Riverstone.com Community Blog - New post

Riverstone.com Community Blog: (Sugar Land, TX – May 18, 2013)  Amenity-rich Riverstone will have even more to keep residents busy when The Club at Riverstone debuts next year.
Construction on the 17-acre recreatio...

Rendering taken from article

Weekly Construction Update & Home inspection information

This week there will be lots of activity at the site of our future home. Here is what was said during the update:

• The fireplace should go in today (for use during those cold Houston nights)
• The framing will be finished up this week
• Doors and windows should be installed on Thursday
• A/C installation will start Thursday and will go through Monday

We were told that although we are moving along at a good pace right now, we are not ahead of schedule. Good.  Remember that increase in mortgage part?

Inspections

According to the building manager, it is expected that our independent inspector will be needed on June 13th or 14th. According to my very limited research, the framing inspections are conducted prior to insulation and Sheetrock are installed.

The purpose of an independent inspection is for the inspector to determine if there are any building code issues. If issues are found, code documentation is provided with the inspection report detailing the applicable building codes and specific code provisions. Inspectors make it clear to consumers that they do not have authority over the builders, however their reports may help with the negotiations with the builder.  Oftentimes the builder will agree to address the issues.

As mentioned in a previous post, the Better Business Bureau is a good resource to find reputable inspection companies. The American Society of Home Inspectors is an organization whose goal is to 'build customer awareness of the importance of a quality home inspection and enhance the professionalism of home inspectors.' This site also allows you to search for a certified home inspector. It is also a great resource for learning about common problems found during home inspections.

I can't wait to see the new additions (windows, doors and fireplace) this weekend!

Houston, We Have a Roof!!!!! (Weekly lot visit)

The extended family and I visited the lot and much to my surprise, the entire roof has been completed!! I so enjoy visiting the lot every week and seeing how much has been done in one week.  I think that over the past week, the most transformation ever has occurred so far! The house wrap has been applied, a lot  more framing has been completed, and the roof is done.  I am still waiting for the construction time line from the sales manager so that I can know in more detail what steps remain.  What can I say, I'm detail-oriented?

Of course I had to stop by the sales office to finalize things chosen at the design center. Decisions usually end with transfer of money to the builder. :-( All funds will be subtracted from the down payment, however.

Well, here's the house...I am still gushing, can you tell? Take a look!

View from the street :-)

Front staircase - I love how wide the first step is

Second staircase

View of the back of the house - windows on the right are to the master bedroom

View of the foyer from the top of the staircase

Study

View of the catwalk from the great room

View of dining room from bottom of stairs

Now, while checking out the house, our soon-to-be neighbor from across the street came over to invite us to his party! We met he and his wife last week while looking at the house and he actually invited us inside his home (they also built with Toll Brothers) and showed us all his cool sculptures. It was a very pleasant surprise and boy does he know how to throw a party. It was a kids birthday party which transitioned to an adult party. We stayed during the transition but he had a 'mixologist,' a DJ in the great room, a moon bounce with a water slide and a Polynesian pig! It was a luau themed party and was a lot of fun. It looks like we will be living across from the party house and hopefully we'll meet a lot of people.

Poor little pig - and yes, I did try some

My brother and my son at the party

Feel free to leave comments or questions...

My review of Toll Brothers

My Toll Brothers experience

Deposit
Unlike other builders who have sales representatives who will welcome you to come in and stop by any time, Toll Brothers only sees buyers by appointment. Yes, I know, that's weird. So you can look all you want but you will not be sitting down with the sales manager and get pricing on options unless you have an appointment. One of the major things is that for most builders at the time of signing a contract you only need to pay an earnest money deposit which pretty much reserves your lot. In general it is not refundable unless your financing falls through. Well, Toll Brothers is nuts. At the time of contract buyers are required to pay a deposit totaling 5% of the base price & 20% of structural options & 20% of the lot premium. In Riverstone, Toll Brothers has a lot premium for every single lot. So when looking at the base price one really needs to add the amount for the lot premium. The amounts vary based on the size of the lot. Regardless, those funds are due at signing. They are very demanding and with them there is no negotiating. The base price is the base price and the costs of options are predetermined and not negotiable.

Choosing Options
All structural options (i.e. - optional rooms, wet bar, fireplace location, expanded showers, gas stub, pot filler, etc) must be finalized at contract signing. You also need to choose your garage door, front door and stucco color if applicable. Yes, despite the fact that the house will not be ready for 8 months, you have to finalize these things at signing. Therefore, there is no changing your mind and adding the media room - once it's done, it's done. Very annoying.

Availability
I must say that the whole 'appointment required' thing is very annoying, but now I see that it is necessary. Every time I have gone to a scheduled meeting with the sales manager, she has been in a meeting with people. And when she meets with you, she goes over a lot of things. So, it's appreciated when you are in a meeting with her but annoying if you really just want to stop by and ask a question. She does have two assistants that are very nice, but they are not very knowledgeable. I'm not being critical but they really just field questions to her.

TBI Mortgage
When you sign a contract with Toll Brothers you are required to apply for a mortgage with their mortgage company, TBI. You are not required to use TBI Mortgage, but you do have to apply for a loan with them. In the event that you are not approved by TBI Mortgage and you decide to go with another bank, Toll Brothers will build your house but if you are later denied approval, you forfeit your deposit (see above). Who wants to go through all that if you already plan on going with another lender?

Included Features
Honestly, Toll Brothers should be ashamed of themselves for not having more standard features. Since we have visited lots of models and spoken with Realtors from different builders, I must say that Toll Brothers includes the LEAST of the builders we have experience with. These are the most shocking things that are NOT included with Toll Brothers (followed by my remarks) :

• mirrors with framing - yeah right, you get a mirror just slapped on the wall - even in the master
• ceiling fan in the game room - you get a flush mount light fixture (okay, how much does a ceiling fan cost?)
• hardwood flooring - only included in 1 place - the study (makes no sense)
• High quality granite - nope, you get Level 1 granite in your expensive new house
• High quality carpet - nah, you get Level 3 carpet which is not nice at all
• Under mount sinks in master - not in your house, you have to upgrade to get under mount sinks in the master
• Travertine tile entry - no way, you get Level 2 tile - it was level 1 tile prior to 2 months ago (how absurd!)
• Covered patio in rear - Not for you, you get to walk out the backdoor and straight into the Texas sun
• Butler's Pantry - you can have one alright, for $3500
• Closet system - you get the standard particle board with the wooden pole
• Built ins - if you would like to pay for them

Toll Brothers builds homes nationwide and brags about being awarded the Professional Builder of the Year Award by Professional Builder magazine. The award honors innovative home builders whose ideas and business results represents the best in home building. I'm quite sure that most builders have won some sort of award at one time or another. There are a lot of awards given out for all sorts of reasons.

Other
Toll Brothers does not include an inspection for energy efficiency as some other builders do. I have not heard one thing about Energy Star ratings or mention or the average electricity bill.  Some builders will offer you information on how energy efficient the homes are, but I guess Toll Brothers feels that they don't have to sell their homes.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I must say that the sales manager really maintains good communication. Yes, some things did slip through the cracks and cause a little confusion, but no one is perfect. I really like the weekly construction updates. I wish she was a little more available but the appointment only requirement does take up a lot of her time.

I've typed enough...that's my review!

Weekly construction update

The construction manager gave us our usual construction update yesterday and informed us that things are moving along smoothly. He said that the framing was proceeding well and that house wrap was starting to be applied. Next up...deliver the rest of the materials for framing and the SHINGLES!

I am working on getting a construction timeline from the builder so that I have a better idea about the remaining steps and to keep an eye on them ;-).

Weekly lot visit

When we arrived to the lot today, surprisingly there were workers there. The house looks significantly different compared to last week. Framing of the rooms upstairs has begun and as we walked through the house we could actually visualize the rooms in our minds :-)

I can't wait for the next weekly construction update to find out what's next. 

My husband and I met the neighbors in the house across the street and they were very friendly. They've lived in their Toll Brothers home for 6 months and LOVE living in Riverstone. When we met them they were walking back to their house from a neighbors gathering. I look forward to meeting more of our future neighbors. 

A view of our lot from our neighbor's home

View from the street

Husband walking up the stairs

View of the foyer from the top of the stairs

Second stair case

3rd and Final Design Center Appointment $$$$

Today was my last design center appointment meaning that I had to make more selections and finalize all of my selections. I believe that Toll Brothers will allow additional time in the design center at a cost of $150/hour, but that's not an option for me. No way.

We selected our lighting, interior doors and door hardware, laundry room counters and cabinets, media room counters and cabinets, foyer flooring, powder room flooring, balusters, stair trim stain, outdoor lighting today, trim color and wall colors. Whew!! I was exhausted by the end of the 3 hour appointment and on top of that we had to revisit previous selections. We actually had the nerve to change some of our previous selections!

Foyer

Despite the costs associated with it, we decided on marble tile floors in the foyer with marble tile insets. Surprisingly this was the most difficult area of the house to make a decision on mainly due to the cost of  flooring in that large area. We considered hardwood, but with hardwood in the great room, kitchen, breakfast room, dining room and back hall - that would be a bit much. We also looked at tumbled travertine in a Versailles pattern because it was in the foyer in the model, but the design center no longer carries the same color as in the model and the other colors looked dull. After looking on websites such as Houzz, I found that marble tile foyers with inserts are traditional and that is my design style. And not to mention...it's gorgeous.

Our foyer tile and the accent tiles
Tile: Marble 12 x 12 - Milano
Accent: Marble Mosaic (12x12 mesh) 1/2x1/2 Emperador Dark (will be 4"x4")

Cabinets and counters

Our media room will have a wet bar and we chose counters and cabinets today. The laundry room actually has an island with a granite countertop, a sink with cabinets and a granite countertop and two cabinets over the washer and dryer. We made those selections today as well.

Wet bar counter and cabinets
Countertop: 3cm Granite - Ubatuba
Cabinet: Poplar Midnight Venice Arlington

Laundry Room countertops, island cabinets, and overhead cabinets
Countertop: 3cm Granite - Almond
Cabinets: Poplar Midnight Venice Arlington

Laundry room countertop and tile flooring
Countertop: 3cm Granite - Almond
Tile: Venus 13x13 - Grey

Balusters

The husband and I disagreed on the the balusters. I wanted something understated that would not take away from the rest of the elements in the foyer. He, however, wanted a baluster with those 'swirly things.' Needless to say, I won - okay, we compromised. I chose the balusters for the front staircase and he chose the balusters for the second staircase. It's all about compromise. lol

My choice - Front staircase

His choice - the second staircase

Lighting

The house came with the Torino package from Progress Lighting. We upgraded the foyer lighting (2 chandeliers) and chose the dining room, breakfast room, bathroom and exterior lights.

Foyer chandelier - Oil rubbed bronze finish

Outdoor lights - upgrades to larger size for lights at front door

Bathroom lighting (middle)

 Interior Doors

There were several to choose from but since our front doors have an arched detail, as well as our upper cabinets in the kitchen, we went with these...

 Wall colors

There really weren't many neutral wall and trim colors to choose from. Toll Brothers paints all the walls and ceiling the same colors. Because of the National Sales event we were able to choose custom paint for one room and we chose the media room. I wanted a trim color that was off-white because that way when I paint rooms at a later date, the trim will not need to be altered at all. Off white goes with everything.

