so here's the thing...

............

It just keeps getting better. The ace cabinet guy who was fired/quit the day he place our order made a few more errors which only yesterday became glaringly obvious. When you order cabinets you must first select appliances and submit those specs with your order, so they can plug numbers into their computer and make sure everything will fit. Seems he didn't read the BOLD PRINT on the cook top/vents saying there must be 24 inches between the two. Not 22 inches. The cabinet over the cooktop is too big. And oh, by the way, the cabinet to the left of the hood? Well, when that was installed, and the doors replaced by that nice young guy, Zach, there was no hood. We put the doors and drawers in a safe place, away from Bud's grubby paws until last night when we tried to reclaim some of our kitchen. Seems that same ace cabinet guy didn't notice the minor detail of the cabinet next to the hood needing to be hinged on the left. If I were left handed, it might be okay to reach around the door....well, maybe not.

and the darkest hour is just before dawn...

I remember when I was a kid my parents had the Mamas & the Papas album. That line makes me think of this song...Is it love or life can never be exactly what you want it to be. ?

Okay, well, just when you'd think we must be channeling good karma...we get the call from the appliance store and  it seems there was some miscommunication. The hood is not back ordered, it is discontinued....Eric has spent many hours on the phone searching and found one back East somewhere, but the shipping is ridiculous. And the cabinet is already cut and it doesn't appear there is any other hood with a vent in the same spot. Really. Truly. Believe me we've asked. So. Now we look into ordering a new cabinet. Last chance: this evening we are going to see if this one hood vent could be duct-taped/rigged/Bud jobbed into place. And get this: Bud tried to make the hood look better after he put swirl marks on it with the stainless steel scrub by using WD40!!!!!!!!!!!! And then these words actually came out of his mouth: "Well, you know it would look like that in a few years anyway." Um...I thought the whole idea here was spending $30K to get a new kitchen!?!?!?

Honestly if this weren't happening to us, I would not believe it.

Making progess

Countertops !

It's always somethin'

Bud continues to amaze us with his ineptitude. Let's see....Eric installed the microwave himself because he's tired of waiting for Bud. Then Bud showed up with his electrician and some double talk about why the oven was wired wrong. It still wouldn't work. So the GE repairman came and pointed out the evidence of a blown circuit board. He hinted broadly that the thing was simply mis-wired. Eric honestly told him he never heard a pop or saw smoke and luckily we got a cool repair guy. He ordered a new board for us at no charge. Although I should say luckily for BUD because the cost would have been deducted from his final payment.

Now I've been with Eric for 28 years and I've never ever heard him raise his voice to anyone (well, other than me or CJ maybe) We went to grab lunch Thursday and Eric pulled out the hood in the living room where it was safe and showed Bud how he'd figured the best fit - a tight fit, and it's heavy - and it needed three men to install. One on each side and a man in the middle to screw it in. "oh no, we've got it", says the ever optimistic Bud. "no, Bud, I mean it, this thing cost us more than the micro-convection oven. It is very expensive (I had no idea those silly things could cost so much) and I don't want it scratched. Please wait for me to get back." "no, no, my cabinet guy and I can do it." "Bud, I'm serious." We left and Eric said he just knew Bud was going ahead on his own. Sure enough we got back and the hood was sitting crooked on the counter. They couldn't install it without a third man. Eric was simmering. They got it up. Somehow in the early process it got dusty - probably let it sit in the middle of the kitchen while cabinet guy did some sawing - sawdust coats every inch of my downstairs. And Bud swiped his filthy hand across the hood and shows Eric a scratch he's not sure was there before or not. Um, let's just say Taylor and I hightailed it up to my craft room and hid where we could hear some seriously loud conversation. I tried to take pictures of the gouge - before and after the joker tried to fix it.

this week

Bud the contractor continues to backslide, in my estimation.

Last Monday (almost two weeks ago) he told me he would come with his buddy Tuesday or Wednesday (I thought he meant the next day or the day after) to put the ovens in "so we could use them". Okay. He finally came yesterday (I guess Bud keeps a different calendar than most people). And he and his buddy couldn't figure out why the oven wouldn't work. So Eric (who should have been working but by now knows Bud doesn't know what the heck he's doing) stepped in and offered his voltage tester to check out the wires (which Bud apparently didn't know how to use). Oh, and he also took a look at the instructions and noticed they said to take off the door, not to lift the oven by the door handle, which Bud was doing (we've also learned Bud doesn't read instructions....maybe he can't read...) So, Bud and his buddy went out for lunch and Eric took off the door, tested the wires and figured out the oven was getting 120 volts, not 240...hmmm...a few more tests and it appears the ELECTRICIAN wired the wrong colored wires. Honestly.

