Pre-Construction Meeting

So, we had our pre-construction meeting this morning. We met with the project manager who was very knowledgeable. He’s been the project manager of the development for ten years. That was interesting, he literally built the first house in the community. He mentioned that this was the first of four formal meetings. He explained that after the pre-construction meeting there is a pre-dry wall meeting, and two pre-settlement meetings. We will have weekly construction update meetings to keep us in the "know" of the process.

The first thing we did was verify our structural changes. We went room by room on the floor plan and verified that all of our structural changes were there. Next, we went over the plot drawing, which shows how the house is positioned on the lot, the property lines, easement and driveway slope percentage. Since our lot has an easement I asked if we have to build a fence a few feet away from the easement. He said that we can build a fence on the easement but if there is an issue with the drainage Toll would come out, remove the fence, fix the problem and replace the fence. This was good to hear.  Our backyard is actually larger than we expected (about the same size as our house). Super excited!!!! Our home is actually a flipped floorplan from the model.

The project manager informed us that since the garage has a room above it, Toll insulates the ceiling of the garage to prevent cold/hot air from circulating to that room. I honestly didn’t think about this but we are glad that Toll knows what they are doing. Additionally, all of the walls in the garage that are attached to a living space are also insulated. We purchased ceiling fan rough ins for all four rooms and the family room. He said this was a good idea because none of the rooms come with ceiling lights (that’s dumb 😔 ). There will be three switches, one for the fan, fan light and outlet light. The home has a two-zone heating/cooling system. The second-floor has its own zone. The PM said he’d show us how to program the thermostats on each level to get the best use of the zoned ac system.  The house has gas heat and electric cooling (we like gas heat).  My husband wasn’t excited about the two AC units because of the double cost to service and repair each unit but I figure it’ll be more energy efficient. Here are the benefits of having dual air-conditioning units.

The meeting was quick and easy. They told us to allocate an hour of our time but the meeting ended up being about 40 minutes. To my surprise when we drove pass our street they had already started clearing the lot (YAY). The PM said our permit still has not been approved (insert angry face) but they are starting to excavate the lot. He said they technically cannot build anything on the lot without a permit but they can start clearing the land. He hopes the permit will be approved next week, before Christmas. But my husband and I knew that it probably wouldn’t be done before the holidays. He said with them clearing the land in advance this will put them about a week ahead of schedule when the permits are finally approved. He said they will probably start building the house in February. He said they will order our lumber package this week. The lumber is shipped from PA and the order usually takes about 5 -6 weeks to arrive.

 Before the meeting, I noted some questions that I wanted to ask. The questions and answers are below.

1. Can we make the hall laundry larger by pushing into the closet in bedroom#3 about two feet?
   1. No, all of the plans are approved by the county. Any changes to the plans will need to be resubmitted. (No, thanks!)
2. Does the house have two zoned heating/air?
   1. Yes. (I explained this above)
3. While the basement is unfinished, does it have vents?
   1. Yes. The basement will have vents and bathroom rough-ins. The basement will be as finished as possible without any framing or dry wall. (Music to my ears!)
4. Are the garage walls insulated?
   1. Yes and No. (I explained this above)
5. Do we have outlets on the Kitchen island?
   1. Yes, the island comes with two outlets. If you desire additional outlets you can discuss that with the Audio Buys. (Perfect!)
6. Since we moved the laundry to the second floor can we still have a water line in the mudroom to install a utility tub?
   1. I don’t think that would be a problem. There may be an added expense but I have to ask the “boss”.

Major Key: It's always good to prepare your pre-construction meeting questions in advance and research the "lessons learned" of other new construction buyers. I always love the saying "closed mouths don't get fed". You never know unless you ask... right? Asking too many questions is never a bad thing especially when this amount of money is involved.


I found the pre-construction meeting check-list on this blog very helpful. Take a look and ask the questions that fit your home choice and expectations.

Here are some pictures from today. This is my official stalking start day (insert evil laugh)!!!

Floor plan based on our structural options: 

My lot:

 

Workers excavating the lot: