We decided to start a blog because there isn’t a lot out there about our little village in Milton. Hopefully, we will get to know some of you and this blog will hopefully be a way for us to share some of our pre-move-in-date experiences. 🙂 Anyone have anything to share…feel free to share!!!
Add your info. to the POST for LOTS, CLOSINGS, ETC. so we can find each other once we’re all moved in. 🙂
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jaspervillagemilton
Jasper Village Milton 
jaspervillagemilton said,
December 22, 2009 @ 2:15 am
And…the excitement fades as we learn via email that our closing date has been pushed. We had become quite used to saying “Our closing is April 30th”. We had been anxiously planning for a beautiful spring move in date. We were anticipating four short months before we were able to get into our first new home together. And now, for whatever reason, other than a simple statement with our new tentative closing date. June 28th. Another two months.
Jemmowi said,
December 23, 2009 @ 2:01 am
I am currently on Buildinghomes.com blog and it appeared I was the only one from Jasper Village. I am glad I found company. My closing has been pushed to May 4th. I am anxiously awaiting the move myself. Besides the closing being pushed back, everything has been quite smooth. Thusfar, I have been a satisfied customer.
jaspervillagemilton said,
December 31, 2009 @ 4:15 am
You are very lucky then to have had such a smooth experience. Did you have to deal with Cory at all??? If not, then that might have something to do with your SMOOTH experience. You must be in one of the first two blocks then. I’m also assuming that you bought your home fairly early. We bought in October. What lot are you and what house did you buy?
Dave said,
January 11, 2010 @ 3:45 pm
Hey guys! We had an original closing date of Feb 28th. That was bumped to April 14th. We’re waiting to find out this week if it’s been bumped again. They’re almost finished the bricks so we’ll see. June 28th is awfully close to the HST date of July 1st. That’s scary.
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 11, 2010 @ 3:53 pm
You must be in the first couple of blocks of the development. As far as we could see, our bricks haven’t been done, but their were stacks of bricks on our street (pitcher place) so we are hoping that they will be done bricking by the end of this or next week.
Yes, June 28th is very close to HST, so we are also hoping that they picked that closing in order to do at least something nice for their customers and attempt to get us in there before HST hits. Or, at least hand over the keys. I don’t know. At this point we aren’t expecting too much.
Which street are you on? What house? or lot?
Dave said,
January 11, 2010 @ 6:54 pm
We’re on lot 16. We purchased a Laurier, the corner lot on the second row of houses. Looks like they were half way through the bricks this past weekend. We purchsed back in May so were definetly in the first batch. Not sure if that will help our cause or not.
The process has been fairly smooth so far outside, of delays. Our biggest issue with the decor center was not being able to merge the upgrades into our mortgage. Between that and the over-priced selection we’ll be doing a lot of upgrades ourselves just after we move in.
Aside from that it’s been fairly problem free. The big test will be after we move in. They don’t allow framing inspections so we’re a little weary.
We only met Cory twice, and yes he definetly came across as a used car salesman. 😉
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 11, 2010 @ 7:01 pm
Yes, we will be doing a lot of upgrades ourselves. However, Cory is not being very helpful and/or accommodating with the upgrades we are doing ourselves. He has to tack/nail down the carpet securely, he can’t leave the staircase unfinished, he won’t put plywood down (even if we paid him). He is a real piece of work.
I’m sure that if we purchased early, we would have felt more at ease with our purchase. A lot of problems arose because they rushed our pre-construction and secured our agreement without consulting us.
You should consider yourself lucky.
I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky in comparison to the people that have to purchase the homes that are already built. They won’t even have a choice of upgrades, or options.
Livinlife said,
January 25, 2010 @ 8:42 pm
Well we got the notice two weeks ago and our closing has been moved to June 23rd.
Well at least I wont be the only one doing upgardes on our New house…Well since a dark stain for the stairs is way Over priced the 1st thing I’ll be doing is sanding and staining the stairs. Since its not an option and they are un willing to leave them unfinished.
Hope we all close before July I’m crossing my fingers for all of us!
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 25, 2010 @ 11:00 pm
I know…$4000 just to stain it a colour that doesn’t match our after market hardwood, and even if it did…are you kidding me??? Samantha and Gary (the sales reps) gave us a contact, did you get it? Or do you have your own contacts? Their contact gave us a pretty good approximate quote of $1500 to $2000, so that’s pretty promising. However, after all of the crap that we have had to go through with Corey, we started our contracting research already. Apparently, it is quite difficult to sand down and stain the risers and stringers, so they usually have to paint it, because there is vaneer underneath. So, we end up having to paint the pickets, stringers and risers all white so that it looks like it was on purpose, which sucks, because I really wanted to do something different with the pickets. Unfortunately, I think that it’ll look odd if the risers and stringers are white and then the pickets are wrought iron with wooden accents. Corey and the conservatory group really have to rethink their policies. We were even willing to pay to not have it stained. So, it isn’t a ‘money-grab’…just an ‘a$$hole’ thing.
dave said,
January 27, 2010 @ 11:22 am
If anyone finds a good hardwood contractor let us know. We’ve spoken to a few so far and are expecting around $3500 to do the entire stairs (will be carpeted when we move in)
We’re looking at purchasing our appliances now (going to sell the standard ones included with our house) and need to know the size of the fridge opening. We called the decor center to ask for the exact dimensions and all they would tell us is that its between 33-36″ wide. We were looking at a 36″ wide fridge but now we have to wait until we move in to measure ourselves. Frustrating to say the least.Even told them we’d be willing to pay to get a 36×72 opening. No response yet.
We just hit our third construction milestone (wiring completed) so its probably too late to make changes. But come on … They should be able to tell us the exact size. 3″ is a huge difference.
Dave said,
January 27, 2010 @ 9:25 pm
The decor center got back to us today. Too late to change (understandable) but they were able to give us the exact dimensions. 71″x36″ opening for the fridge. Thanks to our design consultant for coming through.
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 28, 2010 @ 12:36 am
Yes, I believe that sounds about right. I think that’s what we were told. Did you get the built in enclosing around the fridge?
We are going to sell the standards that come with the house as well and buy our own. The stainless steel upgrade appliances just weren’t worth it. Basically, you could buy the same appliances at Sears, Leons, or the Brick for the same price. So, why wouldn’t you buy the stainless appliances yourself, and come out with 6 appliances rather than just 3 for the same price? So, we’re going to get even better appliances and sell the white ones.
I have a few contractors that I have talked to, did you get the number for Nick (Samantha and Gary’s contractor)? I also have a couple of other guys.
Matt said,
January 28, 2010 @ 2:17 pm
Hi neighbours,
I purchased a Bennet on Lott Cresecent. My closing date is 30 March 2010. Starting to feel the adrenaline rush. I went to the bank yesterday to get financing and the vairable interest rate for 1 yr from this bank was 2.65%. I plan to go to another bank today to check if I will be able to get a better deal. Anyone has any advise?
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 28, 2010 @ 2:34 pm
That is so exciting. If we had a closing for the end of March, that would be awesome. Variable at 2.65% is really good. What bank was that?
livinlife said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:45 am
I just did a drive through our streets and its coming along really nicely. Matt i also have a Bennet on Lott Cres. What’s your lot number? Might be Neighbours.
Matt said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:19 pm
92R….when are u closing? What’s your lot #?
2.65% was with the TD bank. Apparently they are able to give 1% off the posted rates for new construction. This afternoon I have an appt at the BMO. Let’s see what BMO can offer.
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:28 pm
55R…closing June 28th (hopefully)
Hepburn
Does anyone know anything about HST and whether it applies to us if we don’t close until after July 1st. I heard that the HST date has changed??? And, I have heard from friends that recently bought homes from other builders (lucky them;)) that since they signed their contracts before July 1st, their builders are not holding them responsible for the HST, or that it doesn’t apply to them??? Anyone have anymore info. on this?
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:28 pm
BTW, I think we will be going with TD as well for our mortgage rate.
Livinlife said,
January 29, 2010 @ 5:55 pm
We’re 87R our firm closing is June 23rd now why that is I’m not sure since the 3rd milestone has been completed it shouldnt take 4 months to complete the inside of a house concidering all our selections have been done. But not everything has to make sence to the buyers I Guess.
We’ll also be going with TD seems to be best I’ve seen so far but I’ll do some shopping closer to closing.
As for the HST I dont beleive it will apply to any new homes under 400k
-Purchasers of newly constructed homes under $400,000 would not be subject to an additional tax burden
-Buyers of new homes valued between $400,000 and $500,000 could claim a proportional rebate.
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 29, 2010 @ 7:20 pm
That’s so awesome…I hope that is the case. That makes me feel somewhat relieved. 🙂
jaspervillagemilton said,
January 29, 2010 @ 7:23 pm
Hmmm…if you are 87R and we are 55r then our wiring should be completed as well. Also, I don’t really understand how your closing is the 23rd and ours is 28th…but you are right, nothing seems to make sense for us. I guess, we are just the buyers, customers, we don’t hold any value to be given straight answers and honest explanations. 😉
Matt said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
Hi, went to BMO last week. Their fixed rate for 5 yrs is at 3.75%. I was told that they will be able to bring it even lower. Their variable rate is also better than 2.75%.
Matt said,
March 17, 2010 @ 1:09 pm
Rates now are lower for 5 yr fixed and variable.
Livinlife said,
February 9, 2010 @ 7:14 pm
So has anyone heard any good news lately?
Dave said,
February 9, 2010 @ 7:49 pm
We’re getting pretty anxious now. Closing April 14th. Snuck into the house thorugh the garage door last weekend. All the dry wall has been completed. Painting and flooring next. Security seems pretty lax now that stage two is completed.
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 10, 2010 @ 1:54 pm
Oh maybe we should try to sneak into our house… 🙂
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 15, 2010 @ 9:35 pm
from what i’m getting from this blog…closing dates are all over the place
newatmilton said,
February 15, 2010 @ 9:23 pm
Hi, I am glad to see this blog, we also bought a laurier on pitcher place. We have May 7th our closing date, originally it was in March and we have not heard otherwise from builder so planning to move in May. Recently we completed our appointment at decor center and we left most of upgrades to do it later including hardwood floors. After reading this blog now we are not sure whether our stairs are going to be stained or not. We paid for stairs at the time of initial booking. We never got a chance to see the house because of security guys, from Yates it only looks covered with plastic, hence not sure how for the construction is done.
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 15, 2010 @ 9:30 pm
We are on Pitcher Place, closing June 28th. If you bought your stairs at time of house purchase, your stairs will be oak, but they won’t be stained, unless you paid the $4000 at the decor centre. It’ll be varnished natural. The security guys are always there (watch out for the pudgy white woman, she’s crazy). You can go through when they are all working on the homes, usually they are not working on them on Sunday’s or holidays.
Jemmowi said,
February 17, 2010 @ 12:55 am
Hi There,
Been away for awhile and I haven’t had the time to respond to any blogs. I bought a Laurier on Pitcher Place and my closing is May 4th. I spoke with head office and they informed me, there would be no further delays and I could advise my lawyer of such. If you read the fine print of your agreement, the Conservatory Group does not have to inform you of a Firm Closing. They do however have to give you 90 days notice from your closing date, if there are any further changes. So NewatMilton, you and I are safe.(for now) For JasperVillageMilton, you have to hang in there alittle while longer. I did manage to bypass security and see our homes and they look nice. My Mechanical is complete and they should be starting on the Drywall. I would anticipate they would complete this by mid March. We have had the perfect winter, with no delays. So I’m thankful. The neighbourhood is shaping up!
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 17, 2010 @ 2:39 pm
I don’t understand how we are all on Pitcher Place and our closing is 2 months after you; June 28th. SUCKS :[
dave said,
February 17, 2010 @ 1:34 pm
Hey guys,
Just wanted to drop in with a couple notes.
Stairs: We fully plan to do the stairs ourselves after we move in and have gotten a few resonable quotes already. We didn’t do anything with the builder, so they will need to be completely re-done. The Laurier has a winding staircase with 15 steps. We’re looking at about $3500-$4000 to replace them with hardwood. This will include all brand new pickets and the stain to match the floor we choose. If your looking to go with white pickets and risers it’ll be significantly cheaper.
For the hardwood floors we’ve been getting fairly standard quotes of $2/sq ft installation + the cost of the hardwood. For 5 1/4″ baseboard we’re looking at $2-$3 installed per linear foot.
Most hardwood we like costs about $5 so we’re looking at $7 hardwood installed (vs $15 with the builder … Crazy)
Brick: I hear you about the brick color. But not much you could do but hope for the best. We knew up front that thewre were about 8 different exterior colors the builder could chose. When the tarps came off, of course we had our least favorite choice 😉 but its growing on us.
The only thing I’ve noticed so far is one of our “half walls” look more like a quarter wall. The two half-walls in our family room are of different heights. Something we’ll be asking them to fix.
Good luck all!
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 17, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
Sounds like a great price for your staircase, hopefully it won’t put you out for too long getting them installed.
Good luck with that request to “fix” it, Dave. I would be very surprised if they do that for you.
Win said,
February 17, 2010 @ 5:28 pm
jaspervilliagemilton, it is unfortunate that you are closing on June 28th. I think this has to do with, when your purchased your home. We purchased our in late August, this is why were are in early May. When was your purchase agreement??
I do agree about the colour of the brick as it is not all the same. As long as my wife likes it, I’m fine, and she thought it wasn’t too bad. I guess I lucked out. For the stairs and hardwood floors, where do you find hardwood so cheap, is it good quality?? Our stairs will be stained natural, but the plan it to sand and re-stain and remove the wooden pickets and replace with iron.
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 17, 2010 @ 7:32 pm
Oh I understand, yes, that makes sense. We purchased mid-October.
We bought our distressed solid dark oak hardwood from Brampton Hardwood Flooring. They have a great selection and their prices are very reasonable. The place has always been busy when we’ve been there.
We are planning to sand and restain as well, I just didn’t like the idea of painting the risers and stringers. Apparently it is vaneer underneath the wood and can be quite tricky so some contractors say that they can’t do it.
We went to the interior design show a few weekends ago and they had these beautiful pickets. They are located in Bolton. If you are interested I can find the name of the place. The price seemed quite reasonable.
Jemmowi said,
February 18, 2010 @ 1:34 am
Any piece of information is helpful. Thanks that would be apprecitated. I am plainning to place hardwood throughout with the exception of the basement and family room, and tiled area. Sq footage approx 1400. for the Laurier? I think you purchase alittle more (give and take). How long would a job that incorporates, redo of the stairs and placing hardwood? Any ideas and or suggestions?
