America's Home Place is assuring me that I will have my dream home and that they will be taking care of everything that has been cumbersome so far. I have received assurance that we will be taken care of. (More about that in a minute)
SIDE NOTE: I went on a 2 hour long adventure, got soaked in sand and road grime from head to toe, got abrasions from the asphalt and soaked my shoes and socks ALL to find my girl's cat who decided that a rainy day during coronavirus isolation was the best day to make his first escape outside in our new apartment complex. Really? I've never wanted to punch a cat in the face....but I'm almost there. MEEE OWWW!
Ok, so onto the new development with the house.
After making some repairs this past weekend, I had a meeting with our project manager. I love this guy's attitude more than I'm frustrated with him. He is incredibly hard not to like. He's always upbeat but he is equally frustrating because of that too. He will happily tell you how awesome something is while the wheels in your head make a mental note to check it out later when he's not around. I sometimes feel like I'm going to burst his happiness bubble if I point out the very clear and obvious mistakes that I see. It's terrible. I hate making people feel uncomfortable or upset so I try to avoid the direct experience of it in my daily life. I know, I know....shame on me. But seriously....would you want to make a peppy happy person go from a smile and confidence to a straight face and shoulders dropping? Of course not and neither would I. I've contemplated approaching America's Home Place with hiring me as a quality control trainer because I can see so many ways I can help this project manager. He has incredible potential. He just needs a few tweaks. The teacher in me wants to help him succeed.....but this is MY HOME and I am the customer. I don't want to work for it to be nice. I just want it to be nice.
After our meeting, I went back to the house to look more closely at things that concerned me and found the most talked about window in our home was not taken out and reflashed at all. Rather, sill tape had been shoved into the crevice with a crow bar and some other tool.
GRRRREEEAAAT!
It was just so disappointing. You know?
So I took some photos, checked up on the other stuff that was suppose to have been done, shook my head and went back to our temporary apartment.
So many thoughts go through my head:
1. Will this affect my anticipated move in date?
2. Are the windows completely useless now that they've been crow barred to death?
3. DOES it really matter if there is flashing tape completely shoved up into a crack? I mean...maybe I'm just picky about 21st century problems and should be satisfied with 18th century stuff.
4. Did the project manager REALLY REALLY not see this? It's baffling.
5. Will we have to keep pushing and fighting to get our home to be less piecemeal and quilted together?
6. Who do I tell? Should I go to the top? Give the project manager another chance? Talk the the general manager? I feel I've already been failed by both so the top seems the place to go to get things done right.
7. Is the third time really a charm?
8. Will my husband really just give up and we will sell this home when it's done just to get out from under it and find a better house? But I love this lot and this town!
9. Am I going to get coronavirus from meeting with them AGAIN?
10. Is this house going to be a huge issue 10 years down the road?
11.Will my asthma suffer?
12.Will my kids and family get sick?
13. ETC...
EVERYTHING literally goes through my mind. I want this home to be my sanctuary and it starts from the ground up.....just like healing the soul. If the inside isn't fully functional, the outside will never fit.
I want and NEED the this home building adventure to balance out. Each new person I meet gives me hope....until they don't. When they don't, it's generally after the third, fourth or more time that something was suppose to get done and the expectation is simply not met....accompanied by a nice side dish of more problems.
In the case of this home, one drain issue (months old now) has turned into window flashing problems, a mold problem, a wall problem, a house wrap problem....etc...etc.
It's like Russian Roulette to try and guess what silly mishap will show up next. Will the doors be flashed awesome but the joists will be missing hangers?
I feel as though if I stop checking the blueprints, something will be missed and that extra outlet, light, or door entry will be messed up.
Example: Hose bibs are in the wrong place....BUT...I'm ok with it for now...but this is an example of something that has not been mentioned that I'm aware of. It's clear where they go in the blueprints and it's very clear they are not placed correctly. I have decided not to say anything though. Out of pure curiosity, I want to see if they ask me about it or address it. It's a sign of a project manager who needs training in observing the fine details that matter to a home owner. Fortunately, I don't care about the location of the hose bibs as long as we have one on each end of the house....so this is more of a fun test for me at the moment. Will they catch it? (Maybe if they are reading this blog)
Your guess is as good as mine as to what interesting thing will occur next. I like to think it's just all a friendly reminder that I am ALIVE and LIVING. Perhaps a lesson in negotiation, I'm not sure. All I know is that I'll work till I'll get the home I want. If that means micromanaging the manager...then so be it.
So ... back to today. Today I met a new framer who will be taking over the job.
Emotion: RELIEF
The first framer is the guy who made the mistakes and continues to "repair" them. Or as my husband puts it: "Half ass work on half ass work on top of half ass work".
This poor framer just doesn't have the gusto, the eye, the stamina, or the motivation to make something that anyone can be proud of. He's proven it more times than not. It sucks, but we've given him so many chances. He may be a good framer. He may have built hundreds of incredible homes. That's great! The fact is...THIS HOME is NOT the best work and I sure hope it's not one of his best.
SO...I get a new framer. It's a team of two leaders (my initial impression), who swoop in, assess situations and take care of business. From my talk with them, they appear to be very knowledgeable and genuinely concerned for the work that is being done. You can feel the energy is different and they seem authentic.
I am cautiously optimistic that what they say is what will happen and that they take pride in the work they deliver their customers. They are likeable just like my project manager. I just hope they have incredible follow through and precision in their execution.
I have been told they are taking every last window out, taking all the house wrap down and starting from Square one in regards to the windows and house wrap.
