We moved into the new house on September 1st.
By Thanksgiving, our refrigerator began malfunctioning.
Refrig not cooling...
Freezer thawing.. then freezing... then thawing...
We've been living without much food in the house, because it kept spoiling.
We used the screen porch as our psuedo refrigerator... but then the butter froze, and then the weather warmed to 40 degrees and things thawed. It sucked.
After 5-6 house calls to "repair" the unit, American TV finally agreed to replace it with a new refrigerator. YEA!!
I'm ready to run to the grocery store and restock!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Home Building Awards and Hall of Shame
I know you should build up to the best awards, but I am starting with the Best of the Best award.
“Best of the Best” Award
Here are the nominees: (note if they were a nominee then they did good)
- Dave - The Trim Man
- Ziegler Landscape (The Second Landscaper)
- Sergenian’s – flooring Vic Ripp
- The Stone Mason
- American TV
- Capital Lawn Sprinkler
- American TV
- Madison Fireplace
And the winner is:
Sergenian’s – Vic Ripp
Vic Ripp provided the best service of anyone working on our house. Vic was patient, helpful, funny, and went the extra mile to make sure we got what we wanted and needed. The Sergenian’s crew, while not the fastest, had ZERO defects and did a great job. Above simply doing a great job, Vic went out of his way to make sure things went well. He made multiple trips to the house before and during construction, and after we were moving in he brought backsplash samples – perfect ones that match exactly to what we want to do – to our house and set them up for us to look at. Sergenian’s is NOT close to our house. It would be at least a 20 minute drive and he does not live out here either. This is just great, far exceeds my expectations, service.
“I Stand Behind my Product” Award
Here are the nominees:
- American TV
- Madison Fireplace
- Exterior Stucco and Stone
And the winner is:
American TV
Whaaaa? Yes American. We do buy a lot from American, and for this house we purchased our appliances and TVs from them. Because the cabinet people sent out the wrong shelf for the microwave we needed to get a trim kit. This was going to be $200. Plus during the move the refrigerator doors were scratched. The representative from American brought the trim kit to the house and worked to get the scratch off of the door. While working of the scratch, he noticed the doors were a little warped – it was noticeable but I was not going to ask to have them replaced. He immediately said that he was going to order new doors for the refrigerator and that there was no charge for the trim kit. We received good service from American through the whole process, and with this kind of great service they will continue to be our first option. You know that Best Buy and Home Depot would not have done the same thing for us.
“Charlie Hustle” Award
The nominees are:
- The stucco crew
- Ziegler Landscaping - Brandon
- Matt and Lucas on the sound system
And the Winner is:
Brandon from Ziegler Landscape.
Brandon is in his early 20’s but he has learned how to work and how to get others to work. In a very natural manner he got his crew to hustle and made sure they were doing a really good job. I ended up asking Brandon a few questions and he would always hustle over listen and make sure he understood the question and would make sure I got want I wanted. Good work, hard work, and getting the most out of his crew made Brandon one of the best we met.
“No Hassle just get my work done” Award
The nominees are:
- Dave - The Trim Man
- Capitol Lawn Sprinkler
- Sergenian’s
- The stain man
- Dave Jones Plumbing
- The Stucco Crew
- The Stone Mason
- Giese Concrete
And the Winner is:
All of the above. Cheap easy way out I know. But all of these people simply just did their jobs. There were mistakes, especially with the office staff at Dave Jones, but that has to be expected. Overall, all of these people / companies did a good job and did it without much fanfare or hoopla.
“You have got to be kidding me” Award
The nominees are:
- Dennis Acker Landscaping
- FEI Electric
- FEI Sound System
And the award goes to:
FEI Sound System
This may seem like an upset and in some ways it is; but Dennis still has an award coming. By award, this is not a good thing. While Dan Flanders at FEI made a few silly errors on the electrical that he will not own up to, the sound system is getting to be really strange. TVs that require separate controls for video versus sound, a master bath with FULL control and FULL sound, and a lower level with nada, zip, zero sound are at the top of the list. I should also throw in the part about taking up an entire closet with equipment when they should have only taken half. Matt and Lucas the installers worked hard and were even nominated for an award, but they could not overcome the bad design that Dan put together.
