Northridge Owners [Archive] - MillPondPost Mattamy Cambridge

K.C.

06-01-2008, 11:36 AM

I'm glad you have so much experience with Mattamy Erin. Can you tell me what sorts of things are a good value (or at least not overpriced) through Mattamy?

I was thinking of getting at least 1 extra window seat and a shower seat. I was also going to ask them if it would be possible to get a fireplace in the bedroom even though the floor plan doesn't show that as an option. I know the family room fireplace is standard but I would like a second one.

I don't care for hardwood floors at all. I prefer carpet throughout and the standard carpet is good enough. Since carpet grade staircase with Natural Finish Oak Railing is standard I was going to just upgrade the railing to Maple and have it stained Merlot to match the kitchen cabinets. The larger square pickets would be nice but if they want too much for them I'll pass.

I'm looking forward to you sharing your past experience with Mattamy with us Erin.

Thanks,
K.C.

K.C.

06-26-2008, 10:43 AM

Erin, did you receive your letter yet? We're lot 33 and we just received our letter. Our orientation is July 9th at 6:00PM. I scheduled our structural appointment for 1st week in August. Maybe I'll see you at the orientation.

Bijal

06-27-2008, 08:28 AM

K.C.

06-27-2008, 10:49 AM

Hi Bijal, You got your binder already? Cool. So does this mean you've already had your orientation? I was told the binder won't be ready till July 9th.

This is just a guess but I think main hallway would mean the area between the foyer and the kitchen.

If you've had your orientation maybe you could share some prices with us. I'm especially interested in the pricing for the higher series levels for cabinets.

Bijal

06-28-2008, 10:27 AM

Hi,

Yes, we've had our orientation last week and got the binder full of prices :)

The prices for the cabinets are different depending on what kitchen layout you have.

Standard Kitchen Layout
Series 3 - 1,331
Series 4 - 3,311
Series 5 - 4,610
Series 6 - 6,055
Series 7 - 7,775

Chef's Kitchen - if you already picked this option at the sales center, subtract 1,429
Series 3 - 2,911
Series 4 - 5,125
Series 5 - 6,592
Series 6 - 8,268
Series 7 - 10,273

Model Kitchen - if already picked, then subtract 2,500 from the price below
Series 3 - 4,402
Series 4 - 7,238
Series 5 - 9,119
Series 6 - 11,226
Series 7 - 13,741

There are alot of numbers and options, so assuming I've figured this book out, those are the prices.

Let me know what else you want to know. Also, if anyone goes to the design center can you please ask what the main hallway is. The binder says its carpeted, but the floor plan says ceramic (if its the area between the foyer and kitchen).

Thanks

K.C.

06-28-2008, 09:34 PM

Thanks Bijal. Do you know how the series numbers correspond to the series on the Aya Kitchens website http://www.ayakitchens.com/projects/series1_man.html?

Bijal

06-29-2008, 07:06 PM

Sorry, but I'm not exactly sure about the series numbers.

K.C.

07-09-2008, 08:41 PM

Hey Everyone,

We've got a Northridge, Elev C. Lot 24 :)

I was just wondering if anyone knew if the entire foyer to kitchen area/hallway was ceramic. We got our binder and it mentions that the main hallway is carpet. I just don't know if the main hallway refers to the upstairs hallway or the area between the foyer and kitchen.

Thanks

Hi Bijal,

We had our orientation today and I asked about the hallway question you had. They confirmed that the entire hallway from the foyer to the kitchen is ceramic.

KC

Bijal

07-10-2008, 12:55 PM

Hi, thanks for checking.

You must be excited to have your binder now. I look through mine all the time, I want to make sure I don't forget something.

One more question, do you know what the cost would be if the master shower was done like the model..with the door that swings both ways and the half glass wall. I can't seem to find that one in the binder.

Bijal

K.C.

07-10-2008, 08:37 PM

I think that one is $3123. It's one of the preplanned options on page 2 of 5 in the section titled Shape Your Interior.

Here's the description: Install a Frameless Clear Glass Shower (with Chrome CLIPS) to shower in Master Ensuite. Includes an approximate 24" x 72" clear frameless door (swings in and out of shower). Glass installed atop marble jamb material on curb/kneewall to ceiling with Chrome CLIPS. Standard recessed potlight to remain. Ceiling tile in shower deleted, smooth celing extended into shower.

K.C.

K.C.

10-24-2008, 10:54 AM

We had our final appointment yesterday. There is a cool new inexpensive option we learned about. Here it is:

TRIMMED ARCH (price $229):

Install trimmed arch between Dining Room and Great Room in lieu of optional French Doors.

OR

Install trimmed arch between the Living Room and Home Office in lieu of optional French Doors.

We opted for both arches. We were going to get the French Doors just to get the opening but this allows us to have the openings without the big expense.

Dave

10-24-2008, 12:49 PM

Thanks KC. You just saved me $1600. Just yesterday I inquired about getting the french doors from the dining room into the great room. DO you know if the opening will be the same dimensions?

cheers

K.C.

10-24-2008, 01:33 PM

I just called the design centre to double check and they confirmed that the trimmed opening will be the exact same dimension as the double french doors would have been.

Dave

10-24-2008, 01:37 PM

awesome... if you do want the french doors you can certainly get them for a LOT cheaper than $1400

K.C.

10-24-2008, 01:40 PM

I was thinking the same thing. Plus this gives you a chance to figure out exactly how you will be using the space before you spend the money.

Dave

10-24-2008, 01:44 PM

At first we weren't going to get it because of the cost but then we remembered our first house that had a similarly large wall in the great room and it was a "whole lotta wall" to decorate. This should break it up nicely.

K.C.

10-24-2008, 03:41 PM

There is also a very cool new included cabinet color, it's very dark and is called Cocoa Maple. The Aya website doesn't do it justice. You've got to see it in person! It's alot like Clove except Clove has more red in it. Even if you can see a sample in Oak you should try to get a look at it.

I loved this new cabinet so much I put it in every room except the laundry room where I went with Birmingham Classic White which is also a new included cabinet.

The Cocoa Maple comes in Monterey and Manhattan II door styles. We did Monterey with upgraded hardware in the kitchen and Manhattan II with upgraded hardware in the bathrooms.

The new cabinet color opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us. If we had to upgrade to get this color in the existing stuff it would have easily cost us $5000 to do the whole house. Since it was included I was able to splurge on other things like upgraded trim and 7 1/4" baseboards.

Also we added banks of drawers in both the Ensuite and Main Bath. You get 1 drawer on each side of the sink as included if the counter is large enough to accomodate it, which in our case it was because we went with only one sink in the Ensuite. A bank of drawers cost $386. In the model homes they show banks of drawers but they are not included and there is no price for them in the design book. But you can get them if you ask.

One more thing I accidently discovered is that one of the included countertops looks almost the same as Zodiac. It's called Kalahari Topaz and was designed to mimic Zodiac. I changed the Zodiac which I had selected for the ensuite to the included counter and was able to upgrade all the tile throughout the house with the money I saved. The counterop is so cool I had to put it everywhere.

K.C.

K.C.

10-24-2008, 04:53 PM

Bijal, the frameless glass shower that was $3123 is now $2905 just in case you weren't already aware of it.

Style

10-24-2008, 06:11 PM

Seems like everyone is loving the new Cocoa Maple Aya Cabinets, We saw them when they first arrived when we had our design appointment at 10 am and we loved them too! We went with the Monterrey style! We were looking for a dark cabinet as our existing ones are Clove,seeing the Cocoa style in standard was very sweet and allowed us to spend elsewhere!

K.C.

10-24-2008, 06:15 PM

Hi Style,

I think I may have first learned about the Cocoa Maple from one of your posts and then went to Aya to check it out. Thanks!

K.C.

10-24-2008, 06:51 PM

There's a few more new options that our consultant mentioned that I thought were too expensive but some of you might want to consider them:

1) In the master bedroom you could have double french doors where there is currently a bay window. There would be metal bars on the outside to keep you from falling out of your house! Price is just over $2600. The reasoning for this option is that at some future date you might want to have additional construction done to create a balcony off your master bedroom. That kind of construction would be expensive so I'm not sure how reasonable a possibility that is.

2) Where the window seat is next to the ensuite you could have a single french door put in with metal bars outside for just over $1900.

Neither of the above sounded like great deals to me but if you have money to burn you might want to go for it.

Style

10-25-2008, 09:20 AM

Hi Style,

I think I may have first learned about the Cocoa Maple from one of your posts and then went to Aya to check it out. Thanks!

No problem KC! I found mattamy abit different when it comes to upgrading cabinets as they are priced individually in terms of rooms! My current builder is Greatgulf and back in 2005 they only charged like $800 to get to the Clove upgrade in the Aya cabinet and when you upgraded a level it was upgrading for the whole house,so therefore you could also choose a upgrade for the bathrooms!
Still was great that AYA added that beautiful cabinet as a standard when orignally i believe it was a Sig 1!

K.C.

10-26-2008, 11:26 AM

4 function hand shower Moen Model 21029 Mattamy code is: PLC0000011 (price $57). http://www.moen.ca/products/21029

Some of you might want to put the above 4 function hand shower into your bathrooms since it is cheap and will make cleaning your tub/shower much easier. The 4 function part is cool too. I don't think you can put this into the soaker tub. We're putting it into our Main Bath only since we are doing something much more elaborate in the Ensuite and Basement Bathroom.

Here's the description from the Moen website:

- 4 function showerhead - wide spray, energy massage, luxury massage, and gentle rinse
- 69" flexible hose assembly

Moen Model 275 ExactTemp Vertical Spa Mattamy code is: PL/BATH0028 (price $2350). http://www.moen.ca/products/275

We're doing this in the Ensuite and Basement Bath which has a Super Shower also. It comes with 4 jets, a rain shower and 4 function hand shower that has it's own 30" slide bar. What I love about this one is that it has a 3/4" valve which allows alot more water to flow through each jet as well as the rainshower and the handheld shower. :) Here's the complete description from Moen:

- ExactTemp 3/4"
- 3 volume control valves
- 4 body sprays
- single function 7" rainshower, shower arm, and flange
- exclusive Immersion technology (this means the water doesn't get droopy and weak when it's spraying at an angle)
- hand shower with 30" slide bar
- 4 function handshower - massage, full, vigorous, combination

Moen Model 9997/T991 Soaker Tub Hand Shower only Mattamy code is: PL/BATH0026 (price $714). Has only one spray pattern. http://www.moen.ca/products/T991

My husband and I are off to go see the site and see if they've done anything with the hole they dug out last week for our lot.

K.C.

10-26-2008, 08:41 PM

I'm concerned that there will not be enough light in the walk in closet. Probably the square footage is equal to one of the smaller bedrooms. It obviously has no windows and I plan to spend alot of time in there trying to figure out which one of my 300 outfits to wear. I'm going to have a standard outlet installed in the walk in ($80) if Mattamy has no problem with it. That way I can put in a standing lamp and or a lamp on top of a dresser inside the closet. Also I could look into putting one of those massive flouroscent light fixtures like I had put into my office at home since regular lighting installed by the builder sucks.

The His and Hers closets were a bad idea for us since my husband seems to have no clothes! :)

Joanne

10-26-2008, 09:35 PM

I asked about an outlet in the walk in and was told it is against code :(

K.C.

10-26-2008, 09:39 PM

That's too bad. I guess it's going to be flourescent lighting for the closet.

K.C.

10-30-2008, 01:28 PM

Joanne, I got the same response last night that you did.

We are unable to place electrical outlets in closets as they
are potential fire hazards. However we can place an additional one
just outside of the walk in closet if you would like.

An outlet outside the closet doesn't work for me, I hate wires all over the place.

I've left a message for Jen asking if they can place an additonal ceiling light fixture in the closet (not a potlight). I imagine when they do a his and hers there are 2 light fixtures so maybe they'll do it for a standard walk in at an additional cost.

I'm also waiting on pricing for extra shelving in the Master walk in closet. The shelving would be closer to the ceiling since we have 9 foot ceilings on the 2nd floor as well and I didn't want to waste the space. The shelving is going to be MDF. I"ll let you guys know when I get answers to the above 2 issues.

K.C.

10-30-2008, 01:39 PM

I'm also putting a TV in the Ensuite. If anyone is interested in the details I can post them. The additional cost should be minimal, still waiting for some answers. I may be the only one crazy enough to want this.

smartsexystylish

10-30-2008, 04:49 PM

I soo want details LOL

K.C.

10-30-2008, 05:23 PM

Initially I wanted the wall between the shower and the bathtub to be plasma ready with the TV mounted on the bathtub side (obviously!). TV on the shower side is a little too James Bond even for me ... although they do have such things at a price.

Mattamy said no to plasma wall because there will be plumbing in that wall.

Instead I will be putting the TV on the counter on the furthest right side. The counter goes on for miles so no issues there, going with only one sink just to be safe.

What Mattamy is doing to make this possible:

1) Putting in a cable TV outlet 44" above floor (just above the counter on the right side wall). Cost: $80

2) Putting in an extra GFI plug 44" above floor (just above the counter on the right side wall). Cost: $170

3) Putting in a grommet hole in Master Ensuite vanity (in the corner on the right) to accommodate TV cables, DVD player in cabinet. Waiting for confirmation they will do this and the cost. Should cost next to nothing, it's just a hole in the counter.

I still have to find a source for a waterproof TV. Not splashing water on your TV is not a problem, anyone can do that. However I want to make sure that with long term use there won't be problems caused to the components on the back of the TV because of high humidity. A small waterproof TV can be had for about $700. The DVD player doesn't need to be waterproof because it will be protected from humidity since it will be inside the cabinet.

When I'm laying in the tub facing the wall attached to the shower I will be able to watch the TV on the counter just by turning it a little bit. I went to the model house and lay in the bathtub, this is going to work! I can also watch TV while I'm doing my makeup or drying my hair at the make up counter on the furthest left side of the counter.

Total cost including waterproof TV about $1000. Who knew heaven on earth could be so cheap! Mattamy should make this an option.

smartsexystylish

10-31-2008, 09:38 AM

Can I say that I am a little jealous? LOL
Wow! Where on earth did you get that idea from? It's creative and brilliant HAHA

I absolutely love that idea. That is something you would only dream about and you are making it become reality! And I must say, that is a very reasonable price tag for it all!!

K.C. You must take photos of it, so the rest of us can continue dreaming :)

K.C.

10-31-2008, 10:11 AM

K.C. You must take photos of it, so the rest of us can continue dreaming :)

No problem Smartsexy.

When I first saw the length of the counter in the Northridge I thought it was a really weird design. It forced you to buy a second sink just to get the counter to look balanced. Having the TV there actually saves you $600 because you don't need to buy the second sink.

My husband and I debated this for a long time. He insisted that two sinks were necessary for resale value. I insisted that since we are going to be living there for at least 20 years maybe forever we should think about our own needs instead of what some strangers might want someday.

If you consider that the TV replaces the second sink, this setup only cost us an additional $400.

Another advantage to not having the second sink is that it makes it possible to have additional banks of drawers in the ensuite since less space is taken up by undercounter plumbing. I'm going to have a total of 10 drawers in the vanity plus another drawer for makeup in the makeup counter. It takes a woman to come up with these things!

