DRHorton Home Construction Experience (Virginia)

 Stopped by the house to find the septic tank and drain field almost fully installed. The installers, Robbie (owner) and Paul of Drainfield Solutions spent about 20 minutes with us explaining everything septic. They were really friendly and helpful. They explained how grease can really gum up a drain system, for instance. They also explained why bleach and other toxic chemicals can harm the bacteria that make a septic work. They also gave advice on how to make sure the system works - forever.  Robbie (owner) and Paul of Drainfield Solutions.   Socks Approves! Tracing the septic system ... From the inside (basement)     I've never had a chance to see a septic field before it got buried before. Apparently the system for our house is huge - in terms of the area covered therefore its capacity. We won't have to worry too much since there's only two of us living here! We feel luck when it comes to septics. Apparently some of our new neighbors selected lots that have less amenable

We put our current house on the market this week. This is the first time I've ever sold a home through a realtor. With all we have going on, selling by owner was just a little too much. Plus, we do feel the pressure of needing to sell one in order to move into another. It's more stressful than I anticipated! We've had 13 viewings in the past four days. Plus, today (Sunday) the realtor is hosting an open house. No offers yet, so it doesn't look like we'll be telling a story of how incredibly fast the home sold. On the other hand we know it's a really nice place - for the right new owner. We just have to wait until they show up!   House Anyone? I've loved having the ability to work from home for the past 15 years. However, there is one time when it's a PITA and that is when you are selling your home. Plus, since Socks (our dog) is old now and doesn't like to walk all that much, we're stuck to the car during most showings. That's a lot of car ti

Mid-Week Visit. Not too much happening this week. But a lot happening this week! It looks like the majority of the week was spent applying plaster to the walls. I only was able to visit one day but it's certainly looking good!   Starting to like Green!   Master BR Our Over-the-Top Master Shower Starts to Take Shape Entryway - Berry Tall Great that they are finishing the garage!

As promised, the drywall went up in exactly one day. Amazing. This stuff is heavy. It's also flimsy, and you have to hold it up to the ceiling to while you screw in all the fasteners and you have to make sure you don't cover up any fixtures - and there are oh so many fixtures. You also have to deal with the many imperfections in the framing. It's just not a truly flat surface.  I have no idea how they do it so quickly. George, the construction manager, said they use a crew of 8 people. But those guys must work hard. There's a lot of walls, ceilings, and fixtures. How they even know where to place the screws I have no idea.  After a quick inspection it looks like all fixtures are accounted for. We also noticed they used a different kind of drywall around the showers and bathtubs.   It seems like they did a really great job. I cannot see any places where the drywall was damaged or bent during installation. Clearly it was an experienced team. As a buyer, that's much ap

 Our home will have a septic tank. No big deal, right. Well, we're learning that there are a few things you can't do with septics. You should not: Pour fat, oil or grease down the drains Put paints, solvents or motor oils down the drains Dispose of garden chemicals and pesticides into the septic tank Use the toilet or kitchen sink as a rubbish bin OK then. No problem.  Have you ever wondered what a septic tank looks like? Well, so do I. I don't have the whole picture, but here's what the drain field elements look like (at least for our system): Here's a pic of the neighboring lot where the tubes have been installed: Septic field as demonstrated by our friend Ted Axton Each of these items is a single black perforated pipe surrounded by one inch pellets of foam. Cool eh? They are also lightweight. We had a windy couple days this week and these things blew all over the place! No tank yet, But I'll update this post as we get more info.  Our construction manager told

Just finished our pre-drywall inspection with the construction manager, George Leon. George is a very experienced manager who knows this business inside and out. It's such a pleasure just to spend time with him since he explains everything so well. When it comes to houses, George has seen it all.  During the inspection George took as much time as we wanted to point out various items and explain them. It certainly raises our confidence that there is someone keeping a close eye on what is going on. Thank you George! Promise to post a picture of George next time! During the past few weeks the focus has been to accomplish everything needed to prepare the house for hanging drywall. Everything that lives "inside the walls" needed to be addressed.  During that time we stopped by every few days to check things out. Fun! All the ladies   It started with plumbing and ventilation.This included water lines, propane lines, vent pipes, plumbing pipes, vents for all 7 bathroom fans, ven