So Dan, you can say whatever you want but here is what I asked for versus what you delivered:
Wanted: Whole house sound
Got: Nothing in the basement
Wanted: A sound knob for the music in the master bath
Got: Overly expensive complicated equipment that should have gone in the basement
Wanted: Video and sound on my TVs with one click
Got: Not that
Wanted: The screen porch and patio on the same control because they will NEVER ever play anything different
Got: One control upstairs and another control in the basement wasting another expensive wall controller
Wanted: A control I could use in the Hearth room
Got: A control I can use only if I am sitting in one certain place in the Hearth room
“Mr. Weasel” Award
The nominees are:
- FEI Electric
- FEI Sound
- Dennis Acker Landscape
- Marling Cabinets, Dave Jones Plumbing, Devorak Countertops for the sink episode
And the award goes to:
FEI Electric
Come on, I can only turn on half the lights in the kitchen from the main switch? And apparently it was your “design” that I can turn on the lights under the cabinets from the main switch, but I have to turn on the main lights from the switch under the cabinets, hmmm. Dan this was not a design problem but an installation problem and you should fix it.
UPDATE ON THE TWO ABOVE AWARDS
I gave FEI the opportunity to step up and admit that what they did was kind of stupid and to make thing right with me. Nope, they will not even admit they made a mistake. Fine, I just want it fixed, so it is $200 to fix the kitchen switch. Then I asked that they give me a proposal for 2 wall speakers and a sound control knob in the basement. This is on a wall where the sheetrock is unfinished in the storage area and a speaker wire runs directly past where I want the speakers. Easy access!
What I got was a $2300 proposal (even though the total said $1500) for ceiling speakers (I didn’t ask for these), a full control expensive keypad (I didn’t ask for this), and other crap. No explanation, only a note that I can call them if I want to know more. Well actually, I am busy, so I asked for a write up on what they are proposing. What I got was two more proposals, one with the math fixed and now a real $1500 proposal for speakers in the wall. What is the functionality difference? I don’t know, I was told they are too busy to describe their proposal. Huh? Right, they are just too busy to put in writing what they are proposing other than a list of equipment.
After all of their errors I will not give them a dime until they describe what they are going to do.
In my humble opinion, Flanders Electric dba FEI in Cottage Grove, WI sux.
“I am going to do what I want instead of what you want” Award
The nominees are:
- Dennis Acker
And the Award goes to:
Dennis Acker Landscaping
Thanks Dennis for everything you did. Thanks for using the wrong stones despite every example we talked about being something different. Thanks for putting the wall where I said I did NOT want the wall. And most of all, thanks for the holes in the stucco.
“Most Unexpected Builder Comment” Award
The nominees are:
- Call my wife Mrs. Lucky
- I was just walking and “boom” I fell off the roof
- I cut the bottoms of my pockets out so I can scratch my privates
- No charge
And the winner is:
No charge
All of the above can be associated with our builder. He is quite a character. Even though the building process did not go as well as we would have liked, Wayne is as honest as they come in the building business. After seeing the work that Wayne’s brother Dennis did (see previous award) I asked Wayne how much it was going to cost us to get the wrong stone removed the and area graded again. As usual I did have culpability. He responded “no charge” we’ll take care of it. I could give several reasons why that was the right thing to do, but ultimately I had mistakenly signed a document with the wrong stone written in. He could have told me that I needed to pay for it, but instead Wayne took care of it. It was unexpected and appreciated.
“Best of the Best” Award
Here are the nominees: (note if they were a nominee then they did good)
- Dave - The Trim Man
- Ziegler Landscape (The Second Landscaper)
- Sergenian’s – flooring Vic Ripp
- The Stone Mason
- American TV
- Capital Lawn Sprinkler
- American TV
- Madison Fireplace
And the winner is:
Sergenian’s – Vic Ripp
Vic Ripp provided the best service of anyone working on our house. Vic was patient, helpful, funny, and went the extra mile to make sure we got what we wanted and needed. The Sergenian’s crew, while not the fastest, had ZERO defects and did a great job. Above simply doing a great job, Vic went out of his way to make sure things went well. He made multiple trips to the house before and during construction, and after we were moving in he brought backsplash samples – perfect ones that match exactly to what we want to do – to our house and set them up for us to look at. Sergenian’s is NOT close to our house. It would be at least a 20 minute drive and he does not live out here either. This is just great, far exceeds my expectations, service.