A note to Mattamy engineers: Putting the makeup counter to the furthest left side of the counter was not the greatest idea. That corner of the counter is the only part that doesn't have direct natural light. The rest of the counter has a monstrous window on the opposite side. When doing your makeup direct natural light is a woman's best friend. Also the bathroom door and the ensuite linen closet opens right into where the woman of the house will be sitting doing her makeup. It's awkward and clumsy. I think the makeup counter would have been better on the right side. If the homeowner chose not to go with the makeup counter you could reverse the setup and leave the empty space on the left.

smartsexystylish

10-31-2008, 10:26 AM

I think you guys made a great descion, especially if you plan on staying there for a long time then why not create your house to the way you guys want!
Somthings are nice for resale value, but I would rather worry about that closer to the time of sellinig :)

I'm drooling! 10 drawers in the vanity LOL Definitely a woman's dream! You can out your make up everywhere and anywhere!

We decided that I will have the main bathroom (We call it the guest bathroom) all to myself pretty much so I can spread out all my make-up and hair products. My boyfriend will use the ensuite to get ready (I was being nice and let him have the stand up shower instead of showering in the bath tub)

K.C.

11-01-2008, 08:39 AM

I was being nice and let him have the stand up shower instead of showering in the bath tub

You ARE nice. I would've declared world war 3 just to get the ensuite to myself!

Our ensuite is big enough for both of us. Also we shower at completely different times. He showers in the morning and I shower at night. I work at home and I'm not a morning person.

K.C.

11-02-2008, 10:02 AM

On Baldwin the foundations have been poured all the way up to our lot #33. I think they will do lot #32 and lower in rapid succession in the next week or two. Now I'm getting excited. It looks like there are alot of Northridge houses on our street.

gagnon777

11-04-2008, 11:15 AM

K.C.

11-07-2008, 06:36 PM

I asked about an outlet in the walk in and was told it is against code :(

Joanne, I got a price back for the additonal ceiling light inside the closet. The price is $110 (this is not a pot light, but should be a light similar to the existing one).

Joanne

11-08-2008, 07:43 PM

I have signed off on my structural already, I never thought about the lighting in the closet. I still wish I could have an outlet in the closet! I bought a stonehurst (and so I have been hijacking you're thread!) and the walkin is within the ensuite. I know one model has a window in the walk in.

K.C.

11-08-2008, 07:51 PM

Apparently you can put an extra light anywhere you want for $110 as long as it's on an existing switch.

I'm going to put 2 extra lights in the garage, 2 extra lights in the walk in, 2 extra lights in the upper hall and 1 light in the space between the powder room and the front closet since the drawings show there is currently no light there at all. This could be a dark spot and you want some light where people are getting ready to leave the house. This section seems to have mirrored closet sliders but no light above, seems kind of silly. Maybe the drawing is wrong.

K.C.

11-08-2008, 07:55 PM

Did you guys know you get a really cheap plastic tub when you buy the model laundry? Yuck! And nobody told me you could request a quote for a stainless one until recently. I also asked for a quote for the side spray like the one they show in the model house. The side spray would be good for rinsing delicates. I'm going to try to fit the stainless sink and side spray into my budget.

Joanne

11-10-2008, 08:32 PM

agh! I wish I had put more lights in my lower hallway - I have 2!

I am going to rip out the cheap plastic tub post - close, and add some cabinets. Eventually ;)

Dave

11-10-2008, 09:01 PM

are you serious about the plastic tub?! That completely sucks. Doesn't the model laundry have counter top all the way around? :mad: Does this come up at your second design appt?

thanks.

K.C.

11-10-2008, 09:32 PM

Yes I'm serious about the plastic tub. I actually saw it today in the design centre just to see if I could tolerate it and it's gross.

This didn't come up at any of our design meetings. I only found out about it because I had to redo our entire contract because there were too many discrepancies.

I asked if I could get a side spray in the laundry tub and the consultant asked me if I also wanted a quote on a stainless sink. That's how I found out about the plastic tub being included with the model laundry.

The stainless sinks are not cheap either. They had one that was just over $800 and one that was just over $1000. The cost for the side spray is an additional $290 (I'm pretty sure that's the price for the side spray but need to check the contract to be sure). The side spray is similar to the one in the kitchen. It's crazy expensive I know but I bought both of them because I do hand laundry every other day because I have alot of delicates.

I also got the uppers. The total cost for the laundry is over $3000.

P.S.: The model laundry does NOT have countertop all the way around. It only has it in the areas that are NOT above the washer and dryer. Yeah, that pissed me off too.

K.C.

11-10-2008, 09:52 PM

I actually backed off on the additional ceiling lights and only added one light on the ceiling in the area above powder room and front closet because there is currently no light there at all. That's the place you really need a light because you are putting on your coat and checking your face to see if it's presentable and they decided you should do that in complete darkness! Nice mirrored closet sliders, too bad you can't see your own face! Who's the engineer on this house ... Stevie Wonder?

I also added 1 additional ceiling light in the walk-in closet.

I decided instead of getting a whole bunch of sconces through Mattamy and blowing the budget to hell I would have them do the rough-ins instead. If you have the rough-ins hooked up to an existing switch the cost is only $80 each. They finish the rough-ins very cleanly so it's not an eyesore if you want to wait awhile before putting in the sconces. Later you can buy your own wall sconces to suit your decor and if you want you can buy the kind that lets you turn the sconce off with a switch that is already on it like you do with a lamp. If you hook up your own wall sconces you're supposed to turn off the electricity first if you don't want to kill yourself ... just thought I'd mention that. If you're not comfortable doing this find someone who is.

I chose to have a total of 13 wall sconce rough-ins. 7 on the main floor (mostly in the hallway because it's so dark and long and in the dining area because they look really classy there) and 5 upstairs. 2 of the upstairs ones are on either side of the bed. I'm going to get the kind of wall sconces that have swing arms so you can read in bed with them.

There are some design rules on where and how to place wall sconces so check with your consultant before you decide where you should place them.

K.C.

11-11-2008, 11:06 AM

I'm listing the custom quotes I got from Mattamy. This may save some of you waiting time to find out if you want to do something or not.

Install vanity bank of drawers in main bath or ensuite $386. I'm putting in two banks in the main bath and two banks in the ensuite. In the ensuite I've asked them to do the drawers like the pot drawers in the kitchen. This option may actually cost a bit less but you would need to order two banks joined together making the cost over $700 total for the ensuite (actually maybe it would be alot less since the pot drawers in the kitchen don't cost that much). In the ensuite setup you would be getting 3 pot drawer style drawers with the top drawer being not as deep as the other two. You can't do this in the main bath because there is not enough width or I would have done the pot drawer style setup there as well. You don't get any of the drawers you see in the model house and the design book doesn't give you pricing on adding drawers to your main bath or ensuite so most people will be horribly disappointed if they were expecting to see drawers in their bathrooms. The only way you will get any included drawers is if you have only 1 sink in your bathroom. This would give you 1 small drawer on either side of the sink as included. If I wasn't putting a TV in the ensuite I would actually want to get two sets of pot drawer style banks of drawers (one to the left of the sink and one to the right). But my need to place the DVD player in the cabinet requires a grommet hole in the counter and putting in a row of drawers would make it difficult with the wiring. I'm still going to get 1 wide drawer in the right side as well. I took the two drawers that would have been included and asked them to turn it into 1 wide drawer so the styling matches the left side.

Install an additional approximately 6" recessed incandescent waterproof pot light with trim in master ensuite shower on existing switch. $212 (Mattamy code: ELC0000007)

Deep upper over fridge with 24" fridge panel $343. (Mattamy codes: KC/CABS0031 and KC/CABS0029)

Install Kindred QSL2225/12 stainless steel laundry sink in lieu of standard laundry tub. Faucet to be ordered and priced separately. $1052 (Mattamy code: PLC0000017)

To upgrade the laundry room faucet to the chateau brushed chrome 1 handle faucet with matching side spray model 7434BC for the laundry room sink. $276 (Mattamy code: PLC0000019)

Install vanity drawer under makeup counter (full length). Included cabinet line. $290 I thought the vanity drawer was included in the makeup counter but it's not. Mattamy code: BCC0000013)

Install additional particle board shelf approximately 12" above existing shelf around perimeter of master bedroom walk-in closet. $588 (Mattamy code: TRC0000034).

Also if you didn't order the marble shower seat and are getting the clear glass shower preplanned option in the ensuite shower, I strongly recommend you get it because the width of the seat is actually the full width of the shower not just 3 feet like it says in the description. Also having the seat will allow you to have more glass because they're changing the setup so that the glass goes from the ceiling all the way down to the top of the marble shower seat! This means your glass super shower will actually look much better than the one in the model house. If you are going for the four super jets option as well, this shower will look totally awesome!

Install ceiling centre BCC-02 28" in dining room. $234 This is the medallion type thingie that goes above your dining room chandelier. It's painted white like the ceiling.

K.C.

11-12-2008, 07:39 PM

Doesn't the model laundry have counter top all the way around?

The model laundry does not come with the countertop all the way around but you can purchase it for an additional $700 or maybe it's a bit more. However they advise against it because connecting the washer and dryer is a problem if you have a countertop over them.

We didn't get one but I think after we move in, I may want to come up with some alternative. The appliance manufacturers have something they call worktops which you can put over the appliances. In this case you would want to make sure you have front loaders. So far I haven't found a worktop that knocked my socks off. I"ll keep looking.

so excited

11-18-2008, 05:20 PM

Hello Neighbours!

We recently purchased the Northridge (on Baldwin, closing Dec/09) and have been searching the internet for price lists for upgrades. We have been dreaming of the upgrades we would love to have while staying within our budget! We were so happy to come across this site and meet some neighbours! I know we have to wait a few months till our appointments at the DC, just wondering if there is anywhere we could access some pricing? We have heard of some fabled design binder thing-y...

Style

11-18-2008, 05:42 PM

Welcome! The binder thingy you so speak of is the one they will give you at your orientation whenever that will be! Its filled with many useful things! After your orientation you will get to do a structural appointment which sections are labelled in the binder! It is there that you have to make the requested additions or subtractions to things like walls,extra electrical,9 foot ceilings,oak stairs,basement rough ins etc! then later on you will be called for a design appointment which will allow you to select all your finishing touches like cabinets,floor tiles,hardwood,carpet and many other things that come with a price!
You will also get to pick your brick packages later on in whatever order of who bought first amongst your neighbours!

David Heatherington the guy who created this fantastic forum also bought a Northridge elevation C I believe so you can ask him for specific prices on items you are inquiring about!
or join the facebook site and post there and someone will answer your question!
Welcome and look forward to seeing you in the neighbourhood!:)

K.C.

11-18-2008, 07:26 PM

Hi so excited. Welcome! I can't wait to move ... we're on Baldwin too. 154 Baldwin, lot 33. We bought a Northridge Elevation D (all brick). What's your lot number?

If you have any specific questions regarding pricing you can ask and I'll look it up in my binder. Pricing will probably change a little bit by the time you get to your orientation.

If you're anything like me you'll change your mind about upgrades a million times!

so excited

11-18-2008, 08:11 PM

Hi and thanks for your replies. We are dying to get our hands on that binder! So excited to move too (hence the name)! We are lot 77. I think we ended up with elevation A. Some of the initial upgrades that we weren't sure about were: the cost of upgrading the counter tops in the kitchen, the cost of the opening to the office and to the great room from DR with, and if possible, without the doors (we can buy later), the cost of the arches in the hallway and the cost of putting in an additional door from the garage to the house (would enter into the hall by the bathroom). Also, do you know how much they want to finish the entire basement? So curious to know what we can do before we move in, and what will have to wait!

K.C.

11-18-2008, 08:53 PM

the cost of upgrading the counter tops in the kitchen This one gets complicated. Varies depending on type of kitchen and group of material. Granite ranges from $4766 to $6812. Zodiac ranges from $5599 to $7992.

the cost of the opening to the office and to the great room from DR with, and if possible, without the doors (we can buy later) Openings cost $229 in either location. Opening plus double french doors costs $1650 for each location. We got the openings only.

the cost of the arches in the hallway 36” wide or less = $287. 36” to 60” wide = $414. 60” wide or wider = $775

the cost of putting in an additional door from the garage to the house (would enter into the hall by the bathroom) You’ll need to get a custom quote for this one. I’m not sure they’ll do it. It takes forever to get a quote back so I would try to request it as soon as you can ... maybe even before your orientation.

Also, do you know how much they want to finish the entire basement? They won’t finish the basement but they will put in a bathroom for you. You’ll have to get a custom quote. We already had the rec room option so our bathroom base cost was about $6500 for the basement. That included a 3 foot by 5 foot super shower and 4 foot vanity. We opted for no bathtub. We also added other cool things to the basement bathroom which ended up making the cost above $10,000 but it will be one cool bathroom!

Mattamy is building the basement bathroom and doing the Next Step for us ... I think the cost was around $8500. In the Next Step they finish the stairs to the basement with carpet and wood railing and also build a foyer at the bottom of the stairs. There are two doors leading into the basement from the foyer ... one straight ahead and one to the left. They wouldn’t do anything else in the basement. We’re having the basement finished by a “no drywall” contractor as soon as we move in. Our son wants his own apartment down there. It won’t be as nice as a drywall basement but any water issues will be much easier to deal with. We're also having the opening in the rear foyer into the kitchen widened so we can put 2 doors there. The cost to widen the opening is $161 and the cost for the two doors is $618. We wanted two doors there because our son wants to get a pool table down there as well as some gigantic furniture. He'll bring the furniture in through the front doors and through the kitchen on the way downstairs. Also having the two doors there means he doesn't have to meet Mom in the kitchen first each time he wants to go down to his apartment after he's been out of the house. His main entrance will be through the garage.

so excited

11-18-2008, 09:01 PM

Wow, thanks K.C. for the fast reply!!! That info is very helpful. We have some deciding to do! I think I may have to pass on my beautiful counters :( ...at least for the time being. I'll look into that extra door sooner than later, thanks for the tip there too. It's so great to meet people who have been through the process rather than playing the guessing game. Also really great to meet people in our community, I think we will have a very nice neighbourhood! I'm sure I will have many, many more questions as the days go by.

so excited

11-18-2008, 09:10 PM

How are you setting up the second door? We want to have a separate entrance and thought we could just put a wall with a door in the kitchen (between where a wall oven would go and the closet). Are you doing something different to have a totally separate entrance?

K.C.

11-18-2008, 10:25 PM

I think what you're suggesting is having an entrance from the side of the house. Our consultant mentioned that they had considered that option but there wasn't enough room at the side to meet the legal requirements. About 3 feet at the side is your property and the other 3 feet is your neighbor's.

We don't really have a separate entrance. It just feels like one ... if you try really hard to imagine that it's separate. :) When you enter the house through the garage in the Northridge you can go straight ahead into the kitchen or immediately turn right and go down the stairs to the basement. When Mattamy does the Next Step they remove the door on the right that leads to the basement, instead it's an open stairway. At the bottom is a foyer with a door on the left and a door going straight through. You can put locks on these doors.

To create a sense of privacy for our son especially when he has friends over for a party we decided that a set of doors on the wall where the pantry would go in the model kitchen would serve that purpose and it turns out to be a pretty cheap option. If you go with a single door it's even cheaper.

