Saturday, December 22, 2012
Pictures for Amanda
Amanda, sorry it took me so long. I hope these pictures are what you're looking for and help with your decision. Let me know if you have any questions.
Delayed Update
Sorry for the delay in updating this. The last couple of months have been super busy. I may be missing some details of the repair here. The contractor doing the repairs this time was different than the original contractor (due to scheduling issues and delays).
The leak is fixed. December 3rd they came and tore down all the old stone on the whole front section and exposed the OSB. It was a little wet in spots, so they let it dry out before putting up the new protective under layers. They noticed the caulking around the window wasn't done well and the original subcontractor was supposed to have used 60 minute paper, but used a lesser strength.
To fix it, they put up ice/water guard, like what goes on the roof. It's tar paper with an extra waterproof membrane. Then on top of that, they put 60 minute paper. It's supposed to hold water back for 60 minutes. I think the Tyvek may be the first layer on the OSB.
Then on December 5, the stone went up. They ordered all new stone and did not reuse the original. I'm guessing it would've been too difficult to remove it without breaking it and dealing with the old mortar.
I don't have pictures of it done, but it pretty much looks the same as it did before.
The leak is fixed. December 3rd they came and tore down all the old stone on the whole front section and exposed the OSB. It was a little wet in spots, so they let it dry out before putting up the new protective under layers. They noticed the caulking around the window wasn't done well and the original subcontractor was supposed to have used 60 minute paper, but used a lesser strength.
To fix it, they put up ice/water guard, like what goes on the roof. It's tar paper with an extra waterproof membrane. Then on top of that, they put 60 minute paper. It's supposed to hold water back for 60 minutes. I think the Tyvek may be the first layer on the OSB.
Then on December 5, the stone went up. They ordered all new stone and did not reuse the original. I'm guessing it would've been too difficult to remove it without breaking it and dealing with the old mortar.
I don't have pictures of it done, but it pretty much looks the same as it did before.
They also re-did the interior drywall, trim, and paint the following week.
Our customer care tech, J, has been outstanding throughout this process. He has kept us up to date on everything and was always responsive to our questions and concerns. I think Wayne Homes is lucky to have him as an employee. As unfortunate as it may be, it's rare these days that a company has awesome customer service 100% of the time, but Wayne Homes excels in customer service in our experiences.
As always, I'll continue to update the blog if anything else happens.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Noooooooo!
It had passed the garden hose test a couple weeks ago. I guess a garden hose is no match for the wind and blowing rain. So now we're back at square one and I'm incredibly frustrated and on the verge of tears.
I don't know what the next step will be exactly. Maybe they'll pull down all the stone, replace the window, both, or neither. I'm nervous about the state of the OSB underneath it all. Is it the window? The stone? Both? One thing is for sure, it probably won't be done in time for me to unpack and decorate for my Thanksgiving guests.
I don't know much about construction, but a friend sent me a link to this article (click here) explaining how porous stone is and how it should be installed to create a drainage space behind it like brick has. I don't know if this is an option, but I'm going to ask J, at the risk of coming off like a jerk. I hope I don't offend him or come off like a know-it-all. Desperate times call for desperate measures I guess.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Leak Is Fixed
October 1, the stone guys came back out and re-did the stone on the left and right sides of the window. After letting it dry for a couple days, we did another water test with the garden hose and it's fixed.
The drywall on the inside has been fixed (I think it was done 10/10/12). The trim guy is supposed to come later this week, then they'll schedule the painter, and carpet to be re-stretched last. All the contractors are really busy right now with a boom in sales, so it's difficult to find one to come all the way out here for a smaller job.
We've been happy with the customer service from Wayne Homes and J's willingness and motivation to get it fixed correctly. Hopefully it'll all be done soon since we'll have a house full of people here for Thanksgiving and I still need to unpack and decorate the office.
We've been happy with the customer service from Wayne Homes and J's willingness and motivation to get it fixed correctly. Hopefully it'll all be done soon since we'll have a house full of people here for Thanksgiving and I still need to unpack and decorate the office.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Stubborn Window - Crown Molding Up
It's still leaking.
Wednesday 9/19, J met the stone contractor at the house bright and early. He took off the row of stone at the top of the window, added the drip edge thingy and some waterproofing stuff and put the stone back up.
Friday 9/21, we did another water test and it was still leaking. Today, 9/25, J came out again. He took down the trim from around the window (interior) and the drywall under it. Then he did another water test. It seems the water is coming on each side of the window from about halfway up. When we did previous water tests, we did spray each side individually and didn't see any water. Maybe we didn't spray it long enough.