“I Stand Behind my Product” Award
Here are the nominees:
- American TV
- Madison Fireplace
- Exterior Stucco and Stone
And the winner is:
American TV
Whaaaa? Yes American. We do buy a lot from American, and for this house we purchased our appliances and TVs from them. Because the cabinet people sent out the wrong shelf for the microwave we needed to get a trim kit. This was going to be $200. Plus during the move the refrigerator doors were scratched. The representative from American brought the trim kit to the house and worked to get the scratch off of the door. While working of the scratch, he noticed the doors were a little warped – it was noticeable but I was not going to ask to have them replaced. He immediately said that he was going to order new doors for the refrigerator and that there was no charge for the trim kit. We received good service from American through the whole process, and with this kind of great service they will continue to be our first option. You know that Best Buy and Home Depot would not have done the same thing for us.
“Charlie Hustle” Award
The nominees are:
- The stucco crew
- Ziegler Landscaping - Brandon
- Matt and Lucas on the sound system
And the Winner is:
Brandon from Ziegler Landscape.
Brandon is in his early 20’s but he has learned how to work and how to get others to work. In a very natural manner he got his crew to hustle and made sure they were doing a really good job. I ended up asking Brandon a few questions and he would always hustle over listen and make sure he understood the question and would make sure I got want I wanted. Good work, hard work, and getting the most out of his crew made Brandon one of the best we met.
“No Hassle just get my work done” Award
The nominees are:
- Dave - The Trim Man
- Capitol Lawn Sprinkler
- Sergenian’s
- The stain man
- Dave Jones Plumbing
- The Stucco Crew
- The Stone Mason
- Giese Concrete
And the Winner is:
All of the above. Cheap easy way out I know. But all of these people simply just did their jobs. There were mistakes, especially with the office staff at Dave Jones, but that has to be expected. Overall, all of these people / companies did a good job and did it without much fanfare or hoopla.
“You have got to be kidding me” Award
The nominees are:
- Dennis Acker Landscaping
- FEI Electric
- FEI Sound System
And the award goes to:
FEI Sound System
This may seem like an upset and in some ways it is; but Dennis still has an award coming. By award, this is not a good thing. While Dan Flanders at FEI made a few silly errors on the electrical that he will not own up to, the sound system is getting to be really strange. TVs that require separate controls for video versus sound, a master bath with FULL control and FULL sound, and a lower level with nada, zip, zero sound are at the top of the list. I should also throw in the part about taking up an entire closet with equipment when they should have only taken half. Matt and Lucas the installers worked hard and were even nominated for an award, but they could not overcome the bad design that Dan put together.
So Dan, you can say whatever you want but here is what I asked for versus what you delivered:
Wanted: Whole house sound
Got: Nothing in the basement
Wanted: A sound knob for the music in the master bath
Got: Overly expensive complicated equipment that should have gone in the basement
Wanted: Video and sound on my TVs with one click
Got: Not that
Wanted: The screen porch and patio on the same control because they will NEVER ever play anything different
Got: One control upstairs and another control in the basement wasting another expensive wall controller
Wanted: A control I could use in the Hearth room
Got: A control I can use only if I am sitting in one certain place in the Hearth room
“Mr. Weasel” Award
The nominees are:
- FEI Electric
- FEI Sound
- Dennis Acker Landscape
- Marling Cabinets, Dave Jones Plumbing, Devorak Countertops for the sink episode
And the award goes to:
FEI Electric
Come on, I can only turn on half the lights in the kitchen from the main switch? And apparently it was your “design” that I can turn on the lights under the cabinets from the main switch, but I have to turn on the main lights from the switch under the cabinets, hmmm. Dan this was not a design problem but an installation problem and you should fix it.