He says he would prefer to enter the house through the garage. I thought it seemed like a hassle but he thought it was cool if you have a keypad entry for the garage door opener. Also the door from the garage to the house comes with keyless entry ... there's a keypad included.

We also have the model kitchen which means we have the gigantic pantry on the same wall as the double doors. To get the extra space we needed for the double doors we cut into the closet and made it less deep. The rear foyer closet is really deep and even after we cut it down there was still 2 feet 7 inches left.

This might not be a good option for someone who is claustrophobic but it was really important for our son so that's what we're doing.

K.C.

11-27-2008, 10:24 AM

I just got a quote back to do pot drawer style drawers in the Ensuite. Since there is enough space there to do them I'm going to do it because not only is it much cheaper but's actually more useful than having a bank of drawers that is only 18" wide. The cost comparison is $772 for the 18" double bank of drawers versus $235 for the 36" single bank of drawers that take up the same amount of space. You save $537 and if you're a woman you know that wider drawers are way more useful than narrow drawers. You can put away your hair dryer, curling iron, curlers etc without struggling for space. I would do pot drawer style drawers in the main bath too but there isn't enough space to do 36" wide on either side of the sink so I'm sticking with 18" even though it costs more.

Here's the quote:

Mattamy code: BCC0000017 Price: $235

Install bank of drawers approximately 36" wide in the Master Ensuite layout in place of an existing cabinet. Bank of drawers will be sized to fit the width of the cabinet being replaced. Drawing required to confirm location.

I'm only having a bank put in on the left side of the sink but not the right because I have a TV on the right side and need to be able to put the DVD player inside the cabinet and having the bank of drawers would mess with the wiring since the DVD player would have to be placed inside a drawer and accessing it would tug at the wiring. However the included single drawer on the right side of the sink is already 36" wide so it will match the left. If you're thinking about getting these drawers I recommend doing them on both sides of the sink to maintain a consistent look. I had to make a compromise because I"m not willing to do without the TV or DVD player in the Ensuite.

If only I could find a waterproof TV with a built in DVD player at a reasonable price so I wouldn't have to put the DVD player inside the cabinet. Then I could be in pot drawer heaven!

Also the quote for the grommet hole in the counter to put the TV/DVD wiring down inside the cabinet is $42.

K.C.

11-27-2008, 11:03 AM

So I just got off the phone with a waterproof TV company in Mississauga and was told that pretty much all waterproof TV's are custom built and the smallest one this company makes is 23" for $2349. Their TVs are designed for outdoor use so they can take alot of stress. I'd really like to find a source in Canada that sells a smaller one for much less.

Also I was told that because of how DVD players work it is impossible to make one waterproof. The guy said just buy a cheap $20 to $30 DVD player from Walmart and when it dies buy a new one.

In light of this new information I've decided to put the DVD player on top of the counter instead and get pot drawer style drawers on both sides of the sink. I still want the $42 grommet hole in the counter so I can use it to hide all of the wiring for the the TV/DVD player in the top drawer.

K.C.

11-27-2008, 12:09 PM

The retail price for the 23" is $2349 but since we would be buying direct from the Canadian distributor (they're located in Mississauga) the cost for the 23" waterproof TV is $1960 SunBriteTV Model 2310HD. Lead time is 10 days. Payment half up front half when you pick up.

This TV is awesome. You can use it in your bathroom but you can also use it outdoors. That reminds me ... I need to ask Mattamy if they will place a cable outlet in the backyard! They must love me. They'll take two months but just maybe they'll say yes. A TV in the backyard would be great for when we build our outdoor kitchen. If they say no, we can still get someone to do it for us at a later date but it will cost alot more since they have to drill into the wall.

This TV has an all-weather enclosure that protects the internal components from RAIN, dirt, insects and scratches. It has an internal heater which protects it in temperatures as low as -24 degrees F. Also comes with water resistant remote control!

smartsexystylish

11-28-2008, 02:41 PM

K.C.
Have you had both your design appointments already? (Or have you only had one?)

I think you should re-write the binder and provide them with a copy to give them to give the homeowners lol :D
I'm a little disappointed that ALOT of items weren't in the book and we had to request pricing. I don't know how they can provide the binders without all the pricing. There are things Kevin and I would've added if we saw the pricing for it.

K.C.

11-28-2008, 08:01 PM

Hi Smartsexy, I'm done with all the appointments. There was some pricing I was waiting on even though we had finalized our contract.

I find it interesting that they show all sorts of things in their model homes that seem to be Mattamy specific things like built in bookshelves and when you try to get pricing for them it's very difficult. Some of my drawings show built in bookshelves as optional items but we were not able to get pricing back for them. I finally just gave up.

When it comes to the kitchen, alot of the useful information I got was from Aya. However I found Aya difficult to deal with as well. When I told them I was a Mattamy homeowner they got this weird look and their body language said they wanted to run away from me! I think Mattamy doesn't like them talking to homeowners. I went to 3 different Aya offices before I found someone who wasn't afraid to talk to me. I wouldn't have had to go to Aya if I was able to get more useful information from Mattamy.

smartsexystylish

11-29-2008, 12:03 PM

Wow! That's just nuts. I wouldn't be a happy camper if I hadn't received pricing for all the things I requested going into my appointments.

Yea, I have heard Aya doesn't like to deal with the homeowners until the home is finished with Mattamy.

Dave

12-10-2008, 09:44 AM

K.C.

12-10-2008, 10:09 AM

We decided that whatever we could easily get done after closing we would. So our crown, valence, range hood, faux doors on peninsula will all be done by Aya after closing.

I was told by someone at Aya that doing extras in the kitchen after close would be a problem with dark finishes because they might not match up exactly but light finishes would be no problem.

You might get more helpful information from the Aya office in Kitchener since they are the ones you would be directed to by Aya to do your after closing stuff. I believe the offices have territorial limits.

Alex&Vanessa

12-10-2008, 12:17 PM

We went to Aya in Oakville and the guy was very nice and helpful, he told us he could not give us pricing until we close but I told him the price that Mattamy wanted for the valence and Microwave shelf, and he told me their price would be about half

He assured me when it comes to staining that they do additions to kitchens years after the initial install and they can match the stain perfectly to the existing

We are doing the pantry, microwave shelf, faux doors on island, crown, valence, and a few other trim pieces like posts

K.C.

12-13-2008, 06:55 PM

I went to the site with my husband today. There has been sooo much progress on Baldwin just this week. Our house is completely framed and has a roof on it with shingles ready to go on. There was a senior Mattamy construction person in our house when we got there and he let us walk all throughout the house including all the rooms upstairs!

Here's some stuff I saw today that I thought was cool.

Bedroom 3 has what appears to be a completely vaulted ceiling not just partially vaulted like in the model. The window in this bedroom is monstrous and is exactly like the one in the model. I think you'll all be pleasantly surprised at how big this room actually is.

Many of the smaller windows seemed bigger than the ones in the model (i.e. upstairs hallway, main bath etc).

Also on the fronts of all the houses on Baldwin all the windows have real grills as standard not just the cheap taped grills like you find in a lot of Mississauga houses. Awesome!

There are many Northridge models on the street and each one seems to be a little bit different. I noticed one of the owners opted for the french doors off the master bedroom to the backyard. It was too expensive in my opinion but they looked cool. Maybe they plan on building a balcony or a two storey deck.

Also I saw a young girl skiing in the back of our houses from one end of Baldwin to the other!! The back yards are flat instead of sloped and there is alot of flat land behind that before the steep sloping starts.

K.C.

01-10-2009, 06:17 PM

I only have a half a minute to make this post but it's important so here it is.

We're selling our current home and there are so many showings this weekend we're checking into a hotel so I don't have to keep cleaning the house. I won't be able to respond to your questions regarding this post until probably Monday.

I went to the site and there has been electrical work done in the last few days.

I was shocked to find that the drawings the workers get do not correspond directly to your house if your house is flipped which most of the Northridge models on Baldwin are.

The workers are expected to flip the electrical to the opposite of what the drawing shows because the drawings are the opposite of the model. This is not the problem, the workers are flipping it correctly. However Mattamy expects your consultant to be Einstein and flip everything inside her head instead of providing her with a properly flipped drawing. Anyway to make a long story short in most rooms this is not a problem because the room configurations are not complex.

In my bedroom 3 I have a complex office suite and everything has to be placed just right or nothing will work. The phone lines, CAT5 and plasma in this room is completed and it is all wrong. I'm going to go to the construction site on Tuesday between 9AM and 5PM to sort it out.

I don't blame the consultant for this mistake I blame Mattamy for making it so complex. On their website they have a tool that easily lets you flip the drawings so you know exactly where everything will be. I assumed the consultants had similar tools for the actual drawings given to the workers who are building your house. I looked at the drawing that the workers left inside the house and discovered that they don't!

anxious_f

01-11-2009, 11:25 AM

It's funny that you mention this because our house was flipped as well...twice.

We asked which way our house would be laid out when we went to the design centre and Coreta told us that it would be flipped from the drawing, which is the same as the model. That was wrong. Our house is actually built the same as the drawing and FLIPPED from the model. This was a bit disappointing to us, because we liked it a bit better the other way. Oh well!

I don't believe that this has affected the layout of where we wanted anything in any of our rooms. I would definitely recommend telling them about the mistake ASAP! I noticed a couple of things that were done incorrectly in our place while I was visiting and thought that I would just wait to tell them at the framed walkthrough, partially to give them a chance to fix it on their own and partially to wait for them to be done everything and give them just one list. When we went for our framed walkthrough the other day, they had already started drywalling and I was told that it was too late to change the things that they had done wrong. I let it go for the time being because my in-laws were with us, but I'm going back on Monday to talk to them.

K.C.

01-12-2009, 07:08 PM

We asked which way our house would be laid out when we went to the design centre and Coreta told us that it would be flipped from the drawing, which is the same as the model. That was wrong. Our house is actually built the same as the drawing and FLIPPED from the model. This was a bit disappointing to us, because we liked it a bit better the other way. Oh well!

You see if the consultants are sometimes confused about which is the standard and which is the reverse, there will be all sorts of mistakes. Even if they knew what was what it would still be hard because the mental gymnastics you have to do would drive you nuts. That's why God created computers! I remember the first few times I went into the model house I kept getting lost. Why Mattamy doesn't just provide the consultants with flipped drawings to do the electrical stuff is beyond me. They are going to make mistakes because it is just too hard to do this stuff inside your head in a large house. All the rewiring they will have to do will cut into their profit margins not to mention all the unhappy homeowners. If my office set up got permanently screwed up I'd be livid. I spend most of my waking hours in my office.

I've left two messages today for the construction office to have the right person call me back. If he doesn't call me back in the morning, I'm going to show up at the site in the afternoon and I'm not leaving until somebody fixes this. My frame walk should be coming up any day now if they're going to be on time and they need to fix this right now.

Just as a by the way we sold our house with only TWO days on the market. That was one exhausting weekend. 9 private showings and two open houses. We got 98% of the asking price. The market has slipped since we bought our Mattamy house. I was hoping to start a price war with so much interest so fast but the pain threshold for buyers keeps getting lower and lower.

K.C.

01-13-2009, 04:08 PM

I've never been to the site during the day when all the workers are there. Boy is it busy over there! They're making so much progress.

Our wiring problems in bedroom 3 are going to be fixed right away.

Because they get so much work done in the latter stages of building your home, I'm going to try to go to the site twice a week to make sure I catch mistakes before or as they are making them so they can be prevented.

I was told that they like homeowners coming to check up on their houses during the week but that we need to stop in to the construction site office to pick up a hard hat and let them know we're there. Apparently the Ministry of Labor people are there frequently and Mattamy would get in trouble if they see a homeowner walking around a construction site without taking precautions.

It's hard to find a parking spot near the construction site office during the day because the workers park there. It was especially hard today because there was a ton of snow. They did have a snow plow trying to move the snow around.

Dave

01-13-2009, 06:20 PM

You see if the consultants are sometimes confused about which is the standard and which is the reverse, there will be all sorts of mistakes. Even if they knew what was what it would still be hard because the mental gymnastics you have to do would drive you nuts. That's why God created computers! I remember the first few times I went into the model house I kept getting lost. Why Mattamy doesn't just provide the consultants with flipped drawings to do the electrical stuff is beyond me. They are going to make mistakes because it is just too hard to do this stuff inside your head in a large house. All the rewiring they will have to do will cut into their profit margins not to mention all the unhappy homeowners. If my office set up got permanently screwed up I'd be livid. I spend most of my waking hours in my office.

I've left two messages today for the construction office to have the right person call me back. If he doesn't call me back in the morning, I'm going to show up at the site in the afternoon and I'm not leaving until somebody fixes this. My frame walk should be coming up any day now if they're going to be on time and they need to fix this right now.

Just as a by the way we sold our house with only TWO days on the market. That was one exhausting weekend. 9 private showings and two open houses. We got 98% of the asking price. The market has slipped since we bought our Mattamy house. I was hoping to start a price war with so much interest so fast but the pain threshold for buyers keeps getting lower and lower.

Mind if I ask who you used for an agent? We're getting a bit anxious about putting our place up... not exactly sure when to put it on the market.

Thanks.

K.C.

01-13-2009, 06:42 PM

We used Wendy McCloy from Royal LePage. I almost fired her because I got so anxious on Sunday. In the end she pulled it off and I think her strategy was good even though I was very anxious about it.

Joanne

01-13-2009, 10:30 PM

We're getting a bit anxious about putting our place up... not exactly sure when to put it on the market.

Dave - you close about a month after me (lot 10) in August correct? We are planning to put our house up early spring (late March). I have seen data for over 7 years showing that the market picks up in early spring. With the financial situation the way it is right now I am a little nervous though.

K.C.

01-14-2009, 08:51 AM

Joanne, I looked at similar info as well. Spring is supposed to be up, summer down, fall up and winter down. The market has been in a decline since last spring with a slight uptick in October. I don't know if this year is going to be a normal year with spring going up again. I hope for everyone's sake that it is. Our closing is April 1st and I wasn't expecting so much momentum right off the bat but you have to deal when the interest is there. Every day you wait to close the deal works against you as a seller.

I think it might be a good strategy to list a little bit early with a long closing so the people who have to sell their own houses to buy yours can have some breathing room if they buy before they sell. They wouldn't want to sell in the summer time because prices dip then.

Our buyers are first time home owners and they were anxious to close early but we told them they would have to wait.

babymaeby

01-14-2009, 09:28 AM

I don't envy those of you who have to decide when to start selling...we are 1st timers too, it makes it so much less pressure - we can move whenever, as long as we give 60 days notice.

Especially in this market - I feel for you!

K.C.

01-14-2009, 09:36 AM

I think this is a great time for a first timer to buy. We bought at the bottom of the market. The house we sold was our first. We were able to buy our dream house right away. It makes a huge difference in your ability to accumulate equity. If you don't have to move for a long time think of all the money you save not having to pay real estate fees and closing costs every time you sell. That's why I've built our Mattamy house as a dream house. We lived in our first house for 13 years. I plan to live at Mill Pond for at least 20 years. When our son is ready to buy his first home I want it to be in the same subdivision or nearby.

Because we built equity in our first house so fast I was able to build two businesses during uncertain times. As Buffet says you should jump in when everybody is heading for the exit.

K.C.

01-15-2009, 08:45 AM

Dave

01-15-2009, 09:35 AM

K.C.

