We're down to gutters, final grade, and other finishing touches. Hopefully 2 more weeks and we can close.

Loving this thred and seeing all the progress! We broke ground late Feb and are now at finishing touches- half way through siding, inside is finished except a few electrical pieces, granite, and quarteround. Septic is finished and inspected, concrete finished, and final grade is in. I also appreciate seeing folks delays- we are all in this together, but all in all compared to folks I know building at the same time, ours has gone up much faster and with fewer issues. Looking forward to posting our final home shortly!

@Kay Shir....great update thanks...yea, we try to make it a fair thing...the good, the bad and the ugly....the good continues: 1.- great communications with our PM, that man does not hesitate to contact me (or my wife) to let us know of any issues, delays and/or challenges, the inspector from the town told me the structure is well built, that he has seen few houses being built beyond code requirements (he explained/showed me a few things that were beyond what the code requires)...2.- there were some things "not done right"...however, they fixed it immediately ....3.- Things beyond their control....the tub we asked for is not being manufactured anymore....they offered something similar (a little more expensive) at no charge to us....the color and style vinyl we wanted is not available...we changed the style and color to something a little more expensive at no charge to us....4.- We asked for a couple of changes during framing (things we realize that would not look right) , they charged only for one of them......update: insulation is almost complete (pic attached).....Sheetrock has been delivered and expected to be installed by mid-week and then mudding starts....

Last window finally came in and was installed...deck is up....interior has sheet-rock, next step is mudding...septic guy called me today and said I am scheduled for next week install (weather permitting).....siding in the next 2-3 weeks (if materials come on time)...otherwise PM says we keep marching forward with whatever they can do that does not require an inspection from the town

So close to being done it's killing me haha! The power goes on this week, staining and final paint is happening. From there just a few small issues to fix and we're done! For the record I have to say this has been the best experience I've gone through myself or have seen compared to others with building a house. Communication and willingness to satisfy have been stellar.

Im loving seeing everyone’s updates here are a few of ours!!! We are in the very final stages, and have been completely satisfied. Our builder (Louisville, KY) has been so easy to work with. Any questions or concerns he seals with professional and promptly. Additionally, all the subs have been absolutely on point. my next post will be after final inspection! here are a few of our updated pics.

Thank You all for the comments. We are in the very first stages right now and trying to decide on who to go with. We love the Schumacher homes and everything about them. We understand that it is a process and with everything there can be issues. Wondering about the time frames at this point... From the time that ya'll signed to the point that you are now. I saw that @Kay Shir you had said you broke ground in Feb, when did you sign? Was there a long wait between the sign to the ground breaking? We will be selling and moving to an apartment till home is done, so this is a big question for us. Thanks for any help with this part! Love seeing everyones beautiful homes!

Hi @Christy Searcy, glad you are breaking ground! It's an exciting time for sure. Just be patient with supply chain and labor issues. It's a reality in every industry right now and you may need to compromise along the way with changes (usually upgrades) on certain materials and supplies. To be honest, our 1500 sq ft house has taken about 9 months from start to finish which is still fast compared to most builders. Just keep an open mind and communicate! Best of luck!

Today had a meeting with the PM (at the house)....looks like next week will be extremely busy and a lot will get done...they are currently sanding and priming the interior:

0.- Painting will be completed next week

1.- Siding will be delivered and installed next week

2.- Cabinets will be delivered next week and probably installed as well (depending on paint)

3.- Shower tiles will be done next week

4.- Floors will be done right after 2/3 (he is not sure if next week or week after)

5.- Final grading 3rd/4th week in September or early October (then concrete driveway - TBD)

6.- AC/Heating somewhere between now and October 10th

7.- Toilets, sinks, etc. between second week in September and October 10th

On the part that I manage:

1.- Septic will be installed on Monday...County will come by in the afternoon to inspect

2.- Propane tank will be installed fourth week in September (depending on final grade/concrete driveway scheduling)

We broke ground May 25th (start digging foundation)...if the house is done by October 25th...that would be 5 months from end to end....we have had challenges with materials, labor and weather....but it still looks like we are on track for 5 months....as long as materials and labor show up, and weather helps...

So far we have been very pleased

A couple of pics of the inside as it stands today.

Oh my, how I remember those days!! It’ll all come together soon. We’ve been working on the yard. The birds decided to get in on the action and dropped sunflower seeds for us…this is the current view of our front porch haha

We had a couple of minor snags that held up our closing but we should be done by the 8th fingers crossed. In the meantime I picked up this brand new Pella storm door on Facebook Marketplace for $100 with the handle. Apparently their wife didn't like it lol! I spent 1/2 my day yesterday installing it on the new house. Needed something for that side door. Not bad for $100! I tell you, you can find amazing deals if you look for returns at Lowes or Facebook Marketplace.

