ME inspecting every little minute detail, a lot of this stuff would have gone unnoticed and never been dealt with until I inadvertently discovered the problem after moving in. I guess that’s just the nature of the beast.

I am trying to go over everything as early as possible. I kept mentioning to my builder that I wanted to walk the house with him (now) to point out all the things that need doing and what my expectations were. He wanted me to wait until we were closer to the end, but that just didn’t make sense to me because I knew there were a ton of things that no one else would pick up on, and waiting to do a walk-through would just cause time issues and missed opportunities to get things right. Thankfully, we had a walk-through a couple of days ago....I had a long list of things. I feel better knowing that they know more of what needs to be done. We will have another (more final walkt-hrough) towards the end. I am hoping to get as many problems resolved as I can so I’m not being driven crazy by workers coming in after we move in. But, I’ve had to push and insist on an initial pre walk-through.

CP - congrats on finally getting into your home. I'm sure all of the issues will get worked out at some point - tho it does seem to take forever! We have been in for 6+months and all winter we could not use the fireplace due to leaks - living in Maine and with this past winter, we were not happy. It is finally fixed and it is 60 degrees outside. We also have had condensation issues with our screened in porch - I think the whole ceiling will be replaced and our covered front door. Issues with the alarm system and the smart light switches - waiting 2 months for the electrician! UGH! The inside punch list for some settling issues has started (screw pops from dry wall, etc...) So I am hoping that by our 1 year mark in the house I will not have to call the builder for anything!

In the meantime, try to enjoy your beautiful home.

I am hoping to get as many problems resolved as I can so I’m not being driven crazy by workers coming in after we move in.

I've had a list of over 60 items I picked up on that needed work 2 months before moving in. Maybe 1/2 got done. There's always some excuse.

Haha....yes....there’s the Builders Handbook of Excuses that they’ve all read from.

Rdy2retire....where was your fireplace leaking?

Ceilings are being painted though getting a few high ceilings to perfection are challenging. Painters will put a third coat on to get them perfect. They have not yet got around to perfecting tall wall corrections we'd marked with blue tape. In the meantime electricians have commenced installing trims and can lights are operational in a few rooms. It was good to hit respective switches and be able to clearly see interior rooms off interior corridors that don't have exterior Windows. The wall paint color looks really good, it's not the light grey nor a very dark grey but the solid grey look I desired, DW agrees.

Exterior painting will commence next week and so will exterior column framing, in preparation for stone work. Extremely satisfied with progress and quality of work though it goes without saying I always have to interject corrections and reminders to keep quality on track and no pushback on that from anyone.

Thought you'd like to see one room that is almost done. The only thing missing is the toilet tissue holder since my guy forgot his drill for tile. Also on the opposite wall, I wanted to hang a sculpture but I have a hook there instead for a towel, so that may preclude hanging art. The mirror is Mexican tin and those are roses surrounding the frame. My whole house has a rose theme, so once I saw it, I knew it was perfect for the spot.

Oh the latest? DH went to shower and first the shower was hot. Two minutes in it got cold and then blasted him with hot water. The same thing happened to him this morning when he first got up and was washing up at the sink. Additionally as he was trying to adjust the temperature, the temperature valve fell off in his hand. This should not be happening in a custom house that has taken over 18 months to build!

CP congrats on getting into the house. I'm sorry it doesn't seem to be working as it should! I would be going insane if I were you. Ugh. So frustrating. I hope things start to come together.

My kitchen remodel is done. Took a few weeks but we love it. Did some of it myself. I put this video together detailing the process if anyone is interested. I have other DIY videos there too. Anyway, if you have any questions about the kitchen remodel please let me know. https://youtu.be/LiI2fxLzKAg

ILove Red- the fireplace was leaking around the cap. We knew that in October so the builder sent up some guys and they put silicone all around it. That held until Dec 23 and a freezing rain storm hit and it then we had water on both sides of the FP. So the immediate solution was to cover it with plastic and tie/tape it down. Then we waited for the steel cap. The steel cap covers the beautiful bluestone cap up there but at least it does not leak. We had a very good rain storm and no water inside. Good thing the builder covered the costs of the steel cap.

CP - I love your bathroom! We too had temperature issues with the water when we moved in. Apparently the recirculating on demand water heaters were not plumbed correctly!. Good luck - try everything, multiple times. I told my adult children to try everything in the house, multiple times.

Apparently the recirculating on demand water heaters were not plumbed correctly!.