When he took the drywall down, he noticed it wasn't just the right side of the window leaking, it was the left side too. J is going to schedule the stone guys to come back again and deal with the sides. Behind the stone is the Tyvek wrap and tar paper, so he's not sure if maybe there's a tear in them or maybe they're not taped up right.
I have confidence that Wayne Homes will get it fixed correctly. Water leaks can be tricky, I suppose. I'll get the office unpacked one of these days. Until then, I'll just close the door. :) I'll post another update when I have one.
Today I had the cabinet guy come back and install crown molding along the top edge of the cabinets. What a difference! I only wish it wasn't an afterthought.
Wednesday 9/19, J met the stone contractor at the house bright and early. He took off the row of stone at the top of the window, added the drip edge thingy and some waterproofing stuff and put the stone back up.
Friday 9/21, we did another water test and it was still leaking. Today, 9/25, J came out again. He took down the trim from around the window (interior) and the drywall under it. Then he did another water test. It seems the water is coming on each side of the window from about halfway up. When we did previous water tests, we did spray each side individually and didn't see any water. Maybe we didn't spray it long enough.
When he took the drywall down, he noticed it wasn't just the right side of the window leaking, it was the left side too. J is going to schedule the stone guys to come back again and deal with the sides. Behind the stone is the Tyvek wrap and tar paper, so he's not sure if maybe there's a tear in them or maybe they're not taped up right.
I have confidence that Wayne Homes will get it fixed correctly. Water leaks can be tricky, I suppose. I'll get the office unpacked one of these days. Until then, I'll just close the door. :) I'll post another update when I have one.
Today I had the cabinet guy come back and install crown molding along the top edge of the cabinets. What a difference! I only wish it wasn't an afterthought.
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BEFORE  |
Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Plan To Fix The Leak
Monday 9/10, I received 2 phone calls about the leak. One from the contractor who did the stone/siding/roof to schedule a time to come out to the house (9/19). The second was from our Customer Care Technician, we'll call him J. Wayne Homes assigns each new home owner a CCT to assist with any issues or questions that may arise.
J came out to the house Wednesday 9/12. He realized right away what was causing the leak. Windows that are surrounded by stone are supposed to have a drip edge thingy along the top of the window between the window and the stone. Ours does not have that. Just to confirm his suspicions, J took the garden hose and sprayed that front stone section around the window (avoiding the roof for now). Sure enough, water started coming in the office.
J came inside and pulled back the carpet under the window. It was damp, but not moldy. He used a moisture reading device and poked it into the drywall. The reading was 20 and normal is 7. J asked us how we preferred to fix the issues. We asked that they replace the drywall, insulation, and baseboard. The carpet was ok but would need restretched. We were very impressed with his knowledge and attitude and customer service. He's making sure it's fixed properly and not halfway.
Friday J called me and said he would be meeting a contractor at the house Wednesday 9/19 at 7 am to make sure it's fixed right. They have to remove the row of stone on the top side of the window, then install that drip edge thing, then put the stone back up. Once all that is dried in a few days, J will come back to the house and do another water test. If that passes, he'll schedule all the other contractors to come fix the interior.
Overall, we're very pleased with Wayne Homes' response to our concerns and eagerness to fix the problem the right way. There doesn't seem to be any cheap band-aid fixes on their agenda.
J came out to the house Wednesday 9/12. He realized right away what was causing the leak. Windows that are surrounded by stone are supposed to have a drip edge thingy along the top of the window between the window and the stone. Ours does not have that. Just to confirm his suspicions, J took the garden hose and sprayed that front stone section around the window (avoiding the roof for now). Sure enough, water started coming in the office.
J came inside and pulled back the carpet under the window. It was damp, but not moldy. He used a moisture reading device and poked it into the drywall. The reading was 20 and normal is 7. J asked us how we preferred to fix the issues. We asked that they replace the drywall, insulation, and baseboard. The carpet was ok but would need restretched. We were very impressed with his knowledge and attitude and customer service. He's making sure it's fixed properly and not halfway.
Friday J called me and said he would be meeting a contractor at the house Wednesday 9/19 at 7 am to make sure it's fixed right. They have to remove the row of stone on the top side of the window, then install that drip edge thing, then put the stone back up. Once all that is dried in a few days, J will come back to the house and do another water test. If that passes, he'll schedule all the other contractors to come fix the interior.