A lot has been done since my last update...but here is a peek from last week.....a lot more has been done since.....as of right now, it looks like house will be completely done by October 25...which would be exactly 5 months since Schumacher broke ground digging footers

Gas tank is installed...septic installed, inspected and approved by county....power is on, water is on. Concrete driveway to be poured on Friday

Nice. Definitely unique. Do you have a fireplace right next to your front door?

@Roger Dodger .... no fireplace at that location...that is just for looks...my office is to the right of it, but I decided against a fireplace in the office...living room fireplace is enough...:-)

Attached is a recent pic

Just to wrap up....our house is finished and we got our keys......144 days after breaking ground, the house was "finished"....just 2 things left in the punch list...the garage doors and the master bath shower doors.....Overall there was only one complaint...we had to keep the painters coming back for final touch-ups.....we are VERY satisfied with the end result...overall we score Schumacher A- .... every single contractor A- (with the exception of the painters C+)...the Construction Manager A++.....we should start moving slowly this weekend...we sold our current home with a closing date of Nov 30...

Pretty quick build in these times, pesuazo. Good for you. Apologize if already covered, but what brand/material did you go with for your windows? Also, is it normal in your area to build foundations with concrete block rather than poured concrete?

Andersen windows.....I believe Schumacher only uses Andersen (as far as I know).....the foundation is actually poured concrete and then they built cinder block pillars reinforced with rebars....I posted the foundation concrete a few months back, however, here is a pic of the poured concrete (sometime late May early June)

@pesuazo

Those are foundation footings. A poured concrete foundation looks like this:

@carra - hope you had a nice hiatus. I'd think the break would find you in a kinder state of contribution, but I see you've returned with your attitude. 

@pesuazo - I've been reading your updates. It's a great to see you're either close to moving or on your way to moving in. Thank you for sharing your experience.

@pesuazo

Thanks for the updates. Enjoy that new home!

Carra is correct, though. Those are simply footers, not a "poured concrete foundation". And if showing what a proper poured foundation looks like qualifies as attitude, then we're all in trouble. Ha. Anyway, enjoy the home, Pes! Looks awesome!

Hello! final comment on our home as well we signed with our loan dec 28th, broke ground in late february (we had a cold wet winter) and closed labor day weekend. we love everhthing about our new home, including all the finishes and our builder. we have sevwral friends building now, that broke ground in a similiar time frame but are no where done, and over budget. We continue to recommend them in our area and are so excited to finally be in our new home! we have the beverly, with an expanded kitchen and owner bath. Built on my family farm outside of Louisville KY.

Kay, we built that same house in Ohio. The Ravenna office was in charge. I wish I had not gone with them. They are the most arrogant, deceitful, and dishonest business people I have ever encountered. We are in the middle of an issue now that may become a legal problem , so I will not comment any further. I will update when all is taken care of.

To answer the previous question: "Also, is it normal in your area to build foundations with concrete block rather than poured concrete?"...the answer is yes...in my area it is normal to build foundations with concrete block. I have also seen them use brick, for houses that will have a full basement, they use what @carra posted.....@Jen K and everyone else, thanks for the good wishes...we started moving this weekend and will continue to do so over the next few weeks....we are set to close on the sell of our current home by November 30....so we are in no rush, however, our covered patio is already furnished...lol....

@Roger Dodger...that looks like a proper poured foundation for a house with a basement. In my area I have never seen concrete walls like pictured unless people are making a living space below the house

@pesuazo That covered patio looks amazing!!!! love the furniture. ive also really enjoyed all the updates!!!

@pesuazo It seems the building process has been going smoothly for you. You mention you caught some things that needed to be corrected, which they addressed promptly. Do you have some expertise in construction that allowed you to identify these issues quickly or did you hire an inspector for this? Did capturing these issues require you to be more thorough in your inspection? (e.g. taking measurements, etc.)

I had my initial appointment with Schumacher. They seemed very transparent and welcomed me to inspect and 'approve' before moving forward through the different phases of the construction process. However, I am considering bringing an inspector to do this, since I am not an expert in the subject.

It seems like you went with the Charleston model. Is that right?

Thanks for posting your progress. It provides some peace of mind.

@Daniel L. G. ... the things I caught pretty much had to do with the drawing itself...I became VERY familiar with the drawings (dimensions and locations)...I went thru all in detail...sometimes the framers would do something not aligned with the drawing (hence my measurement taking), and I would speak with the PM (who immediately told the framers, carpenter, plumber or electrician to fix the issue or do the work to my expectations).....the town inspector had to come every major step along the way and "approve" the work....I did not hire someone for that....however, I asked to be informed whenever the town inspector would come (I asked a lot of questions to him/her)....the inspector responses made me feel a lot better about the quality of work being done.....