UPDATE ON THE TWO ABOVE AWARDS
I gave FEI the opportunity to step up and admit that what they did was kind of stupid and to make thing right with me. Nope, they will not even admit they made a mistake. Fine, I just want it fixed, so it is $200 to fix the kitchen switch. Then I asked that they give me a proposal for 2 wall speakers and a sound control knob in the basement. This is on a wall where the sheetrock is unfinished in the storage area and a speaker wire runs directly past where I want the speakers. Easy access!
What I got was a $2300 proposal (even though the total said $1500) for ceiling speakers (I didn’t ask for these), a full control expensive keypad (I didn’t ask for this), and other crap. No explanation, only a note that I can call them if I want to know more. Well actually, I am busy, so I asked for a write up on what they are proposing. What I got was two more proposals, one with the math fixed and now a real $1500 proposal for speakers in the wall. What is the functionality difference? I don’t know, I was told they are too busy to describe their proposal. Huh? Right, they are just too busy to put in writing what they are proposing other than a list of equipment.
After all of their errors I will not give them a dime until they describe what they are going to do.
In my humble opinion, Flanders Electric dba FEI in Cottage Grove, WI sux.
“I am going to do what I want instead of what you want” Award
The nominees are:
- Dennis Acker
And the Award goes to:
Dennis Acker Landscaping
Thanks Dennis for everything you did. Thanks for using the wrong stones despite every example we talked about being something different. Thanks for putting the wall where I said I did NOT want the wall. And most of all, thanks for the holes in the stucco.
“Most Unexpected Builder Comment” Award
The nominees are:
- Call my wife Mrs. Lucky
- I was just walking and “boom” I fell off the roof
- I cut the bottoms of my pockets out so I can scratch my privates
- No charge
And the winner is:
No charge
All of the above can be associated with our builder. He is quite a character. Even though the building process did not go as well as we would have liked, Wayne is as honest as they come in the building business. After seeing the work that Wayne’s brother Dennis did (see previous award) I asked Wayne how much it was going to cost us to get the wrong stone removed the and area graded again. As usual I did have culpability. He responded “no charge” we’ll take care of it. I could give several reasons why that was the right thing to do, but ultimately I had mistakenly signed a document with the wrong stone written in. He could have told me that I needed to pay for it, but instead Wayne took care of it. It was unexpected and appreciated.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Builder Rant
I was thinking about why I am a little dissatisfied with my builder. After all I do like the house a lot. I am happy with they way the house looks and it seems to have turned out fine overall. But yet I could not give my builder a glowing reference. Why? Here are a few reasons you can be happy with the end result, but not happy with the process that got you here.
My expectations were that the builder would get the permits, schedule the sub-contractors, be at the house daily to ensure quality, help ensure the right decisions were made, and to provide quality components equivalent to the price we paid for the house. Some of this happened. The rest is a bit questionable.
The builder did schedule the subs, but it was a fire-drill. We received many last minute hurry up phone calls that with just a little attention to the project could have been avoided. Several of the subs told us they got a call the day of or the day before the builder wanted them onsite. Our garage doors were not installed until after we were in the house, even after they had assured us these were ordered ahead of time – turns out not. Basically the builder did the whole house with a by the seat of his pants scheduling methodology.
The builder was AWOL too often when it came to quality. Their attitude seemed to be that each sub was responsible for their own quality and as long as the task was finished then it was fine. This is a little overly harsh as the builder really did do some things related to quality, but we have a long list of the things WE caught. Here is a sample:
Framing – Open gaps in many of the studs, some gaps were a half inch or more.
Drywall – some areas wavy and many of the seams not straight
Stucco – windows not even
Cabinets - nicks chips scratches uneven doors and even missing doors
Electrical - plugs in the wrong locations and switches strangely installed
Cement - the basement floor was uneven
Plumbing - missing and incorrect components
While it is not a defect per se, the builder did make commitments to keep the house clean and to not suck dirt into the air vents. He didn’t and then he did!
All in all we gave the builder over 60 defects in the house that we found.