01-15-2009, 09:40 AM

Thanks Dave. Do you have a code for the safe and sound wall? If you have your contract readily available it would be helpful if you can provide me with the code, description and price. I'm pretty sure it wasn't offered to us as an option.

Dave

01-15-2009, 10:03 AM

anxious_f

01-15-2009, 10:43 AM

I know that for us, it was not provided as an option. They offered the 'safe-n-sound' doors for us, but that was all. I wanted to add sound proofing insulation to all walls of the laundry. I may even go through the effort of doing it after close if Mattamy won't make the change for me at this stage.

Dave

01-16-2009, 07:40 PM

Somebody was talking about a quiet wall on a different model. I wonder if it's possible to get Mattamy to do something to make the wall between bedroom 3 and the laundry quiet. I'd pay extra for that! Bedroom 3 is going to be my office and I just know my husband and I will have fights about when he can do the laundry.

Actually I think I'm getting my bedroom 3 and 2 mixed up because the drawing shows 2 bedroom 2's. The room I'm talking about is the one with the vaulted ceiling and located right next to the laundry room.

I didn't forget about you K.C. I just couldn't find all of my paper work... plus there's not a lot of free time with a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. Any way here it is:

Code: TR/MISC0019
Description of Request: R-13 BATT INSUL IN WALLS. Install R-13 batt insulation in the interior walls of specified room. See sketch to confirm location of work. Batt insulation will not be installed where it conflicts with mechanical or electrical work. [Room Notes: Between Bedroom 3 and Laundry Room]
Amount: $153.00

K.C.

01-16-2009, 08:32 PM

Thanks Dave. I would have liked to have got that but taking a closer look at the description they probably would have denied us this option because we have a plasma wall where the insulation would go.

I envy you having two little ones ... except for the sleepless nights!

My son is all grown up. I always said I'd like to have another one but my goal of having another one in 10 years turned into 24 years. My son says I'm too old to have more kids (I'm 42). He thinks my husband and I are going to drop dead from old age making him an instant parent!

K.C.

01-17-2009, 06:20 PM

There's 2 new 50' floor plans being offered by Mattamy. I can't find the actual floor plans on the website but I picked up a price list. The Lexington may be tempting for some people. This is all the detail I have on the 2 plans:

Adamson: 2190 sq. ft., 4 bedroom, 3 elevations ranging from $314,990 to $326,990.

Lexington: 2997 sq. ft., 4 bedroom with loft. 2 elevations ranging from $354,990 to $359,990.

These 2 floor plans look like they are mostly in the Phase 3 section of the subdivision.

The winter incentives being offered seem to be similar to the incentive we received when we bought in May.

K.C.

01-17-2009, 06:41 PM

They put in our Next Step so we were able to go downstairs to the basement. It's really spacious, much better than the model basement. Also the larger windows are placed much better than I imagined and there is a lot of light down there. A tall person can look right outside through all the windows without tilting his head.

K.C.

01-21-2009, 08:47 AM

So we're getting ready for the framewalk tomorrow and I decided to have a closer look at the drawings for the bell, cable and cat5's.

I think there may be some general confusion between design consultants and construction staff about what flipped means and how to deal with it.

In most instances it doesn't matter because flipped or not the location ends up being the same so it's hard to screw it up.

I'm getting the impression that consultants are told to assume the drawing is flipped even though it isn't and to draw in the electrical stuff looking only at each individual room instead of it's location relative to other things. The construction staff are told to flip the drawing by turning it upside down and reading it through the paper. This results in double flipping which in some cases creates problems. For example if you wanted your cable hooked up to the right side of the fireplace it may actually end up on the left.

In most instances you can tolerate the mistake but when there gets to be too many of them it's really annoying. What was the point of asking us where we wanted things if they were going to end up the opposite of what you actually wanted? I feel bad asking the construction staff to redo stuff in the freezing cold when it looks like Mattamy has a process problem with regard to how they have instructed their consultants and workers. I don't think this is a consultant specific problem. I think it's a Mattamy wide problem.

K.C.

01-23-2009, 04:26 PM

During the framewalk there were a few minor flipping issues which they are going to resolve.

There was one major issue we discussed but I noticed they didn't write down on the framewalk list that I am going to make sure does get fixed. In the powder room they put the toilet in the wrong place. It isn't even where the drawing says it should be. The toilet should be on the left and the sink on the right with the light right above it. The way they have it now the toilet is on the right with the light right above it. I tried to explain to them that nobody would ever put a light above the toilet and no light above the sink and mirror where you actually need one. They said they would move the toilet to the left.

We also noticed that there is no AC outlet in the hallway niche that is closest to the front closet and powder room. That niche is a great place to put a console table but you couldn't actually plug anything in there since there's no power. This is where you might want to charge your cellphone or place a lamp on the console table. If I had known there would be no AC there I would have paid extra to put one there.

Most other parts of the house are beautifully designed but when it comes to the main hallway somebody seems to have had a brain freeze. Remember they also didn't put a light in front of the front closet on the drawings. We paid extra to have one put in.

anxious_f

01-23-2009, 04:52 PM

We also noticed that there is no AC outlet in the hallway niche that is closest to the front closet and powder room. That niche is a great place to put a console table but you couldn't actually plug anything in there since there's no power. This is where you might want to charge your cellphone or place a lamp on the console table. If I had known there would be no AC there I would have paid extra to put one there.

Since this is on the main floor it should be relatively easy to add an outlet there yourselves, post construction. You would just need to fish the wire up from the basement.

K.C.

01-23-2009, 05:50 PM

Good idea. I think we'll do that. Thanks!

K.C.

01-25-2009, 08:44 PM

This house selling business is a little more complicated than I thought. I told you guys we sold the house in 2 days at very close to our asking price. Well we had to do it again but this time it took 6 days and sold at a very similar price to the first time but the buyer is more solid.

I can't believe what's going on out there. We are the exception to the rule because we priced the house very reasonably and prepped the hell out of it. Our agent said we got almost all of the available traffic and houses that might be considered comparable and priced similarly got almost no traffic. But I think that's because no house in this area really compares to ours. About 12 years ago I made alot of money and pimped out the house like I was never going to sell it.

Here's what happened.

On January 10th and January 11th we had 2 open houses and 9 private showings and received 2 competing offers on January 11th. We took the highest offer which was the second one and not too far away from our asking price. The offer of course was conditional on financing and the couple was preapproved to the amount they offered. It seems the bank mixed up their paperwork but nobody found out about it until after we had walked away from the deal and found another buyer. The bank still has not fixed their mistake and we just wanted to be done with this and wanted a solid buyer at a similar price to what we sold at before.

Over the last 16 days we have had 16 private showings, 4 open houses, 4 offers, 2 sales, taken 8 days off between sales, spent several nights in a hotel and almost lost our minds!

We even had an agent who appeared to be stalking us and I asked my agent to find a way to make him go away! The more perfect he found out the house was the crazier he got because his client wasn't willing to bid it up to a reasonable price.

The bad agents with weak buyers start low and end high. The good agents with solid buyers start high and meet you somewhere in the middle and had no problem with larger deposits if required although we didn't actually make any of them do that. The bad agents with marginal buyers always say no to larger deposits.

The biggest problem I had with this process is having to deal with desperate agents. The buyers are tolerable but I recommend you get yourself a trustworthy agent who keeps the buyers away from you till the deal is done. There is more desperation among bad agents than there is among buyers or sellers.

I think the biggest problem you guys will have is finding a buyer who can actually close the deal and offer you a good price. Use the hungry agents and marginal buyers to drive up the price but do the deal with somebody who isn't going to flake out at the last minute and leave you in a desperate situation.

K.C.

01-29-2009, 02:45 PM

God I feel lonely on this board!

We went to the site today with our basement contractor. He spent about an hour taking measurements. There were so many workers in the basement already it was like a traffic jam. Mattamy's been really great about letting our contractor do what he needs to get ready to build the basement apartment starting on April 1st, our closing date.

They were also drywalling all throughout the house. Both bathtubs upstairs are in. The toilet in the powder room still needs to be moved but there is a note for the workers to do that.

I overheard a worker in the basement talking to a supervisor about our basement bathroom and flipping and how it was like playing Russian roulette! Oh boy!

Dave

01-29-2009, 02:53 PM

K.C.

01-29-2009, 03:04 PM

Mattamy is doing our basement bathroom and the next step and the outside contractor is doing the rest.

The bathroom Mattamy is doing is a bargain but the Next Step is a complete rip off.

K.C.

01-29-2009, 04:08 PM

I had called Rocky at the construction office about bringing in the contractor on the weekend and he said it would be better to do it on a weekday if possible because otherwise he would have to get a hold of the weekend security guy and it was too late to do that for this weekend. That's why we went up today. I just thought you guys might want to know that so you don't show up at your house on the weekend and find it locked.

so excited

01-29-2009, 09:06 PM

K.C.

01-29-2009, 10:16 PM

That's really great there was no problem with having your basement contractor there during the building is going on. We want to do the same. Thanks for the tip about the weekend lockup....although 2 months still seems so far away! KC, I remember you had a quote for making the doorway opening at the back of the kitchen (the rear foyer) wide enough for a double door. Did that require a custom quote? What was the cost? We have our structural app't Feb 17 and want to know if we should call ahead regarding this.

If you want to bring in your contractor call Rocky ahead of time and book an appointment. Then go to the construction office and pick up hard hats before you go into the house. It's super busy in there so try to stay out of the workers' way and try to do all your measuring around them.

There was a custom quote for the opening in the back of the kitchen and it's really cheap. The double doors are just standard doors that I ordered quantity 2 of. If you are getting the Model Kitchen (which has the monster pantry) it's important to stick to these exact measurements so you will have enough room for it all. During your framewalk double check the measurements to be sure you don't screw up the pantry. We also made the double doors safe and sound doors (there's a separate charge for that). As well the two doors at the bottom of the stairs into the basement are safe and sound doors.

Here's the info from our contract:

Code: MO/GARAGE_CLOSER
Price: $161
Description: REDUCE GARAGE ENTRY CLOSET APPROX. 2'7"
Reduce depth of closet at Garage entry to approx. 2'7" deep. Increase arch between Garage Entry and Kitchen to approx. 5'-3". (Electrical may be relocated accordingly to accomodate change). Sketch required for site and sign-off.

Quantity: 2
Price: $618 total ($309 per door)
Code: TR/DRS0021
Description: ADD SINGLE 96" INTERIOR DOOR TO ARCH
Install the specified SINGLE 96" tall Interior Door in the trimmed arch in the specified room. See sketch. (Room Notes: KITCHEN TO GARAGE ENTRY)

K.C.

01-30-2009, 07:47 AM

The phone number for the construction office is 519-651-1171. I think they open around 7:30AM. I would call very early in the morning.

Leave a message for Rocky and he will call you back. When I first met Rocky I thought he was way too intense and scary but he's growing on me. He can really make things happen. Don't go by people's titles and what they say they can do for you. Rocky is the man!

anxious_f

01-30-2009, 02:09 PM

That's one thing we are really going to miss when we move... the basement. Right now our basement is finished (about 1100 sq ft) and basically filled with our kids toys. I don't know what we are going to do until we finish the basement in the new house...

We have the same situation with our basement, except ours is much smaller. :D

Right now, our basement is set up as a play room for the kids and most of their toys are down there. I'm going to buy a bunch of those foam floor mat pieces that fit together and cover a lot of the basement with it and that will become the kids play area...at least for the first year until I finish the basement.

K.C.

01-31-2009, 08:19 AM

babymaeby

01-31-2009, 10:14 AM

One thing that Rocky mentioned which I thought was cool is that since there is no arch between the kitchen and the great room the entire ceiling in that area will be smooth. I think people with other models have been quoted about $1K for smooth ceilings just in the great room. Bonus!

This happened for us too - since there was no way to do a clean divide from kitchen to great room on the ceiling, we got a smooth ceiling in our great room included - awesome!

K.C.

01-31-2009, 06:45 PM

Went to the site today. We were surprised to find the house open with workers inside. It's warmer inside now that it's insulated and the drywall is up.

We did not get the his and hers closets so ours is just one big one. It's even more massive than I imagined. It was a good idea to get the extra ceiling fixture put in. I still think there's not going to be enough light because it's so huge. I'm glad we got the extra shelving above the existing shelving that goes all around the perimeter of the closet ... that was a custom quote. With the 9 foot ceilings that would have been alot of wasted space up there otherwise. At $588 it seemed like alot of money for it but considering the amount of space in there it's probably a bargain. I'll need to get a ladder to keep in the closet ... maybe a nice wood one from the Amish in Millbank.

I'm also thinking of getting a really long island with lots of shelving below to put up against the back wall. There is plenty of space in there to create a sitting area. Too bad you can't put an AC outlet in a closet so you could plug in a lamp. I think they have lamps that are battery operated that you can put on top of something and then only use them infrequently.

K.C.

02-01-2009, 11:04 AM

That's really great there was no problem with having your basement contractor there during the building is going on. We want to do the same. Thanks for the tip about the weekend lockup....although 2 months still seems so far away! KC, I remember you had a quote for making the doorway opening at the back of the kitchen (the rear foyer) wide enough for a double door. Did that require a custom quote? What was the cost? We have our structural app't Feb 17 and want to know if we should call ahead regarding this.

If you want to bring in your basement contractor wait until all the plumbing, electrical, duct work and furnace is in which should be around 60 days before your closing date.

We are not doing a drywall basement. It will have no drywall except in the bathroom and the Next Step. The bathroom will have tile up the sides of the walls about 5 feet high and drywall above that.

It's important that you have the right type of home insurance. Make sure you get your insurance company to insure the basement for potential future water damage since our subdivision is supposed to have a high water table. A lot of insurance companies don't offer this type of coverage but ours does and it's very inexpensive. Our basement will be insured for up to $200K including the structure and contents.

Because our walls are going to be built using waterproof panels and easily removable in case Mattamy needs access to the foundation in case of a leak the potential for catastrophic financial losses is eliminated. We just have to be careful we don't design the kitchen in a way that the cabinetry would have to be torn down to access the foundation.

I personally prefer drywall basements but it is primarily is going to be used by our son until he buys a house of his own.

It is a very large space and finishing it is going to be expensive. Our lender doesn't really like the idea of lending money to do this. They said they would rather wait until the market has stabilized and give us the money in about a year's time. My son won't wait a year so we're going to be squeezed to do all this with our own money. This thing is going to end up costing close to $70K by the time we're done. I'll be the homeowner with the really high baseboards, monster trim, finished basement and no food in the fridge!

Dave

02-04-2009, 01:29 PM

Hey KC... what is Elevation D in the Northridge? When we bought there were only elevations A,B, and C.

Thanks
Dave

Alex&Vanessa

02-04-2009, 04:21 PM

Mattamy added an all brick elevation to all 43 and 50 foot models, in the 50' elevation D is the all brick

K.C.

02-04-2009, 06:37 PM

Dave, I think Elevation D was always available. When we went in to buy at the beginning of May I told them if they didn't have an all brick version I wasn't interested in buying anything at Mill Pond. At that time there were only 2 lots left on Baldwin that could accommodate a Northridge at the lot premiums we were willing to pay (lot 33 and 34). I didn't like 34 because it was next to a 43 (snob that I am).