@pesuazo Thank you so much for sharing this. I will follow your approach.

@pesuazo Thank you for the detailed updates. Just looking at multiple different builders and pricing, etc. I really appreciate the honesty in your posts. Would you mind me asking how often you heard, "that is an upgrade?"

And also, about what percentage above the "Starting Price" was the end price? I like the finishes you chose and it looks to me like you probably did upgrade on some items...so I would love if you could provide that info.

I am a busy working mom and running two companies, kids are everywhere and one has special needs...so my time is also very important to me, and to have a PM and designer to work with is valuable in itself...while many of the GC and local builders just leave a lot of those details to the homeowner to source and answer on their own.

Any advice you can offer or details on your process with schumacher would be greatly appreciated! thx

@Brooke Olson ...starting price was relative to what we wanted.....we wanted black windows, we wanted level x kitchen and bathroom cabinets, we wanted 12 foot ceilings in the living room and kitchen (and more cabinets to fill the gap), we wanted panoramic windows in living room and master bedroom, we wanted an extra full bathroom, we wanted a third car garage, we wanted an X by X covered patio, etc...we ended up about 30-40% above base price..."because we wanted".....then when the electrician showed up we wanted lights here, and there, and a generator inlet hook up, and an extra 40A run to the back for a future pool, etc...you get the idea....the bottom line is we picked what we could afford.....and left out what we wanted but could not afford (at that time)......piece of advice: try not to buy anything electrical from Schumacher....wait until the Electrician shows up (before the electrical walk-through) and pay him directly for what you want, Schumacher is OK with that....if you know someone that does tile work....wait until you have possession of the house and have your guy/gal do the tiles....or wood floors, or anything else.....it will be cheaper...probably much cheaper

@Brooke Olson I agree with @pesuazo! Our final was also about 30-40% higher based on our selections. Other than the floor plans, one if my favorite features is the really straight forward pricing model. when you make your selections, and even before, you know exactly what the bottom line will be. as for ”thats an upgrade”, its more of whats included in the base- or level 1. so you want a specific granite (we did) they can tell hou immediately what the cost is. you eant to expand a section (we did two standard expansions- kitchen and owner bath) that is extra, etc. I found the process extremely straightforward and you leave with a big print out if everything you selected- which i referred back to during our entire build.

Thaks @Jen K (7b, 8a) I flagged it as well.

Oh my goodness!!! So many new plans on the website!! I’m almost ready to do it all over again after seeing a couple of these new plans. I do have a second lot next door… maybe I’ll add a family retreat! Seriously, I would sign up again with no hesitation.

Schumacher is the WORST!!

poor quality, poor communciation, liars and theives. We signed a contract to build with them almost 2 years ago. house was supposed to be done in 5 months…no communictaion on delays or updates. Still not finished. GM doesnt care-no response feom google review or home office. RUN! dont do it!

Curious which location? check out schumachervictims.com or on Facebook @schumachervictims

Louisville, KY. will do!

HU-953636281 is a one hit wonder. Blocking and tackling. Carra is that you?

We are looking at building with schumacher

Is it really better to do your own floors and tiles?

how about the kitchen cabinets?

"Is it really better to do your own floors and tiles?

how about the kitchen cabinets?"

They will not let you as they need the house finished to close.

Not during construction.....you can go the least expensive way with them and after they give you the keys you can have your contractors come back and rip the carpet, install floors and tiles ...same thing with the kitchen cabinets

We initiated the process with them in June, got our financing in October, and just broke ground in February. While the wait to break ground took longer than expected, it seems to be going quickly now as foundation is done and just needs to be sealed. Our PM (from Schumacher Homes of Columbus, OH South) has been excellent. Everyone has been really transparent and fair about the process and, as of right now, we have zero complaints - only praise. We are hopeful to move in around August when school starts for the kids. I'll come back for periodic updates :)

Wanted to post an update on the build. Foundation was sealed within a week of my last post and framing started this week 😍

Congrats @HappyBuyer ....my pool is just finished (not Schumacher) ....I am looking forward for the summer ! (still need to sod the surroundings)....

Guys, Schumacher is killing it. Now that they’ve started, everything is going fast. I think our biggest potential for a setback is coming from our electric company. Zero concerns about our builders having to slow the process for any reason. We have a second floor AND shingles on the roof as of last week.

@HappyBuyer ....when they get on a roll...they just move...Congratulations !

@happybuyer. There is a home building thread here that says. April 2022. You should join

Posting another update. Our dig started on Feb 22 and we are being told that the house should be done by the end of June 🙌🏼🙌🏼 Way ahead of schedule. The inside is painted and they are installing cabinets and trim this week. From there, we’ll just need a little bit of tile work, lights installed, outlets/switches, paint touch up, etc. Lots of little details but we’re almost there!

What plan is this?

Ashley :)