As for helping with decisions the builder was not a part of the process. There are a lot of decisions to be made when building a house. Many of which are foreign to the typically home buyer. You are expected to make instant decisions related to plumbing, electrical, yard grading, and the like without any real point of reference with which to make the decision. I finally asked the builder if all buyers struggle with these decisions and the answer was “yes”. If this is true then the process is obviously broken. The builder should be more involved in helping the home buyer understand the ramifications of their decisions. Instead our builder took a hands-off “I don’t have any thing to do with that” approach.
One small example is in the placement of light switches. This may seem inconsequential, but it is not. We now have a situation where we can turn on half the lights in the kitchen from one switch then have to walk to another switch to turn on the other half. The electrician says that we signed off on that. We did? Not on purpose. Why would anyone EVER want the switches this way? The electrician simply screwed up and we did not catch it. Which leads me to the final part of this rant.
The builder should be there to review the key decisions the home buyer makes. When working with electricians, plumbers, cabinets, exterior, or flooring you have to make a lot of decisions. What we found is that sub after sub (but mainly the electrician) put in specs that were different that we discussed.
Using the electrician again as an example, you walk through the framed house to identify the locations of switches and to specify the functionality of the switches. This is a lot more complex than you might think, and you get one shot at it. We discussed options, locations, usage and more. The electrician took down note after note. Then a couple of weeks later you get a plan that you have to sign at the last minute because they are already starting. Unless you are an expert in this area AND you were a part of the walk through conversation you will not see the errors and omissions in the plans. So now we can only turn on half our kitchen lights from the main switch, and this is MY fault. This is obviously the electrician’s error and the builder does not want to get involved. It is not expensive to fix, under $200, but it should never have happened.
Lastly, there are number of items that go into your house that are not specified as a part of the building contract. You need to expect that the builder will provide supplies equivalent to the type of house you are building. As an example, and seemingly a small item I admit, are the toilet seats. We chose a much upgraded toilet – spiffy extra cost handle on the side of the tank, elongated, one is even a “comfort” height. But now the toilet “seats” are a cheap thin plastic that you would expect at a Motel 6. No I did not think to ask. Call me unreasonable, but if you are going elongated comfort height with the handle of the side, shouldn’t you be able to assume you would get a nice seat?
Oh well, I will just go watch TV on our neat distributed sound system and relax. Wait. What? I can’t turn on the TV and the SOUND at the same time? Oh I see, I did not specify that I wanted to listen to as well as watch my TV – my bad….
Note: While we do think the builder should have done more as described above, to be clear we love the house and Wayne, Jenny, and Matt are honest decent people. Would we build we Wayne again? Yes, but we would have a lot more in writing about the builder role and responsibility. Of course they might turn us down as customers :)
My expectations were that the builder would get the permits, schedule the sub-contractors, be at the house daily to ensure quality, help ensure the right decisions were made, and to provide quality components equivalent to the price we paid for the house. Some of this happened. The rest is a bit questionable.
The builder did schedule the subs, but it was a fire-drill. We received many last minute hurry up phone calls that with just a little attention to the project could have been avoided. Several of the subs told us they got a call the day of or the day before the builder wanted them onsite. Our garage doors were not installed until after we were in the house, even after they had assured us these were ordered ahead of time – turns out not. Basically the builder did the whole house with a by the seat of his pants scheduling methodology.
The builder was AWOL too often when it came to quality. Their attitude seemed to be that each sub was responsible for their own quality and as long as the task was finished then it was fine. This is a little overly harsh as the builder really did do some things related to quality, but we have a long list of the things WE caught. Here is a sample:
Framing – Open gaps in many of the studs, some gaps were a half inch or more.
Drywall – some areas wavy and many of the seams not straight
Stucco – windows not even
Cabinets - nicks chips scratches uneven doors and even missing doors
Electrical - plugs in the wrong locations and switches strangely installed
Cement - the basement floor was uneven
Plumbing - missing and incorrect components
While it is not a defect per se, the builder did make commitments to keep the house clean and to not suck dirt into the air vents. He didn’t and then he did!
All in all we gave the builder over 60 defects in the house that we found.