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 18, 2010 @ 1:47 am
I would say a week or so depending on how many hours a day they are working on it, and if they have to stain then there are several steps to staining (especially if it is a dark stain, i believe) and polyurethane. From what I hear, staining the stairs can take a while. As far as the hardwood is concerned a think that it would take a few days.
dave said,
February 18, 2010 @ 6:53 am
Hey Jemmowi,
We have a Laurier as well and are planning to do the same (including family). We were quoted about $14k + 4k for stairs. All estimates of course until they can get in and do the actual measurements. This was for 4 1/4″ wide oak flooring in a dark stain. Also includes 5 1/4″ base boards and carpet removal.
We were told 3 days for the floors and 3-4 days for the stairs so a week or so sounds about right.
We’ve been to a bunch of places but so far are leaning towards “Core Flooring” in Milton.
Matt said,
February 18, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
Thanks for the info Dave. I will go to “Core Flooring” and check them out.
My closing is 31 March 2010 and by looking at all the closing dates posted in this blog, I am guessing that I will be one of the first few that will be moving into the house in April 2010. I hope to finalise my mortgage this week. Anyone knows of any good mortgage deals out there?
Livinlife said,
February 18, 2010 @ 4:25 pm
Well the Closing dates does not seem to matter since we had bought the house in June and our Firm closing is now June 23 1 year and a bit later. I dont think you all should feel so bad..I think the closing dates are based on the section your house is located in .lol
Well Matt a word of advice if you happen to get inside your house make sure that they didnt frame a door in your main bathroom going into the closet of bed room number 4. I’m still waiting on an answer from them on when or if they will “fix” it.
Other then that the house is coming along I would have to say so far I have seen a lot more good then bad. I being “Optimistic”
So will anyone be installing a door into the house from the garage after they close?
Matt said,
February 18, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
Hey Jasperonians, I am definitely going to get someone to fix a door from the garage into the house. Have to start looking for quotes after this week. If someone out there has already gotten a quote or a contractor to do that, will be sure happy to hear about it. 😀
Livinlife said,
February 18, 2010 @ 5:07 pm
For sure keep in touch cause I’ll be looking into the same thing. also trying to find the best place to install the door since we’re at a high elavation and well require a landing inside the garage at least I think we will.
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 18, 2010 @ 8:14 pm
A friend of ours actually installs garage door openers and doors. So, I’ll get a quote from him as he will be doing ours and let you all know.
Jemmowi said,
February 19, 2010 @ 3:11 am
For those closing in March. Have you been contacted for your PDI?? When do you think you will hear from the builder??
Matt said,
February 23, 2010 @ 6:46 pm
Just called the customer care. My PDI is on March 29, 2010. I day before the closing.
newatmilton said,
February 21, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
thanks for updates on few important issues, we ordered stairs at the time of booking and did not think of staining, so we have to get it done after we move in. We are shopping around for mortgage, so far BMO gave the best rate prime minus .3, most probably we will go with it.
Explore said,
February 21, 2010 @ 8:46 pm
Thanks for your comments. I signed my contract in july and my closing was in January 18, then my closing was moved to May 18 I don’t understand about the big differences in the closings.
I am also looking to do the upgrades after closing such as hard wood flooring, garage door to the house etc, so any information will be appreciated.
Matt said,
February 22, 2010 @ 2:21 pm
Is that for variable for 5 years?
Win said,
February 25, 2010 @ 6:50 pm
Matt,
It’s very interesting that you had to call customer care for your PDI! Shouldn’t they be notifying you with the details?? I don’t mind being pro-active, but I don’t like being left in the dark also. Judging by alot of customers, there will be alot of closings in a short period of time.
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 25, 2010 @ 7:34 pm
What do you mean? Don’t you know, that’s the way it works with the Conservatory Group…you want something done, you call them, they don’t call you. That would be way too much trouble to notify you. That’s their idea of customer service. (*Sarcasm*) Seriously, we were lucky to have even gotten our 3 piece rough in, because they didn’t bother calling us for a Pre-construction and they were about to pour our foundation that week. Had I not had issues with their useless website, and therefore had to call them at the Decor Centre, we wouldn’t have the rough-in.
Matt said,
February 25, 2010 @ 9:27 pm
Totally agree with jaspervillagemilton. I had trouble with their website too, initially, and when I contacted them via phone for the pre-construction it was too late for the fireplace. Good thing I was just in time for the 3 piece rough-in in the basement. I was a few days late for that and they accomodated me.
jaspervillagemilton said,
February 25, 2010 @ 10:00 pm
Oh Matt, don’t get me started for the fireplace. WE were so pissed (for lack of a better word). Cory tried to tell us that we would have never had time to agree to the fireplace, even though the day that we signed our contract we drove out to the site, to our lot, and there was nothing there but dirt. So tell me again Cory how we wouldn’t have time??? BS. He gave us some more BS about the fact that there is some grace period, or something like that. I don’t seem to understand. They seem to be looking for every other opportunity to weasel money out of us, why wouldn’t they contact us for the extra $3000. Or better yet, just for the sheer reason of being courteous, of providing a little customer care and ensuring satisfaction if they could. I mean isn’t that what the website is called, Customer Care. Just because you name your website that, it doesn’t make it so. Can you tell that I”m still sore about the whole thing? lol…I really wanted a fireplace, I probably wouldn’t have bought had I known that we wouldn’t have had the option for it.
Jemmowi said,
February 26, 2010 @ 3:02 am
Just spoke to a co-worker of mine, who purchased a home through another builder(won’t dare say who that is)with a closing date in a couple of weeks. They informed me that they already had their PDI, in the event there were any issues, the builder would have them rectified prior to moving in. This makes sense. One day prior to closing????? I hope your house is perfect, as well as ours. I will be seeking to spread out the PDI prior to closing. Once your in……..Your IN!
Livinlife said,
March 1, 2010 @ 4:05 pm
Well went to see the house this weekend and I have to say it’s looking great. They are correcting the issue with the second bathroom door going into the closet and all the tile is in, stairs look awesome. Its nice to see what you pick from samples actually installed now the only one thing pending for them to do is clear out and finish the cold room. I have to say besides the decor center stuff we all know about upgardes etc.. They have been good on fixing any concerns I have brought to they’re atention. Wow I know closeing is still 4 months away for us but the excitement is building… Did anyone get a chance to see to see your houses this weekend?
Matt said,
March 1, 2010 @ 8:21 pm
Livinlife, how did u manage to get in? It was exciting reading your update.
livinlife said,
March 2, 2010 @ 2:19 am
Well I guess I lucky drove in and took the chance and walked into the house. But dont get me wrong I did get kicked out but worth it.. All I can say is keep trying but remember as the finishing stuff is going on in the houses it will only be getting harder to walkin..
Matt said,
March 4, 2010 @ 9:06 pm
I called the Customer Care and asked if I could go and see the inside of the house prior to the PDI day. Thought I should try. The answer was “no” but they are very confident that they will be handing over a fully completed house to me on the closing day . Fingers crossed. 26 days to go.!!!!!
Jemmowi said,
March 5, 2010 @ 12:58 am
Good luck Matt,
Wishing you all the best for your purchase. I hope that when you walk in, for your PDI, you have no issues. You MUST disclose the experience once you are finished. I know it would be hectic for your move and all, but please try. I plan on checking out the neighbourhood this Saturday, so I will be looking at progress, even if it is outside.
Dave said,
March 6, 2010 @ 9:55 pm
Livinlife … when you looked inside your house, did it have vanity lights above the mirrors in all the bathrooms? We just took a bunch of photos of our house. It looked great. But then we noticed there was no lights on the walls in any of the bathrooms. We had intentionally told them we did not want the mirrors (as we would be installing our own), but assumed there would be over the sink lighting.
Anyone know if the Conservatory Group considers this an upgrade? We will be pissed if this is the case.
Jemmowi said,
March 7, 2010 @ 1:45 am
Dave,
I know your question was for Livinlife, as I took pictures of the model home, they do have vanity lighting in all the washrooms. I know most of the items are upgrades, but if this wasn’t apart of our selection process at the Decor centre, it should be there. If you do find out some info please let me know. I would be one pissed camper too! Let’s just hope they are installing the vanities last?!?!
Dave said,
March 7, 2010 @ 6:27 pm
Thanks Jemmowi. Thing is the cupboards, countertop and sink are alll in place and the walls are primed. We didn’t see any electrical hanging out. And I highly doubt they will tear up the walls to install. Not looking good at this point.
We took some pics of our progress. you can see the bathroom in there. I WISH they would leave the stairs as is … unstained.
Dave said,
March 7, 2010 @ 11:26 pm
Well we just went back to the site and looked through the Powder room windows of about five different houses. Looks like nobody is getting lights above their sinks. There is a light on the ceiling of the powder room, but nothing on the wall above the sink.
Dave said,
March 8, 2010 @ 9:06 pm
Called the decor center today. Apparently they have not recieved the permits for that part of the electrical yet (huh?!?!). But building code states that they HAVE to put the lights above the sinks in all bathrooms. It’s NOT an upgrade.
So … I’m guessing they are going to have to go in through the already finished drywall to do this? I’m sure that was the plan from the start. 😉
Regardless. They confirmed that we will be getting them.
Jemmowi said,
March 9, 2010 @ 3:01 am
Dave,
Thanks for the FYI! I called the Decor Centre myself and was waiting for a call back. Glad you got the answers. I purchased a Laurier as well, your photos look good. Keep in touch!
Dave said,
March 11, 2010 @ 4:35 pm
Spoke to a few electricians and they say the electrical code states that there just needs to be a light in the bathrooms, not necessarily one above hte vanity. Now I’m concerned again…
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 12, 2010 @ 5:37 pm
So am I. That would really suck if we have to install those lights. Who puts lights on the ceiling in a bathroom and not above the vanity? That doesn’t even make sense.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 9, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
Oh that is good news Dave. I was freaking out a little that we were going to have to install ourselves. (as if there wasn’t enough of that). I would have thought that was standard, so it’s good to know that it is.
Trust me…we’ve tried every avenue with the builders and the contractors to get them to leave the stairs unstained. We even tried to go through the city. Conservatory Group is not budging. If you get them to do it, you let us know. We all gotta stick together. 😉
Mattamy homeowners are in. Mattamy seems very welcoming with bright red ribbons on their doors. I thought that was very sweet of that builder.
Matt…only 26 days (well probably less now, haven’t been checking my blog regularly). You must be super excited. I would be. Yes, please let us know how move in and everything else is. We’d like to know what to look out for or be aware of.
Dave said,
March 10, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
Just curious if anyone has obtained a list of their closing costs? We have an itemized list from our lawyer that includes legal, title insurance, land transfer, mortgage registration etc …. but I’m wondering how much additional we have to put aside for the builder.
I’ve heard there will be a $1500 driveway deposit. And I’m sure they’ll charge tree-planting fees etc.
Was anyone provided with an actual list?
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 11, 2010 @ 12:04 am
We got a complete list of all of our closing costs from our lawyer. She is the lawyer that was recommended by Gary and Samantha. She is great. She didn’t want us to have any unexpected surprises. As soon as I locate it, I will post.
And yes you have to pay for the second pavement of the driveway and the trees, to name a couple.
livinlife said,
March 11, 2010 @ 1:23 am
Well just to be safe we were planning about 10k to cover all closing but it would be nice to see a list. We’re also using the same lawyer well keep us posted if you find the list.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 13, 2010 @ 10:02 pm
Estimation of closing costs:
legal $1000 approx
land transfer tax based on your mortgage – roughly 0.8% of cost of house
tarion $800 approx
gas, water, hydro meter $450
tree planting $600
driveway $1500
realty tax up to $1000 depending on closing date
hope this helps
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 13, 2010 @ 10:05 pm
there are also other potential costs:
levies
RST (chattels) – approx $250
HST
does anyone know what levies are? because in our meeting I had made a note next to it for $8000…and I don’t remember what it is
Matt said,
March 11, 2010 @ 6:46 pm
Anyone knows if the builder’s warranty is valid if we remove the carpet and install hardwood?
I think 10k for closing cost is about the right amount.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 11, 2010 @ 9:38 pm
warranty should still be good
Matt said,
March 12, 2010 @ 5:29 pm
thanks jaspervillage. I called the customer care to confirm. The sub-floor will lose the warranty. I guess I will still go ahead with the hardwood installation because I don’t think there will be problems with the sub floor in the main floor area (living and dining).
Matt said,
March 24, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
Living and Dining hardwood cost: $5150. Ash white. Got them from Core Flooring.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 24, 2010 @ 10:30 pm
We bought a distressed oak hardwood from brampton hardwood flooring to do the whole main floor and the upstairs hallway for less than 5000
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 12, 2010 @ 5:35 pm
I hope you are right Matt. I don’t know if the contractor is going to have to do something different to the subfloor anyway, because the sub-floor isn’t plywood. So, from talking to many contractors, they said that they may choose to lay a thinner layer of plywood over the subfloor already in place.
Builders wouldn’t let us pay for plywood to be put down in our house. Big surprise (sarcasm). I really don’t get these builders. They want money, they don’t care about the money, or they don’t care about the customers, or all of the above? I’m so confused.
livinlife said,
March 24, 2010 @ 12:41 am
Hey Matt
Your big day is coming up next week please let me know how your PDI goes. So that I can take notes for when ours comes up. Also I have a guy to stain the stairs.
Hope all gose well
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 24, 2010 @ 3:32 pm
how much are you paying the guy to stain the stairs? and will they stain the stringers and risers?
Matt said,
March 24, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
PDI is on for next Monday but apparently the builder is unable to transfer the title on 30 March due to some municipality by-law. But the builder told my lawyer that I can close on 30 March and assume utility and other costs until they transfer on April 9. I opted to close on April 9.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 24, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
FYI: mortgage rates at Scotia 1.85% variable closed and 2.69% fixed
Matt said,
March 24, 2010 @ 4:10 pm
Got the same rate for variable for 5 yrs closed from BMO…1.85%. Good luck.
Jemmowi said,
March 25, 2010 @ 1:12 am
This may be a dumb question, but on the day in which you move in, would you have your standard appliances in place. I was hearing that you will have to make arrangements with the builder to have them delivered after your closing???? Would any of you be able to shed some light on this?? ………….and has there been any further details about the vanity lighting?? I still haven’t seen any changes!!!
dave said,
March 25, 2010 @ 10:31 am
Re: appliances: yes, we were told at the decor center that we would have to schedule a delivery time for the appliances. Not sure if we can call to schedule now?
Re: vanities: still no change in our house either. Samantha at the model home said they will be installed … But I’m not holding my breath.
Re: hardwood: matt and jaspervillage milton … Can you tell us the sq footage and cost of hardwood? We were quoted 4.49 / sq ft for white oak color Mocha (Wickham select 4 1/4″). $2 installation.
One more thing we noticed. For those of you with islands or paninsulas in your kitchen … There is supposed to be an electrical outlet on each side of island if it has a sink and the counter space on each side is over 12″. No outlets have been installed in ours as of yet. Something to ask in your PDI
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 25, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
yes, that’s right about the appliances, so we are hoping to get them to just put the white ones (that come with the house) in the garage and the stainless steel ones (the ones we purchase) installed…so guess doesn’t really matter which one gets delivered first
I believe that we have to call Sears to make arrangements with them, does anyone know the phone number?
