Last Monday, I had arranged to meet the granite installers in the morning at 8:30. At 9:30, I call, and they say they're on their way and about an hour out. I'm frustrated, but not overly upset since being rescheduled is par for the course in a remodel. I leave to go get some coffee and return in an hour. Another half hour goes by, and they're still not there. I call again and get another lame excuse. Long story short, we don't meet until 2pm. Mind you, I'm doing this remodel while I have a 2 year old in tow. Suffice it to say I'm already a little agitated by the time the installers get there. When they get there, they start taking measurements, and the countertop will not slide onto the counter. A board has been installed on the backsplash rendering the counterspace about 1/2" too short. No big deal - the board can either be cut so the granite can be slid underneath it or removed entirely with no huge effort. Of course, I don't get off so easily... The kitchen counter is flanked on both sides by doorways to the adjacent rooms. Around these doorways is 100 year old wood trim that needs to be removed before the counter can slide in. I say 100 year old wood trim in not the "oh, falling apart already" way but rather, the "petrified wood, not going anywhere anytime soon" way.
I make an attempt to control my frustration, but I do tell the installation team that I'm really disappointed I wasn't told these things when measurements were taken so that I could have a) taken care of the trim removal sooner and b) made the changes prior to the painters having painted the trim. As a result of not being told sooner, my schedule has slipped, I have to schedule a carpenter to return (at additional cost), and have the painters recaulk/paint the trim after removal.
As they drive off, I walk into the backyard and just burst into tears I'm so angry! I know as I'm crying that I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, they're not insurmountable problems, but I hate, hate, hate it when things don't go as I plan. Alright, I admit, I just hate not getting my way.
After I finish snuffling and cursing contractors not-so-under my breath, I make a few calls, and Jesse was able to make the necessary modifications that evening. The granite guys came back the next morning (on time this time), and my painter said that he'd have his crew patch and paint when they came for the round of touchups.So, it wasn't the huge, horrible crisis that I had built it up to be. In hindsight, it was silly for me to have gotten so angry. I guess part of me was hoping that I'd get through this remodel scot-free and avoid all the horror-stories you hear about flip projects. J reminded met that if this has been my biggest issue, then I should count my blessings. He also gave me a dose of reality and said I'd probably encounter a few more hiccups before everything's said and done, and that would be perfectly normal. I'm hoping that everything else will go smoothly, but I'm feeling a little less pressure to do everything perfectly.
2 comments:
I suppose "faithful reader" (singular) is me. :) I love this blog. I remember finding out that the oven required more power than what I had originally read, and then getting lectured by my installer about how he had ASKED me about that before and I had given him the wrong answer, so NOW he had to cut through wall and undo finished work to correct the power line. aigh. It was also an unhappy state of affairs to realize my house had no insulation (but that wasn't a big deal as it could be done after the fact).
And then of course, there is the time that faithful reader #2 repainted my kitchen - because I decided it was the wrong red. :)
I got all fired up when I read the first line of mavmomma's post, thinking, hey!, I'm a faithful reader, too! But then I read the last line and realized she does indeed remember me. All is now forgiven.
I think crying over granite and stupid contractors is perfectly legitimate. I would be in a curled up a in fetal position just hating life dealing with these guys and you just breeze through all of it. Very impressive. Here's to a smooth rest of the flip!
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