As for helping with decisions the builder was not a part of the process. There are a lot of decisions to be made when building a house. Many of which are foreign to the typically home buyer. You are expected to make instant decisions related to plumbing, electrical, yard grading, and the like without any real point of reference with which to make the decision. I finally asked the builder if all buyers struggle with these decisions and the answer was “yes”. If this is true then the process is obviously broken. The builder should be more involved in helping the home buyer understand the ramifications of their decisions. Instead our builder took a hands-off “I don’t have any thing to do with that” approach.
One small example is in the placement of light switches. This may seem inconsequential, but it is not. We now have a situation where we can turn on half the lights in the kitchen from one switch then have to walk to another switch to turn on the other half. The electrician says that we signed off on that. We did? Not on purpose. Why would anyone EVER want the switches this way? The electrician simply screwed up and we did not catch it. Which leads me to the final part of this rant.
The builder should be there to review the key decisions the home buyer makes. When working with electricians, plumbers, cabinets, exterior, or flooring you have to make a lot of decisions. What we found is that sub after sub (but mainly the electrician) put in specs that were different that we discussed.
Using the electrician again as an example, you walk through the framed house to identify the locations of switches and to specify the functionality of the switches. This is a lot more complex than you might think, and you get one shot at it. We discussed options, locations, usage and more. The electrician took down note after note. Then a couple of weeks later you get a plan that you have to sign at the last minute because they are already starting. Unless you are an expert in this area AND you were a part of the walk through conversation you will not see the errors and omissions in the plans. So now we can only turn on half our kitchen lights from the main switch, and this is MY fault. This is obviously the electrician’s error and the builder does not want to get involved. It is not expensive to fix, under $200, but it should never have happened.
Lastly, there are number of items that go into your house that are not specified as a part of the building contract. You need to expect that the builder will provide supplies equivalent to the type of house you are building. As an example, and seemingly a small item I admit, are the toilet seats. We chose a much upgraded toilet – spiffy extra cost handle on the side of the tank, elongated, one is even a “comfort” height. But now the toilet “seats” are a cheap thin plastic that you would expect at a Motel 6. No I did not think to ask. Call me unreasonable, but if you are going elongated comfort height with the handle of the side, shouldn’t you be able to assume you would get a nice seat?
Oh well, I will just go watch TV on our neat distributed sound system and relax. Wait. What? I can’t turn on the TV and the SOUND at the same time? Oh I see, I did not specify that I wanted to listen to as well as watch my TV – my bad….
Note: While we do think the builder should have done more as described above, to be clear we love the house and Wayne, Jenny, and Matt are honest decent people. Would we build we Wayne again? Yes, but we would have a lot more in writing about the builder role and responsibility. Of course they might turn us down as customers :)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Last week in pictures
Matt (general contractor), Kari (countertop salesperson), and Ken (installer) talking about who was at fault for drilling faucet holes in the wrong places. .JPG)
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Our railing is done!
Granite installed
.JPG)
Do you see anything odd in this pic? We were surprised that they sold us this type of install, as if the extra inch of granite would have been much more difficult to install??
.JPG)
Retaining walls finally finished!
Retaining walls finally finished! We told them not to bother with the two-tone trim on our curved window... so this was a way cool surprise. :).JPG)
Huh?
Just received a call from the general contractor and it went something like this:
"Hey Michelle, it's Matt. I'm at the house and have a question for you. Do you want your bathroom light centered over the mirror or over the faucet?"
"What? Isn't it ALL centered? The sink, faucet, mirror, and light?"
"Well, no. If we centered the mirror over the sink, we'd have to scootch it over so the mirror was touching the center drawer unit. I don't think that would look too good. So do you want the light center over the faucet or mirror? (Long pause...) Have you seen the bathroom since the mirrors were installed?"
"Matt - I was out there this morning. The left light looks fine. The right one is goofy - it needs to be moved to the right a tad bit. Just make both sides look the same."
"Umm. Yeah, whatever we do I'll make sure they're the same. So do you want it centered on the faucet or mirror?"
" (Sigh)... What is the left centered on?"
"I think it's centered on the faucet, I'm not sure. The right one isn't centered on anything. It's all screwy."
"Please make it look like the one on the left. Whatever that one is centered on, do the same thing on the right."
