Building a new home

[aerynsun]

So once the inspection is done, then the drywall should go up fast for you and it will look like a house.

Yes. They still have to do the pest tubes in the walls before drywall. There is also a pre-drywall inspection. Actually two inspections, the county will inspect but we have hired a private inspector for pre-drywall as well as just before closing. But after that, yep, the drywall and then they can paint and do the outside.

On our road, which comprises only 24 houses, there are only two builders. David Weekly and Homes by Westbay. We are Westbay. The way they do it is three lots are Weekly then the next three are Westbay and so forth. So we have a Weekly to our right that is already complete with neighbors moved in. To our left there are two lots that are Westbay like us. These two houses have almost the exact same floor plan that we do. However, the elevation (how it looks on the front) is different for each house. From the street you'd never know they are the same basic house. The house immediately to our left started about a month before us. We were caught up to it until about two weeks ago when they surged ahead again. They are drywalled and painted on the inside and the outside walls are stuccoed (or whatever they call it) and awaiting paint.

So I would 'think' that in the next couple of weeks we'll be at that stage as well. We'll see. Talking with our builder it does not look like we're going to meet that July 20 close date. Probably sometime in August is much more likely but we don't know when. That is not unexpected with all that is going on in the world. And we're fine with it. Yeah, it will be nice when the move is completely done, but we're fine with it and will just be patient.

Just in time for peak hurricane season.

[David]

I rebuke that!

[Bmyers]

I don't know what a "pest tube" is? Never heard of it. Is it something to keep alligators away?

[David]

I don't know what a "pest tube" is? Never heard of it. Is it something to keep alligators away?

They are lines/tubes that run through the concrete walls. Pesticide can be filled into the lines from the outside of the house. It is a one-a-year treatment. I've never had a house with one before but it's suppose to be very effective and make it so you don't have to spray pesticides on the inside of the home.

All the studs are sprayed as well prior to drywall with a green chemical to prevent termite damage.

[Bmyers]

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

So you still are needing something to repel alligators then? Or is that what the 19x is for?

[David]

Really all you need for gators is a walking stick.

[Bmyers]

I might look a little silly walking around with my stick, but at least I know I would be safe from the gators cause Dave said all I needed was a good walking stick.

[David]

Notice how close she is, the size of the gators, number of gators and the stick in her hand. All you really need.

[bdcochran]

She might consider either facing the danger or going somewhere else.

There is an old expression - barking dogs never bite, except when they stop barking.

[David]

She might consider either facing the danger or going somewhere else.

There is an old expression - barking dogs never bite, except when they stop barking.

Well, you have to figure that these are professionals that do this for a living. I've been there many times since Busch Gardens is about 20 minutes away from where I live now. I've talked with these folks personally at length which is where I learned the information about the walking stick. If I had to guess, I'd say the spot where she is standing houses 40+ gators. The entire area is not seen in that video. These gators are probably around the 15ft mark and over a thousand pounds. Yet the trainers move amoung them with nothing more than that stick.

Gators aren't usually that dangerous unless it's mating season or someone is acting stupidly around them. Much like bears. The bulk of human/bear interactions are uneventful with the occasional attack. That's why I'm more concerned with running into a rabid animal on a hike than I am a bear or a gator.