Begin Stucco 2/22/06

2/22/06 The first layer of stucco was applied today. At 2 pm, the men took a break after they completed the entire house already. The front porch, arch and columns on either side is not how it is suppossed to be. This is after they forgot the arch, then they forgot the columns, now the columns were put in yesterday but the arch was not fixed! Urgh. They finally put the accent on the game room window. A team of drywallers are now installing sheetrock in the first floor. Looks like they will be done today.
2/21/06 A crew of 3 people were in the house installing drywall. At the end of the day, they were almost done with the upstairs. The downstairs has not been started. Another crew came in the afternoon to finish putting the plastic around the windows and roof, getting ready for applying the stucco. Looks like they came in early today to frame out the front porch, they put in the columns. But they still need to redo the arch to be curved into the columns. The electrical for the front porch lights were moved into the columns.
2/20/06 President's day and men were working. We went to the house to do more sweeping before they put the drywall so that sawdust and debris would not be trapped within the walls etc. Early in the morning, 2 men were fixing the wood frame by the dining room. With my little spanish, he explained to me that some wood frames buckled due to the cold and when sheetrocked, the wall would bow out. About 7 wooden frames had to be fixed. This had to be done before sheetrocking obviously.
2/14/06 The arch for the front porch was put in today. But where are the columns? They are going to stucco next and the columns are missing!
2/16/06 Cement bags were delivered and sand was delivered yesterday.
2/13/06 OUTRAGEOUS! Men continued to work on the accent pieces on the exterior. Two men extended the roof out from the gameroom window. As I watched them complete, one man went to the garbage pile which was held in place by 4 pieces of plywood nailed together. As he took his hammer, I thought he was trying to move the pile to make room for stucco work. Next thing, he had taken one plywood, which held the garbage, then cut it with an electic saw. Then placed this WARPed wood on the roof part of the gameroom window! I was outraged by this sight. Using the garbage for materials!!! This was brought up to Jeff and Jeff but I know that this was never replaced.
2/11/06 Insulation was installed today, Saturday. I brought cookies to the workers and thanked them for working on a Saturday. A crew was also working outside finishing the wire on the exterior.
2/9/06 Insulation was delivered today! Hurray. Almost a month since they ordered it.

Exterior work - 2/8/2006

2/8/2006 Workers were putting wire mesh at the back of the house and black plastic covering. Some wire mesh was installed on the right side of the house. The left side is completely done.
2/7/2006 Workers have installed wire mesh on parts of the front, and left side of the house. Others are putting up the scaffolding in the back of the house. They poured the cement for the front porch. 2 workers were in the study removing wood from the ceiling. They have to replace the wood with a larger beam to secure the roof. Worker said this was caught by them and needed to be replaced in order to pass inspection.
2/6/2006 Workers started putting scaffolding up in front and the left side of the house preparing the sides for stucco.
2/4/2006 We covered up the ducts to prevent dust from the drywall. Also cleaned up sawdust in the wood crevices so that it doesn't get covered up by sheetrock.
2/3/2006 2 workers were drilling in the basement, what? I have yet to determine.

Marbella Update - 2/2/2006

The past few weeks have been slow, most days, no activity. Today, there was a crew there digging a trench by hand and by small backhoe. I believe this is for the water line.
2/1/2006 A crew was working on the front porch. They were putting sand in bags, putting rebars across, getting ready for pouring. A delivery of drywall/sheetrock came today. Okay, drywall there but still no insulation.
1/31/2006 We received a call from Jeff that the exterior should be getting started by the end of the week. Insulation delivery will be made next week. If that happens, that will be awesome.
1/30/2006 There was evidence of some work done today but cannot pin point exactly besides the door in the powder room, the last one, was reframed for 8 ft. doors.
1/28/2006 It looks like the vents in boys room (rear) have been reframed (larger and the ceiling was reframed to look almost like that of the dining room to give more room for the vents). Front boy's closet was also reframed so that there will be more room for clothes. We checked the windows and found that more windows needed to be fixed, either bent frames or hard to open/shut.
1/27/2006 This past week, the garage was framed around so that the wood is flushed with the decking. I met with the electrician who spoke to me about the backyard flood lights. We spoke about the exact location, etc.
1/20/2006 We had our pre-drywall inspection with Jeff. Went thru the extras and made sure that they were up to par. Checked locations of light switches, telephone/cable/internet boxes, etc. Here are some items that were pointed out:
- Relocate the speaker wires in the family room (2)
- Relocate the sconce switch from the family room to near the art niche
- Retape vent in family room
- 1 powder room door needs to be reframed for 8 ft. doors.
- Upstairs bath (girls) light switch is on the outside wall rather than inside
- Reframe vents in boys room (rear)
- Reframe vents in boys closet (front) to give more room
- Bent windows and some hard to open/shut
There is still a shortage of insulation (going to Louisiana) but ours have been ordered. House is going thru inspection and should pass in a week.
- Missing backyard flood lights
1/19/2006 1st floor doors have been reframed for 8 ft. except for the powder room.
1/17/2006 Attended the HOA meeting at the club house. Found out that the Marbella with tile roof, in the cul-de-sac will be closing in March. The other cul-de-sac with 4 Marbellas, the one on the right should be closing next month, the one across the street, I spoke to the wife will be closing in April. This means that we will not be closing till May! Urgh!