"Oh, OK! That's all I needed!"
HUH???????????????????? Wouldn't you think there is a standard way of centering a sink, faucet, mirror and overhead light? My guess is the sink wasn't put in the center of the counter top......
"Hey Michelle, it's Matt. I'm at the house and have a question for you. Do you want your bathroom light centered over the mirror or over the faucet?"
"What? Isn't it ALL centered? The sink, faucet, mirror, and light?"
"Well, no. If we centered the mirror over the sink, we'd have to scootch it over so the mirror was touching the center drawer unit. I don't think that would look too good. So do you want the light center over the faucet or mirror? (Long pause...) Have you seen the bathroom since the mirrors were installed?"
"Matt - I was out there this morning. The left light looks fine. The right one is goofy - it needs to be moved to the right a tad bit. Just make both sides look the same."
"Umm. Yeah, whatever we do I'll make sure they're the same. So do you want it centered on the faucet or mirror?"
" (Sigh)... What is the left centered on?"
"I think it's centered on the faucet, I'm not sure. The right one isn't centered on anything. It's all screwy."
"Please make it look like the one on the left. Whatever that one is centered on, do the same thing on the right."
"Oh, OK! That's all I needed!"
HUH???????????????????? Wouldn't you think there is a standard way of centering a sink, faucet, mirror and overhead light? My guess is the sink wasn't put in the center of the counter top......
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Moving Day is Set!
We are scheduled to move in!
New furniture will be delivered on Friday, August 29th.
PODS units will be delivered on Saturday, August 30th.
Moving men will work on Sunday, August 31st to unload our four different storage units.
Woo Hoo!!! I can't wait!!
Any one who wants to help with good old manual labor -- feel free to stop by!
New furniture will be delivered on Friday, August 29th.
PODS units will be delivered on Saturday, August 30th.
Moving men will work on Sunday, August 31st to unload our four different storage units.
Woo Hoo!!! I can't wait!!
Any one who wants to help with good old manual labor -- feel free to stop by!
What a week!
We've been so busy this week that we literally didn't have time to post!
Let's start with WEDNESDAY.... I received a call from Marling's, the cabinet and countertop contractor. There was an "accident" at site while installing our kitchen granite countertops. Luckily, no one was hurt and the granite wasn't broken. Casualities included our granite kitchen sink, some floor tiles, and a cabinet door. To keep progress moving, they asked if I could go pick up a new sink and bring it to site ASAP. Negativo... I was in Milwaukee. So the fabricator, who broke the sink, ran to Home Depot to get a replacement. (BTW, I love that store. Even though he was honest about breaking it, the store replaced it for free.) Of course, the rest will be fixed at no cost to us... whenever they can get a replacement cabinet door.
I went to the house to view the damage that night, and found two other mistakes with the granite. (1) The edges were squared, and I ordered rounded, aka bullnose. What are we to do??? If we rip it out and have it redone, the entire house will be delayed for another FOUR weeks! Turns out we weren't charged for the bullnose, so we'll keep it squared. Don't tell me you don't like it... because I don't either. (2) The first floor bath has one sink, and the lower level bath has two sinks. The faucets I selected were different... as I went cheaper on the basement bath. Well, the fabricator drilled the holes opposite... so the bathroom faucets are drilled in the first floor countertop, etc. THIS was easy for ME. I told them to upgrade the house to the nicer faucets at no cost to me rather than find a new piece of granite and start over again! I must confess that the plumber, the fabrictor, and Marlings all took time to call me and explain that the mistake was not THEIR fault! Frankly, I don't care WHO screwed up as long as it's fixed.
THURSDAY: They continued to install the granite countertops and plumbing fixtures. I stopped by to approve something (I don't remember what), and discovered yet another additional cost. The house contract included a screen porch, tongue and grove pine siding. However, the contractor doesn't plan on sealing it! That's like drywalling and then asking "did you want paint?". He wants to charge another $900 to oil, seal, and paint the outside. Cripes.
