Day of Rekoning

In order to finally try to wrangle all this stuff down Liane took a day off work and arranged to meet with the various contractors and a subcontractors. We've added another to the mix: landscapers to take care of the area around the new deck (more details to come on this). Most of this went pretty predictably. In general it was moderately positive. Some more commitments were made -- we'll see whether they come through.

We had a pretty long list of "issues" for the main contractor doing the bigger projects. Some of it is just finishing stuff and therefore fairly obvious. Some of it relates to problems with work that had been deemed complete. So we're going to have to take a step back on some of these to end up two steps forward. Nevertheless, for the moment at least we feel like we're zeroing in on getting a lot of it wrapped up. I'm pretty giddy about that....but in a very guarded way.

Move #3

We're finally moving back in to our bedroom. There is still more work to be done, but (hopefully) none of it is so invasive as to create a lot more dust and dirt. I guess we'll see. The shower hasn't been fully tested yet.

Another "Deadline" Missed

A month ago Liane had a conversation with the Project Manager in which they discussed completion time. He suggested it would be in a week or two. She wanted to make sure it would be done by Thanksgiving. He laughingly said that would be no problem.

At that time we thought we might have guests for Thanksgiving. I told her she was nuts for giving him the actual deadline -- they'd never hit it. I suggested one two weeks prior (never mind the commentary that goes with having to make up deadlines one knows will be missed).

It's Thanksgiving now. The easy to hit deadline has been missed. Here are a few things that aren't complete:

1. Grout still not sealed in shower
2. Some trim still not painted
3. Glass not installed for shower
4. Some lights in bathroom still don't work (not connected?)
5. Heated floor system has no power yet (I verified this hasn't been connected at the breaker box)
6. No carpet for screened porch
7. Electrical outlets not installed in screened porch

And this doesn't even begin to address all the things that are wrong and will have to be redone.

What a joke (a not very funny one).

Painting AGAIN

Ding...here goes the next round. We have a new color. We'll see if we like it once it's on all the surfaces. It's a bit of a drab color, but we can't find anything else that will work for us.

Fortunately we have found a conscientious painter/worker who seems to actually appreciate the work. He responds to inquiries, is prompt, communicative, etc. We're not really sure what to make of this. When we deal with him I halfway expect a bearded Spock to appear (obscure geek reference for a few friends who will get it) as though we have entered some other space-time continuum where things people promise to do actually get done, etc. My cynicism runneth over...sorry...

Color Matching?

So...we're finding that the paint swatches don't match the actual color of the paint. What's the point?

We're really struggling with the wall color in the kitchen. We've waffled back and forth so many times. There are a complex set of issues. The color we pick has to work with the trim (and be darker than the trim), the cabinets, the countertop, the adjacent rooms (one of which is blue), etc.  We got 2/3 of it painted the other day and then, after seeing the color in action, decided we didn't like it. So....another do-over, only this one is our fault...I guess...I mean, not really though...

Start the process over with the paint swatches... I've been concerned because the color we just decided we don't like really doesn't look like its swatch did. This time we selected six swatches and bought paint in each of those colors. Several of them just don't match. How in the heck are you supposed to decide on this stuff? Back at the paint store they were clueless -- just guessing at possible reasons. No help at all.

The bottom on looks close in the photo, but it isn't.

Painting

We're finally getting the kitchen and hearth room painted. We've really agonized about the color. Very hard to select one that works with everything. And now that we see this one going on we're just not sure...

...ugh

As if there was ever any point in asking

Ceiling in the porch has been painted blue. Not sure why I bothered asking the question or debating it. I knew we were headed this way regardless of my or anyone else's opinion. No worries. It will be nice. I liked the natural wood better, but this is fine.

Of course...like everything else in this project they're going to have to go back and redo parts of it they botched.

Shower Fixtures

Installed and (minimally) tested. There's another head on the opposite wall, and also a hand wand and rain head (not shown). Looks good. I really think we are starting to get near the end of this thing.

Also controls a nearby nuclear power plant

Shitter

Installed. It's a duel flush model, so we can conserve some water...not that there's any shortage of water in Fort Rain.

Anybody want a sink?

It's been sitting in our garage since it was pulled out of the kitchen. Haven't noticed it because there has been so much other rubble out there from the remodeling. We cleaned a little bit of it up over the weekend and "found" this. It's actually a pretty nice looking sink, when clean. We have all the stuff for it. All the plumbing is fully functional, etc.