Is the light above the vanity a “for sure” because I too have not seen any changes in our house with this issue.
I believe ours was $5.29 / sq ft for dark cola distress solid oak
we have been quoted anywhere from $1.50 – $2.00 / sq ft
Dave said,
March 25, 2010 @ 3:50 pm
Thanks livinlife. We’ll go check out Brampton Flooring. Just did an online quote.
Matt, are you doing the floors immediately after you move in? We’re closing on April 14th but will probably do it a few weeks later. Be sure to let us know how it goes as we’ve gotten a good impression from Core Flooring when we’ve visited the store.
Looks like you’ll also be the first in, so let us know about the vanity lighting 😉
Matt said,
March 27, 2010 @ 5:57 pm
Core Flooring will be doing the floors before I move in. They are charging $2.00 for installation and 0.30c for the ripping and removal of the existing carpet. Then they add in the costs of all the “cord round”. I will keep you know the end result.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 27, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
just out of curiosity…are you all singles? couples? families?
Dave said,
March 28, 2010 @ 12:17 am
Hey Matt, We were actually brought the guys from core flooring into our house today to do the measurements. The guys doing the carpets were in there and asked if I just wanted them to roll the carpet up and put it in the garage. Wish it was that simple. They did say they would tack it down lightly so it would be easy for us to take it up later. And he gave me their phone number as they would buy back the carpet after we take it up. I’ll give you their contact details if you want.
jaspervillagemilton, we were going to mention we should all plan a get together later in the summer when all the cosings are complete. My wife and I have a have two kids, 7 and 5.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 29, 2010 @ 2:13 pm
who said that they would buy it back? the guys at core flooring or the guys putting down the carpet? please do provide contact info
yes we definitely should plan for something…mid summer
Dave said,
March 29, 2010 @ 2:33 pm
The carpet guys. I believe it is Zapa Carpet (or something like that). I have the business card at home so I’ll post their phone number.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 29, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
awesome, thanks dave
Matt said,
March 30, 2010 @ 11:27 am
Yesterday’s PDI…..the driveway was muddy and not finished with gravel. No vanity lights in any of the bathrooms. The staircase was incomplete. Only the main straircase was done….bare landing at the ground floor and upstairs landing. No kitchen appliances or washer dryer installed yet.(the PDI guy said that they will install these things on the day of closing because they are afraid that they will get stolen). But the range hood was installed. I guess no one would want to steal a $30/- item. The drywalls were still being sanded and painted while we were there. Dust was flying all over. (Mind you…the closing is supposed to be today..which is one day after the PDI). My wife and I were surprised to see that the rough in area for the washroom in the basement was enclosed and had a door installed. Let me know if you want to know anything else.
dave said,
March 30, 2010 @ 11:40 am
Wow. Thanks Matt. Did they say they would be installing the vanity lights?
For those wanting to sell your carpet … The installer is Aziz Osmanov of “Zana Carpet”. 647-834-9033. He said he would purchase carpet back after you pull it up.
Matt said,
March 30, 2010 @ 2:28 pm
The PDI guy said no vanity lights will be installed.
jaspervillagemilton said,
March 30, 2010 @ 5:11 pm
Oh that’s totally crappy. Hmmm…so do you think that the house was ready to be lived in? (In your opinion of course)
Jemmowi said,
March 31, 2010 @ 1:46 am
OMG!!!
dave said,
March 31, 2010 @ 10:25 am
We received a call yesterday to confirm a PDI date. Couldn’t get ahold of him to set it up however.
We’re closing (hopefully) in two weeks so will let everyone know how it goes. I’m going to call the decor center today to ask about the vanity. They clearly told me we should be getting them last time we spoke.
dave said,
March 31, 2010 @ 10:36 am
Update for Laurier owners. The flooring guys came in to measure and determined that the square footage for all areas (excluding basement and tiled areas) was 1900.
We were quoted $4900 to redo the stairs.
Matt said,
March 31, 2010 @ 1:25 pm
Hope my house will be ready to be lived in by April 9 because that is my closing day.
Wow Dave….guess you must be feeling excited too.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 7, 2010 @ 2:33 am
Hey Matt, I was just wondering if you were planning on furnishing your basement. I was a little concerned about how the washer and dryer were going to get down there (unless you have a second or third floor washer dryer), and whether the couch is an easy fit down the stairs.
Matt said,
April 7, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
I don’t think getting the washer and dryer into the basement would be a problem. The challenge will be getting the sofa set down the staircase to the basement. I will leave it to the delivery guys to figure that out.
Dave said,
March 31, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
Excited. Frustrated. Annoyed 😉
Our PDI is April 15th. Kinda hoping they don’t get around to varnishing the stairs.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 2, 2010 @ 5:03 am
do you think that you’ll be able to stain them before they varnish?
Jemmowi said,
April 1, 2010 @ 12:19 am
Dave, I myself am a Laurier owner, and I close on May 4th. Thank you for the info on the flooring sq ftge. Are you going with Brampton Flooring?? It would be a blessing if they don’t get to the stairs, that would be the least they could do, as we don’t get vanities!!! We would save that $4900 for the electrician we would have to pay to re-route the wiring for vantiies. BTW….. I have 2 children ages 10 and 7 and they will be attending the new elementary school TIGER JEET SINGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
Javier said,
April 1, 2010 @ 1:41 am
very helpful all these comments, I live in a semi built by CG and they do have vanity lights in all the washrooms, no upgrade it was standard.
Thanks
We have 3 boys (10, 6 and 1) will attend TJS ES
Javier
Javier said,
April 1, 2010 @ 2:23 am
Hi all:
Thanks for all your comments, all of them very interesting, we are closing on June 30th, I hope no later than that.
We have 3 boys and they will attend TJS ES, we currently live in a semi built by CG and they installed the vanity lights on all washrooms, they are not the greatest but vanity lights.
Thanks
Javier
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 2, 2010 @ 5:07 am
we did not see any vanity lights installed in ours…what lot are you?
dave said,
April 2, 2010 @ 12:23 am
They now have our doors locked. Peeked in at the stairs. If you recall from the model home they have a ledge on the inside turn of the stairs. Had some decorative vases on there or something. Well in our house that ledge is about two feet lower and they have spindles there. Looks horrible. They basically have 10 spindles up against the inside wall.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 2, 2010 @ 5:04 am
oh dear …what are you going to do Dave?
Javier said,
April 2, 2010 @ 8:11 pm
OOPS, lots of people looking at the houses this weekend, and all of you were correct, only one “hole” on the ceiling, no rough in for vanity light at the washrooms, I’m on lot 67.
Far away from closing (June 30) but I’m planing to install water line for my fridge while they are working in the house.
Matt said,
April 5, 2010 @ 2:12 pm
Javier, the water line for the fridge should be roughed in for you by the builder.
Dave said,
April 5, 2010 @ 2:31 pm
Our waterline was actually an upgrade. Had to pay for it. Probably because we didn’t buy the fridge from the builder.
Javier said,
April 5, 2010 @ 10:33 pm
Dave and Matt, thanks for the feedback, I will not buy the fridge from them and I didn’t want to pay for the upgrade, will figure out what to do as we go!
It’s hard to believe that there will be no appliances at the move in date, I will need to arrange for delivery like anybody else I guess.
Thanks
Matt said,
April 5, 2010 @ 2:13 pm
Oh BTW, my kids are in college.
Jemmowi said,
April 5, 2010 @ 11:28 pm
As like Dave, I paid for the upgrade for the rough-in water line as I have purchased my appliances somewhere else. For anyone who has already closed, do you get the appliances the day you move in?? (standard appliances) Truely, if I can avoid them installing the dishwasher, that would be great, as I am trying to have the dishwasher I purchased installed two days after I move in. This would save time, uninstalling and then installing. I’m curious about Matt’s comment regarding the rough-in for the basement washroom. I paid for the rough- in, should it be enclosed, as Matt stated it was?? How do I know it was done, or what should I be looking for??
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 6, 2010 @ 5:51 pm
That is interesting that they would allow you to rough in the water, but we wanted a rough in for a gas line for the fire place and they wouldn’t do that.
livinlife said,
April 6, 2010 @ 4:06 am
the rough in bathroom will be finished on the out side walls and door. Unfinished on the inside
Matt said,
April 6, 2010 @ 11:10 am
Rough-in for the fridge waterline is an upgrade. Sorry I didn’t make that clear. Basement bathroom in unfinished inside. Only enclosed. No lighting, switches, or exhaust fans. The appliances will only be delivered and installed on the day of closing confirmed by the PDI guy, and my lawyer. Builder is afraid that they will be stolen if installed earlier.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 6, 2010 @ 5:54 pm
yes and i’m sure that you are supposed to arrange for the appliances to be delivered, therefore your own time and delivery date
so i’m guessing you can have your appliances delivered first before they deliver the ones that come with the house
if anyone is looking for separate buyers, i have a couple of people interested in the dishwasher, and a couple interested in a fridge
we are trying to sell the 3 as a package
Matt said,
April 7, 2010 @ 8:10 pm
I called the customer care. They confirmed that the appliances will be delivered on closing day but will not install them. The installer will then contact the homeowner (another day) to make an appt for installation. You have to tell them if you do not want them to do the installation.
Guess, I will have to either use Kijjiji or sell the 3 appliances off some other way. Have to tell them not to open the boxes.
Jemmowi said,
April 7, 2010 @ 12:55 am
I will be placing my appliances on Kijiji. I’m thinking of keeping the fridge for beer, the dishwasher, stove and the $30 hood fan will be sold off. If I can get the builder to store the dishwasher in the garage (in -box)that would be a bonus. Better to sell brand new.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 7, 2010 @ 2:30 am
Jem, we were thinking the same thing. Beer fridge. We didn’t think of the hood fan, but good idea.
Dave said,
April 7, 2010 @ 11:49 am
We’re all on the same page 😉
Anyone know what models the standard appliances are? I’d like to check the prices.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 7, 2010 @ 12:15 pm
They are the basic standard models of the whirlpool. Sears sells the set of 3 for 1400 i believe…used to be 1800
dave said,
April 7, 2010 @ 9:12 pm
Just signed up for my phone/internet/cable service with Cogeco. Apparently they have a promotion with the builder. If you tell them you are with Jasper Village they will give you all these services free for a year. No contract after that either. That’s the unlimited long distance plan and high speed internet (standard). Pretty impressive deal.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 7, 2010 @ 11:58 pm
yes i heard about that…awesome…thought we were going to have to sign up for foe a few years to get the year for free… good to know we don”t
Matt said,
April 8, 2010 @ 4:31 pm
Called Cogeco this morning. Builder’s deal is only for 3 mths free. Not as lucky as Dave.
Dave said,
April 8, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
Really? I have to pay for the HD channels and PVR rental after three months, but internet, phone and digital cable continue to be free for the year. 3 months free. 9 months @ ~$30. Then $190/month after that.
Maybe it’s because I’m a new subscriber (moving from Rogers)?
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 8, 2010 @ 9:33 pm
I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. A friend of mine is moving into the neighbourhood, and they also got quoted the same deal for a year. I’m so confused.
Jemmowi said,
April 8, 2010 @ 1:45 am
As much as this is a good deal. I’m glad I know, as I like to play one competitor over the other. My interest will be will Bell as that is what I currently have. I will be looking to swing a deal like this with Bell, if they don’t call my bluff, as I fully intend to stay with them. I would like to know from my wonderful neighbours, what you have considered for Air Conditioners?? Have any of you given this any thought as it is predicted to be a hot, dry summer??? And if they are still doing construction in the area up until June 30th and beyond, I would dread the thought of leaving my windows open. I was wondering if there was a chance of getting together after moving in, and discussing the best choices and looking for package deals. I think companies are willing to negotiate prices for large orders, and that would lower our costs?? Throwing the thought out there!
Dave said,
April 8, 2010 @ 5:06 am
We will definitely be getting A/C early in the summer. I have frequented a HawthornVillage message board (http://www.hawthornevillager.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=24763 ) where a number of residents give high recommendations to Craig from Four Season Comfort (www.fourseasoncomfort.com). I called him and received a quote for $2500 for a 2 ton American Standard unit installed. We’ll be shopping around, but I believe that’s more than reasonable. We bought our current 1.5 ton unit from Home Depot 7 years ago for 4k. Let me know if you find a better deal. Would for sure be interested in a group buy.
Matt said,
April 8, 2010 @ 3:53 pm
Group buy sounds good….i will get a quote from Four Season Comfort too.
Matt said,
April 9, 2010 @ 6:16 pm
Called Fourseansons and got an estimate for 2300 for a 2 ton American Standard..installed.
Dave said,
April 9, 2010 @ 6:23 pm
We’re already saving money 😉
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 10, 2010 @ 4:19 am
We’re saving money for a lot of things. This is our first home and so we are coming in EMPTY handed so to say. We were trying to go the summer without a AC but if everyone is on board and we are going to get a deal, then sounds good to us. 🙂
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 8, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
Jem…group buy sounds awesome. If people start looking then ask about pricing and we’ll all get together and decide.
We should all get together after the person with the latest move in date moves in…that might be us. We are June 28th.
The cogeco thing doesn’t sound right. If they say it’s a Jasper Village deal, then it should be a Jasper Village deal. maybe there’s a specific contact?
Lottcrescent said,
April 8, 2010 @ 6:17 pm
Hi I bought a semi on lott crescent. I am all for air conditioning. Will for sure be putting it in this summer. FYI I was speaking with Gary and Sam yesterday and they have told myself and my husband that we will be getting vanity lights. For sure!
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 8, 2010 @ 9:21 pm
Well so far it doesn’t look like it Lott. The vanity lights are definitely not in our house. Have you been in your house lately??? There is no wiring for a vanity light in our bathroms.
Matt said,
April 9, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
Lott,
I am on Lott Crescent too and today is my closing. No vanity lights in mine.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 10, 2010 @ 4:20 am
Matt,
Let us know how move in day is when you get a chance.
livinlife said,
April 8, 2010 @ 11:10 pm
no Vanity in ours. I think we should start talking to them if some will have it and other wont
Javier said,
April 8, 2010 @ 11:29 pm
Hi all:
I’m interested on installing the AC at home, I have a company I deal with and he mention that he can drop the price base on quantity, he will give me some pricing by tomorrow. Company name Compass Mechanic and phone number:
http://www.compassmech.ca/
Small company with no overhead cost. Feel free to call for quote.
DowLanding said,
April 8, 2010 @ 11:29 pm
Hi neighbours, creating this blog was the best idea you could have had. I have found it the best resource, thanks for all the tips. We have 3 kids (15,11 and 8). Closing date mid May. We are in for the air conditioner.
ruggs said,
May 13, 2010 @ 8:44 pm
We just had our a/c put in yesterday. They did a great job!