Marbella Update 1/16/06

1/16/06 The central vacuum was being put in today. The water in the bath tubs and shower stalls have drained.
1/14/06 The steps from the single car garage into the house was put in. There is a huge landing which is suppossed to be according to code. The broken step in the staircase to the basement has been fixed. Young Jeff told us that he would reframe the 'headboard' in rear boy's room. We cleaned up a bit, picking up worker's debris and construction debris. It was a family effort and the kids did a great job! Checked out a Marbella in Hensley Ct. (brown/tile roof) and looks like they may close by next month. Missing appliances, carpet and landscaping. Lot 73 has stalled and looks like we are on the same schedule or it is a little behind. Workers are putting in installation in the homes next to Lot 73. There has been a shortage of insulation and a few homes have been left idle due to this.
1/11/06 The low voltage crew were in to install the security system, phone lines, cable and surround sound. Looks like the high voltage crew came in to do some little stuff on 1/12. Still missing, the outlet in the middle of the family room (for lamp). All the tubs have water in them, looks like this was done by the inspector. Windows in the Master bath were in, including the last Sunroom window. There is one broken window in the Master bath, and more in the garage, not sure why there are extras.

Electrical work begins 1/9/06

1/6/06 Electricians came to start putting in the electrical boxes, boxes for outlest, light switches, light fixtures, etc. Noticed that the last window was put in rear boy's room. In front boy's closet, we noticed that they framed the ducts too big that his closet has become so tiny. We opened a complaint ticket for this. At this time, rough plumbing has been completed.
1/5/06 The columns for the front of the house have been framed. The master bathroom tub has been framed including the ceiling to the toilet room.
1/2/06 We haven't been in the house in at least 2 weeks so here is the progress we noticed.
The roof shingles have been put in. The 2 back doors (main floor) have door knobs which lock from the outside; probably to deter people from walking out to the drop off since there is no deck yet. The arched windows in the sunroom and game room have been completly framed. The gas line has been installed (yellow hose). The plumbers were working when we got there. The tubs for the upstairs bathrooms are in. The master shower stall is in. The master bath windows were reframed and they had to rip off some outer sheathing as a result. Apparently, the plumbing started on 12/27/05 when we got a call while at Magic Mountain, CA.

Marbella Update - 12/13/2005

This picture was taken from the (almost) the end of our street which is still unpaved. Heating and ventilations were completed last Friday 12/9. The downdraft for the stove was installed in error in the kitchen. Black tar was sprayed in some areas where there will be doors. Exterior doors were delivered on Monday, 12/11/2005. Framers came back to cut the wood entry ways to rooms. Basement doors, Master Bedroom exterior, Kitchen exterior and temporary front doors were installed on 12/12/2005. Soffits were painted today and the air cleaners were installed today. The plumbers were scheduled to come this week but Jeff said that if they don't show up this week, they will most likely not to show up for the rest of the year.

HVAC 12/6/05

12/06/05 Installed grey fabric on roof to prep for composition roof shingles. Installation of duct work for heating/ventilation continues. Met Jeff our project manager today and voiced my communication concerns. The kitchen window was finally covered with sheathing.
12/05/05 Started the HVAC upstairs. Lalo the window installer came back to put sheathing around the windows with arches and the grey paper. 1 Family room window, 2 master bathroom windows, front door arch, 1 in rear boys room are still missing. I asked Lalo to take a look at the bend window frame in the sunroom which he fixed.
12/03/05 Installed fireplace in family room. Noticed a broken window in the family room and broken stair landing (to second level).
12/2/05 Completely finished roof sheathing. Windows incomplete.
12/1/05 Met Lalo, the window installer. He said he needs to get all windows installed to get paid tomorrow, Friday. At the end of the day, all sunroom windows were installed.
11/30/05 Sheathing completed. More windows were put up. The kitchen window was finally framed.

Sheathing 11/29/05

Sheathing continues to the right side and the back. When I left at 5:30 pm part of the sun room was done, most of the right side and the back was done. The two windows in the master bedroom, and the windows in front boy's room were installed. Very little progress was made in the installation of soffits. One of the steps to the basement stairs broke (already). I brought water and propel to the workers and was very much appreciated. I met Onisimo who spoke a little English and together with my little Spanish and his little English and with his house plans on hand, he agreed that that the kitchen window should not be present. Also, I told him that 8 ft doors go in all the lower level rooms and I showed them were this was specified on the plans. Hopefully, he can help me get this thing resolved since Jeff and Jeff had not been able to communicate this part to the workers, urgh.

Sheathing 11/28/05

They finished framing the upstairs on Saturday. The stairs to the upstairs was completed early today (before 8:30 am). They started sheathing, installing the soffits and putting on the windows in the gameroom and in girl's bedroom. I pointed out to the workers that the kitchen window was a mistake and needed to be covered but apparently my Spanish was not good enough. Who knows if I unknowingly told them to bake a dog or empty the cat. The workers were surely chatty with me when the husband isn't around. The other men were talking so fast in Spanish and I haven't got a clue what they were saying. Once in a while I would hear the men say "Senora".

Marbella Update - 11/24/2005

Even on Thanksgiving, the workers are working. The roof is pretty much up. They were adding reinforcing wood once I got there around 1pm today. Today, I took pictures from the backyard of the house as well as from the 2nd floor so you can see the view.

Marbella Update - 11/22/2005

Framing continues. They have started working on the 2nd floor but could only go so far without getting another delivery of wood. Yesterday we noticed that they were framing doors for 6'8" when they should be 8' doors on the 1st floor. We raised this to the attention of our sales manager, Jeff, and also to our new construction manager, Jeff. (Our older CM was apparently...fired.)

Other interesting news...they've opened up new lots across and next door to us. The lot premium for the lot immediately to our right (when looking at the house) is priced at $75K. That's $40K more than ours. This lot is smaller than ours and slightly lower elevation as well. So...this and the fact that they've raised the base price of the home and some options is making some good returns on our investment! :-)

Here is an updated picture taken as of around 2pm today.

Framing has began 11/18/05

11/18/05 - Wood was delivered yesterday, chalk marks were done on decking. Framing actually started first thing this morning.

11/17/05 - They removed all the trees in the backyard (3 or 4 scrawny looking cedar oaks). They also brought in tons of large rocks and fill from across the street to fill-in the backyard. Without the trees, the back looks huge! Those cayotes, foxes, rattle snakes, scorpions etc. can now wander thru the backyard. Yikes!

After the decking was done, I took this picture from the future family room. Check out our view from the backyard. We are overlooking the bird sanctuary which is acres and acres!

Marbella Update - 11/16/2005

1st floor subflooring is complete. This is a major milestone since now they can begin framing to start the process of making this really looking like a house! There was a fresh delivery of lumber for framing 1st & 2nd floor! So...we should start cranking now!

Additionally, the laborers started working on the staircase that goes from the 1st floor down to the basement.

Marbella Update - 11/15/2005

11/11/05 Completed framing of basement, esp. below sunroom.
11/12/05 The trusses were put in and completed.
11/14/05 Cement was poured on the garage floors.
11/15/05 Subflooring is being installed and forms around garage floors are being removed.

Similiar neighbor's home

Our neighbors, the Roberts, closed on their home 10/28 and moved in on the 29th.

Outside Elevation

Copy of the outside elevation.

Basement Framing

11/3/05 Outside basement walls were framed.
11/8/05 The footings for the garage were poured and the steel plates were welded in on the basement floors.
11/9/05 The garage floors were prepared with steel mesh, plastic and sand. The steel posts were put in on the basement floors.
11/10/05 The steel beams for the basement were put in.

Marbella Update - 11/8/2005

No new pictures for today. But they have poured the footings for the garage floor and installed mounting plates in the basement for the poles that will hold up the main beams constructed out of steel. These steel beams will hold the trusses that hold the subflooring.

Other interesting news of today is Toll Brothers releasing their year-end fiscal results. You can read the article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051109/bs_nm/construction_tollbrothers_dc

Marbella Update - 11/06/2005

Here are some select photo's of our house being built to get you up to date.

This image shows what our back yard view will look like. Our property backs up to a huge bird sanctuary. Where we had no privacy with our house in Washington State, we will have plenty of it here.




Here are the footings just after being poured.



This next picture shows the basement walls being formed. Inside the form is steel rebar for added strength!




Here you can see that the basement walls are complete and they are now pouring the basement floor. When this is all done, we will have about 9 foot of headroom in the basement. Plenty of headroom to put in a fully finished ceiling if/when we ever intend to finish it.


Here they are starting to finally frame the basement. In this picture, the basement is about 85% framed. I caught a mistake early on where they forgot to install the moisture barrier between the basement floor and the sill plate. I'm glad I caught it early. Otherwise they would have had to rip it all out and start over.

Marbella Building - 11/05/2005

We are having our dream home built by Toll Brothers in Austin Texas. Since entering into contract, we've heard some good things and not so good things about the builder. Basically, we will need to keep on top of them to make sure they do things right.






This is one Marbella. This picture was taken when it was about 1 month away from completion.











This is closer to what our house will look like. Note the additional windows to the left of the front door. Ours will have a large center window then 2 smaller windows to either side.