Update Time!

Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Things have been going up quickly in the neighborhood. We are moved on to a new phase of this whole process. After the thirty day fixes, you dont really hear from the PM you built with. A new guy comes in to deal with issues. That has been fine for us. There are surveys that are given at various times. Be honest on them. RH pays attention to them. Anyhow, I'm just checking in with a few updates.

Things are going well on the home front for the most part. I never thought much about the noise before moving here. The trucks idling and riding through the neighborhood at 6-630am is a bit much for me. They even do it on weekends. The workers are bad about speeding through the neighborhood and about blocking the entrance and exit roads. It's extremely frustrating. The school bus has been having issues lately because she gets here, and there are trucks in the road doing various things. She will often have to wait several minutes or try to make a tight u-turn. Yesterday, there was a sewage truck blocking the road. Today, it was a truck delivering cinder blocks. The school bus comes at 6:45am. I'm serious when i say. .... work and noise start early! On the plus side, the dumpsters have been moved out of the street and onto the lot they are working on. That's nice. If only the workers would be as considerate, things would be nice. I'm constantly having cigarette butts and loud men yelling in the front of the house. Its pretty annoying, to say the least. 
Some good news is...we have not had any creepy crawlers since the hole was patched. I'm glad that is resolved.
Our utility bills while using the heating system have been lower than expected, which is a nice surprise.
We had a few minor issues, one with electrical and one with the thermostat blanking out at random times. RH sent out folks to check it out within a few days. One issue was resolved, the other we are keeping an eye on.
The house has been settling. There are random nail pops and cracks in the walls. It's nothing that is alarming but just expect it to happen. We will get it fixed after ten months.
The third floor option is a must have! It is awesome to have the extra space up there. My only gripe is that I wish there was a storage room up there.
The fireplace is a must have! It is really nice and warms the room well. Ours is gas and I'm so glad we got it. It was totally worth the upgrade! Just be sure the gas line is sealed. I do wish it had a fan option on it, but even without it, I like it. Besides, all homes need a mantle!
The metal rails on the steps are another thing you must have! They open up the space nicely. They are expensive, but what isn't?
The dishwasher offered in the standard package is garbage. It's loud. There is no timer on it. That thing runs for hours and you can hear it upstairs in the master bedroom. If you choose to upgrade any appliance, make it this one.
Also, there is a vent or something behind the microwave. That thing is loud! Every time the wind blows, it flaps. I keep thinking that there is something over there. This will take some getting used to. I wish I could tape it down.
One last thing.... If you have the option for gas, go with it! Gas stove, gas dryer, gas fireplace and gas grill line. I dont regret any of it! In my opinion, these things are worth upgrading!

Last, upgrade, upgrade, upgrade the kitchen! I have a few neighbors who didn't and they regret it. If you dont add the island AND peninsula, there is dead space in the kitchen. This is true also for the Ravenna model. Definitely upgrade the island! Besides, having the extra eating space, prep space and plugs is really nice for  entertaining and cooking. 

That's about it for now. If anyone has any specific questions about the Verona model or anything, just leave it in the comments. Happy holidays!