705-770-HEAT is their number if you want to check out their prices as well.
Javier said,
April 9, 2010 @ 1:08 am
Silly question, does anybody know if we are getting the recycle bins? or
do we have to purchase our own?????
And the access ramp from Hwy 25 is that temporary or is going
to be permanent???? We will live on that end and I hope that road will be
closed soon.
Again, our moving date is June 30th.
I like the fact that a few guys are calling for a beer fridge, that’s
excellent neighborhood we are about to move in!!! Oops I hope I don’t upset anybody.
Cheers
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 10, 2010 @ 4:17 am
don’t know about the recycling bins, but i assume the city provides us with them, i’m pretty sure they do in PEEL so would think the way that Milton is going, they would provide their residents with the bins
Matt said,
April 11, 2010 @ 2:30 am
Blue bins and compost bins can be obtained from the Halton Waste Centre on Regional Road 25, 5 minutes south of Britannia. Give them your civic address.
Javier said,
April 12, 2010 @ 1:27 am
Thanks Matt for the bins info, any idea on the access from 25? I hope that’s just for construction trucks access, HDSB web site does not show that road as an access.
Matt said,
April 13, 2010 @ 8:07 pm
The website has a map of the site.
livinlife said,
April 9, 2010 @ 3:36 am
Javier no worries we’re not upset lol Thats why my Fridge will have a built in Keg less trips to the beer store.
😉
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 9, 2010 @ 1:38 pm
Awesome livinlife…where do you live again??? 😉
Lottcrescent said,
April 10, 2010 @ 12:57 am
Hi again. I dont have vanity lights in my house as of yet. My parents have purchased the semi attached to me and they do not have the kights in either. I know Gary and Sam have said that they were having an issue with the lighting in the bathroom but had assured me that the everyone would be getting the vanity lights. I guess all we can do is keep on them.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 10, 2010 @ 4:14 am
Hey Julie, is this you? Welcome to my blog 🙂
Jemmowi said,
April 10, 2010 @ 1:29 am
Good Day everyone, I’m glad we are on board with the A/C. Comparative pricing is the next focus. Four Seasons sounds good, I will try and give you some quotes myself. I’m in the Laurier, so my unit will be bigger, I will also ask for the semis. BTW What is your sq. ftge semi’s?? I think I need to pay a visit to the Sup’t and find out about these vanities, still alot of unanswered questions.
As for the spindles on the ledge going up the stairs?? Dave, I do agree with you they are ugly and they take away from the decor. However, I was given a reasonable answer on this. Based on the specifications of sq ft of the ledge(pretty small) it poses as a safety hazard for someone climbing up there and falling off. To remove liability, that is why they are there. If you remove youself, you have removed the builder from any liability for an injured party. I am invovled in safety to some degree,l but not residentail. This is a vallid reason, but it still sucks!
Dave said,
April 10, 2010 @ 1:49 am
Hey Jemowi,
I’d understand the rational if the ledge was left at it’s current hight. But in the model home the ledge is easily two or three feet higher. Well out of distance for a child to climb. My wife was actually wondering how we were going to clean it. In the built homes, they built the ledge much lower. Actually level with the second floor, where yes, rails are needed. My question will be why they changed the plan?
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 10, 2010 @ 4:13 am
square footage for our semi is roughly 2500 (including basement of course)
Jemmowi said,
April 10, 2010 @ 1:36 am
For those doing their PDI’s, could you keep us abreast of what to look out for and your experiences?? That would be great. Are any of you, bringing a pro, or are you doing it alone. What is the best advice here? How are the representatives? Pushy, Rushy..let’s move on sort of people?? Or do you sense they care about OUR NEEDS and concerns. GOOOOO Vanities! LOL!
Dave said,
April 10, 2010 @ 2:14 am
We’re leaning towards hiring a home inspector for our one month inspection. We were told that if you get them for the PDI they are limited in what they can do as technically the builder still owns the home. The builder won’t usually let them go into the attic or such things. If you get them a week or so before your one month evaluation they will be able to fully inspect your house for structural issues, as opposed to just the cosmetic ones. That’ll give you plenty of time to submit grievances.
Some of the inspectors will throw in the PDI assist if you sign them up for one month and one year inspections.
Will let everyone know how ours goes.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 10, 2010 @ 4:15 am
Yes, please do. I’m getting a little worried about little things here and there that we are seeing as we are sneaking into the house weekly.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 10, 2010 @ 4:35 am
Hey All,
I added another POST. I’m getting confused and having a hard time keeping track of everyone and their closings. So, ADD yourself to the section “Our Lots, and Our Closings, etc.” so we can eventually figure out when we can all meet up once we’re all moved in.
Dave said,
April 12, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
Had our PDI this morning. Went much as expected.
The guy was from Bowmanville and showed up about a half hour late. That was actually ok as the door was unlocked and it gave us a half hour or so to be in the house ourselves.
So, there were a ton of issues, mostly cosmetic. Paint touch ups all over the place. Dents in some of the doors. A few scratches on the cupboards. 7 missing knobs on the cupboards. Light switches missing or in the wrong place on double entry bathrooms. A few shingles missing from the roof.
The baseboards were done pretty badly, but we’ll be pulling them up ourselves.
Carpet was missing from the master walk-in closet. Siding was missing from the outside of one of our spare bedroom windows.
Our cold-storage closet was painted shut. Had to rip the seal to get it open.
Our three piece rough in in the basement was a two piece. They didn’t pipe off for the sink. And the location in the floor of the toilet and shower pipes were very bad. Especially when they’ve already finished the walls.
I pulled on the carpets and they came up easily, but I didn’t list this as it’s actually a plus. We’ll be ripping them up next week. The floor however had some problems. As we walked across the dining room there was a ton of squeaking. They need to fix that. We’ll be screwing the floors down ourselves when the carpet comes up.
Our biggest issue was in the master ensuit shower. They decided to cut the shower size in half. I measured the model home last night and the shower was 55″ wide. Ours was reduced to 33″. That’s a HUGE difference. Looks very tiny. Further we paid extra to get 12×12″ tiles on the shower floor. Apparently they can’t do 12×12 tiles on the shower floor (even though they were clearly in the model home and had no trouble letting us pay for them) so they decided to take our upgraded tiles and cut them into smaller 4″x4″ pieces and do the floor with them. UGLY. The shower was a huge dissapointment.
No vanity lights. The inspector said code is to have lights either on the wall or on the ceiling … builder’s choice. I told him we were told on three different occasions that we would get them. He said the guys at the model home have no idea and the decor center people just try to upsell you, and are actually paid on commission. They are going to tell you what ever you want to hear. If you don’t have it in writing it’s gonna be a hard sell. He wrote it on the form, but we’ll have to fight the builder.
So, things like size of shower, vanity lights …. the inspector can’t make the builder change those. He’s just making sure everything meets code. Going to have to continue these fights on our own.
With respect to fixing things, the builder has one year to fix anything we find during the PDI. We can also submit all the same things (as well as any new items) in 30 days, and then the builder will have to fix them all within 120 days. Doesn’t make much sense, but that’s the way it is.
Then, we also will have a one year inspection (which is actually 8 months after we close) in which we can submit more issues.
So overall it was a little disappointing. My wife is not too happy. The shower has left a very bad taste in our mouths. We thought we were getting a pretty big en-suite shower, but they decided to make it a small square one. False advertising IMO.
I’m glad we’re doing the hard-wood later as the builder quality would probably have been shady.
With regards to warranty … the inspector said by doing things to the house yourself you will NOT void any warranties. It’s just that if there is a problem with the sub-floor or foundation and the builder has to fix it, they will have to rip up your new hardwood (at your expense).
We get the keys on Wednesday. Will let you know how that goes.
On the plus side, the inspector said they just recently got a new site supervisor who use to work at Mattamy. He said if we were moving in in June or so we probably wouldn’t have the two page list of issues that we currently do. So keep your fingers crossed.
Dave and Robina
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 13, 2010 @ 4:28 pm
OMG…That is awful Dave and Robina. I feel for you guys. I am now a little scared about what our own PDI. By the way, can someone tell us how to set up the PDI
DowLanding said,
April 14, 2010 @ 2:54 am
We feel sorry for you Dave and Robina; this make us wonder how is going to be our PDI. What can be done about this? Is it something you can claim to Tarion? We will be very disappointed if after all this wait (and money) we don’t receive what they show us on the model homes.
Gaby y Victor
Tahirs said,
April 15, 2010 @ 1:12 am
Dave and Robina
We feel sorry for you. Hopefully they will rectify all defect.
Does your rough-in washroom have walls and door?
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 2:56 am
does anyone have any ideas of what we should do if there is a problem with the selections? because this isn’t really a CODE issue, so don’t think that it would be the problem with the PDI guy to pass the house for liveable conditions.
Seeing as we snuck into the house, or tresspassed or whatever, because technically we aren’t supposed to be in the house, right? We noticed somethings that are wrong with the upgrades or selections. Something as small as square knobs instead of round and visa versa on the bathroom cabinets. There is a dent in the flooring of the one of the bedrooms that will be covered up by carpet, but having snuck into the house we know it’s there. The kitchen cabinet on top of the fridge enclosure is set back, which we wouldn’t have know if we didn’t sneak into the house.
So now what? Do we call decor centre and admit that we snuck in so that they can rectify?
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 9:17 pm
Welcome to my blog Tahir’s…I’m pretty sure that the rough in is supposed to have walls and a door…well at least walls.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 3:03 am
Just an FYI on the site supers: Ian and Roy. Very friendly. Willing to talk to you and listen. We have gone to see them many a times. However, they do only what Corey tells them. They have their hands tied. We’ve tried the bribe thing…it didn’t work for us. If you get anywhere with them, let us know how you did it.
I think the whole lot of us should storm into the decor centre and demand to speak with corey together as a group. What do you say? 😉
dave said,
April 13, 2010 @ 8:36 pm
Just got an A/C quote from Compass Mechanic. 3 tonne (which he recommends for 2900 square feet excluding basement) is $2700-$3000 + GST.
Add HST if we’re after July 1st.
Javier said,
April 13, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
Dave:
Sorry to hear that, I guess we need to see what is going to happen with ours? Any feedback for a good home inspector? Is there any thing similar as a bulk price? or that’s totally up to the owner> I personally don’t know anybody, can you guys recommend? and what’s the price we are looking at?
I guess I’m looking at the 3 Ton unit, let’s see who can get better pricing.
Good luck to all.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 14, 2010 @ 12:39 am
did anyone upgrade for the built out fridge unit thing? does anyone know if the shelves above the fridge are supposed to be flush with the unit? Or are they supposed to be set back?
Lottcrescent said,
April 14, 2010 @ 1:16 am
We did the box around the fridge. The cabinets should be out over the fridge. Not set back. Did they mess it up? I didn’t look close enough to notice.
Dave said,
April 14, 2010 @ 9:25 am
We did it as well.
If you want it flush with the “built in” look you’ll still need to purchase a “counter depth” fridge, which is about 29″ deep. A standard depth fridge is about 33″
Counter Depth are a bit more expensive and you usually sacrifice a few square feet in room in the fridge, but they are flush with the cabinets.
Standard:
Counter Depth:
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 2:52 am
yup messed up…they better fix it
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 5:19 pm
called decor…so hopefully it’s gonna get fixed
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 9:16 pm
No Dave, I meant are the shelves supposed to be flush with the walls of the “built in”. And, they are, as I called the Decor Centre to confirm. Well, ours are clearly not. I asked if it was something they do after they already put up the cabinets, and our decorator said, “No, it must have been an oversight”. So, she’s looking into it.
As for the prices of the counter depth refrigerators, we actually have found the opposite. We are finding that they are not as expensive. It’s just the two of us, so we don’t mind sacraficing a little room in the fridge. 🙂
dave said,
April 15, 2010 @ 9:49 pm
Yes, my wife figured that’s what you meant. Sorry for being captain obvious 😉
We actually had to pay a few hundred extra for our counter depth. Either way, we think its well worth it.
Side note: all the builder appliances were in when we got the keys. Then they sent the guys to hook things up the next day (today). As we’re getting our own appliances tomorrow we just got them to “rough in” the dishwasher. Basically pipe a hose off the sink line through the cupboard wall. They just didn’t hook it up to the builder dishwasher. They were happy to do it. We just had to sign their work sheet. Saved me an hour’s work 😉
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 10:06 pm
Oh that’s great to know Dave. Thanks. We will try and get our appliances delivered the day after we get our keys.
Matt said,
April 15, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
How was Dave’s closing? Moving in soon? 🙂
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 15, 2010 @ 6:13 pm
read above matt
dave said,
April 15, 2010 @ 6:13 pm
We closed yesterday. Things went pretty smooth. They cut our power in the morning, however, as we didn’t call ahead to get a contract with Milton Hydro. Back up now but it put us out a day. (So note to everyone … Call ahead to set up your electricity 😉 )
Cogeco is on site now doing the hookups. Not going well as our utility box is at the bottom of the stairs and not in the unfinished utility room. Looks like I may be going wireless.
Explore said,
April 17, 2010 @ 3:10 am
Hello everyone, dou you know where can I get blinds or shutters for a good pice?
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 22, 2010 @ 12:27 am
we’ve looked at a few places, and they all seem to be competing with one another, prices are pretty much comparable from one place to another, from what we can tell
ruggs said,
April 18, 2010 @ 12:59 am
We are closing on April 28th. I remember them saying that we are to have our inspection about a week prior to our closing date. We have heard nothing about an appointment for this. Does anyone know how the inspection is scheduled? Do we get a phone call, letter in the mail, etc. etc.?
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 20, 2010 @ 3:19 am
Welcome to my blog ruggs…I had the same question
Explore said,
April 20, 2010 @ 4:28 am
I never recieved a call from them so I had to call them,and they gave me my PDI one day before of my closing
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 20, 2010 @ 10:05 pm
call who?
Explore said,
April 21, 2010 @ 2:07 am
Custome Care from Conservatory Group the phone number 905-477-5480
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 22, 2010 @ 12:26 am
Thanks so much Explore. You are so helpful.
Matt said,
April 21, 2010 @ 12:25 pm
Dave, I got my internet hooked up yesterday and all wireless now. BTW, lots of boxes and strips of carpet to throw. Do you think the site will allow us to throw them in the construction bins? See you around the neighourhood.
Dave said,
April 21, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
Ya, I’ve been throwing things in the bins across the street. Apparently garbage pickup is Monday and you can put out as many bags as you like in front of your house (there were limits in Mississauga). But I don’t actually know if the garbage pickup is available in our development yet. Find out next Monday.
How’d the Core Flooring guys do, Matt? They started my stairs yesterday. So far so good.