D is alot like B. It doesn't have the front porch but it has the bay windows in the living room. It's all brick except for a very small area near the window in the laundry room.

K.C.

02-07-2009, 08:15 AM

When we ordered the recycling centers I figured they would place the handles in a way that would look good but their approach seems to be to not put handles on them at all. Deleting them is not practical. Constantly touching the doors with your hands is going to cause them to wear unevenly after a few years. I was thinking of asking them to put the handles on sideways. The problem is the two recycling centers are below the breakfast bar and there is a third door that opens into the corner. I think putting the handles sideways on this door as well would work because you almost never use it. Corner cabinets is where you throw all your junk because you can never find anything in there.

You'd think for the ridiculous prices they charge for recycling centers they would have come up with an acceptable solution.

I wanted the recycling centers below the breakfast bar because that's where I would be unwrapping packages and also with the Model Kitchen that's where it makes the most sense because it's closest to the refrigerator.

Does anybody have a better idea how to handle this?

K.C.

02-07-2009, 09:15 PM

We met with our basement contractor today and he came up with a really good floor plan for the basement that includes one very large bedroom/living room/office, one medium sized bedroom, a decent sized storage room/laundry room, a kitchen and a huge recreation area that includes a pool table. The bathroom is already there.

The design allows for the ability to access almost 100% of the outside walls in case of a foundation leak.

The square footage of the basement is enough to rival a small house. It's 1338 square feet. If you calculate square footage the way Mattamy does it's probably closer to 1500 square feet.

Our son is really excited. It's going to take only 5 weeks to complete building the apartment. We'll take lots of pictures and post them about the middle of May. When I have the floor plan in PDF form I'll post a link to it.

Bijal

02-08-2009, 08:58 PM

Hey everyone,

We just went by our house this weekend and saw that the tiles are in for the master bathroom. Anyone know how many rows are suppose to be on the wall surrounding the tub? They did 1 full tile and 1/2 tile so it finishes just under the window.

I hope this makes sense.

Bijal

K.C.

02-08-2009, 09:06 PM

From the online video it looks like it might be 3 rows of tile.

K.C.

02-08-2009, 09:35 PM

Remember I posted before that I saw a young girl skiing from one end of Baldwin to the other behind our houses? Well today I saw a middle aged man doing the same thing! First he went one way and then he went the other way.

I hope some deer show up soon. :)

Bijal

02-10-2009, 10:14 PM

Thanks K.C. We'll have to see if they did this right or not.

K.C.

02-11-2009, 06:39 PM

Bijal, when do you close and which lot number are you?

K.C.

02-13-2009, 01:22 AM

Here's the layout for the basement. http://engineeringlab.dyndns.org/NorthRidgeBasement.pdf

The bedrooms, stairs, and foyer will be carpeted and the rest is tiled including the furnace room.

The kitchen is small but we had a hard time staying inside the budget.

The $1350 the government is going to give us is going to be a huge help!:)

Dave

02-13-2009, 12:55 PM

looks good KC. Is that area beside the furnace area going to be used for storage? If so, I would maybe put double doors on there and eliminate the wall between there and the storage area... that way you increase the total storage area and the double doors makes it easier for large objects to get in and out... just a thought.

K.C.

02-13-2009, 01:49 PM

No Dave, the room next to the furnace area is the bathroom with supershower and vertical spa ... Mattamy is building this.

The furnace room will have 2 sliding doors that are the entire length of one wall and we don't plan to store anything in there. He can even place a small piece of furniture in front of it without completely blocking access to the furnace.

The storage room is at the other end of the house. It's a combined storage/laundry room and he'll access it through the 2nd smaller bedroom. This room has a window in it and the under the stairs closet type space is in there as well. We don't have much to store. Mostly we need storage for office stuff and since we'll be using 3 rooms in the main part of the house for offices storage is not an issue.

It's a bit of a weird design but a better one was much higher than we budgeted. The 2nd bedroom is only going to be used by the occasional guest our son might have. He plans to turn the basement into party central.

One thing that I am going to make sure they do is put a 32" door on the largest bedroom so our son can fit his gigantic sectional through. The Next Step comes with 32" doors in the foyer. You can also take the rail off to get more width when bringing furniture down. Since we had the arch widened in the kitchen to accommodate double doors near the rear foyer, it will be easier to angle in large pieces like a pool table.

You just gave me an idea to put double doors on the 2nd smaller bedroom and put 2 sliding doors on the laundry/storage room since we'll have to fit appliances through there to reach the washer and dryer connections in the corner of the house. If we ever have something large to store, it'll be easy.

Dave

02-13-2009, 01:59 PM

Well it looks awesome. Luckily I don't need to budget for such things right now as my son is only 2 ;) In the basement in our current house we have double doors to our furnace/storage area and it really comes in handy.

K.C.

02-13-2009, 02:46 PM

I thought 2 year olds were demanding until I had a 24 year old. He expects me to provide him with an apartment, a job and a new car. I'm such a sucker!

I count my blessings because at least he hasn't knocked anybody up. :)

DanielleandCody

02-13-2009, 10:23 PM

Wow that looks amazing KC!!! You said that Mattamy is doing it for you I'm assuming then that it will be completed on your possession date?? I think you used the space very well!!! I'm very excited for you guys. D

K.C.

02-13-2009, 11:06 PM

Thanks Danielle, Mattamy is only doing the bathroom and Next Step. They don't do complete basements in this subdivision. We hired an outside contractors to finish the rest of the basement starting on April 1st, our closing date. The apartment should be completed by the middle of May. I'll post pictures.

so excited

02-18-2009, 05:42 PM

KC...layout looks great! I'll have to figure out a way to post our layout at some point. Did you get zoning approved by the city for an in-law suite?

K.C.

02-18-2009, 06:15 PM

KC...layout looks great! I'll have to figure out a way to post our layout at some point. Did you get zoning approved by the city for an in-law suite?

Thanks for bringing that up. I'd been lulled into thinking that you didn't need to get a permit by all the yahoos who build their own basements. I just asked my contractor about that. He said that most people don't get permits because it increases their property taxes. I asked him how much it would cost and how long it would take to get it. He said it costs about $300 and takes 1 week. I insisted that he get a permit. I don't want to pay higher property taxes but I like to do things right.

K.C.

02-18-2009, 06:32 PM

I'll have to figure out a way to post our layout at some point.

Do you have it in PDF format?

so excited

02-18-2009, 06:45 PM

Our contractor didn't think it was a big deal to get the permit...he is looking into for us. He actually brought it up to us and got the ball rolling. As for the layout, no PDF yet...we are still in the pencil and paper stages...changing our minds and moving walls and doors!

K.C.

02-18-2009, 07:00 PM

Do you know what you want included ... kitchen, bedrooms, laundry etc?

so excited

02-18-2009, 07:10 PM

Yes, we have a layout drawn. It will have the whole kit and caboodle. We were waiting to find out where rough in would be placed, furnace, etc. Had our structure app't yesterday (brought our contractor with us lol!) so we were able to get some questions answered. We are haggling a bit over room sizes and placement. Getting there though, slowly but surely. We don't close until Dec so we have some time!

K.C.

02-18-2009, 07:15 PM

Had our structure app't yesterday (brought our contractor with us lol!) so we were able to get some questions answered.

Ha! I would've loved to have seen that. You're even braver than I am!

so excited

02-18-2009, 07:25 PM

Yes, they did seem a little taken aback! But, our home and our $, so we didn't see the big deal....especially because Mattamy doesn't deal with basement finishing. Our consultant ended up being helpful...after the surprise wore off....hahahahaha

K.C.

02-18-2009, 07:34 PM

You didn't tell them you were bringing him? It just keeps getting better ...

so excited

02-18-2009, 07:42 PM

We actually didn't plan on it, it was a last minute thing. We met with our contractor on the wkd, he had some questions we didn't have answers for and said we would ask at the app't. He had time to join us on Tues after the long wkd, so it just worked out that way!

K.C.

02-18-2009, 07:45 PM

Cool. I like that you caught them off guard. It's about time somebody did to them what they keep doing to the homeowners. We should suggest other homeowners show up with their contractors to their appointments.:D It used to piss me off that I never got a call back when I left a message.

K.C.

02-19-2009, 08:41 PM

Did you get zoning approved by the city for an in-law suite?

Our contractor just called. He said he contacted the city of Cambridge. He's going to help us fill out the forms and get the proper documentation together. Then we have to take it to somewhere in Cambridge and pay the fee. I can run over during the day and do this since our contractor works out of Markham. The permit should take only 10 days.

We need to get proper drawings from Mattamy for the whole house including the custom stuff.

He said to get the permit we need the following:

Application form
Drawing for the basement with our layout from the contractor
Drawings from Mattamy for:

the whole house
the Next Step
basement bathroom
the two double doors at the garage to kitchen entry

The fee is 35 cents per square foot. Our basement square footage is 1336 x 0.35 = $467.60.

I'm going to call the construction office tomorrow and ask for the drawings. I want to sign the contract and file for the permit by March 10th so we can start on April 1st.

K.C.

02-20-2009, 11:31 AM

I love small towns!

So I called the construction office and Suzanne told me that Rocky is out for the day but the drawings I need can't be provided because they belong to the company they contract out to and they probably won't give them to me because I am not yet the legal owner. She gave me the name of someone at head office who I left a message for but God knows when that person will call me back if ever.

I decided to call the City of Cambridge since Suzanne said that they would already have the drawings and permit applications for our Next Step, basement bathroom and two doors at the top of the stairs. It turns out they don't even have a revised permit application and the basement bathroom is already being constructed ... the plumbing for the vertical spa is already in. How is the city supposed to inspect the building of something when they don't even have a permit application?

This whole construction business is so open to corruption ... kind of like the real estate business ... who's in charge of this crap? I'd run for public office if I wasn't so easily annoyed. The homeowner can't get access to the drawings or permit applications until they take possession. You can file an application under the freedom of information act but only after you can't do anything to fix whatever might have been done wrong.

The difference in Cambridge is that it's a small town and when I explained my predicament to them the city people were very open and helpful. They pulled out my file. Joan talked to Mary who talked to David and I now have a clue. Now that's what I call freedom of information!

I really do need to get to the bottom of this because the city said that the way I put the double doors in at the top of the stairs in the kitchen is very important because it concerns fire safety regulations. I can't wait until the work is done for Mattamy to file the permit. If the city doesn't like the way we set it up I'm not going to pay to have it torn down and redone. It's not my fault Mattamy files permits after the work is already completed.

K.C.

02-20-2009, 12:14 PM

I got a call from the construction office. They said they are going to file a revised permit in about 2 to 3 weeks. I said but the work will already be completed by then ... how is the city supposed to inspect it. They said the original permit had the 3 piece rough-in and when the bathroom is completed the plumbing for the vertical spa is going to be exposed even when it's finished because they are only going to finish the inside walls of the bathroom, not the outside. Good thing we're finishing the basement right away.

I still have to figure out if the doors at the top of the stairs are going to be a problem with regard to fire safety. Since I have no drawing to show the city I'll just have to be very descriptive ... over the phone!

I can't file my own permit for the basement with the city because Mattamy won't have filed theirs yet.

K.C.

02-20-2009, 04:07 PM

KC...layout looks great! I'll have to figure out a way to post our layout at some point. Did you get zoning approved by the city for an in-law suite?

Do you have a lookout or walkout lot? We don't and I've been talking to the zoning guy at the city of Cambridge and we have a problem.

He said what we are doing qualifies as a duplex and our area is not zoned for that. The fee to apply for a zoning change is $3000 and that doesn't mean you'll get the change, it just means they'll have a meeting about it.

I told him our intention was never to create a multi family dwelling. Only our son will be living down there and when he moves out we'll be the only ones using it.

He says the combination of the bathroom, kitchen and separate entrance (even though the entrance is inside the house) creates a tricky situation. He agreed to meet with us informally next week to find a way to work around this.

Although I don't have any proper drawings from Mattamy the zoning guy said he'll work with the sketches we got when we signed the contract. He also wants to see the layout we got from the basement contractor. I think there are going to be safety issues there as well. I found him to be extremely helpful. I just wish all the people that are getting my money were half as helpful as he is.

I know people build basement apartments without getting permits but they're so unsafe. I don't think the city is unreasonable in wanting us to do things right. Everything they want us to do is what I wanted to do as well but the "professionals" kept telling me it was not necessary.

The city is concerned about the same thing I am ... my son's safety.

I wish Mattamy was more open and cooperative. One of the things I want to do is make the basement windows even bigger than the rec room windows so he could escape directly without having to go upstairs in case of a fire. There is enough room there in my opinion to put in much bigger windows. They're charging us $8500 to do the Next Step. I think this option can really only justify a price of $3500 at the most considering how little they do for it. They should increase the size of the windows even more ... they have the profit margins to do it.

anxious_f

02-20-2009, 10:26 PM

One of the things I want to do is make the basement windows even bigger than the rec room windows so he could escape directly without having to go upstairs in case of a fire.

I'm 6' and 250 lbs and I can fit through the rec room ready sized windows fairly easily. I've already been through them once. :rolleyes:

K.C.

02-20-2009, 11:02 PM

I'm 6' and 250 lbs and I can fit through the rec room ready sized windows fairly easily. I've already been through them once. :rolleyes:

I'm so glad you're as crazy as I am!!

Thanks for posting that ... it's going to be a big help. I'm going to the site tomorrow and I'm going to take pictures and measurements of the windows to show the zoning guy so he'll cut us some slack.

Dave

02-21-2009, 09:00 AM

I'm so glad you're as crazy as I am!!

Thanks for posting that ... it's going to be a big help. I'm going to the site tomorrow and I'm going to take pictures and measurements of the windows to show the zoning guy so he'll cut us some slack.

Hey K.C... if you get the chance perhaps you could take a pic of our lot (lot 11 ph 2, lands ct.) Lat time I was up there they had just started framing and I'm curious as to how things have progressed.

Cheers.

fletcher

02-21-2009, 09:24 AM

Hey K.C... if you get the chance perhaps you could take a pic of our lot (lot 11 ph 2, lands ct.) Lat time I was up there they had just started framing and I'm curious as to how things have progressed.

Cheers.

Dave,
We are planning a site visit today. I can send you a few pics of your house.

Kev

Dave

02-21-2009, 01:01 PM

Dave,
We are planning a site visit today. I can send you a few pics of your house.

Kev

Cool... thanks!

K.C.

02-21-2009, 03:09 PM

Sorry Dave, I didn't see your message until after we got back. We had to leave the house early this morning. Looks like Kev has you covered.

so excited

02-21-2009, 06:01 PM

It's so funny the amount of conflicting information. Our contractor assured us that because it is a common entrance, the basement qualifies as a in law set up, not a second dwelling. He already contacted the city of Cambridge who told him to send the original drawings plus our basement plans. OUr contractor also defined the code for an in-law set-up as needing windows of a certain specification (2 sq feet but don't quote me) for escape, and that a window of that certain size needs to be in the bedroom. He has not submitted our drawings yet, but I will write updates when they happen.

K.C.

02-21-2009, 06:32 PM

It's hard to be sure we are not in violation of some city code when neither the city nor we have the proper drawings.