That's what I'm afraid of!

And to make it worse, after he showered he went to feed the dog. He turned on the hot water at the prep sink and waited over 14 minutes for hot water. Nothing. Finally I came into the kitchen and turned on the hot water at the clean up sink and only then did the hot water go to both sinks.

CP - oh gosh - I had to have the plumbers and the HVAC here at the same time to get the whole recirculating system sorted out! The first shower I took in my house was ice cold - I was not happy! There were also dip switches on the pumps were not set correctly. How do I know? The HVAC guy gave me a manual and he had one and on every page that mentioned dip switches we checked them and corrected them. I know more about my HVAC and water systems than I ever wanted to know!

Once it was plumbed correctly, it has worked beautifully.

Some government regulations kill me. We have a standard water heater with a recirc pump. Go in to take a shower and it was hot in seconds but cooled off after a few minutes. Turns out that code required a mixer valve at the HW heater so the heater could be set at a higher temperature but would mix cold water to keep people from burning themselves. Plumber took that out since we already had the CO and problem went away. The things that I am learning that was not required 10 years ago. Blah!

Rob, ours is a tankless system. Don't know if it has something like that too

Meanwhile we have NO hot water today at all. Let it run for 30 minutes. One sink got hot for 30 seconds and then got cold again

My build has tankless and I told them to not plumb for recirc.

LOL about dip switches set incorrectly. Does not surprise me. Homeowners beware.

Who are you calling a dip switch ;-)

When you think about it, with all the systems that go into a new build you have to expect that there will be hiccups and a lot of fine tuning. Not that it isn't a PITA to take a cold shower but the bugs will get worked out. Our first night, the heat kicked on in the middle of the night and woke us all up - sounded like a train was coming through the house. There was some setting on the furnace that was wrong and needed adjusting - it took a while to get it sorted out and it's much better although still not perfect IMO.

DLM at least you have a hubby who knows something about construction and systems. Mine does know a little, very little and I know next to nothing about them.

cpA - I doubt that our problem is what is causing your issue since ours is a standard WH tank. Hope you get it sorted out quick. We are nearly at our three month occupancy and still three things to get fixed all of which should be taken care of next week. Living in the house will reveal new issues beyond what you have noted and it is those little nagging things that wear you out. We will be so glad when we do not see a tradesperson in the house for an extended period of time.

I hate to tell you this but there were a few things we fixed/finished right before we sold our house, lol. We had lived there more than ten years.

Okay, finally got the septic field covered over. The gravel to the far left needs to move somewhere; it could be useful under the deck, which won't get much sun. You can see the beginnings of the solar array to the right - didn't realize they'd be that close to the ground.

He finally finished off the basement bathroom, which is set up to be essentially a utilitarian "mudroom" bath, for when I come back in from dealing with chickens, livestock, and the mini-apple orchard (and a putative greenhouse). It's a walk-out basement. Semi-finished -- sheetrock only where required by code, although I did finish all walls in the workshop.

No towel rack yet... he seems to have lost it. One of us finds it, or he buys me a new one (of my choosing).

GC has a long list of things he's slowly tackling... some days he's here for 30 minutes. I will note he was pretty busy when he was filling in the septic area and the conduit from the house to solar. But, hey, that's about two days....

We had a rainy windy storm about ten days ago, had water coming in the house. Unfortunately I cleaned up before I remembered to Take Pictures! I wiped up at least a full water tumbler's worth of water. But I did pinpoint where he needs to seal on the exterior of the house.

I still don't have closet doors on two closets.

Oh, btw... it is supposed to snow tonight!

I'll note my tankless water heater is working perfectly. It gets to the master bath shower in about 2-3 minutes, maybe 4-5 to the kitchen sink, but the latter is at the further point of the house. It stays hot, for as long as I've tested it, no fluctuations.

CP, I hope they fix this pronto for you... and not by their apparent definition of pronto. On the other paw, I am so glad you are finally able to get in, about time!

It's amazing how many people have problems after they move into the house. You would think someone (like the GC) would test all of the systems after they were installed. I was Owner/Builder and I didn't let anyone leave after they installed the finish until after I checked every toilet, faucet, light switch etc. I'd say we found about 30 or so little problems (leaking faucets, plugs not working, missing parts, exposed wires, etc.) that had to be addressed. It is taking forever to get some of these things fixed. The only sub that actually made sure everything worked well and has even come back a few times to check that we are still ok is our HVAC guy (bless his heart!).