So originally Cogeco offerered me 12 months free service when i signed up. Then they called a day before delivery to tell me it was just three months (like you said Matt). Then there was a problem getting my internet phone/working (something to do with the box in front of our house) and it took them four days to fix. This resulted in the head Cogeco rep calling me to apologize and extending my “free” offer by an additional 6 months. So as it stands right now I’ve got 9 months free service. I’m awaiting the written contract in the mail before I believe any of this 😉
I met “jemmowi” and his brother in law last week as well as Carlos who moved in this weekend on Dow Landing. Looks like out of the Laurier model’s I’m the only one with a shrunken master ensuite. No response from Customer Care yet.
Feel free to drop by and say hi, Matt.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 21, 2010 @ 4:59 pm
I hope you all are recycling those boxes 😉
DowLanding said,
April 22, 2010 @ 1:37 am
Dave, I just came from measuring our master en suite shower. Not happy. It measured 47 x 34!!!! You are not the only one.
The good thing is that the space for the fridge is 36 x 72 and they left 15″ for over the range microwave (not an upgrade).
Are they going to stain the pickets on the ledge with the same color as the stairs?
Dave said,
April 23, 2010 @ 3:05 pm
LOL. I wish we had 47″. Our is measuring 34″x34″. It’s square!
Matt said,
April 23, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
My wife and I feel that the whole house has shrunk in size…..lol. 🙂
Matt said,
April 25, 2010 @ 3:47 am
Dave, thanks for the invitation. We have been so busy with all the unpacking and cleaning. Hoping to meet up soon.
livinlife said,
April 22, 2010 @ 1:49 am
So Dave, Matt is that beer fridge set up yet? 🙂
Dave said,
April 23, 2010 @ 3:02 pm
Beer fridge is there. Although I can’t get to it as the garage is still covered in boxes ;). I highly recommend anyone doing hardwood post closing to get it done before you move in. Ripping up our carpet and moving furniture has been a real pain.
The builder has actually been pretty good so far with regards to fixing things. Missing shingles have been installed on the roof, shower light is fixed, garage door fixed. Our two piece rough in is going to be changed to three piece on Monday. Coming to fix the kitchen cabinets on Wednesday.
Still awaiting a call back on the size of our en-suite shower though … that’s going to be a big one.
ruggs said,
April 25, 2010 @ 12:17 am
Can I ask what was wrong with your kitchen cabinets? We’ve had issues with our kitchen cabinets as well and we’re just wondering if it’s the same problem.
Dave said,
April 25, 2010 @ 8:26 pm
At the bottom of our pantry the kick plate is exposed (the flat filler piece going along the bottom of the cupboard along the floor) They actually had a piece of baseboard installed under the pantry and instead of removing it they cut the kick-plate to fit around the baseboard. When that failed they left the kick plate out. Basically a piece of exposed wood.
Other than that all cosmetic. 7 door knobs missing and some scratches and spilled paint.
Javier said,
April 24, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
HI All:
I’m going to ask again, looks like my question got lost, any good home inspector that somebody recommend???
I like all the beer fridges going on, 🙂
Matt said,
April 25, 2010 @ 3:45 am
Nope, no beer fridge. I drink apple cider most of the time.
ruggs said,
April 25, 2010 @ 1:40 am
Does anyone know exactly what the rules are regarding closing dates. Our house is supposed to close on Wed. but there looks like there is a bit more to be done, Our PDI is the day before closing.
Matt said,
April 25, 2010 @ 3:56 am
ruggs, no rules for PDI that I know of, except that the house must be in a livable condition. The guy from the builder will walk you through the whole process. Take note of all the upgrades that you have paid for and make sure that they are done. Anthing not finished will be done after you move in. Make sure to call the Hydro and Union Gas before closing. Good luck and see you soon in the neighbourhood.
Javiero said,
April 25, 2010 @ 2:40 am
Hi all:
I spoke with Gary today and mentioned the possibility of moving AHEAD the closing date, for me it would be great by he said he heard at the head office, since they have 300 plus closing for June (different areas).
Has anybody heard anything about it?
Javier and Lula
Matt said,
April 25, 2010 @ 3:43 am
Dave, have you installed a garage door opener yet? A few guys came around the neighbourhood today selling air-cons and garage door openers. I have not made any commitments yet.
Dave said,
April 25, 2010 @ 8:21 pm
No, none installed. My wife won a door opener at her work and it’s sitting there in the box. Waiting to clear the garage before I determine if I’m brave enough to attempt it myself.
But ya, we’ve been peppered with walk-ups for people offering to install everything.
Dave said,
April 26, 2010 @ 9:18 pm
Quick update on A/C … We got Chris from Compass Mech to install our gas range. They had to reposition the gas pipe coming out of the floor as the builder had it out too far and we couldn’t slide in our stove.
Very professional. $100 for the install.
He also re-quoted the A/C as he didn’t realize we had it roughed in. Maximum $2300 for a 3 tonne. Will come down further the more we get in the group.
Dave
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 27, 2010 @ 2:19 am
we’re in for AC but we’re a semi
Matt said,
April 27, 2010 @ 1:58 pm
I am looking at either a 2 ton or a 2.5 ton for my semi. I would prefer a 3 ton but the guy from Four Seasons recommended that I go with a 2 ton because the basement temperature is lower than the upper floors and if we have hardwood, the a/c needs to keep running to take the moisture out of the house in summer.
Dave said,
April 27, 2010 @ 2:29 pm
Yes, that’s what they told us as well.
We’re in no immediate rush but I do want to purchase before the HST kicks in on July 1st. For those of you closing in the end of June, perhaps he can give you a firm quote with the “group discount” (whatever that turns out to be).
Livinlife said,
April 27, 2010 @ 9:27 pm
Hey Matt I’ll be aiming for the 2.5 ton for our sq ft. Have you had anyone come by and look at adding the door in to the garage?
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 28, 2010 @ 9:56 am
Thanks Matt for that info. FYI: ALL, we have a friend that will be installing our garage door opener as well as the garage door. I can ask him if he would be willing to do the neighbourhood 😉 Will get back to you, if you want.
Javier said,
April 26, 2010 @ 11:08 pm
As I mentioned in the past I’m in for A/C 3T.
Lottcrescent said,
April 27, 2010 @ 5:55 pm
Hi everyone. I have the Bennett semi, I called a company in Mississauga which installed our current ac, He gave my parents And I a great deal for ac. We paid $2069, tax and install included for a 2 1/2 ton American standard.
jaspervillagemilton said,
April 28, 2010 @ 9:57 am
Hey Jul,
That’s a great price. Is it “Green”? Energy efficient?
Matt said,
April 28, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
$2,069 for a 2.5 ton is a good price. We have the aircon pipes and wiring already roughed in, so we should be able to get a good deal. $2069 seems to be the lowest so far.
Need to know the cost of installing a garage door opener too.
Dave said,
April 28, 2010 @ 1:44 pm
Greg from PHAND.ca :
“Installation charge is $115 including GST. Garage door re-enforcement is $20 to cover the cost of parts. If a custom bracket to hang the GDO on is required, add $20. It is installed according to the manual. There is a 1 year warranty on the installation. Any problems with the unit would be handled by your place of purchase.”
I’ve got a few more requests for quotes in. But it sound like we’re looking at between $100 and $150.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 2, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
Can anyone give me information about how the “handing over of the keys” works? appointments? certain times only?
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 1, 2010 @ 1:53 pm
Dave, Could you tell me how the process of the “handing over of the keys” works? Do you set up a time with the lawyers? Or do they set up a time with you?
jemmowi said,
May 2, 2010 @ 1:15 am
Sorry I haven’t been around lately. Very busy packing right now as I move in on May 4th. I was walking around the area this afternnon and I noticed someone getting their AC put in. I talked to the tecnnician doing the job, company named HUSKY. they were installing a Carrier model 3.5 tonnes. He couldn’t give me a price, but what he mentioned to me, is the wiring for the AC is incorrect. He stated that any home over 2500 sq ft should have a 10 wire. (not sure what that means) but the builder put in a 12wire. This is good for a 20 amp and the type of AC we will need for a 3.5 tonne is a 30amp. This techinian had to re-wire around the house, which cost an additional $150+. He also mentioned that the rough- in pipe that is protruding in the back of your house should be straight. He has noticed alot of them bent and that causes problesm. Something to point out during your PDI. Very confused as to who is giving the right information?? Any thoughts, around the wiring?? I have my PDI on Monday morning, I know that will be a topic for me to discuss. I will keep you posted.
Dave said,
May 3, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
Hey Jemmowi,
I was talking to Sheldon the day before yesterday and he mentioned that you came across that. From what I’ve been reading (granted just online) is that most A/C’s over 2.5 tonne are 30 amp.
My Dad is an electrician (unfortunately not in Ontario). He says definitely require 10 gauge wire for 30 amps. 12 gauge is not sufficient.
I guess the argument form the builder could be do we really need a 3+ tonne A/C unit. To which I most definitely will say yes.
Yes, one more thing to add to he PDI (or in my case the 30 day).
Hope all goes well tomorrow!
Dave
Kevin said,
May 9, 2010 @ 9:00 pm
Jemmowi,
I am an electrician and I also noticed that the current A/C Wire install is incorrect. when he says “10”, he means “#10 AWG” meaning american wire gauge, #10’s are good for up to 30Amp, #12’s are good for up to 20 Amp. You would just have to find an AC that is a 20 Amp unit, thats all.
How did you go about getting your PDI Appointment? did you contact them, did they contact you?
I close June 9th.
Dave said,
May 2, 2010 @ 4:18 pm
Hey there … Sorry, we’ve been crazy busy since we’ve moved in.
Closing is a pretty painless process, but it involves a lot of waiting. The lawyer usually has your keys a few days in advance but can’t release them until the money has changed hands.
Basically you sit and wait for a call. The bank has to forward the lawyer the money. Then the lawyer has to forward payment to the builder. Confirmations are faxed all around until the lawyer finally calls you and says “all done … Come pick up your keys”.
We had all our legal papers signed a few days earlier, so we could just get the keys and go. It was close to 5pm before we actually got them. So be prepared to wait a while. I’m guessing it won’t happen in the a.m.
Note, about a week and a half later we got a letter from the builder saying “welcome to your new home”. Some details in there that would have been useful before we move in.
Just a reminder to call all the utility companies before hand to ensure things are set up and they know your coming.
And call canada post so they can have your key ready. Youl have to pix that up at the Milton post office.
Also, if for whatever reason you are expecting some money from the bank (getting a mortgage amount for more than what’s owed to the builder) the lawyer will have to certify your check after all the monies are exchanged. A bit more time.
I think that’s about it. I’ll give everyone an update on the fixes that have resulted from our PDI a little later. Hit and miss so far.
Dave
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 3, 2010 @ 2:06 am
You’re totally awesome Dave, thanks for all that info.
jemmowi said,
May 3, 2010 @ 11:20 pm
Okay, PDI was pretty good, only one major issue was the master suite bathtub. I have a pretty good tear in it and the inspector put that item down as to be replaced. Mostly cosmetic issues. I did ask about the wiring for the AC and the inspector told me it would be sufficient, and it is a direct line. This inspector said he is an electrician by trade and it is good. The requirement for a 10 wire vs a 12 isn’t necessary. (Still in Doubt, as he didn’t convince me) As per your comments Dave this arguement is leaning on the side of the customer by 2-1. So we will have to do some further digging. Should receive my key sometime in the early afternoon as all the dollars and cents have to be handed off between lawyers. Other than that I should be in by early evening Tuesday.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 4, 2010 @ 12:17 am
Well your PDI sounds promising Jem. Glad things were pretty good. Hope we are all so lucky.
Dave said,
May 4, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
Here’s a helpful guide for your PDI inspection. I’ll be using this for my 30 day inspection.
Tarion’s New Construction Performance Guideline:
Click to access CPGDoc_v2.pdf
It tells you exactly what should be covered and what is excluded.
Javier said,
May 4, 2010 @ 2:42 am
Well, I went there today to look at the cable, I checked the Ontario electrical code this morning and in theory the cable that is called RW90 can’t be used on loads larger than 20 amps, however I check with an electrician and with Compass and they told me that 12 AWG will be fine for a 30Amp unit (3.0TON), therefore no issue with the current cable, worse case, changing it as jemmowi said is a wish not necessary a must, I guess I will change it to a 10 AWG does not hurt at all. The 12 gauge meets on the border line the requirements, not illegal, better yet install a 10 gauge if wanted.
That’s my two sense on this.
Javier
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 4, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
hmmmm…so much to think about
we also have a friend that’s an electrician…we will ask and get back to you
Dave said,
May 4, 2010 @ 6:35 pm
Hey Javier,
So I went back to my faithful electrician (i.e. my dad) for more advice. If it’s in the Ontario Electrical Code then that’s the way it has to be. The electrical code is not a guide, and if the wiring doesn’t meet the code it should never pass inspection. Although from what I’m hearing it seems many electricians are using it simply as a guide. Amazing.
10 gauge wire must be used for a 30 amp unit. Now, I’m guessing we probably won’t have a leg to stand on with the builder as we’re not being forced to install a 3 tonne unit. I guess we’ll have to dig up the A/C guidelines and make a case.
One other note … there is a recommendation that if your wire runs more than 100′ (or runs through conduit or is bunched together with other wires) you should go up one size. So for long runs we should actually use 8 AWG for 30 amp. Something to be aware of if you are installing the A/C unit on the back of the house as the fuse box is directly in the front (at least for the Laurier).
Everyone confused 😉 I know my head is spinning.
For those of you who just need a < 2.5 tonne this discussion is probably a waste of time as it sounds like you're covered.
Something I want to get right though. Last thing I want is for a fire to break out and my insurance claim denied 'because something wasn't properly inspected.
Disclaimer: My dad is working as an electrician in Nfld so I guess the Ontario code could technically be different. But if it's in there … then it has to be met.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 5, 2010 @ 1:55 am
Thanks for all of the info. Dave. You are really helping us out here. We owe you a beer 😉
Kevin said,
May 9, 2010 @ 9:13 pm
The Electrical Codes are based on
“Canadian Electrical Codes”
They are country wide, not just provincial, a province can have slightly different standards, but they have to meet or exceed the Canadian ones.
Javier said,
May 5, 2010 @ 1:21 am
HI, I hope this is my last comment on cabling, there are 3 o 4 types of insulation (temperature rating) on same wire gauge, i.e. We can have a wire 12 with RW 90, and this takes only 20 A, however if the cable is a 12 AWG but it’s rated for 110 degrees, then it can handle up to 30A. If who ever is using a 3T unit I would recommend to use 10 AWG, to over rate the cable.
Hope it helps (even if it sounds too confusing anyways)
Regards and good luck to all the people who is moving or moved in already.
Dave said,
May 5, 2010 @ 11:32 am
Thanks Javier. Sounds logical to me. I’m going to hang up this conversation as well as we’re way past my level of knowledge at this point.
