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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Kitchen Update

Hello dear Friends.  Is it Friday yet? You would think it was the weekend by the looks of my kitchen.  There was one thing missing today.  Worker bees.   I called the General Contractor, Steve, or as I refer to him as On-Leave Steve, and inquired as to the whereabouts of the guys.   On-Leave Steve informed me that they are waaaaay ahead of schedule.  And then in his usual charming, condescending, tone, On Leave-Steve warned me that I should be prepared for a lot of "down time" from here on in because they were soooo ahead of schedule.  

I then called our Kitchen Design guy, Bill, or as I refer to him, Just Chill Bill.  I expressed my dissatisfaction with the way things have been moving along.  He gave me his usual response, "Let me call Steve and I'll get back to you."  I have learned that in kitchen speak, that means "Leave me alone, I'm on Match.com."

In case you don't know what "waaaaay ahead of schedule" looks like, here are a few photos.  

Week 5 of the Kitchen Renovation....




A possible doggie door?


I think this is On-Leave Steve's purse.



I should be ready to post my Kitchen Room Reveal by Halloween.

Happy Hump Day!





I hired this guy to keep an eye on On-Leave Steve.





















Preppy Empty Nester
Preppy Empty Nester

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14 comments:

  1. Oh my! What? Are they afraid if they finish the work you contracted for early that you'd be unhappy? GEEZ! Hubby has told me he will never build a house with me from start to finish because I am BRUTAL with the contractors. I personally would have told On-Leave Steve that I would be deducting $$$ from said contract for everyday they were a no show!!! Hence why you should NEVER pay in full up front (I am sure you did not)...just speaking from the awful stories my friends who did have shared.

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  2. OH- I have been there, done that! Did you get the T-Shirt yet, Katie? lol You only need the 3rd one to complete The Three Stooges- you MUST have a "I Forgot It Fred". He is the gem in the construction crown. xo Diana

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  3. This is definitely WINE Day (or week).
    Denise

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  4. I had the same problem when doing our bathrooms...it took nearly a year for two bathrooms! Hope they show up and get to work tomorrow! xoxo

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  5. Not uncommon but doesn't mean its not FRUSTRATING! Don't you love all the promises BEFORE the job starts???? Yep they are infamous for that! I know in the end, its going to be beautiful and look at how much you have done...amazing progress!!

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  6. Katie,
    After being in that industry for many years, let me share a couple of motivational tips with you. First of all, is Bill the owner of the business you contracted with? If not, contact the owner immediately and share your blog post with him. Just explain you do not feel week 5 should look like this . . . . When he realizes that you have the power to share, he will get everyone else in line.
    If Bill is the owner tell him you are concerned with breach of contract, due to the absence of progression towards completion in your kitchen and that you have spoken with your legal team, and will be contacting the Better Business Bureau, after you finish putting ALL the photos you have been taking in a chronological format to be posted Guaranteed someone will show up shortly.
    And by the way, you can share with him that if they were waaaaay ahead of schedule, every last detail would be finished and he would be waiting for your final check. And that ain't happenin' according to those pics!

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  7. My son is a contractor and he has never heard of being "on leave." They work on a project every day, except Sunday, until it is done. You are being taken, Katie!

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  8. Oh no.. I'm not here yet, but I know it's coming. I've heard all the stories AND all the promises. Hang in there Katie!

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  9. I feel your pain but I am living proof that you can survive this and end up with a beautiful kitchen but stick to your guns with those guys..if they are ahead of schedule why is your kitchen not done and why does being ahead of schedule mean they stop work so they can stay on schedule? .they are just working on another job and telling those people how ahead of schedule they are also. Be tough!

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  10. Contractors never cease to amaze me! I'm so sick of hearing how "busy" they are. Now I just roll my eyes. I swear, a good, reliable, fast, skilled contractor is worth their weight in gold. The problem is, they are just very hard to find. Feeling your pain. We renovated our kitchen 7 years ago. I thought I would kill myself. or the contractors. or both.

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  11. It's also interesting to me that my daughter's contractor and his workers only worked half day on Fridays! I was completely flabergasted at the laid back, laziness of these grown men even when they showed up. She ended up telling them not to come back and luckily found a wonderful man who has outdone himself and finished their home. Needless to say we're hoping to use him for a project we need done. As someone else mentioned .. it's hard to find good reliable help....but it will be well worth it when its all done. :-)


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