FRIDAY: Lee had to meet the sprinkler company and the landscaper at site. They have finished the fine grading, and Lee finally approved the plan. I'm so thankful for Lee, because I wouldn't have the patience to work on the landscaping the way he did. Lee and I made a list of at least twelve mistakes or issues for the contractor to address. We also found out that they turned on the air return (furnace and AC)... so all of the construction and drywall dust is being sucked into our ventilation system!! WE ARE NOT HAPPY.
SATURDAY: We stared at more tile samples trying to select a kitchen backsplash. We took about five different options to the house, and none wowed us. Sorry, but we hate to spend a lot of money on something we don't really like. So... we'll be without a backsplash for awhile.
SUNDAY: Dust O' Dust!!! We learned the carpet is scheduled to be installed tomorrow. There is SO MUCH drywall and construction dust, that we were worried they would throw the carpet on top of it. Lee and I worked for 2-3 hours, both with separate ShopVacs, cleaning up as much dust and debris as possible. We met with a window blinds company and received a good case of sticker shock with their quote. We then spent a few hours assembling the new screen porch furniture. At LONG LAST, we enjoyed our first beverage with our friend Tom on the screen porch! It was wonderful!!
Let's start with WEDNESDAY.... I received a call from Marling's, the cabinet and countertop contractor. There was an "accident" at site while installing our kitchen granite countertops. Luckily, no one was hurt and the granite wasn't broken. Casualities included our granite kitchen sink, some floor tiles, and a cabinet door. To keep progress moving, they asked if I could go pick up a new sink and bring it to site ASAP. Negativo... I was in Milwaukee. So the fabricator, who broke the sink, ran to Home Depot to get a replacement. (BTW, I love that store. Even though he was honest about breaking it, the store replaced it for free.) Of course, the rest will be fixed at no cost to us... whenever they can get a replacement cabinet door.
I went to the house to view the damage that night, and found two other mistakes with the granite. (1) The edges were squared, and I ordered rounded, aka bullnose. What are we to do??? If we rip it out and have it redone, the entire house will be delayed for another FOUR weeks! Turns out we weren't charged for the bullnose, so we'll keep it squared. Don't tell me you don't like it... because I don't either. (2) The first floor bath has one sink, and the lower level bath has two sinks. The faucets I selected were different... as I went cheaper on the basement bath. Well, the fabricator drilled the holes opposite... so the bathroom faucets are drilled in the first floor countertop, etc. THIS was easy for ME. I told them to upgrade the house to the nicer faucets at no cost to me rather than find a new piece of granite and start over again! I must confess that the plumber, the fabrictor, and Marlings all took time to call me and explain that the mistake was not THEIR fault! Frankly, I don't care WHO screwed up as long as it's fixed.
THURSDAY: They continued to install the granite countertops and plumbing fixtures. I stopped by to approve something (I don't remember what), and discovered yet another additional cost. The house contract included a screen porch, tongue and grove pine siding. However, the contractor doesn't plan on sealing it! That's like drywalling and then asking "did you want paint?". He wants to charge another $900 to oil, seal, and paint the outside. Cripes.
FRIDAY: Lee had to meet the sprinkler company and the landscaper at site. They have finished the fine grading, and Lee finally approved the plan. I'm so thankful for Lee, because I wouldn't have the patience to work on the landscaping the way he did. Lee and I made a list of at least twelve mistakes or issues for the contractor to address. We also found out that they turned on the air return (furnace and AC)... so all of the construction and drywall dust is being sucked into our ventilation system!! WE ARE NOT HAPPY.
SATURDAY: We stared at more tile samples trying to select a kitchen backsplash. We took about five different options to the house, and none wowed us. Sorry, but we hate to spend a lot of money on something we don't really like. So... we'll be without a backsplash for awhile.
SUNDAY: Dust O' Dust!!! We learned the carpet is scheduled to be installed tomorrow. There is SO MUCH drywall and construction dust, that we were worried they would throw the carpet on top of it. Lee and I worked for 2-3 hours, both with separate ShopVacs, cleaning up as much dust and debris as possible. We met with a window blinds company and received a good case of sticker shock with their quote. We then spent a few hours assembling the new screen porch furniture. At LONG LAST, we enjoyed our first beverage with our friend Tom on the screen porch! It was wonderful!!
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