Ok.... America's Home Place.
SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT.
I want your A game.
SIDE NOTE: I went on a 2 hour long adventure, got soaked in sand and road grime from head to toe, got abrasions from the asphalt and soaked my shoes and socks ALL to find my girl's cat who decided that a rainy day during coronavirus isolation was the best day to make his first escape outside in our new apartment complex. Really? I've never wanted to punch a cat in the face....but I'm almost there. MEEE OWWW!
Ok, so onto the new development with the house.
After making some repairs this past weekend, I had a meeting with our project manager. I love this guy's attitude more than I'm frustrated with him. He is incredibly hard not to like. He's always upbeat but he is equally frustrating because of that too. He will happily tell you how awesome something is while the wheels in your head make a mental note to check it out later when he's not around. I sometimes feel like I'm going to burst his happiness bubble if I point out the very clear and obvious mistakes that I see. It's terrible. I hate making people feel uncomfortable or upset so I try to avoid the direct experience of it in my daily life. I know, I know....shame on me. But seriously....would you want to make a peppy happy person go from a smile and confidence to a straight face and shoulders dropping? Of course not and neither would I. I've contemplated approaching America's Home Place with hiring me as a quality control trainer because I can see so many ways I can help this project manager. He has incredible potential. He just needs a few tweaks. The teacher in me wants to help him succeed.....but this is MY HOME and I am the customer. I don't want to work for it to be nice. I just want it to be nice.
After our meeting, I went back to the house to look more closely at things that concerned me and found the most talked about window in our home was not taken out and reflashed at all. Rather, sill tape had been shoved into the crevice with a crow bar and some other tool.
GRRRREEEAAAT!
It was just so disappointing. You know?
So I took some photos, checked up on the other stuff that was suppose to have been done, shook my head and went back to our temporary apartment.
So many thoughts go through my head:
1. Will this affect my anticipated move in date?
2. Are the windows completely useless now that they've been crow barred to death?
3. DOES it really matter if there is flashing tape completely shoved up into a crack? I mean...maybe I'm just picky about 21st century problems and should be satisfied with 18th century stuff.
4. Did the project manager REALLY REALLY not see this? It's baffling.
5. Will we have to keep pushing and fighting to get our home to be less piecemeal and quilted together?
6. Who do I tell? Should I go to the top? Give the project manager another chance? Talk the the general manager? I feel I've already been failed by both so the top seems the place to go to get things done right.
7. Is the third time really a charm?
8. Will my husband really just give up and we will sell this home when it's done just to get out from under it and find a better house? But I love this lot and this town!
9. Am I going to get coronavirus from meeting with them AGAIN?
10. Is this house going to be a huge issue 10 years down the road?
11.Will my asthma suffer?
12.Will my kids and family get sick?
13. ETC...
EVERYTHING literally goes through my mind. I want this home to be my sanctuary and it starts from the ground up.....just like healing the soul. If the inside isn't fully functional, the outside will never fit.
I want and NEED the this home building adventure to balance out. Each new person I meet gives me hope....until they don't. When they don't, it's generally after the third, fourth or more time that something was suppose to get done and the expectation is simply not met....accompanied by a nice side dish of more problems.
In the case of this home, one drain issue (months old now) has turned into window flashing problems, a mold problem, a wall problem, a house wrap problem....etc...etc.
It's like Russian Roulette to try and guess what silly mishap will show up next. Will the doors be flashed awesome but the joists will be missing hangers?
I feel as though if I stop checking the blueprints, something will be missed and that extra outlet, light, or door entry will be messed up.
Example: Hose bibs are in the wrong place....BUT...I'm ok with it for now...but this is an example of something that has not been mentioned that I'm aware of. It's clear where they go in the blueprints and it's very clear they are not placed correctly. I have decided not to say anything though. Out of pure curiosity, I want to see if they ask me about it or address it. It's a sign of a project manager who needs training in observing the fine details that matter to a home owner. Fortunately, I don't care about the location of the hose bibs as long as we have one on each end of the house....so this is more of a fun test for me at the moment. Will they catch it? (Maybe if they are reading this blog)
Your guess is as good as mine as to what interesting thing will occur next. I like to think it's just all a friendly reminder that I am ALIVE and LIVING. Perhaps a lesson in negotiation, I'm not sure. All I know is that I'll work till I'll get the home I want. If that means micromanaging the manager...then so be it.
So ... back to today. Today I met a new framer who will be taking over the job.
Emotion: RELIEF
The first framer is the guy who made the mistakes and continues to "repair" them. Or as my husband puts it: "Half ass work on half ass work on top of half ass work".
This poor framer just doesn't have the gusto, the eye, the stamina, or the motivation to make something that anyone can be proud of. He's proven it more times than not. It sucks, but we've given him so many chances. He may be a good framer. He may have built hundreds of incredible homes. That's great! The fact is...THIS HOME is NOT the best work and I sure hope it's not one of his best.
SO...I get a new framer. It's a team of two leaders (my initial impression), who swoop in, assess situations and take care of business. From my talk with them, they appear to be very knowledgeable and genuinely concerned for the work that is being done. You can feel the energy is different and they seem authentic.
I am cautiously optimistic that what they say is what will happen and that they take pride in the work they deliver their customers. They are likeable just like my project manager. I just hope they have incredible follow through and precision in their execution.
I have been told they are taking every last window out, taking all the house wrap down and starting from Square one in regards to the windows and house wrap.
Ok.... America's Home Place.
SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT.
I want your A game.
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