Wall color throughout: Kwal paint - Keratin
Trim color throughout: Kwal paint - Edelweiss
Seen here with hardwood flooring

Wall color throughout: Kwal paint - Keratin
Trim color throughout: Kwal paint - Edelweiss
Seen here with patterned carpet by Shaw

Wall color throughout: Kwal paint - Keratin
Trim color throughout: Kwal paint - Edelweiss
Seen here with marble tile from entry

Wall color in media room: Kwal paint - Captiva
Trim color throughout: Kwal paint - Edelweiss
Seen here with patterned carpet by Shaw

 Hardware

We chose the hardware for the front door for which we received a free upgrade as part of the National Sales Event.  We stuck with the included interior hardware in oil-rubbed bronze.

Front door hardware

Interior door hardware (center)

Upper cabinets

Here's the arch theme again...my cabinets will be slightly darker. The second picture shows the "bump up and out" option where some cabinets are taller than others. Totally worth the money. This is not the layout of my kitchen, it's one of the kitchens in the design center.

Bump up and out example

Fairwell Design Center!!!!

Completing our final design center appointment was bittersweet. Three hours of doing anything is pretty much exhausting, especially when it deals with making choices. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to choose the elements in our next home, and for that we are grateful.

Amateur panoramic picture of the design center

Weekly Lot visit

The family and I were back at it again today. Since it is Mother's Day, of course the family was happy (okay, maybe just willing) to do whatever made me happy and that was to go and see what was going on with the house. I knew that framing was supposed to begin this past Monday but did not really know what to expect. Well here it is...the current state of my lot (but where are the workers?).

View from the street

2 car garage - looks more like a one and a half however

Another view

Seeing the stairs makes it real

A view of the 'backyard'

Things seem to be moving along quite nicely. Framing is expected to take several months but I'll continue to make my weekly visits.

Design Center appointment #2 (mo' money, mo' money, mo' money!)

Today was the second of our three design center appointments and we focused on narrowing down the bathroom choices, and making kitchen and plumbing choices. O-M-G! Who would have thought that plumbing options would be so freakin' expensive?! I do not plan on going into detail often about the price of options, but I need to vent.

To upgrade from 

to

cost $1,364!!!

Now, there are differences in the base sink and the upgraded sink but come on! Despite my whining and ranting I went for the upgraded sink for a very good reason. This is one of those things that is not easily changed later in time. Since the sink will be an undermount sink, to change it later would require removing the countertop. No one feels like all that extra work. I also like having the ability to wash larger pans in my kitchen sink so...

SECONDARY BATHS

I decided to choose different countertops and shower tile in all the secondary bathrooms to make my home feel more custom.  I stayed with base cabinets, granite and tile for the floor and shower, but decided to use accent tiles to add pops of color and interest to the bathrooms.  Here are some of the looks we came up with...

Bath #3: Oldest son's bathroom/common area bathroom for upstairs
Counters: Granite in Rocky Taupe
Accent tile: Shimmer Blends Gloss Mosaic 

Bath #4: Downstairs Guest bath
Counters: Granite in Rustic Gold
Accent tile: Stone Radiance Random Mosaic with
Butternut Emperador Blend

Jack & Jill bath
Counters: Granite in Venice Gold
Accent tile: can't remember :-)

KITCHEN EXTRAS

For the kitchen we chose the sink (see above), cabinet crown molding, appliances (except for the refrigerator), cabinet options, and other decorative options. We chose to do 'bump up and outs' which is where some cabinets have more height than others. We also chose to add drawers under the cooktop instead of the standard cabinets - mainly because I'm sick of getting on the floor to find pots and pans. We added corbels to the island, chose a decorative vent hood and upgraded the cooktop and dishwasher. Whew! As part of the Toll Brothers National Sales Event we will receive credit for part of the appliance upgrades. And of course, pics...

Corbel for countertop overhang - for interest ;-)

Upgraded cooktop

Kitchen crown molding

Kitchen drawers under cooktop

Decorative edge for island

KITCHEN INSPIRATION

Here are a few pictures of traditional kitchens that inspired me.