Jemmowi … How’d the move go? I’m around the corner if you need any help 😉
Matt said,
May 5, 2010 @ 12:52 pm
Jemmowi, see you around the neighbourhood.
ruggs said,
May 5, 2010 @ 2:28 pm
Just a question to any of you, Did anyone get “smart wiring package” and did they install cable/phone outlets for any you?
Livinlife said,
May 5, 2010 @ 2:45 pm
Ruggs what is a Smart wiring package? Was that an upgrade?
ruggs said,
May 5, 2010 @ 3:15 pm
smart wiring package is where you have phone, cable and eithernet jack in 1 plate, and yea it was an upgrade, what they DID was the cable upgrade locations (although they just ran 2 cat5e instead of cat3 and cat5e) cat5e=network(blue) cat3=phone(grey), but they did’t treminate it so its just a blank plate on the wall “roughed in”
Dave said,
May 5, 2010 @ 3:33 pm
I wish we went with the smart wiring package. Didn’t realize the fuse box would be placed in the finished portion of the basement which makes running wires later a huge problem. And my wireless has been really bad up to this point.
I had heard that many builders just use cat 5e instead of cat 3e for phone lines. I havnt checked but my fingers are crossed. At least I could change my phones jacks to ethernet ones.
Ruggs, are you moved in already?
ruggs said,
May 5, 2010 @ 3:44 pm
Yea we moved in last friday… where we have Just phone jacks they used cat3 but where there is smart wiring they used cat5e, there is 1 location (great room) where we should have put the wiring in but neglected to, guess ill have to try and fish at a later date.
So my question still stands, did they wire your cable/telephone jacks? Dave I assume by your post that you don’t have them…
I wired all my telephone jacks before bell showed up, I’m just going to have to wire the rest because we were told that its “roughed in” only…
Dave said,
May 5, 2010 @ 3:51 pm
Didn’t get the smart wire package, but yes, all our phone and cable jacks were not terminated. Just blank wall plates. Cogeco did them all for us.
ruggs said,
May 5, 2010 @ 3:56 pm
Did you have to pay extra per jack? We haven’t decided on who we want for tv yet, lol…
Dave said,
May 5, 2010 @ 4:46 pm
No. I believe technically we were supposed to … but the guy was pretty good. He was willing to do them all as long as he had extra plates. We did get extra cable in all the bedrooms and one above the fireplace (which was a waste as I just moved it later).
Don’t get me started on Cogeco. They offered me 12 months free. Then downgraded it to 3 months. Then apologized for taking four days to set things up and upgraded it to 6 months + 6 months free movie channel. Called last night to activate the movie channel and they told me I only have a 3 month plan listed on the account. Arghhhh!!!!
I was able to straighten things out this morning by speaking with Cogeco’s new home rep. He mentioned Cory (at the decor center) by name. Told me he’s been horrible to deal with. 😉
ruggs said,
May 5, 2010 @ 5:22 pm
Do you know if there is a cable line going into the home from the outside? Or did the guy have to put on in, via drilling etc…
Dave said,
May 5, 2010 @ 5:46 pm
He had to put it in. He came in right on top of the fusebox. Tricky as he was drilling a little blind next to all the other cables coming in. I do recall seeing a Bell line already there though. If you’re with Bell you might be in luck.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 5, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
You don’t say??? This is my surprised face 😮
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 5, 2010 @ 11:20 pm
about cory that is… 🙂
Javier said,
May 5, 2010 @ 10:56 pm
WOW, I did not get the smart cable, never even heard about it, cable wise I pretty much put one on each room and one more in the basement, for internet, I’m going wireless anyways, so not too worried about the Ethernet plugs/jacks.
I think I will stay with Bell.
See you in the neighborhood
Matt said,
May 6, 2010 @ 2:43 am
Cogeco installed the jacks for me. I am using VOIP so my wireless signals are from the basement where the cogeco modem and the wireless router is. Laptops and phones are all doing well.
Dave, just a reminder. Our 30 day warranty ( I am not sure if that is what it is called) is coming up shortly. I have only 4 more days to go.
Dave said,
May 6, 2010 @ 9:59 am
Matt, did you get the welcome letter from Conservatory? In that they said the second list of issues should be submitted in 45 days as outlined in the pdi package. I’m going to stick with the 30 days just to be safe.
And actually the pdi inspector told us the 30 days is actually 28 in reality. So we should get it in a few days before the deadline.
ruggs said,
May 6, 2010 @ 1:54 pm
Just for refference, who or where would you send that to? And does it have to be in any type of format?
Dave said,
May 6, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
I believe there is a form you fill out which was included in the Tarrion folder that should have been given to you by your PDI inspector. Up to this point I’ve been sending emails and pictures to the customer care center directly.
Matt said,
May 8, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
Dave, need to know. Does the rough in for the washroom in the basement come with two or three drainage pipes? I see only 2 in mine athough we upgraded to 3-piece rough-in.
Dave said,
May 8, 2010 @ 6:33 pm
Hey Matt, yes, just two drainage pipes (one for toilet and one for bath/shower). There should be some venting pipes as well (ours is actually in the sump pump closet right next to it.
We actually had that on our PDI and someone came out and explained it to us. The sink is just piped off from the venting pipes.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 10, 2010 @ 12:36 pm
i remember someone mentioning that they emailed pictures of some of their concerns, does anyone have that email address???
also, i know that someone mentioned an early closing date, does anyone know how we go about requesting that?
thanks everyone for any information you can provide
Dave said,
May 10, 2010 @ 1:45 pm
We sent our photos the day we moved in to customercare@conservatorygroup.com. We didn’t get a response (big suprise). But at least the pictures indicate the problems were not created by us a month later.
Dave
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 10, 2010 @ 10:14 pm
Thanks Dave. We have a few pictures to show them, that are of concern to us. We don’t figure that they will care enough to respond. Just found out that our PDI has already been booked…after I called customer care…ya thanks for letting us know…some customer care?!?
Lottcrescent said,
May 11, 2010 @ 11:10 am
There were only 11 closing that they moved up. I think that was all they were doing. Check with Gary. He was the one that told us!
Kevin said,
May 10, 2010 @ 9:54 pm
Can someone let me know what the name of this A/C company is? I am interested in getting one put in beforeit gets to warm.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 11, 2010 @ 4:40 pm
Hey Kevin and Brandi,
We aren’t a young family, just a young couple (at least we’d like to think so) (33 and 35 yrs old), but we live across the street from you at 779 Pitcher Place.
Steve is a drinker though 😉
Doug Lott Cres said,
May 11, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
Lotts of good reading on here, like the pun? I feel for you guys, I myself know pretty much where every scratch, nick, dent is in my place that needs to be looked at…unlike most of you by the sounds of it, i’ve spent a lot of time inside my place during the entire building, basically right after the roof went on… i have stories that you may or may not want to hear… sure every home is built differently, but i bet they’re all the same at some point… ask away if you have any questions. Closing June 10th… going today to measure the shower and check the vanity lights… don’t think there is anything there… will update later
Doug Lott Cres said,
May 11, 2010 @ 9:32 pm
UPDATE: no vanity lights… needed mostly in the master bathroom… shower size in master… showroom is 33 3/4″ x 57 1/4″… in mine 34 1/2″ x 46 3/4… anyone know if this is a valid complaint?
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 11, 2010 @ 11:36 pm
Hi Doug, welcome to my blog…
apparently this master shower size is a recurring issue amongst many of the neighbours
in regards to the vanity lights…as long as there is a light in the bathroom, whether it be on the ceiling or above the mirror, the builder is good …at least that’s what others have been saying…
maybe Kevin can install all of our vanity lights (being an electrician) 🙂 What do you say Kevin? lol
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 11, 2010 @ 11:38 pm
and Doug, don’t forget to add yourself to the Lotts and Closing section
Kevin said,
May 11, 2010 @ 11:42 pm
Re: Vanity Light Installations.
I would be more than happy to get some extra work, especially since its in the neighbourhood. lol
I will change out lights, Switches & Receptacles for great prices.
One of the first things I am going to be doing on my own place is changing out the Jam Jar light fixtures on the exterior of the house.
Then stay tuned for my exterior Pot lights in the soffits & front enterance.
Apparently if I do any of my own wiring it voids the Tarion 2 Year Electrical Warranty. So keep that in mind.
Kevin said,
May 11, 2010 @ 11:51 pm
Also, I don’t close until June 9th, but I havent been up in the attic to check on the Bulkhead over the Main Bathroom Tub, but I will be installing a light above there, that may interest some of you.
I will make a new email address incase anyone ever wants to contact me
766pitcherplace@maxhorizon.com
should be easy enough to remember once I get some work going on my own place.
Just a side note for everyone out there.
New Electrical code states that all receptacles are now required to be tamper proof receptacles.
Home Depot sells them. I do not have any devices in my house yet, the panel isn’t even wired yet, but I just have a feeling that they will put regular ones in.
Can anyone who has already closed let me know?
ruggs said,
May 12, 2010 @ 1:21 pm
I’m not a certified electrician, but I have gone through some training, and sorry to let you know but they did NOT install the tamper proof ones… Go figure huh?
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 12, 2010 @ 2:51 pm
tamper proof???
Dave said,
May 12, 2010 @ 3:41 pm
hey Kevin, how do we tell? Does it need the “TR” on the plate? If so, no, None are tamper proof.
Do you know how new code works? I had asked about an electrical outlet on my island as the Ontario Electrical Code states that I should have one on each side if it’s usable space (i measured against their dimensions). The inspector at my PDI said the code was new in January and wasn’t in effect when they go the electrical permits last year.
I assumed the house had to meet present code at the time of closing. Any ideas?
Kevin said,
May 12, 2010 @ 9:47 pm
Tamper Proof Receptacles have blockers where the blades of your plug would go, when both pushed in at the same time they slide.
Now I was talking to my colleagues today about this, and one brought up a very valid fact, that if the code changed after the permits for the homes were pulled, then they do not need to abide by them, and since this subdivision was probably planned out well before now, thats probably the case.
As I mentioned before Home Depot sells the Tamper Proof receptacles, and if you don’t feel safe installing them yourself, I can do it for you. And if you DO feel safe doing it yourself, please do it safely & to code, so as not to burn down the neighbourhood.
However on another side note, I was in the house today doing a personal pre PDI more or less. and I found that the cupboards which we paid to have extended right to the ceiling were not installed, regular ones were, so if any of you have a similiar situation of upgrade, make sure to check on that when you do your PDI. I couldn’t catch the Super today to mention it to him, as I would rather have it taken care of before I put everything in them.
Javier said,
May 12, 2010 @ 3:41 pm
Hi all:
Did somebody get the best price for a 3T unit? I know we mentioned 4 seasons and Compass.
I like the “beer thing” going on, can’t get any better.
My door is busted, somebody broke into and messed up the lock and a piece of the door is laying down on the floor, I guess I need to keep some pictures for my self for the near future.
Thoughts?
BTW, Lula and I (38) and have 3 boys, 10, 6 and 1.2 LOL, young neighbors TOO!!!
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 12, 2010 @ 4:29 pm
What? Someone broke into your house? Are you all ok?
Javier said,
May 12, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
OOPS, sorry, we have not moved in but somebody broke the lock and damaged the door, sorry I wasn’t clear on this, hope did not scare you guys!!!
I went just to see the progress and I noticed that.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 12, 2010 @ 5:45 pm
oh that sucks…hopefully it will get fixed
Livinlife said,
May 12, 2010 @ 8:36 pm
Well with all this talk I’m coming by for a visit tonight. Lets see hope all is fine.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 12, 2010 @ 9:09 pm
me too!!! 🙂
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 12, 2010 @ 11:42 pm
k so they built the extended cabinet for the fridge…what a shit job.
Livinlife said,
May 13, 2010 @ 3:24 am
My Cabinets are still on the floor so I will have to keep an eye out for that one.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 13, 2010 @ 3:41 am
yeah pretty much could have done the 700 job ourselves…they forgot to do the upgrade…so they put it in after the fact, didn’t bother taking out the baseboards, so had to cut around it and did a crappy job. There are a whole bunch of chips out of the chipboard…yup, that’s what the built out is, chipboard, pretty sure not wood…and since they had forgot to put it in initially, all of the piping needs to be moved and the outlet holes are half behind the built-out and half on the backsplash
they better fix it
Dave said,
May 13, 2010 @ 8:50 pm
We had the same issue with the baseboards. They didn’t take off the boards before installing our pantry. They made a cut out on the bottom but then realized it was the wrong size and left an edge exposed. They’re actually coming out a second time next Tuesday to try and fix. The first time they wouldn’t touch it because the cupboard guy is not the baseboard guy and “wasn’t alowed” to remove the 10″ of hidden baseboard behind the cupboard.
So now we have to remove everything from the cupboard, they have to uninstall the pantry, retrofit the bottom with a new kickplate, and then reinstall. (unsure if we’ll have to remove the baseboard while they work or if they’ll do it for us.)
Get it fixed before you move in if you can.
Kevin said,
May 13, 2010 @ 7:21 pm
Ok so I was wrong. My Cabinets are the extended cabinets, I was under the impression that they wen’t straight to the ceiling, thats not the case, they are approx 1′ from the ceiling, I confirmed this by popping into the home right nextdoor & their cabinets are almost 2′ from the ceiling, if not more. Yikes.
I spoke with an Electrician on site today, they were doing the homes acrossed from me that are yet to be sold, kinda blows my mind as to why they didn’t do my place before that, but good news is that they are Union Sparkies and tend to take more care when working, however this is not always the case, so don’t hold me to it.
Cheers. 26 days, 8 hours till closing.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 14, 2010 @ 1:14 am
I thought my cupboards were the extended cabinets as well…and didn’t question it, but our cupboards don’t go all the way up. There is a large gap at the top. Does that mean that they didn’t install the correct cabinets?
Kevin said,
May 13, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
This may seem random, but I figure I would give my new neighbours a crack at it first.
I had bought a great over-the-range microwave at sears, so when I asked the Decor center to rough it in for one they said it would cost me $1000 for them to do that & that I should just buy their over the range microwave for 1100 and its rough in is included, so I figured that was my best option, I am going to be pulling the one that they supply & putting mine in to replace it, so long story short I will have a brand new Over the Range Microwave for sale if anyone is interested.
Doug Lott Cres said,
May 14, 2010 @ 12:24 am
I got their upgrade also… i did the silver and paid for the microwave… did you actually get yours already? is the microwave a good one? or is the one you purchased a better one? just curious… lol, single guy here, microwave makes lots of food for me.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 14, 2010 @ 1:15 am
we didn’t rough in a OTR…but we bought one from SEars as well…is this really going to be a problem?
Kevin said,
May 14, 2010 @ 1:27 am
Chances are that there will be an issue for you.
You may need to get a carpenter/cabinet maker to come in & customize your cabinets.
There needs to be a certain height above the stove, I think something like 30″
the size length opening may be correct, but the receptacle/wires may be in the wrong location.
if you are good you may be able to remove that cabinet, cut it out & modify it.
but in my construction professional opinion, it may end up costing you more.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 14, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
Oh…if that’s all it is…we got the upgrade for the OTR, just didn’t have to buy the OTR to be installed by the builder to do it.