25 years ago when I worked for a GC, we would do a complete walk-through at least a week before the owner or architect's walk-through to catch all the little bugs and try to get them remedied before the owner came in. This wasn't anything special that only my company did, it was an industry standard. I'm just amazed sometimes at the lack of professionalism and customer service that some GCs and almost ALL sub-contractors have these days.

I hope everyone gets all their problems ironed out and for those in the midst of your builds, take notes and make sure someone checks & double checks all of your systems before moving in.

Dug my perc test holes (12) this weekend and did a presoak for the main test tomorrow morning. That was fun.

We finally unpacked our last box this morning and now feel we have completely moved in. It's been 2.5 months since COO. Love it so so far!

Susha congratulations. What lovely views!

Beautiful Susha. When do we get to see pics of the house?

Thanks cpartist!

Our attempt to make the home look Craftsman. Turned out more plantation with the wrap around porch on the south and east side of the home.

Hardi Artisan with 6 " reveal

Anderson 100 Series dark bronze exterior

Stacked 15 ft porches outside the two master bedrooms.

We ran out of funds when it came to landscaping. A project for us in the near future.

My yoga space

Still stuck in architectural review committee hell.... Put our current home on the market Friday, 2 open houses and 4 private showings, maybe a contingent offer tomorrow. With no house to move to!!!!! Sorry I'm sure you guys can feel the pain :)

Absolutely beautiful Susha.

It's been a long road to get here but the footings were poured last week for our new house!

CP - just got caught up on posts since last week. So sorry you have so many issues. We have a tankless water heater and it has worked perfectly since we moved in, but we had other plumbing issues. Two sinks had hot/cold reversed and my daughter's shower was leaking behind the wall. Breath. It will all get resolved at some point. Love your bathroom mirror!

susha - beautiful home and your views are fantastic!

Love all the other updates. So fun to see everything progressing for everyone.

We are still plugging away on our back porch area. My DH got the porches columns wrapped in Hardie this weekend and I caulked some gaps. I need to go back over them again with putty to even out the rough areas and where the corners aren't perfectly aligned.

We currently have 3 adult hens. We got 7 more baby chicks about a week ago. They are so stinkin' cute. Picture of my youngest daughter taking them on a 'field trip' in our yard. Love using the window screens not yet put up as a 'fence' to keep them contained. :)

We have made a little headway and have cleaned up some (still dust all over floors etc.). Lots left to be done. Here are some updated kitchen and bath pics (still haven’t picked out my kitchen backsplash yet).

More Kitchen Photos

More Bath Photos

Entire House

10 - New Build - Kitchen · More Info

10 - New Build - Kitchen · More Info

10 - New Build - Kitchen · More Info

9- New Build - Master Bath · More Info

9- New Build - Master Bath · More Info

9- New Build - Master Bath · More Info

Alison....adorable photo!

Believe it or not, the weather finally warmed up and most of the snow from 2 weeks ago has melted. DH got to move some sand and dirt around and yesterday we even installed 5 purlins over the garage part! We couldn't do a lot because we've had to clean the tubing for the maple sap, etc. I was washing barrels today. But tomorrow we hope to get some more lumber cut and installed....right before the 3 day rain!

Karl...you’re almost done.....already?? How long have you been building? We’re not happy here unless it drags on and on and on..... :)

Nidnay, just went through all your photos in the links. So generous of you to share photos of such an amazing home. It's absolutely spectacular. What are you leaning toward for your kitchen backsplash?

Stupid question on the last photo above. What will the cubbies be used for to the left of the sink? Rolled towels?

nhbaskets....haha.....yes....rolled towels. My builder was joking with me that I could sort the mail in the bathroom :)

Backsplash....I have seriously been considering the possibility of a nice used brick look with overgrout in the joints...something like in the pic below maybe (nothing red or orangy) ......OR.....a beautiful tile (there is a LOT to choose from). So, two completely different looks. Nothing in white though. There is enough white in the kitchen to be blinding :)

Those cubbies are for shower wine. lol

Of course they're for wine! I said it was a stupid question!

nidnay, may i ask where you are building your incredibly awesome home?

susha......in the Carolina’s.

Nidnay, The brick in the above photo looks really good IMO.

@nidnay love the color combination in your bathroom. The fixtures look very similar to the Grohe Bridgeford ones that I have saved in the basement waiting for the new house! I like the color of the backsplash too. We won't have as much room for one, but the brick looks awesome!