My recent experience has made me so suspicious about how Mattamy is handling the permits with the city. That combined with the fact that we had so many problems on our original contract we had to start from scratch has made me think that I need to start keeping a public log of when major structural work is completed on our house. If I do this and later file a freedom of information application with the city of Cambridge I will have the documentation I need to hold Mattamy's feet to the fire when things start to go wrong with my house.

I'm especially concerned about the custom vertical spa in the Ensuite. We were at the house today and the shower area is completely tiled. I really hope that they filed the revised permit with the city for this. If they didn't there's no way it could have been properly inspected.

K.C.

02-21-2009, 06:44 PM

OUr contractor also defined the code for an in-law set-up as needing windows of a certain specification (2 sq feet but don't quote me) for escape, and that a window of that certain size needs to be in the bedroom.

We measured the inside dimensions of the rec room windows today. All 4 windows are about 21 inches by 27 inches. They look like any adult person who is not overly large could fit through them easily. We looked at the grading outside the house and it would be very easy for a person to climb out of any basement window. I think this fact will make things go much easier for us when we meet with the zoning guy at the City of Cambridge. We have an appointment with him on Monday at 3:00PM. He seemed to imply over the phone that as long as there was a way for a person to escape the basement easily, we would not have a problem with our set up.

I think we will have to make one change to our layout for sure. The second bedroom has no window in it. The window is in the storage/laundry room. We may have to make the storage room much smaller so we can include the window as part of the second bedroom.

anxious_f

02-21-2009, 10:17 PM

One thing that you should keep in mind is the size of the window wells that will be installed. Its easy to get in and out of the basement windows right now because the there is open space in front of them and you can lay down on the ground to crawl through. Once the window wells are installed, you may need to be a contortionist to get through the space, depending on the depth/height of the well.

K.C.

02-21-2009, 11:02 PM

How close to closing are the window wells installed?

K.C.

02-22-2009, 08:20 AM

Once the window wells are installed, you may need to be a contortionist to get through the space, depending on the depth/height of the well.

I'm going to ask Rocky if there is any flexibility in the way the window wells can be placed.

so excited

02-22-2009, 05:24 PM

As I understand it, the size of the windows, placement/size of window wells, etc is standardized in the building code. Your contractor should know the specifications for each.

K.C.

02-22-2009, 07:14 PM

I guess if we had to we could forgo the stove which would effectively turn the kitchen into a bar ... then later we could hire someone to replace the two bedroom windows for larger ones and buy the stove then. I'm hoping these windows will be big enough even with the window wells.

smartsexystylish

02-23-2009, 10:12 AM

How close to closing are the window wells installed?

Hey K.C.
The window wells aren't installed until well after closing. (Depending on when closing is)

What we were told (And we need window wells :( ) is that ours will be installed in the spring/summer when they work on the grading around the lots.

Hope this helps!

K.C.

02-23-2009, 10:21 AM

Hey K.C.
The window wells aren't installed until well after closing.

Thanks Dion. That's really helpful.

K.C.

02-23-2009, 08:23 PM

I went to the city today. The guy I went to see was nice but unfortunately he didn't have the last say in whether rezoning for a duplex is required. I met the person who does and she was completely inflexible. She shot down every alternative I proposed. She was so inflexible I've given up on the whole basement apartment thing.

There will be no bedrooms or a kitchen in the basement. The requirements make it too difficult. It would cost $100K and the kid is only going to live with us for another 5 years. All the windows would have to be replaced with much bigger ones and there would need to be some additional construction done to meet other requirements for a duplex.

Instead we've decided to finish the entire basement as a kick ass rec room with a really big bar. The bar will have everything a kitchen would have but no stove. It will still have the fancy bathroom with the vertical spa, the next step, the second laundry room, a storage room and the two doors at the garage to kitchen entry. This will give him a sense of privacy. He'll have to do all his cooking in our kitchen upstairs.

Later when he moves out, we'll put in a home theatre system.

I picked up a page from them titled: General Guidelines for Finished Basements. I created a link for it here: http://engineeringlab.dyndns.org/City-of-Cambridge-Guidelines-for-Finshed-Basements.pdf

Boy that was depressing. They really don't like basement apartments.

I'll post a link to the revised layout when I have it. It should be done in about a week.

babymaeby

02-23-2009, 08:28 PM

Awh, I'm sorry you have to change your plans. Your revised layout sounds pretty nice, though. Hope all goes well from here on in.

K.C.

02-23-2009, 09:06 PM

Thanks ... my son was upset but he's starting to get over it. I told him in Cambridge he'll be able to afford a condo in 5 years so he should start saving now.

On a brighter note, all the trim and baseboards are in for our house. We got the really big trim with the 7 1/4" baseboards. The high baseboards make the house look even more grand.

Also they started putting the closets together. The extra shelving I got is going to look great in the walk in. They're staggering it which looks even better than the way I thought they were going to do it.

Dave

02-24-2009, 02:17 PM

Very nice KC. We were going to go with the 7 1/4" baseboards but we had to make some sacrifices and that was one of them... we scaled back to the 5 1/2" I think it is (middle of the road choice).

K.C.

02-24-2009, 03:38 PM

I think the 5 1/2" will look quite nice. The 7 1/4" is so high it actually makes the baseboards look thinner which is a look some people might not want. I think it's ok, the thinner look is a little more modern. Also we're not doing any kind of curtains ... it's going to be all 2" faux wood blinds. I tell myself it's because I want a more modern look ... but it's actually because I can't afford curtains after all this.

newhomeowner

02-24-2009, 04:37 PM

wow, that really sucks KC. I don't understand why this is such a problem....lots of people have apartements in their basements....just because you do it the honest way they have to make it that much harder. sorry to hear you have to give up your plans.....I'm a little disappointed too, seeing as I will need a builders permit for pretty much every post-close thing I want to do. so much for my handy man dad helping me out!!

K.C.

02-24-2009, 04:49 PM

lots of people have apartements in their basements....just because you do it the honest way they have to make it that much harder.

Yes, it's very disappointing. Now I know why everybody lies. The problem with not getting permits when you are doing an apartment now is that the rules are different for newer houses. Older houses seem to be forgiven because they were built before a certain date. If you have a house that was built in the 90's or later and you built an apartment without a permit and tried to sell your house it could turn into a real headache. There's a guy on our street that has a kitchen and bedrooms in his basement and he can't sell his house. He's been trying to sell it for over a year.

newhomeowner

02-24-2009, 05:24 PM

yeah, well even if you don't put an apartement in your basement, you still need a permit to finish it!!! that seems like a pain in the ass itself!!

K.C.

02-24-2009, 05:33 PM

Yes it is. My contractor knows what he has to do to make it fly. We basically need to make the basement look like nobody would like it enough to want to stay there for long!

DanielleandCody

02-24-2009, 06:38 PM

K.C.

02-24-2009, 06:50 PM

Wow KC you are handling this really well!!!! I would be steaming if I were you, but I guess there's not much you can do unless you want to spend a ridiculous amount of money!! Good luck with everything and definitely share the new plans with us!! D

Actually I wasn't handling it too well in the car after we left city hall. My son and I almost got into a big blowout. He kept complaining and I said I was considering just giving him the cash to get him to stop talking about it! He got the message I was at the end of my rope. We went and had lunch at that Viet Thai place and he's quite calm now.

He actually asked me for a loan to buy furniture on the way home since the basement was going to cost a bit less now. I said "Ahhhhh NO!!".

Dave

02-25-2009, 10:57 AM

Going to put the house up for sale ASAP... wish us luck :(

smartsexystylish

02-25-2009, 11:02 AM

Going to put the house up for sale ASAP... wish us luck :(

Good Luck guys!!!

K.C.

02-25-2009, 11:07 AM

Oh God! Good luck Dave. Just stay away from the buying agents ... they'll creep you out. Tell your agent not to bother you with lowball offers.

The buyers are ok, especially the first time buyers. You have to drag them all the way up from their starting bid to where you want them but they're pretty easy to handle. Make them go up $5K for every time you go down $1K.

You have lots of time before your closing so don't let anybody intimidate you including your own agent. I spanked my agent a few times.

P.S.: If you find the right buyer at the right price ... it will probably be somebody who's desperate to move into the right house at the right location just in time try to work with them. It may be your best chance at a good price. Being flexible on the closing date might be your best negotiating tactic right now. I know it sucks to be between houses but it might be worth it if you can rent or stay with relatives for a few months. It could mean the difference between getting an extra $10-$15K.

Dave

02-25-2009, 12:04 PM

Hey KC... how did you go about picking your agent?

K.C.

02-25-2009, 12:42 PM

I actually hired the only honest agent I ever met. There was no competition. The only complaint I might have about her is that she wasn't a shark and in this market that could be a disadvantage.

She was the agent who originally sold us this house. When we bought 14 years ago, she showed us about 35 houses and I didn't like any of them. She said I would only be happy with a brand new house and suggested she take us to see a builder who might have some houses in inventory. Our timing was perfect, we bought the house on the spot. She did all the negotiating and made only $1500 on the transaction, the builder paid that. She also helped us to get a great financing deal.

I was impressed that she cared more about getting us the house we really wanted even though she made almost no money on it. I wanted to reward her for caring so much so I hired her when it came time to sell it.

Her not having the use of her legs came as a bit of a shock but I decided it didn't matter because she had a partner and Royal LePage put some serious marketing dollars behind selling our house. They held 4 open houses and advertised at least twice. They were also prepared to hold two agent open houses but we had to cancel those both times because we sold the house twice before we even had time for an agent open house.

K.C.

02-27-2009, 01:14 PM

Hey Dave, is there any way you could move the top ads a bit higher up on the page. Maybe by moving the Mill Pond logo to just under the Register button? That way you could see the users that are online without scrolling down. If it's too hard it's fine the way it is.

Dave

02-27-2009, 01:26 PM

not really sure... I'll do some poking around. Hope it's not too annoying...

K.C.

02-27-2009, 01:36 PM

I think the ads will be fine. You have to cover your hosting costs. We appreciate all the time you put into getting us all together.

smartsexystylish

02-27-2009, 01:42 PM

I think the ads will be fine. You have to cover your hosting costs. We appreciate all the time you put into getting us all together.

Lol I'm so oblivious - Are the ads new?

I know the top looks funny now as there is an ad between the top bar and the rest of the site but was there always ads on the top and the bottom of the pages?

Dave

02-27-2009, 03:21 PM

Lol I'm so oblivious - Are the ads new?

I know the top looks funny now as there is an ad between the top bar and the rest of the site but was there always ads on the top and the bottom of the pages?

Nope the ads are all new... and it would appear as though some of you are actually clicking on them. :)

smartsexystylish

02-27-2009, 03:40 PM

Haha Alrighty then :)
Good to know!

K.C.

02-27-2009, 04:37 PM

We should all start clicking on the ads so Dave can stop losing money on hosting.:)

Dave

02-27-2009, 05:52 PM

We should all start clicking on the ads so Dave can stop losing money on hosting.:)

I'm not allowed (by Googles Terms of Service) to encourage anyone to click on ads... so I won't. If anyone has any questions or concerns pls PM me.

Cheers
Dave:)

K.C.

02-27-2009, 06:32 PM

I'm going to shut up now ... for at least two minutes ... or until I finish eating.

K.C.

02-28-2009, 09:06 AM

Going to see the contractor today to finalize our basement layout and put down a deposit. I'm confused about what to do now. There are so many rules that basically make the basement useless.

The area under the stairs that looks like it should be a closet can't be turned into a closet. The planning department will say "Gotcha, you plan to put a bedroom there!" All I want to do is block off that ugly space.

I also don't want to build an office because then the city will say "Aha, that's going to be a bedroom".

We need to have some raw storage, not alot. We also need a laundry room that preferably is close to an outside wall but doesn't steal any of the windows and robs the basement of light which is required to meet city guidelines.

We're probably going to need to have the window wells replaced with much bigger ones to meet the minimum 22" to escape guideline. Rocky said that would be allowed after we take possession but our contractor has to do that.

The main focus of the basement will be the monster bar and pool table since we're not allowed to do anything else that is useful.

We're going to have something built around the electrical panel so it looks like it's part of the room but we'll still have easy access.

I don't know where to put the storage room.

Any ideas what to do with the basement that meets the city guidelines?

Right now all I've got is finished walls, floor and ceiling. I think we're going to go with all carpet now except in the furnace room, behind the bar area, obviously the bathroom and the laundry room which will be tiled.

K.C.

03-01-2009, 07:36 AM

We went with the upgraded door style "Clermont". Our doors are in and already painted. They look much nicer than they did in the design center. I think the sample wasn't textured ... it was shiny and smooth which looks bad ... but you might want the shiny ones if you have little kids who keep touching the doors and leaving smudges.

The cost to upgrade the doors was about $257 for the whole house. This upgrade is definitely worth it. The Clermont style looks like this: http://www.lyndendoor.com/products/craftmaster/clermont

If you ever have to paint it in the future it will be much easier than the standard doors. I know I painted my doors in the current house which are the same as the Mill Pond standard doors (6 panels) and it was a big pain because of all the different panels.

K.C.

03-01-2009, 12:04 PM

Here's the new basement layout: http://engineeringlab.dyndns.org/NorthRidgeBasement2.pdf

It's designed to get approved by the city of Cambridge. Boring yes ... cheap no. It's only $5K less than the plan that had two bedrooms and a kitchen.

I'm going to hire someone to interface with the city for me to get the permit. I can't handle those people anymore. I have too much to do between now and closing ... I don't need to add to my stress level.

We close on April 1st. The contractor is going to start bringing the materials into the house over the following weekend and start building the basement on April 6th. Should be completed by middle of May.

Two of the windows are already installed in the basement. Rocky taught us how to remove both parts of the window completely. The opening is so wide even an overweight person could get through them. A really fat guy would probably get stuck in the window well though.

My son is happy with the new layout.

I'm going to do a fire drill when my son's friends come over to get drunk. He's going to be so embarrassed!

K.C.

03-01-2009, 12:32 PM

P.S.: We're showing the square footage now at 905 square foot. This will help reduce our property taxes a tiny bit. 1336 square feet was if every inch of the basement was finished which it's not. We subtracted the raw storage and the furnace room from the total since you can't live in there.

K.C.

03-06-2009, 08:06 PM

Fireplace is in ... looks pretty good. We went with the Cassandra mantel but it's not raised because that would place the TV too high on the wall. I think a raised mantel would have looked ALOT nicer. Such a hard choice ... look at a beautiful fireplace or strain your neck trying to watch TV.

Not even a hint of cabinetry anywhere. I'm getting a little nervous since I did alot of custom stuff especially in the bathrooms. I really hope they have it all together by our closing date.

All the doors were locked ... had to walk through a ton of mud to get in through the back. The workers had already left for the day.

There doesn't seem to have been alot of progress since we went there last. The house did have a second coat of paint. All the windows appear to be in. The more I look at the basement windows the more I realize there's no way a person couldn't escape from this basement.

The fun stuff is the cabinetry, I can't wait to see that go in.

I think the walk in closet is going to be my favorite room in the house! It's so big.

Oh I was talking to my neighbor who has a Northridge Elevation C. Apparenty the ceiling in bedroom 3 in her house is only partially vaulted like in the model. The ceiling in Elevation D is completely vaulted. It makes the room look so massive. In some parts the ceiling is probably 13 feet high. Changing the light bulbs is going to be a challenge.