So, I guess we’re good. I thought it was wiring or something.
Dave said,
May 14, 2010 @ 2:51 pm
We got the OTR rough in for the microwave as well. In ours, there ended up being only one stud right down the middle of hte wall. The other two studs were behind the cabinet on one side and flush with the cabinet on the other side. Neither lined up with the holes in the mounting bracket
We had to drill a few extra holes in the bracket attachment so it would line up.
Also they install an outlet for the microwave in the cabinet above, but install the builder fan directly to a wire. We had to cap off that wire before we installed the microwave (and plaster the huge hole that was ripped out behind the fan)
It’s never as straight forward as you hope 😉
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 14, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
Honestly, I don’t suspect anything to be straightforward with this builder anymore.
How have the supers been?
Kevin said,
May 14, 2010 @ 12:29 am
Dave, the one I bought is worth 850 before tax. I doubt the builders one is nearly as nice. But I hope its still stainless.
Javier said,
May 14, 2010 @ 2:32 am
Jaspervillage / Kevin:
So, we bought the upgraded cupboards, extended version, and if I understood correctly, we will have about 12″ gap between the ceiling and the cupboard???
Kind of sucks but not a whole lot to do though.
ruggs said,
May 14, 2010 @ 2:30 pm
yea, my neighbor had the extended cupboards and they didn’t reach to the ceiling
Dave said,
May 14, 2010 @ 2:44 pm
Keep in mind it’s 9′ ceilings so the extended cupboards give you a ton more space (I can’t reach the top shelf without a chair).
We had planned to add crown moulding to the top of the cupboards anyway, so we needed some room on top. I’m getting a quote from a Raywal dealer today. Will let you know if anyone’s interested.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 14, 2010 @ 3:59 pm
yes we’re interested…share the quote when you get it
Dave said,
May 17, 2010 @ 12:08 am
Still no quote on the kitchen (I’ll call him tomorrow). But I did get a good deal on replacing the baseboards in the house.
I went to Rex Lumber at Dixie and Dundas. Much cheaper than Home Depot:
per foot:
7 1/4 baseboard – $1.55 ($2.02 Home Depot)
3 1/4 casing – $.83 ($1.27 Home Depot)
Door Stop – $.27 ($.79 Home Depot)
That’s how I spent my weekend. HUGE improvement over the builder 2 1/2 ” baseboard.
ruggs said,
May 14, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
We got our ac unit in, the wire was the wrong gauge, of course, so we mounted it on the side of the house. Ian said there was enough room (we have a corner lot) for it to be done there (to stay on our property) but he said we should ask the city (I assume to remove liability from himself)
ESA guy came by later and left a notice about electrical permit needed for ac, I did the breaker though, so I hope there isn’t an issue…
No_vanity said,
May 15, 2010 @ 6:03 pm
Any updates on the vanity lights, my house does not have the wiring either, would appreciate if anyone who has brought this to the attention to the builder during PDI or otherwise would kindly provide the outcome of their investigation. My take is the model homes all had vanity lights in the washrooms so our houses should have them also, if it was an upgrade it should have been brought to our attention.
Also for anyone that has already closed …did you get decora light switches or the standard old fashion (ugly ones)
Thanks in advance 🙂
Kevin said,
May 16, 2010 @ 11:58 pm
Blog says you wrote this yesterday, however I just got notification that its new. anyways A whole raft of things in the model home were upgrades, like light in the shower stalls, pot lights, higher baseboards. As I walked through a few weeks ago, noticed a note on the wall in the modelhomes, #1 about taking off your shoes, and also something about upgrades being in the home.
And they most likely will go out and install the standard toggle switches as opposed to the decora ones, same goes with the duplex receptacles as opposed to decora.
I’ll offer up a deal to change those out to decora for anyone wanting it, can even put in tamper proof receptacles for anyone who wants it, perhaps families with young children such as mine.
Side note, I have not moved in yet. I just flipped through photos that I took of my Bennet after the wiring was installed, but before the drywall or insulation went up & there are no boxes for Vanity lights in my bathroom either.
We also opted out of the Mirrors and toilet paper/towel bars from the decor center, so we can put our own nicer ones in once we close and not have to repair ripped drywall from the glue that they use.
Dave said,
May 17, 2010 @ 12:05 am
We put vanity lights on our PDI and again on our 30 day warranty form. Still no word. Although they are SLOWLY going through our original list so we’ll see.
I’m more concerned about our half size ensuite shower compared to the model, floorplan and the other Laurier’s on the block. Still no call back on that.
We opted out of the mirrors and toilet paper/towel bars. But you guessed it … the mirrors were installed (towel bars were not). We didn’t bother fighting them on it. We just took them down ourselves. You can dress them up really easy with some molding.
No_vanity said,
May 18, 2010 @ 1:46 am
Thanks for the feedback! Question for the Bennett owners for the kitchen wall window cut out. Was the bottom ledge finished with wood and trim like the model home? or was it just plain drywall. Hope its not another upgrade I was not told about 🙂
Thanks again.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 16, 2010 @ 12:15 am
KEVIN…I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. Cory is really a piece of work!!! What goes around comes around.
And, Cory if you are reading this blog…I guess you didn’t learn anything from my Christmas card for you. However, perhaps reading this blog from your customers, you should learn a little something. Perhaps you should consider that your customers are what make your business what it is. And, showing them a little decency and courtesy and treating them the way you as a customer, not a wealthy businessman, would like to be treated wouldn’t hurt. We are all people just trying to make our lives a little easier. Young people starting their lives in their first home, parents raising families or starting them, singles making a move to a new home. And, if what we are doing isn’t really and truly hurting anyone, perhaps you could just look away and consider it charity amongst your millions. Life just might be a little better and brighter for all of us, you included.
jaspervillagemilton said,
May 17, 2010 @ 12:52 am
From Steve…
“These are customers who have legitimate concerns about their purchase. It would be great for the businessman to really listen to his customers and figure out ways to improve customer service. Improving your business will ensure return customers. Unsatisfied customers are avoidable, especially when your customers are voicing their concerns and the businessman has access to read them. It’s the small things that count…it’s the small things. i.e. vanity lights, staining, electrical, etc. etc.”
ruggs said,
May 18, 2010 @ 1:46 pm
Just a Note for you guys who have yet to install an AC unit, You’ll need a permit for the electrical work, either way if you do it yourself or get the ac guys to do it. I spoke to the electrical inspector today, and he said the permit is 71$ (I ran the electrical so it might be different for contractors) and if you don’t get a permit, you can be fined 300$ and possibly 5000$ on top of that through legal applications…
On a side note Maple drywall came and touched up all of the areas that needed to be completed, the guy did a great job, now the painters need to come and complete the job.
Dave said,
May 19, 2010 @ 6:21 pm
Thanks Ruggs. We have Maple drywall coming next week. The Raywall guys came yesterday to fix our pantry. We were happy with the fix.
Matt said,
May 21, 2010 @ 1:17 pm
what model A/C did you get? Many brands out there to choose from and wondering which is a good brand.
Oliver -Livinlife said,
May 25, 2010 @ 12:34 pm
Hey Matt
Well the model I got for the house is Payne of friend of mine is a heating and air guy and said it reliable and also comes with a 10 year warranty on parts. Not sure what he paid for it but I will find out. Here’s the link if you wanted to check it out.
http://www.payne.com/
Livinlife said,
May 25, 2010 @ 10:16 pm
Hey Matt
The A/C that I have gotten for my house is a Payne a friend of mine is a heating and air guy and picked that one up for me it also comes with a 10 year warrenty on parts.
http://www.payne.com/
Oliver -Livinlife said,
May 25, 2010 @ 12:40 pm
Hi Ruggs
This may be a dumb question but where did you pick up the permits also after getting the permit how long do you have to get the AC installed?
ruggs said,
May 27, 2010 @ 12:41 pm
I called 1877-372-7233 (esa-safe) for the permit, and I believe you can get the permit after the work is completed
Dave said,
May 27, 2010 @ 1:22 pm
Note that the contractor SHOULD be the ones applying for the permits/inspections.
http://esasafe.com/GeneralPublic/how_to_arrange_electrical_inspection.php
But I’d ask to see it before assuming it’s been done. Definitely do it yourself if it wasn’t completed.
Livinlife said,
May 25, 2010 @ 10:22 pm
Hey Ruggs
As to the permit for the A/C this might be a dumb question but where would I pick up the permit?
Kevin said,
May 25, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
To get a permit you need to contact ESA (Electrical Safety Authority) the should cost around $50 for a small job, don’t quote me on that price however. The HVAC contractor should have been responsible for picking that up.
What company did you use?
and if they didn’t do it to Electrical code, you will have to have it fixed before they will pass it.
ruggs said,
May 26, 2010 @ 12:03 am
permit was 71+tax, did it over the phone, after the inspector came and told me its in my best interest to get one (after he found out that I did the work) he gave me a card with the esa-safe number on it and he said to say that I’m the homeowner and I need a permit for the work I’ve done. I called and she got the billing info over the phone. The next day he came back and he said, you’ll get a certificate in the mail saying everything is good… he didn’t check the work inside, but he did ask me a few questions, guess since I knew what I was talking about he figured it should be ok…. don’t really know his rationale was though
Livinlife said,
May 25, 2010 @ 10:37 pm
Hi Kevin
I have moved in yet will be closing on the 23rd of June. Just wanna make sure what I need to get things done when I do Close. thanks for the feed back keep it coming ..lol
Kevin said,
May 25, 2010 @ 11:35 pm
I’m wondering how you managed to get your AC installed before closing? did the builder clear you to do that? I would like to have mine in before I close too. I have a 2 – 3 day window from close to move in, 2 more weeks away, how sweet it is.
The Builder did close up boxes I put into the house, real bummer, was planning great things, now I will have to investigate further once moving in.
Oliver -Livinlife said,
May 26, 2010 @ 1:37 pm
The A/C is not installed yet it’s just sitting waiting for my closing. Once I get the Keys for the house I will have it installed and maybe run my Gas line for the BBQ. Not to sure yet.
Kevin said,
May 20, 2010 @ 12:25 am
ok so random question, Mailboxes…. Do they ever plan on distributing those Super Boxes to a more appropriate location? or do we all get to pick up our mail from the front of the school?
Matt said,
May 20, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
From past experience…. the mailboxes were relocated and brought closer to the houses.
Matt said,
May 26, 2010 @ 1:16 pm
So, I called the Customer Care yesterday morning and told them that the Master Ensuite washbasin down pipe broke (inferior quality?? or did they fix a broken one in the first place??) and water leaked into the kitchen ceiling and messed up the paint on Sunday morning. The customer care said that a plumber will call to make an appointment to fix the pipe. Still waiting for the plumber to call. In the meantime I was told to use my other washroom.
On a side note…any idea as to when they are going to do the grading?
Oliver -Livinlife said,
May 26, 2010 @ 1:45 pm
Random question for you Kevin, Matt
The last time I was able to walk into my Bennett In the unfinished part of my basement I noticed that the all the wires that had been run to the Panel which was not yet hooked up. They were running through a floor joist the under a floor joist through a floor joist the under a floor joist like they we sewing.
Kevin Should’nt they all the wires be running through all the floor joists?
Matt hows the wires in your house run to the panel?
I think I’m going to take a drive over and talk to Roy today?
Let me know
Thanks
Matt said,
June 4, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
In the unfinished area of the basement the wires run under the panels.
Kevin said,
May 27, 2010 @ 12:27 am
Air Conditioners:
Hey everyone, I just spent 30 min speaking with an AC company about doing my install, he’s quoted me around $2400. Does anyone else want in on the deal? maybe I can get him to sweeten the deal if a few more people come on board.
I’ve actually spent all week calling around getting prices, half of these companies are fly by night ones, so come warranty time they may be long gone, these guys have been in business for 20 years. from my tradesman opinion, I will be going with them. Anyways, drop me a note if you want in.
Javier said,
May 27, 2010 @ 1:26 am
Hi Kevin:
base on a few comments, I think I’m all in for a AC, if they can get a 3T for less than 2200, I guess, we are in.
Does anybody know/care if we are going to get a side walk on the south side of Symons? or only at the Mattamy side????
There’s a lot of movement on the street, which is nice to see.
Cheers
Javier and Lula
Kevin said,
May 27, 2010 @ 1:31 am
Javier,
The brand I am going to get is a Carrier, its one of the better ones, less noisey, less problems.
I am only getting a 2Tonne for my semi, I don’t think you will find a reasonable 3 Tonne for less than $2200.
I myself decided not to go bottom of the barrel, because that only leads to problems down the road, i’ve been there before, don’t want to do it again.
Email me your phone number & I will get the contractor to give you a shout. I am going to put a list of interested people for him.
766pitcherplace@maxhorizon.com
Javier said,
May 27, 2010 @ 1:27 am
Kevin:
Sorry, what brand are we using for the AC??
Lottcrescent said,
May 27, 2010 @ 1:52 am
We are getting central air from a company that installed my air conditioner in my house 14 years ago. I would say that they have been around for awhile. Lol. We are getting a 2 1/2 ton American standard taxes and install and the permit included for $2100. Let me know if anyone is interested in this!
Javier said,
May 27, 2010 @ 1:58 am
The guy I know (Compass), he can get a 3 Ton for 2400 plus tax till Jul 1st.
Brand PAYNE made by Carrier, 10Year warranty and quiet unit, as we can see lots of offers, this should be good for all of us.
we will see what the best price is.
Dave said,
May 27, 2010 @ 2:58 am
Hey Javier … do you know what the seer rating is on the 3 ton? I’ve been getting quotes all over the place (lowest so far was 2300) but all the cheaper ones are for 13 seer. Which is the lowest efficiency rating.
We’re willing to pay a bit more for a 14-16 seer with a higher efficiency rating. We’ll have our money back in a few years.
I’m still getting mixed reviews on the wiring. Some guys are saying 12 guage should work fine. Others say they won’t install unless the wiring is replaced with 10 guage.
Dave said,
May 27, 2010 @ 3:27 am
And doing a bit of research I think I get the answer. Looking at the brochure for the Payne PA16NA says minimum wiring is 12 awg for the 3T unit. Looks like the wiring is fine.
Javier said,
May 27, 2010 @ 3:50 am
I will find out about the seer, I looked at the Ontario electrical code and it says that depend of the insulation rate we can use #12 for up to 30 A if rate on the insulation is 110 degrees or high. If it’s AW90 then we need 10AWG. Again it’s confusing.
ruggs said,
May 27, 2010 @ 11:41 am
When our guy was installing the AC unit, he said that older 2 tonne models used to be rated for 20 amp (12 awg) but he said some of the new ones had something different about them and they require 30 amps now (10 awg) I hope your guys installs go well, ours went ok
ruggs said,
May 27, 2010 @ 11:45 am
And Javier, the wire that they ran will have what its rated for printed on the sheath, most likely it will say NMD90 (rated for up to 90 degrees) if it says NMD110 than It is rated up to 110 degrees
Dave said,
May 27, 2010 @ 2:44 pm
For those of you looking for 2.5 ton units, Chris from Compass told me he could do it for $2000 installed. That would be the 13 seer Payne model. I was quoted the same as javier for the 3 tonne – $2400.
