The NIGHTMARE that is General Electric

When you buy a RH you have to take whatever kitchen appliances they include with the build. Here in NE Ohio they include GE appliances. We decided to upgrade the dishwasher, stove, and microwave and then we bought a GE fridge so the stainless would match. The appliances look great but that's about it. 

Note: this post is more of a rant because I dislike GE but there is a helpful tip in the event you have a similar problem when building with RHs. 

The Fridge

Our fridge kept shutting off and the only way it would turn back on was to hit the breaker. It happened once so we didn't think much of it and then it happened again only this time, hitting the breaker didn't help. We called GE and the repairman said that the fan didn't work and that this was a common problem on our model.  I'm so glad the sales person at Lowes told us that before we bought it!

Anyway, we lost all of our food and if something like that happens, you need to call GE's insurance company for a refund.  As a 'courtesy' they will give you $100 for lost food.  Gee, thanks.

Now onto the bigger problem - the dishwasher.

The Dishwasher

The upgraded dishwasher failed.  Big time.  We noticed that there was some water leaking out the side of the door so we stopped running it and called GE.  What we came to realize was, the water also leaked underneath the appliance and ruined about 30 sq feet of our hardood floor.

We called Ryan Homes and to their credit the service manager called back  right away. He said we needed to determine if this was a part failure or an install failure.  If it had been an install problem, RHs would have taken care of everything but if it was a part failure, it would be our headache to deal with.  The GE repairman said it was a part failure so we would need to file a claim with the GE insurance company.  After about a month, the floor did get repaired but what a PITA.  GE brings terrible appliances to life.

The bad part ...

The ruined floor ...

The floor has been replaced and the food in the fridge is nice and cool so all is well.  Next time we buy appliances, I think we will consider a different brand.  Any suggestions?

Landscaping before and after

We closed on our house in April and we decided to wait until September to have lawn and landscaping installed. RH's didn't even finish the final grade until August so the timing worked out. Our yard was full of rocks and construction debris s it took our landscaping company some time to remove all of that mess. Here is the before and after ...

The lovely before shot ...

The much nicer after shot ...

Morning Room Steps

A minor annoyance of building with Ryan Homes (at least here in NE Ohio) is they don't like to add steps to the morning room.  And unless you are planning to add a patio or a deck right when you move in, this could be an inconvenience.

Our final grade, lawn, and landscaping were just completed (pictures coming soon) so we are planning on putting in a patio in the spring.  So we had a choice, walk the dog out the front door several times a day or put in temporary steps and let the dog out back on a lead.  We opted for the latter.

This weekend I installed temporary steps and unless my craftsmanship was really lousy, should provide a good solution until the spring.  A quick trip to Home Depot for the pre-made stair stringers and treads got me started.  That along with a little bit of time watching YouTube videos made this a pretty easy project.

One last note - I realize I should probably have a railing, but that exceeds my skill level.  My wife, child and dog will just have to careful, I guess.

Before

After