Overall, we're very pleased with Wayne Homes' response to our concerns and eagerness to fix the problem the right way. There doesn't seem to be any cheap band-aid fixes on their agenda.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Window/wall leaking
I think I posted before that at our open house, we noticed the window or wall in the office would leak after a hard soaking rain. They recaulked the exterior and drilled 3 weeping holes in the mortar under the window. (the exterior of that wall is stone). Well, Friday, we had a lot of rain all night. Saturday morning, we checked it and the floor and baseboard are soaking wet. I cleaned up as much as I could.
I called the Akron office because the customer care center is closed on the weekend. Someone called back and said they'd get it in the system Monday and would contact our rep.
So I'm fairly certain it's not the window. I suspect it may be a roof issue and the water is dripping down behind the wall and finding its way down a stud. Otherwise the caulking and drain holes would've fixed it, right?
I'm really hoping they fix it this time. I'm concerned about mold and the carpet and padding being wet. The baseboard is all bubbled up from the moisture.
Sorry no pictures. My desktop won't hook up to the wireless for some reason, so all I have is the iPad. I'll update after Wayne Homes comes out to fix it this week.
I called the Akron office because the customer care center is closed on the weekend. Someone called back and said they'd get it in the system Monday and would contact our rep.
So I'm fairly certain it's not the window. I suspect it may be a roof issue and the water is dripping down behind the wall and finding its way down a stud. Otherwise the caulking and drain holes would've fixed it, right?
I'm really hoping they fix it this time. I'm concerned about mold and the carpet and padding being wet. The baseboard is all bubbled up from the moisture.
Sorry no pictures. My desktop won't hook up to the wireless for some reason, so all I have is the iPad. I'll update after Wayne Homes comes out to fix it this week.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Until Next Time...
This will likely be our last post for a while. We're all moved in, but still have a lot of unpacking to do. I want to say thanks to all of you for motivating us to keep this up to date. From seeing the page view stats, I know there are a lot of loyal readers out there. We hope this blog helped you. We had a great experience building with Wayne Homes and would recommend them in a heartbeat. All the employees have been wonderful and the quality of work and materials has been great as well.
If anything happens relevant to the house/warranty/Wayne Homes, I will post an update. To the right of the screen is a "Follow by Email" field. If you enter your email address, you'll be sent a note if/when there's a new post. Also, if you have any questions, post a comment and I'll be notified by email that there's a message.
Now I'll give a quick summary of the last week.
Monday 8/20
The well was chlorinated. It's basically mixing water and chlorine down the well shaft to kill any bacteria that may be there from the digging process. It has to sit in the well and house plumbing for 24 hours. Then we had to run the outside spigot for about 4 hours to get all the chlorine out of the well. After that, we had to run cold water through all the faucets, showers, etc. for about 4 hours to flush it all out. This was all in preparation for the county health inspection Tuesday.
Tuesday 8/21
We closed with Doug today. He gave us shiny new keys and an accordian folder with all the warranty information. We walked through the house and he went over all the maintenance we need to keep up with, and explained how everything worked (HVAC, shut off valves, etc).
The health inspector came and tested the well water. Two days later, we got a letter saying it passed.
Wednesday 8/22
The cable, internet, phone, and security system were installed. My husband also successfully hung the TV above the fireplace without any safety incidents. Our new couch and kitchen table were also delivered. I wasn't expecting the couch until after Labor Day, so it was a good surprise.
Thursday 8/23 - MOVING DAY!!
We woke up early and took the dogs to the kennel. Then we headed over to the storage unit to wait for the movers. Two Men and a Truck out of Akron did a great job. They sent 6 men and 2 trucks to move our 10x25 storage unit and the stuff in the apartment. It took about 2 hours for them to load up all our stuff from the 2 locations. Then another 3 hours to unload and place everything exactly where we wanted it. From start to finish, it was about 6 hours billed, which included travel time. For being paid by the hour, they moved very quickly to get the job done.
Friday 8/24
The house number stone was replaced finally. I think it looks much better now. The numbers are still a little smaller then I would've liked, but at this point, it's good enough.
If anything happens relevant to the house/warranty/Wayne Homes, I will post an update. To the right of the screen is a "Follow by Email" field. If you enter your email address, you'll be sent a note if/when there's a new post. Also, if you have any questions, post a comment and I'll be notified by email that there's a message.
Now I'll give a quick summary of the last week.