Matt said,
May 27, 2010 @ 1:25 pm
looking at a/c units….i am leaning towards a Carrier because of the reliability and efficiency. I have only heard good things about Carrier.
Julie-Lottcrescent said,
May 27, 2010 @ 6:36 pm
I noticed that the toilets in my house are different from the toilets in my parents which is right next to mine. She has a silver flush handle on the side on the side of toilet. While mine is just the basic flush on the front on the tank. Anybody have the same thing that we have? Our toilets are more rounded at the base, hers is more squared.
Dave said,
May 28, 2010 @ 2:27 am
We have the toilets with the silver flush handle on the side throughout the house.
Matt said,
June 3, 2010 @ 12:52 pm
Mine is basic flush with white plastic handle on the front.
Julie-Lottcrescent said,
June 3, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
Can anyone tell us that have not moved in yet the approximate amount for closing costs??
Kevin said,
June 3, 2010 @ 9:23 pm
Julie, I close on wednesday, and after all is said & done, I am going to be paying $10,000 more than I was planning on. lol
GST on the home, and like 3500 in land transfer tax, $1000 to the lawyer… yikes.
good thing for credit.
Javier said,
June 3, 2010 @ 10:11 pm
Kevin:
Did you say $10,000 EXTRA???????? or did I misunderstand???
Javier, great question BTW.
Kevin said,
June 3, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
Thats about accurate, kinda blows,
Land Transfer is : 3835.45 alone
$850+ taxes for my lawyer fees
Actual Factual number that is above what I was expecting is $9,006.
Julie-Lottcrescent said,
June 4, 2010 @ 12:25 am
Kevin, what were you expecting to pay for closing costs. Gary and Sam to plan on no more then $9000
Livinlife said,
June 4, 2010 @ 4:28 am
Julie I am planning on about 10K for closing. I dont believe it should be any more then that.
Let me know if I should be expecting more..
Julie-Lottcrescent said,
June 7, 2010 @ 1:58 am
We were in the neighbourhood today. We noticed that one of the mattamy houses has their address handwritten on the house. Does anyone know where you can get that done. I would google but have no idea what it is called!
Dave said,
June 7, 2010 @ 1:02 pm
Hey Julie,
We looked into it before. There’s someone on the Mattamy message boards who does it. Not sure of the pricing.
http://www.hawthornevillager.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=17282&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc
Here’s some examples of her work:
Dave
Dave said,
June 7, 2010 @ 1:02 pm
Actually the pricing was write in the message:
“$49 for most addresses (up to 6 feet) or $65 including installation”
Julie-Lottcrescent said,
June 7, 2010 @ 2:11 pm
Do you know what company I can call to inquire about it?
Dave said,
June 7, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
hey Julie,
Looks like she has a website: http://www.fliminc.com/
And here’s another one:
Lena
Muse signs & graphics
905 484 8358
Oliver-Livinlife said,
June 7, 2010 @ 10:41 pm
Hi Everyone
I’m looking for a company to refinish my Stairs has anyone done this yet and I’m open for any recommendations.
Oliver-Livinlife said,
June 7, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
Hi Everyone
Has anyone stained they’re stairs yet or recommend any companies?
Livinlife said,
June 7, 2010 @ 11:19 pm
Hi Everyone
Has anyone stained the stairs yet? or Does anyone have any companies they would recommend?
jaspervillagemilton said,
June 8, 2010 @ 12:01 pm
I don’t know why you all need to have your messages approved by me…you are already members of the site…hmmmm
Anyway, we are also emailing everyone now, so if you have any questions, forward me your email and we will add you to the email list.
Oliver -Livinlife said,
June 8, 2010 @ 6:13 pm
Jasper I think you have to approve the messages for Only the ones who have updated the User names.
Opps Sorry. LOL
jaspervillagemilton said,
June 8, 2010 @ 12:03 pm
I have a few contacts. Am looking into them now.
Kevin said,
June 8, 2010 @ 12:07 pm
I’ve stained my stairs already, lol but I don’t recommend it until you’ve taken posession.
I took it upon myself to stain pre them sealing the stairs, so I wouldnt be in for a world of hurt with sanding all the clear-cote (sp) off.
PDI in 2 hours.
The time is finally here,
Oliver -Livinlife said,
June 8, 2010 @ 5:40 pm
let us know How your PDI goes. My PDI is on the 22nd crossing my fingers.
Kevin said,
June 8, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
PDI went alright, they royally F*CT my basement floor, there is a mound in the middle of the basement, then thry put the carpet overtop, this comes after they leveled the basement floor.
The guy who did the PDI was a Dick, and his partner was a goon who piped up whenever is suited him to tell me I was wrong, because my Electrical service coming into the house was on such an angle that it looked stupid from my professional point of view, he told me I don’t know what I am talking about & if it works they are free & clear.
I think it pissed them off a bit because I had Mike Holmes Home Inspections do my PDI with me, they cost about 2x as much as a regular Home inspector but are much more through.
The Powder room pedestal sink is not affixed to the wall via the bolt holes, only from the silicone around the sink, and the base is wobbly, they said “good luck getting that fixed”
What a bunch of asses.
all in all 3.25 pages of PDI inquiries, and that doesnt count minor dings in the walls to be touched up.
I hope everyone else has a better go at it.
I’ve heard of some PDI guys helping the home owner & pointing things out for them, this guy sat there and said “ok whats next” No help at all.
See ya all Saturday for my moving day, cheers.
Kevin said,
June 9, 2010 @ 12:31 am
Hey Guys & Gals, I need help.
I need Internet in ASAP, I get posession tomorrow, did anyone find a good deal on internet other than cogeco or bell? that can be installed in much less than 12 days?
Matt said,
June 9, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
Kevin,
Congrats on the closing. Welcome to the neighbourhood. See you around.
Dave said,
June 9, 2010 @ 10:19 am
Hey Kevin, we went with Cogeco as they offered 6 months free. But I’ll be switching to teksavvy as soon as the contract is up. They are cheaper and do not have a usage cap.
http://teksavvy.com
They have phone service as well but I can’t speak to that.
Dave
Kevin said,
June 9, 2010 @ 11:58 am
Ya Dave, Teksavvy is the company I was going to go with, but they said there needs to be bell lines there already in order to get internet, and they do not do any work in the house, just to the demark point.
I think I will have to call Bell and set something up in the meantime,
TekSavvy does seem like the way to go, they get you initally on the modem cost however.
– Kevin
ruggs said,
June 9, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
Bell has next day service, You call and they will set it up for you, also if you go with techsavy or any other 3rd party re seller, bell will setup the outside line to the demarc point (nid) but no inside work will be done (if you know what you’re doing the inside work is not that hard) Ive seen some fliers around saying that ppl will do jacks for 40$ and then 5$ for each additional jack, I can tell you exactly what to do if you wish to do it on your own
also the max rate in the area for dsl, is about 7 meg, so if you need more than this, you should go with cable, bell also has an download insurance plan for $5 extra, but it’ll only get you 40 extra gigs allowance on top of what your have with the corresponding plan
Ive also seen some fliers/magnets around the neighbourhood advertising free home phone for 12 months, tv and internet free for the first 3 months (providing you sign up for a 2yr tv term, and a 1 year internet term)
I’m actually a bell tech, so call this number 1-866-242-0008 Quote this number B59318 and see what kind of deals you can get, no contract, if you perfer not to
ruggs said,
June 9, 2010 @ 12:40 pm
Also, for third party, I believe that once the outside work has been completed by bell, the ISP should send some one out to complete the inside work
Doug Lott Cres said,
June 11, 2010 @ 1:41 am
Well, I officially have possession of my house now… saw the appliances… still new and not hooked up yet… does anyone know if anyone is looking for a stainless fridge? or the white Whirlpool washer and dryer… brand new, still has the tape on them… i might look to upgrade if someone wants these… thanks
Kevin said,
June 15, 2010 @ 1:15 am
Ok, so Things gave been semi chaotic the last few days.
I am moved in now, no where close to unpacked however.
My dog isn’t pleased lol, no grass for her to do her business on, I went to Canadian Tire to Buy 4 pieces of Sod to help her.
Anyways not sure if this has come up in conversation yet but where do I get the blue & green bins from?
and The Plumbing clean outs in the basements, did anyone have covers delivered to them yet?
Side note, My Mike Holmes inspections picked up the fact that I only have one heat register in the basement room, there is supposed to be 1 for every 398 sqft. keep that in mind if you don’t have 2 within the main room, not counting the unfinished areas.
if they are behind a door that doesn’t count.
– Kevin
Livinlife said,
June 15, 2010 @ 4:10 am
Hi Kevin
I know what you mean we’ll be picking up a few pieces sod just to get by…lol
Matt’s comments Regarding the bins.
Blue bins and compost bins can be obtained from the Halton Waste Centre on Regional Road 25, 5 minutes south of Britannia. Give them your civic address.
Thank you for the side note I will keep that in mind when we our doing the PDI on June 22nd. Question Did you add that in your 3.25 PDI list?
Kevin said,
June 16, 2010 @ 2:16 am
I believe it was added, but I will double check before the 30 day.
Some joker got some silicone or something on our carpet up the stairs after the PDI before the keys were handed over, so thats going on the 30 day too, lazy carpet guys too, I guess I am too picky with all the details on my house.
Matt said,
June 15, 2010 @ 1:08 pm
Hi Kevin,
the sod sounds like a good idea. I have been walking my huskie to the park behind the TJS elementary school since April. It is quite a good 30 minutes walk if you go on Yates to Holly.
Some of us got our blue and green bins delivered to our door. I would suggest that you call the Halton Waste Centre and talk to them first. You might be able to get them delivered to you too.
Oliver -Livinlife said,
June 15, 2010 @ 4:52 pm
Hello Everyone
Would any one have the number to call so that I can have the Utilities transferred by June 23rd?
Kevin said,
June 16, 2010 @ 2:14 am
Lawyer should have that info.
Matt said,
June 16, 2010 @ 1:05 pm
Milton Hydro: (905) 876-4611
Oliver -Livinlife said,
June 17, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
Thank you Matt
Who did you call for your water heater?
Matt said,
June 18, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
I did not have to call anyone for water heater rental. The sticker on my water heater says Direct Energy so I guess when the time comes Direct Energy will start billing us or they might engage the sevices of Enbridge to bill us.
I called Reliance (another wated heater company) yesterday and discussed about getting a water heater rental from them because I am having a very bad experience with Direct Energy. They kept deducting from my bank account for 6 months after I moved out from my previous house. I have been calling them for the last 6 months for a refund. Everytime when I called they would say that they are in the process of refunding and this went on for a year. With plenty of phone calls over the last week and finally after I sent them an email with threats of legal action, Direct Energy has agreed to refund my money. Hope to get the refund by next week.
When I am more settled in, I will call Reliance to come and change the water heater.
Oliver -Livinlife said,
June 18, 2010 @ 3:33 pm
Thank you and I will see you soon 6 days and counting.
ruggs said,
June 25, 2010 @ 11:37 pm
Congratulations on all the people that moved it today! lol sheesh I come home and all I see are cars and moving trucks on the opposite side of the street! 😉
Enjoy 🙂
P.S. Maybe you won’t see this for a few days since, you may not have any internet setup yet… but congrats none the less!
Matt said,
June 28, 2010 @ 12:59 pm
LOL….lots of cars and moving trucks on Friday and the weekend. Don’t hesitate to wave and say hi. 🙂
Dave said,
June 28, 2010 @ 5:26 pm
Welcome to all the new neighbors! Sorry we haven’t posted much lately. But I have some wonderful news on the Air Conditioners.
Apparently if you install the A/C on your own it voids the warranty of your furnace. Wonderful.
We installed A/C about three weeks ago and everything has been working fine until Friday. At that point our furnace started cutting in and out and air was only being blown through the vents periodically. The A/C unit continued to work fine.
The furnace guys showed up today and told us the warranty is void as we didn’t install the A/C through them. They ended up fixing our problem (two wires were touching together causing the furnace blower to cut out) but said next time we will be charged time and materials.
I should have expected nothing less from these guys.
We have our 30 day follow up visit on June 30th. Will let you know how that goes. Should be fun.
Dave
Matt said,
July 22, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
Hi neighbours, haven’t seen anything new on here lately. How are things coming along?
Anyone has any contacts for a contractor who can do an entrance door from the garage into the house? Please let me know.
Matt
Livinlife said,
July 24, 2010 @ 10:08 pm
Hey Matt
Actualy I’m going to have a contractor come by and give a quote. I’ll work it out with you and we can set something up where he will take a look at both our places.
Let me know if you interested.
Oliver
lot 87r.
Matt said,
July 27, 2010 @ 1:23 pm
Yeah, I am interested. Need to get the door done.
Oliver -Livinlife said,
September 8, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
Hi Matt
Sorry its taken a while but I got a quote.
$1500 installed
30″ Door (Custom Order)
All hardware and labor
Or
$750 Labor only.
You supply door and material.
Let me know if your interested. I will let him know and give you his number.
Matt said,
September 13, 2010 @ 2:44 pm
Hi Oliver,
Sorry I did not check this blog earlier……but I already got a guy doing the door for me at $1100. All inclusive. Shall I send him over to you?
Kevin said,
November 13, 2010 @ 7:03 pm
Hey Guys.
I know how important our internet is to us, and some don’t have a wireless connection, and need longer patch cords to reach their computers and such.
I am able to make custom length Patch Cords for you.
any length really.
great prices.
10′ : $8.00
15′ : $12.00
20′ : $15.00
30′ : $17.50
40′ : $20.00
50′ : $25.00
75′ : $35.00
100′ : $45.00
200′ : $90.00
cables@maxhorizon.com if your interested
ruggs said,
March 21, 2011 @ 1:49 pm
Anyone have an issue this summer with “Ice Damning”?
The reason why I was because we had an issue with this, and water seemed to be seeping through the walls, into 2 of our rooms causing wet floors, etc.
Let me know.
Matt said,
April 5, 2011 @ 1:13 pm
Hi Ruggs,
Walls are ok with my place. Sorry to hear about yours. How did you get them fixed?
Hey most of us are reaching our 1 year anniversary living here at Jasper Village, Milton. Congratulations! to one and all.
ruggs said,
April 9, 2011 @ 6:31 pm
the only damage that was done that I could see was watermarks on the floor boards, Wasn’t really fixed as this isn’t an warrant-able issue by our builder.