Contractors, contractors...

The house has been rewired and has passed inspection, and the a/c has been installed...for the most part. We're waiting until the last minute to install the actual a/c unit since that's a frequently stolen item. It makes me mad that I have to worry about things like that, but that's life in the big city, I suppose.

After a couple of weeks of inactivity, I decided that this was the week I was going to get on the ball. I feel like I got so much accomplished! I finally tracked down our carpenter (been chasing him for over a week) and after we agreed to terms, he started the next day. In the last day, he's already gotten the materials, replaced the porch railing, removed the kitchen cabinets, and started fabrication of the new porch support columns. He thinks he'll be ready by Monday so that painters can get started on the exterior.

Jesse gave me a great bid on the project - $500 under what I estimated. He has a daughter my age and a granddaughter Weezie's age, so I have to confess I took advantage of those facts to butter him up.

"Oh, I quit my job to stay home with my baby. This (flipping) is my new job - hopefully I can make a little bit of money on it so I don't have to go back to work and can stay home with her!"

I'm terrible, aren't I? J told me that my sob story would have been a little more effective had I not driven up in a BMW, lol.

I also met with the painters and floor refinishers. Prices are in budget (a little under for painter, a little over for floors, so they even out). Both contractors were really nice, and it was surprisingly a pleasant experience. I need to get sheetrockers in asap, as that needs to be done before the painters/crown molding can be finished. I'm still working on getting a good bid on that. The guy I want to use gave us a bid a month ago, but it was way high. Jesse is a friend of his, so Jesse said he'd give him a call and see if he could re-bid it. I hope it works out since I know this guy does good work. I also like using contractors who know each other so they don't screw up each others' work.

Hopefully next week will be just as productive!