K.C.

03-08-2009, 10:14 AM

If anyone has already moved into a Northridge, can you measure the depth of the shelving in the walk in closet in the master bedroom?

I want to start shopping for a long island that I can push up against the back wall that doesn't stick too far out.

K.C.

03-11-2009, 09:16 PM

Went to the house today. All the cabinetry and countertops are inside the house ready to be installed. Now it's starting to become real.

If you got the makeup counter in the ensuite, the full length of the counter is about 12 feet! I can't believe they make counters that long.

K.C.

03-14-2009, 01:51 PM

When we signed the contract for the basement bathroom we thought we were getting a 48" vanity because the contract clearly says so. We were at the house today and it's obvious that would be impossible. The vanity is sitting on the floor waiting to be installed and the actual vanity is 27" and there is no room to make it any bigger.

Here's the wording from our contract:

CUSTOM:

Install complete 3-Piece Bathroom Rough-In in the basement. Includes fully tiled stand up shower complete with light and separate switch, standard white toilet and sink with base cabinets and laminate top in the included cabinet line. Includes specified standard ceramic wall tile (within stand up shower), specified standard floor tile, approx. 48" wide Vanity (standard cabinet line) with standard laminate countertop, 36" high beveled mirror on top vanity. Painted smooth ceiling, and standard trim per main floor. Sketch required for sign-off by homeowner and supply to site. (Room Notes: Shower size is 3'-0" Wide x 5'-0" long).

I understand the use of the word approximate but I didn't think they would find it acceptable to give you a vanity that was 21" smaller than what they agreed to provide.

Our consultant made endless errors and that's why we had to redo our entire contract. I was pretty peeved with her but this one is really pissing me off.

Whenever I've tried to contact the so called customer service department they always send me back to her. How can I solve the problem if they keep sending me back to the source?

K.C.

03-14-2009, 04:08 PM

I'm not going to let this one go. I've left a voicemail for the construction office. They're going to have to tear down walls and order a new vanity and countertop and give us the bathroom we paid for.

They had said they weren't going to build outside walls on the basement bathroom since they had not filed the proper permit yet and wouldn't be doing so for another 2 to 3 weeks. That was on February 20th. The outside walls have already been built so they must have got their permit super fast or they broke some rules. How do I find out if the plumbing was in fact inspected by the city?

K.C.

03-14-2009, 05:50 PM

Cabinets and countertops in kitchen and bathrooms are mostly installed, they sure work fast.

We got the Model kitchen with pantry. There's some serious storage in there. The cutlery trays were a disappointment. They use those cheap plastic ones you can buy from Home Depot and do yourself. The corner cabinet where the breakfast bar is can't be easily accessed. I don't know what we're going to put in there, we'll never be able to get it out. The actual measurements for the fridge opening are 36" wide, 71" high, 26.5" deep (they said it would be 24" deep, but it's a little deeper which is probably good). We're still getting a counter depth fridge.

Countertops in both bathrooms are fairly long. Ensuite is 130" (just under 11 feet). Main bath is 84" (7 feet), didn't expect the main bath to be this big either. All those custom rows of drawers in both bathrooms look awesome and they're going to be really useful.

The Model laundry room looks like a science experiment. It's like they've never done this before or something. The AC outlet is hidden and there is some strange cabinet placement issues. I'm sure they'll be fixing those. The uppers are in, they look fabulous.

We got the Energy Star package and the furnace area is starting to look really strange. Everything sticks out too much into the room. We're going to need our basement contractor to redo the drawings for this area to push that wall further into the room. It's like an extra 4 feet, it looks weird.

K.C.

03-14-2009, 06:52 PM

Pictures of custom drawers in ensuite and pantry in kitchen. Drawers in the ensuite are super wide, they're actually pot drawer style but not quite as deep. It's like having dressers in your bathroom! They were pretty cheap too. They ended up being cheaper than the smaller drawers we did in the main bath. We couldn't do pot drawer style in there because there wasn't enough width to do a bank on each side of the sink.

We chose to leave the bulkheads in. They look fabulous because with the 9 foot ceilings in the Northridge they take the cabinets all the way up to the bottom of the bulkhead so there is no open space. I think it looks cool.

K.C.

03-14-2009, 06:58 PM

Pictures of model laundry room.

K.C.

03-14-2009, 08:11 PM

Here is the plasma wall above the fireplace after they fixed it. It's now 18" above the top. Depending on the height of yours (ours is fairly high) it should be placed 18" to 24" above.

I also included a picture of the dining room light. It's not great but at least you won't want to take a baseball bat to it as soon as you move in.

K.C.

03-14-2009, 08:26 PM

Here are some pictures of the furnace area for those who purchased the Energy Star package. This setup doesn't make any sense. It sticks out too far into the room ruining any future layouts you may have planned. Also it hangs very low from the ceiling. It's gross!

fletcher

03-15-2009, 07:34 AM

KC,
The house is coming along nicely. Love the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. I almost got the same style bathroom cabinets in our kitchen, but, we ended up going with the same style kitchen cabinet as you did. The bulkheads look fine in the kitchen...we kept ours as well.

Thanks for sharing your pictures!!

K.C.

03-15-2009, 09:49 AM

My husband, who does most of the cooking (ok he does all the cooking because I burn hot dogs!), thought it was strange that the cabinet above the stove was so low and tall which means the exhaust fan would be much lower as well. I thought it was great. I think it's more practical and much better looking than they are in most houses. One of the things that ruins the ceiling above your stove is the cooking fumes. This way the fumes are sucked out before they get a chance to escape and reach the ceiling. You'll have to paint your kitchen less frequently. Way cool! He's the cook, I'm the cleaning freak.

K.C.

03-15-2009, 10:12 AM

Take the cabinet setup in the ensuite and duplicate it in the walk in closet without the sink and the makeup counter. I'd put a granite countertop on it since you don't have to worry about spilling water in your closet and ruining the granite. I'd also insert some jewellery drawers and shoe holders. If only the banks weren't so stingy right now, someday ...

K.C.

03-15-2009, 11:38 AM

I almost got the same style bathroom cabinets in our kitchen, but, we ended up going with the same style kitchen cabinet as you did.

I had a hard time choosing between the two different cabinet styles for the kitchen too. The practical part of me wanted to go with the flat panel doors because they would look new for longer since dust doesn't settle in the crevices. But I thought with all the cabinetry in the kitchen, especially since so much of it is eye level it might look too boring. The style we did choose for the kitchen might still be considered too boring by some people but it was included and a good compromise between practicality and asthetics. I wasn't willing to pay the much higher prices just to go with a different door style. The money could be put to much better use like getting pot drawers and recycling centers.

When I look at the drawers in the bathrooms I think gee they would've looked so much nicer in the other door style but then they'd also look worn out sooner. In bathrooms especially you need to be practical since most dust is skin cells that shed and it mostly ends up in the bathroom and stuck between the crevices of the cabinets. Man I think about cleanliness too much!

K.C.

03-15-2009, 03:58 PM

I've been trying to figure out how they could've screwed up the cabinet sizing for the laundry room so badly. I'm sure other Northridge owners on our street have ordered the model laundry before.

I ordered the extra large and extra deep stainless sink with side spray (the one with the 5 foot extension) in the laundry room. Maybe that's why they didn't have enough space for everything to fit perfectly?? That doesn't explain how they could've placed the AC outlet on the left side of the window in a location where it was completely inaccessible. I'm sure when Rocky sees it, he'll get it sorted out. They better not leave it the way it is because opening three out of the four lower doors is going to be difficult. Considering how much they overcharged for the model laundry they should at least get this part right. They should have planned better. I'm going to leave Rocky another voicemail.

K.C.

03-16-2009, 09:57 AM

I spoke to Rocky and he's going to look into the basement bathroom problem.

I asked my husband to look for any sign off we did through his emails with our consultant. The sign off is not included in our contract. He was not able to find anything she sent us to sign off on. They really screwed this up. Didn't file a permit in a timely fashion, didn't get a sign off from us. I'm so glad I let my husband do all the communications with the consultant because he does everything in writing. I just talk non stop! I've had almost no communications with our consultant because I just knew she was going to do something that would piss me off.

With the double doors in the kitchen I made sure they measured during our framewalk so the pantry wouldn't get screwed up so it turned out fine.

I'm not an expert on building bathrooms so I assumed they were going to follow the contract. There was no way I could have foreseen the problem until I saw the vanity on the floor. Considering that the shower was 3 feet by 5 feet, I was sure they would make it all fit even though it would be tight. I assumed they were going to add an extra foot beyond the shower to make it all work but they didn't.

P.S.: Although we don't have a proper sign off for the basement bathroom, I did find a drawing for the basement that shows how the bathroom might look. This particular bathroom shows a bathtub even though we've opted for a super shower but the measurements in terms of length should be similar. In the drawing it shows the wall extended past the bathtub. This is how I thought they were going to get the extra space to make the 48" vanity fit. But they didn't extend the wall at all. See drawing. Ignore the additional doodling I did with the line I drew across the room.

K.C.

03-18-2009, 08:55 AM

It's not useful because the corner cabinet which is where most of your storage space will be is extremely hard to access. The door is about 6 inches wide and the cabinet is recessed, not flush with the appliances, making it almost impossible to put stuff in let alone take it out.

The lower cabinets only have 1 useful storage space and it's the single cabinet on the left and not very wide, about 9 inches. The cabinet space under the sink will be taken up with plumbing so you can't store much there either.

You basically have almost no usable storage space which was the whole point of buying the model laundry. Maybe they should cut out part of the cabinetry separating the corner cabinet from the sink cabinet so you can actually reach back there.

With the model laundry you do NOT get the stainless sink or countertop all the way around. What you get is a little bit of cabinetry, most of which you can't use because it's a horrible design. You get a cheap plastic tub when you order the model laundry.

The cost for my laundry room was as follows:

Model Laundry: about $1150
Uppers: about $750
Stainless sink: about $1050
Side spray: about $300

That's a total of $3250 and it still doesn't look anything like the model house laundry room.

Hire Aya to do your laundry room after you close so you can design it yourself. A four year old could design a more practical laundry room than what Mattamy did with their model laundry.

If I had not also ordered the stainless sink and side spray as well as the uppers I would be very unhappy about my laundry room. The uppers are fantastic though and I think the side spray will be cool. You can get all this stuff from Aya anyway at much better prices.

Below I've attached images of my model laundry currently under construction and an image I grabbed from the Mattamy model house video for the laundry room that is in there. They look nothing alike other than the L shaped layout.

K.C.

03-19-2009, 04:04 PM

Good news. I've been communicating with the construction office about the sizing problem with the basement bathroom vanity. They are going to tear down the wall and make the room bigger to make space for it. Because the vanity and counter has to be ordered, there will be an open space where that would go when we close. I told them I don't have a problem with that at all. We weren't planning on using that bathroom for 6 to 8 weeks after we moved in anyway since our son will be living with us upstairs while the basement is being built by our contractor. It's a happy day. :)

K.C.

03-22-2009, 12:21 AM

Sorry they're kind of blurry. I just got a Blackberry and we haven't quite figured out how to use it yet.

K.C.

03-22-2009, 12:26 AM

The stainless sink and side spray are not there yet.

K.C.

03-22-2009, 12:32 AM

My closet has an additional custom row of shelving around the perimeter. I think it's probably just as cheap as doing it yourself but looks better.

K.C.

03-22-2009, 12:41 AM

I love this vertical spa ... it has 4 jets, a rain shower, and a hand held shower. The best part is the 3/4 inch valves ... we got a custom quote for this too. My son will also have one in his bathroom in the basement.

K.C.

03-22-2009, 12:44 AM

Basement bathroom after the wall was torn down.

newhomeowner

03-22-2009, 11:00 AM

wow! you're place looks amazing!!!

K.C.

03-22-2009, 12:14 PM

It's going to keep getting better. It's still really messy in there.

This is my final packing weekend. We're moving into a hotel in Guelph this week. I'll be at the new house every day after March 27th until closing.

We'll figure out how to take better pictures and keep posting them. We packed the charger for our digital camera so we have to take pictures with the cell phone.

Once my house is all packed up I can start getting excited. Next week we have lawyers and the buyers for our old house are coming over so we need to get all our packing done today.

K.C.

03-28-2009, 08:10 PM

Joanne

03-28-2009, 10:42 PM

The stainless sink with side spray is in. The side spray is not as long as I thought it was going to be but it's long enough. There is some room to store stuff under the sink to the left of the plumbing.

This is looking very good after all! Looking at your laundry hookup box it is below/at counter level. I asked for them to ensure this but I was told it was against building code and needed to be above the height of the washer. This really sucks because I wanted my laundry room to look nice and finished without any pipes exposed, and now that I see it must be possible given your set up I am pissed that I was told otherwise. I am drywalled now so it is likely to late to fix it. :(

K.C.

03-29-2009, 08:48 AM

Joanne, is that line going across the wall in your picture the height of the counter? If it is, I think your setup might be exactly the same as mine.

I'm not sure if my appliances are going to completely cover the opening in the wall. I may have to get one of those "worktops" that have a lip on the back to hide what the appliances don't.

Joanne

03-29-2009, 01:45 PM

That line is at 4 feet and part of the connection box is above that height. The washer is 39 inches so it will be visible. On your picture the box is no higher than counter level which is usually 36 inches (as in kitchen counter height), so your connection box will be hidden behind your washer which is what I wanted but was told it was against code. We are going to lower the connection box after close.

K.C.

03-29-2009, 06:18 PM

In our model laundry the height from floor to top of counter is 36". The height from floor to top of backsplash is 39.5". See picture below. Our washing machine is 38" high and does not come with a backsplash because it's a front loader. Because there is about 2" finishing around the hole, it looks like we won't need to get a worktop to hide the hole since all we will see is about 1.5" of white plastic. That's how it should look. You will know exactly where your connection is should you need to access it but it's not ugly. They should have done this with everybody's laundry.

Yours is rediculously high. The only way to hide it would be to get those things you put on the bottom of your appliances to store stuff in but then you can't use the tops of the machines as a work surface because it's too high.

Joanne

03-29-2009, 07:38 PM

Yes mine is way too high!
I don't wan't to get the pedestals, then the folding surface on top of the washers will be too high. The pedestals are not recommended for 2nd flr laundry because of vibration.

We asked a plumber if he could lower the hookups for us, no problem!:D

K.C.

03-30-2009, 07:55 PM

We have our PDI tomorrow morning at 8AM. We were at the house this afternoon. There's still alot that needs to be done. I'm a little underwhelmed so far by their preparation ... there doesn't seem to be a huge sense of urgency. I'm really glad that Andy Shaw is coming with us to the PDI. I think I'll be living with construction workers the first month we are in the house. That means I can't wear pyjamas to work every day ... damn!

I keep wanting to take more pictures to show you guys but the house is still too messy so I'll wait.

I'm almost in Howard Hughes category when it comes to being clean and the state of the house is really starting to annoy me ... where's the number for my therapist!

K.C.

03-31-2009, 04:55 PM

Here is our completed PDI form. Personal information has been removed but it's for our house lot 33 on Baldwin: http://engineeringlab.dyndns.org/PDI_form.pdf

I've created a thread for Andy Shaw's company Halton Home Inspection Service here: http://www.millpondpost.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3791#post3791

K.C.

