Submitted by Barb Lally for Rob Rice Homes
When homebuyers purchase a Rob Rice Home before it is built, they are excited and often drive by it daily as it is built. But few can understand from the curb the depth of detail that goes into every quality Rob Rice Home.
The people who know it best are the Rob Rice construction superintendents, the professionals who supervise building each home from the dirt up.
Committed to building excellence
Eric Davis is the superintendent at the popular Rob Rice Community of Kensington in Lacey as well as at the Villages at South Hill in Puyallup, a community that has just opened up its second phase of development.
He began working for Rob Rice at 17 when his uncle George, a seasoned superintendent for the local builder, got him a job as a “water boy” watering lawns and plants all day at the Rob Rice Community of Rainer Park in Lacey across the street from where the teenager lived.
“I thought it was the greatest job ever,” Eric says smiling broadly.
After working for Rob in fencing, siding and detail work, he gained enough experience to be hired by other construction companies building trusses, doing commercial concrete and framing, expanding his home construction experience. After returning to Rob Rice Homes, Rob recognized his care, skill and work ethic and hired Eric on as a superintendent.
“I love it, I love the responsibility,” explains Eric whose grandfather was the foreman for construction of the Woolworth building in Tacoma. “I realize Rob’s standards and I know what he wants. He is tough on the details.”
Eric feels privileged to be building the finest homes in the South Sound.
“Growing up around this amazing company, I know Rob does not build homes for the sheer volume,” says Eric, who lives in a Rob Rice Community and met his fiancée there. “He wants to build the best home possible, the perfect home. It is all about quality and his name. I don’t think people who buy homes from us understand how much Rob is involved.”
Rob Rice home building is about details
Building a top quality home must be orchestrated with precision in order to achieve quality results.
Rob Rice Homes uses a comprehensive checklist that helps coordinate the delivery of products, the work of subcontractors and the supervision of workers. Inspections at every step on the list result in the incomparable quality assured in every Rob Rice Home.
“Our checklist is Top of Mind Awareness or ‘TOMA’ so that nothing is missed,” Eric explains. “Northwest weather and delays happen, but the list helps us get right back on track.”
Here is just a general overview of the process:
- Site Preparation – The work begins with digging a hole for the foundation necessary for the home’s floor plan, followed by setting in the foundation. Once finished, the lot must be filled in next to the foundation or backfilled. The garage floor is laid so all is ready to start the structure of the home.
- Framing & Exterior Construction – Lumber is dropped at the site and the framing, or the wood structure of the home, is built. The windows are delivered and installed, quality roofing goes on, the siding is then started and the garage door goes in. Weather permitting, patio and driveway cement is poured, painting soon begins on the exterior of the home and the masonry, or the exterior stonework can be started.
- Mechanical Systems – While work on the roof begins, the basic plumbing system is “roughed in”. Once the house is “wrapped” and dry, the electrical and heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) “rough-ins” happen. The fireplace is installed too. All the doors on the home must then be secure to protect everything in the home.
- Interior and Mill Work – The insulation is added throughout the structure for the highest energy-efficiency. The drywall is put up and textured inside the home to ready for its interior premium features. Interior painting is finished and stylish lighting fixtures are installed inside and out. Finish carpenters install the richly finished cabinets and attractive millwork.
- Hard Surfaces and Trim – The hardwood, vinyl or tile flooring come next and the lustrous quartz or granite countertops that are standard features in most Rob Rice Homes are put in place. Designer backsplash tile and the tubs and toilets go in. The mirrors and shower doors follow.
- Fencing & Landscaping – Rob Rice Homes’ signature landscaping is professionally done so that lawns and fenced yards beautifully frame the lot. Your lovely home has a lush, clean and distinctive look, setting the home apart.
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Masonry is crafted when the weather permits at this home on a lovely golf course. Nicks and Dings Fixed – Everything is checked and minor repairs to dings or nicks are made to ensure that the home reflects a smooth, crisp and completed look. Just before the carpeting goes in, all the doors are shut and a “blow test” is done to check the energy-efficiency of the home.
- Carpeting – Carpeting is prepared and is the last to be installed so it remains fresh and ready for the new homeowner. Professional cleaning adds the new home sparkle. Finally, inspections of all systems and features are completed.
- “Punch List” Revisited – Rob Rice Homes’ unique ordered project list, or the “punch list”, is again reviewed in meticulous detail.
- Owner Walk-Through – We walk the new homeowners through the entire home answering their questions and showing how their systems work. Most of all, we get to see their response to their gorgeous home!
It all comes together
Eric often explains to concerned homeowners that in the last two weeks many things come together. Because the final work is mainly cosmetic, a home can look unfinished until the landscaping, fencing, final paint touches and carpeting are done.
“Homeowners can sometimes get concerned wondering, ‘Is it going to happen? Is my home going to be ready?’ Unless there has been an unusual delay, I can assure them that they will be thrilled with their new home.”
Rob Rice is Thurston County’s largest local home builder and was voted the Best of South Sound for 2013. He has built more than 3000 homes over the last 30 years. He and his wife Helena live in Olympia with their two sons; Alex Michael and Carson. Rob is a graduate of Washington State University with degrees in construction management and architecture.
For more information about a Rob Rice Homes community please visit our website.
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