Monday 8/20
The well was chlorinated. It's basically mixing water and chlorine down the well shaft to kill any bacteria that may be there from the digging process. It has to sit in the well and house plumbing for 24 hours. Then we had to run the outside spigot for about 4 hours to get all the chlorine out of the well. After that, we had to run cold water through all the faucets, showers, etc. for about 4 hours to flush it all out. This was all in preparation for the county health inspection Tuesday.
Tuesday 8/21
We closed with Doug today. He gave us shiny new keys and an accordian folder with all the warranty information. We walked through the house and he went over all the maintenance we need to keep up with, and explained how everything worked (HVAC, shut off valves, etc).
The health inspector came and tested the well water. Two days later, we got a letter saying it passed.
Wednesday 8/22
The cable, internet, phone, and security system were installed. My husband also successfully hung the TV above the fireplace without any safety incidents. Our new couch and kitchen table were also delivered. I wasn't expecting the couch until after Labor Day, so it was a good surprise.
Thursday 8/23 - MOVING DAY!!
We woke up early and took the dogs to the kennel. Then we headed over to the storage unit to wait for the movers. Two Men and a Truck out of Akron did a great job. They sent 6 men and 2 trucks to move our 10x25 storage unit and the stuff in the apartment. It took about 2 hours for them to load up all our stuff from the 2 locations. Then another 3 hours to unload and place everything exactly where we wanted it. From start to finish, it was about 6 hours billed, which included travel time. For being paid by the hour, they moved very quickly to get the job done.
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| Happy Camper |
Friday 8/24
The house number stone was replaced finally. I think it looks much better now. The numbers are still a little smaller then I would've liked, but at this point, it's good enough.
Thanks again and good luck to all of you!!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The Finishing Touches
Tuesday 8/14
We passed the plumbing inspection. The fireplace fan was fixed too.
Wednesday 8/15
The stone guys came and caulked the office window. The number stone still isn't fixed, though. I'm waiting on an update to the situation.
A cleaning crew came to the house today too. They took all the plastic and labels off all the windows, swept the floors, cleaned the shower surrounds (paint, drywall mud, and putty globs), wiped down the mantle, etc. It wasn't a deep clean, but was a great start.
Thursday 8/16
The bank inspection and final county inspection (including final HVAC) were done today. We passed the county inspections and are getting closer to moving in.
The contractor from Home Depot came today to install all 17 blinds. We picked them up from the store last Saturday, but only after I went to Giant Eagle and got $700 worth of gift cards so I could get a huge discount on gas. I filled up my car for $0.75/gallon. And I paid with my rewards credit card, so double bonus!
The contractor was from CD Michaels and he did an excellent job. We are impressed. I think the blinds look really good. It was well worth the $118 to get the windows measured and blinds installed. It probably saved my marriage ;). It was hard to get decent pictures, though. I'll add curtains later, but at least this gives us privacy to be able to move in.
We have our closing with Doug on Tuesday. Cable, internet, and security system are being installed Wednesday. The movers are coming Thursday. I'll try to post an update next week after our closing.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Oh, S#@$
We have some awesome new neighbors who made a team effort to get it off the concrete, hose it off, and track down our phone number. Seriously, about 4 different houses were involved. It makes us feel even better about our neighborhood.
Doug called the company first thing Monday morning to come pick it up, but as of 7:30 pm, it was still laying there. Ugh, it stinks and needs to go.
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| scratches :( |
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| Close-up of the texture |
The painter came back today to do all the touch-up work. He painted the window trim that was scratched up by the framers. He also fixed some of the damage and marks that happened since he was there last.
I did talk to the cabinet guy and he's going to special order the crown molding and scribe for the kitchen cabinets. Once that is delivered, he'll be back to install it. This was arranged outside of the Wayne Homes contract since it was an afterthought, so it won't hold up closing.
We're still waiting on:
- The plumber to fix his issues so we can pass inspection.
- The specialty guy needs to come back and finish a few small things, too (towel ring, tp holder).
- The stone guys need to come back and caulk the stone/office window and fix the number stone.
I did talk to the cabinet guy and he's going to special order the crown molding and scribe for the kitchen cabinets. Once that is delivered, he'll be back to install it. This was arranged outside of the Wayne Homes contract since it was an afterthought, so it won't hold up closing.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Driveway
Saturday, the driveway was poured. Thankfully the rain stayed away. We used Russo Concrete in Canton and they did a great job. Tim Russo and his crew were very flexible and we're very happy with the driveway. They did our neighbor's driveway last year. Our landscaper came out Friday night and spray painted the driveway and sidewalk for them.
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| Space for a plant/small shrub/etc |
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