03-31-2009, 06:13 PM

House is still too ugly to photograph ... we get our keys tomorrow. Backyard looks good though. Here's what I see when I look out the windows at the back of the house.

I asked Todd how Mattamy is going to clean the tile. He said with a wet mop. I thought that's gross! You can't pick up construction grime with a mop. I had assumed they would hire a professional tile cleaning service. Apparently they don't. I plan to hire a company to come and clean the tile properly and also to seal the grout on the floor. The backsplash in the kitchen also needs to be sealed and Mattamy doesn't do that.

K.C.

04-01-2009, 06:28 PM

Rocky gave us our keys. He also made sure the issue with the power pipe was dealt with today ... that's great since we have a water softener guy coming in the morning and he wouldn't have been able to do his job if this wasn't fixed. I'll post more about this later for those of you who got the Energy Star package. You'll need to flag this on your PDI and get it fixed asap.

Rocky also made sure the house was cleaned before we took possession. It looks good.

I can only upload 5 pictures per post, so I'll keep posting until I run out.

K.C.

04-01-2009, 06:34 PM

The third picture is of the custom double doors we had put into the back of our kitchen to separate our son's living space in the basement from ours in the main part of the house.

K.C.

04-01-2009, 06:41 PM

Great room and linen closet.

K.C.

04-01-2009, 06:48 PM

Ensuite bath.

K.C.

04-01-2009, 07:54 PM

See below for description, pictures and a video
http://www.enviroharvest.ca/heat_recovery.htm
http://video.bobvila.com/m/21321075/review-of-the-waste-water-heat-recovery-system.htm

Proper installation has cold water from the city coming into the bottom of the system where it can be warmed up by the wastewater on it's way to the sewer. The warmed-up water then exits from the top of the system and goes directly and exclusively into the hot water tank for further heating. See "Sample shower drain installation" picture from the first link.

Our installation was done incorrectly in a couple of ways. First of all the cold water from the city was connected to the TOP of the system and exiting from the bottom, this is not optimal for heating up the water. Secondly, the water coming out of the system was not feeding directly and exclusively into the hot water tank, it was also branching off into the powder room cold water line, etc. Not only does this reduce the effectiveness of the system, it directs preheated, warmish water to the powder room's cold water tap.

After our home inspector brought it to their attention Mattamy replaced and re-configured our unit in the correct way and we now expect it to perform it's intended function.

P.S.: If anybody is still confused about how this works, you can come over to our house and my husband will take you to the basement and explain it to you. Once you see our installation, you will know how yours should look. You can take pictures.

Dave

04-01-2009, 08:22 PM

Wow KC... your place looks awesome. Feeling very jealous right now.

Joanne

04-01-2009, 10:11 PM

Congratulations KC! Your home is beautiful, thanks for sharing the pictures!

Dave

04-02-2009, 08:05 AM

KC... I'm guessing the door panels on the breakfast bar were extra, am I right? Looks like I'll have to call Aya about 2 seconds after we take possession.

babymaeby

04-02-2009, 09:08 AM

Your house looks amazing, KC. You must be so happy to finally have possession. Congrats!

jrb

04-02-2009, 10:02 AM

K.C.

04-02-2009, 10:02 AM

KC... I'm guessing the door panels on the breakfast bar were extra, am I right? Looks like I'll have to call Aya about 2 seconds after we take possession.

Yes Dave, I think they cost about $750. I'm sure you can get them for a much better price from Aya and they'll be easy to put on.

K.C.

04-02-2009, 10:16 AM

Thanks for the pics of your kitchen, it looks great. The colour choices are similar tones to what i picked. The same cupboards, but i picked natural canvas for the counter. I am using the travertine tumbled marble subway tile (light). I am not sure if that is what your back splash is, the colour might be off in the pic.

Thanks for mentioning that Mattamy dosent seal the backsplash or the grout. I will have to remember that. I am assuming i can seal the backsplach and grout myself, I am not sure what is involved with that.

jason

Jason, I think your backsplash and mine are probably the same or very similar. It looks awesome but you definitely should seal the entire backsplash. The tile is very porous. Rocky said make sure you use a sealer that does NOT have a shine to it. It has that old world look and you don't want to make it shiny. I'm sure it's easy to do yourself but I'm going to hire a tile cleaning service for the floor tiles so I'll have them seal the backsplash at the same time. I got the upgraded floor tiles and they are hard to get clean ... construction dirt sticks to them. They'll look much better and have a slight shine to them once they've been professionally cleaned. On the floor I'm only going to seal the grout, not the tiles.

K.C.

04-02-2009, 10:27 AM

Your house looks amazing, KC. You must be so happy to finally have possession. Congrats!

I'm so excited! The house is LARGE. I have to plan my destinations carefully.

The movers are placing our furniture right now.

My husband's office is going to be on the main floor but mine is bedroom 3 with the big vaulted ceiling. The distance from the kitchen to my office is too far! I'm going to put a fridge and water cooler in my office.

The kitchen has counters that never seem to end. Man I want to learn how to cook! The view from the kitchen is to die for.

The Mattamy workers were already working on the outside of the house when we arrived from the hotel early this morning around 7:30AM. My PDI list is long but I think they'll get everything done very quickly.

A&O

04-02-2009, 12:26 PM

I'm sure it's easy to do yourself but I'm going to hire a tile cleaning service for the floor tiles so I'll have them seal the backsplash at the same time.

Hey K.C. Congrats on the new house! Looks great. Once you have hired the tile cleaning service, would you mind forwarding the name of them? I'd love to hire someone to seal my grout rather than painstakingly doing it myself. Yuck, that would suck. ;)

Thanks so much,
Amanda

K.C.

04-02-2009, 12:54 PM

Once you have hired the tile cleaning service, would you mind forwarding the name of them? I'd love to hire someone to seal my grout rather than painstakingly doing it myself.

No problem Amanda. I'm going to wait up to two weeks before I do that. I want to bring in all the stuff we have in storage and unpack it before getting the tiles cleaned. I'm going to put a piece of cardboard on the backsplash behind the stove to keep it from getting stained temporarily.

K.C.

04-02-2009, 05:52 PM

Joanne

04-02-2009, 09:18 PM

KC... I'm guessing the door panels on the breakfast bar were extra, am I right? Looks like I'll have to call Aya about 2 seconds after we take possession.

I inquired about pricing on this during my design appt. The cost of Faux Doors from Aya through Mattamy.
Series 3 = $165 per door
Series 4 = $183 per door
Series 5 = $205 per door
Series 6 = $227 per door
Series 7 = $255 per door

(I never asked about the incl cab. series 1 & 2)

We will be calling AYA in to install these on our island after close, and some nice corbels too:)

smartsexystylish

04-03-2009, 01:42 PM

I almost didn't get the under cabinet lighting and valance because I thought the combined cost was too much. Being in this kitchen for most of the day I realize that it's a necessity. The one ceiling light and breakfast area light just aren't enough. It would get too dark at night time. Later I think I would also like to have a fancy light placed just above the kitchen sink.

Hey K.C.,

I've told Kevin that I am super thankful that we got the valence with the under cabinet lighting! We use it everyday! It's just too dark under the counters where I'm prepping food (Or baking and decorating!) and the light REALLY helps alot! It's a very good purchase in my mind!

We've also already changed out the ceiling light over the sink. That one is pathetic to wash dishes with. You can barely see anything! We'll be replacing the breakfest area one eventually (I just don't like it) and a couple others thoughout the house :)

I was looking at your pictures and your house looks really great!!! Congrats again!!

Oh and can you take some photos of the HRV thing you were talking about a couple pages ago for the Enery Star homes? I am a little confused about it and wonder now if ours is completed correctly (It's pretty sad I doubt everything done in our house sometimes!!) Thanks!

D

Erin

04-03-2009, 02:04 PM

Porter Nines

04-03-2009, 02:45 PM

Oh boy. We opted NOT to get the valence lighting because my hubby couldn't justify the price tehy were asking when he said he could do it himself for $100! Now I'm worried we are going to be living in darksville in the kitchen!

We DID get a light over the sink and also two pedestal lights over the vestibule so I'm hoping we will be okay. I'm assuming we won't get around to putting in our own valence lighting anytime soon with the mounting list of other "do it yourself" things we have to take care of first!

K.C.

04-03-2009, 02:48 PM

Thanks Erin and Dion.

Dion here are two pictures of our wastewater heat recovery system after it was correctly installed. It's still a little confusing because it looks like the water is coming in through the top but it's really going in through the bottom and into the power pipe (that's the fat copper pipe). The cold water coming from the city goes up through this pipe and is warmed by the waste water going out through the outer perimeter of the pipe. Then when the warmed up water gets to the top it is transferred by the pipe going across the top directly into the hot water tank to be heated further. Hope that makes sense.

Erin, the house is so big you can't hear the doorbell at all when you are upstairs. Dave is going to the store this afternoon to see if he can find what he needs to set up the intercom system so I can hear the bell from my office and respond without going downstairs. Most of the time I can't tell if Dave is in the house or not and I'm too tired to go find out. I think I'll start calling him on his cell phone!

Although the soundproofing is great in most parts of the house, when somebody is in the basement you can hear everything they're saying when you are in the foyer area. We'll have to work out soundproofing for this since our son may be making alot of noise down there when his friends are over.

One basement window is leaking a little bit (it's raining today) and another one is incorrectly installed. We called the site office, they said they'll send somebody as soon as they can. Some of the windows still need caulking etc.

jrb

04-03-2009, 03:38 PM

I am glad i got the valance lighting after hearing everyones comments. Although through Mattamy it turned out to be a more than expected..........LOL. I think in the end it cost around $1000.00.....lol

I did add a capped ceiling light above my centre island in the kitchen, so that will help. I just need to find two nice pendant lights.....There is a ceiling light in the work area of the kitchen, maybe i will try to find a small track light.

I debated adding a couple pot lights in the kitchen but in the end decided not too. I dont want a kitchen that is too bright....lol...........I also keep hearing that the pot light can throw off a lot of heat........

Despite the cost of potlights, i did add 3 in the formal room and 2 in the great room, more for accent lighting on the walls than a light source.

Jason

K.C.

04-03-2009, 03:52 PM

I think potlights are more for mood lighting. In our last house we had fluorescent lights in the kitchen and my office, but a good fixture is expensive. You could be looking at about $1000 for a nice one. Plus it's a pain to change the bulbs. The kitchen fixture used to take two men and a lot of swearing every time the bulbs needed changing.

smartsexystylish

04-03-2009, 03:56 PM

K.C.

04-03-2009, 04:18 PM

Thanks for the photos K.C.
I'm really confused now. I don't think we have that at all in our home (We got energy star too) They wouldn't make it different for the different sized homes would they?

Was this purchased in addition to the E* Package or was this included? I don't recall hearing about a waste water heat recovery. We have a Heat Recovery Ventilator and I don't know if these are the same. Ours is some big hanging box thing. lol omg I'm lost haha

If you bought the Energy Star package you should have what we have. We didn't purchase anything additional. The waste water heat recovery is probably one of the cheapest and most effective parts of the package ... when it's installed correctly.

K.C.

04-03-2009, 05:40 PM

Dave couldn't find what he needed to set up the intercom system at the store so he's going to have to order it online.

Since we have alot of Mattamy workers coming and going and I do have to work for a living and my office is upstairs, he got a wireless doorbell. You can't talk to people but you will hear the bell. There better not be any sales people ringing. We put up the no soliciting sign and 2 sales people still rang the bell the first day we were here. They're lucky it was Dave who answered the door!

A&O

04-03-2009, 09:47 PM

They're lucky it was Dave who answered the door!

LOL! K.C. You remind me of me! I always think that when people are dealing with my much more patient husband, that they really are lucky to be dealing with him and not me. I've grabbed the phone from him when he is in mid sentence with some dimwit and said now you have the person in the house you don't want to be dealing with! I'm so bad sometimes.

K.C.

04-04-2009, 08:54 AM

I said to him "You know it's pointless to have a no soliciting sign on the door if you're going to let them talk for 10 minutes anyway".

He's so nice, he's the guy they get to fire people because he leaves them feeling so good when he's giving them horrible news!

That never works on me though. When he does that to me I'll just look him in the eye and say "Do you realize what you just did? You gave me bad news and disguised it as something good. Do I look stupid to you?!"

A&O

04-04-2009, 04:21 PM

That's too funny, the fired folks probably thank him too. That would never happen with me. Ever.

K.C.

04-04-2009, 05:31 PM

We got the Maytag Duet 9000 Series washer and dryer. They're high capacity at 4.4 cubic feet and super quiet. You don't even know the washing machine is on. To get the higher capacity both the washer and dryer have a fat ass. The problem is the closest we can get to the wall after installation is 6.5" and that's using the slim dryer vent. It looks bad and I'm the one that got the hookups done correctly.

I want to keep the washer and dryer because they're awesome. We went to Sears and looked at the work surfaces. They don't look that great and they aren't big enough to solve the problem. I think my only option is to go with pedestals. Because the washing machine is super quiet and doesn't ever seem to move, I think it will be ok to use pedestals even on the 2nd floor. I don't like it but it's the least worst option.

I've attached some pictures. They don't look bad but when you see it in person it's bad ... 6.5" is a big gap.

I don't recommend getting the counter over top of the machines because accessing your hookups will be almost impossible.

Style

04-04-2009, 07:45 PM

K.C.

04-04-2009, 07:55 PM

KC. Did you ever happen to look at or consider the Samsung VRT set that is out on the market now! Also very sleek looking and ultra quiet plus the washer comes with silvercare for toughstains in dark colors. Thats the set we are getting delivered. The VRT technology is to reduce vibration. these units are made for top floor laundry rooms. They use ballbearings to balance the machine! Maytag is good also although I was a little hesitant after their recall for their units that caught fire!

No we only looked at brands that we were able to get employee pricing on. Maytag was the best of the brands available to us. The set that we got is supposed to be very good. I'm impressed with it so far ... except for the gigantic back sides. I sure hope it doesn't catch on fire, that would really suck!

Style

04-04-2009, 08:04 PM

Can't beat employee pricing!:) The set I got I had it priced in brampton then I got it matched by Goemans in Kitchener! Ive seen the set around 2500 plus tax but I got it lower then that!
Good luck with the Maytag! They were great for years but that Neptune line they had really hurt their reputation as well as their bottom line. They are owned by Whirlpool now anyways and we all know they make a good solid product no matter what it is!:)

K.C.

04-04-2009, 10:07 PM

The Aya guys are really nice. They found things wrong with the cabinetry that I didn't. I just noticed he made a note to order some drawers that I didn't notice a problem with before. When he was here, he said I'll be back. I said what for and he said there's always something.

Mark&Grace

04-05-2009, 09:07 AM

KC. Did you ever happen to look at or consider the Samsung VRT set that is out on the market now! Also very sleek looking and ultra quiet plus the washer comes with silvercare for toughstains in dark colors. Thats the set we are getting delivered. The VRT technology is to reduce vibration. these units are made for top floor laundry rooms. They use ballbearings to balance the machine! Maytag is good also although I was a little hesitant after their recall for their units that caught fire!

We got the Samsung VRT steamcare 448 pair (titanium/stainless steel). We were going to go for LG, but the guy for Goemans said that VRT is better for second floor. We got it for about $2750. Not sure what model you got.