I came home last night and Eric was re-plumbing the powder room sink. Because. It. Was. Leaking. Puddle under the sink. Yep, our buddy Bud threw that sink in there and walked away, never checked it....and now that I think about it, after he 'installed' the water line for the fridge, that leaked, too...

And when Bud came back from lunch yesterday, it became clear he wasn't (for some unknown reason) planning on installing the oven and microwave, simply planning to set them into the spaces. No need to install the face plates/whatever you call them. I guess he thought that could happen later. Maybe in December.

So today we went to the appliance store and Eric figured out how to install them himself and screw Bud when he walks in here Monday morning (oh, I meant Monday noonish, or maybe that will be Tuesday, we'll see) we can say, "yep, the ovens are working fine, we had real meals in our own kitchen this weekend." Can't wait.

no joke

If you look at my post below of the powder room with the blue tape holding the tiles in place, waiting for the cement stuff to dry...see those drawers? after the stuff was dry, we discovered we couldn't open the drawers. The goons put the tiles on the front hanging down too far. How much more can I stand? So that was last Tuesday, and they were planning to come Wednesday (the next day) to grout, but when Eric called told Bud the contractor about this foible, suddenly they couldn't come back until today. Monday. A week later. Losers.

What will I use for an excuse?

When I can no longer use the remodel as an excuse for the mess in my house? No, really, I can't believe I'm about to put these pictures out there. But this is my remodeling diary, and I'll be so happy to have dramatic before and after pictures, right? I'm just tired of living like this. Back in July when it was supposed to be a few weeks, it was doable. Now, 3 1/2 months later, with maybe 5 weeks to go....well, here is the before. And some progress reports. The powder room is shaping up nicely. Love the tile. And some of the cabinets have the correct color on them. And if you look closely you'll see many different splotches of paint colors. Don't ask...

How does the saying go?

Two steps forward, three steps back? I guess it's termed progress. Here's the thing: I've discovered something about myself recently. Finally at 44 I've realized I'm a great cheerleader, but I can only talk the talk, can't walk the walk. I was watching Martha this morning (yes, that Martha) and George Foreman was her guest and he rained down accolades on her for picking herself up off the floor and moving on. She's smiling and laughing and on top of the world it would seem. And a little thing like a kitchen remodel is getting me down?

So let me rant a bit about my remodel in 'progress'....errr...would that be 'at a standstill'? Zach came last week. Nice young man, actually I'd like to adopt him, and he did great work and it felt so good to see the color of cabinets we originally chose. However, these are words you never want to hear from a worker man in your house: "Wow, I've never had this happen before. I mean, I've been doing this for years and I've never ever seen this before." Honestly, I don't think he was yanking our chain. A new mixup regarding doors. Seems the corner doors for the lazy Susan (why is it called a lazy Susan?) were drilled on the wrong side, and hinged wrong. He didn't have half of the doors for our order. And the veneer he put beside the fridge was rippled. So he'll be back in a "few weeks" to get it all wrapped up. What kind of bad karma is this? You know, once I had my palm read (I cannot believe I'm admitting this) and this hokey lame broad tried to tell me my family had a curse - she kept insisting I'd been to the Caribbean and received this curse. Maybe she was right after all.

And we have yet another date for the three replacement cabinets (one was too long, one too short, and one had been dropped and cracked)...drum roll, please...November 21st. TWENTY FIRST OF NOVEMBER. Yes, I am shouting. How did we get from August 12th and 8 or 9 weeks backed up to November 21st?!?!?! So. That means no counter top, no dishwasher, no kitchen sink, no cooktop, no new refrigerator until the end of November. I am so tired of bending over a card table to butter toast and make lunches.

But the tile guys are coming this afternoon to finish the powder room. So we should have a water source downstairs this week. Have to wait on the toilet until the final finish is put on the floors. Around the first of December. *sigh*

And one last thing: I am so sick and tired of people saying "ha!! And you thought they'd be done in September! What made you think that? Everyone knows remodels take much longer than expected" and the other one is "Aren't you going to sue?" Sue who? ourselves? Bud? the guy who got fired from Lowe's the day he put our order in?

And last night I fell asleep in Taylor's bed at 10:30--lil' stinker wouldn't go to sleep--and woke up at 12:15. Went downstairst to find Eric and he (guiltily) was hiding in the powder room giving it the SIXTH coat of paint. Which happened to be color number 2 which was my least favorite of them all. But my vote doesn't count, does it?

blah

Well, here is the current picture: If the cabinets had been okay...and if they'd been delivered Monday as first promised, we'd be ready to put the counters on...the rep from the company came out Friday and just to add to our woes he noticed a corner of one cabinet was cracked--it had been dropped, probably one of the many times it had been loaded and off loaded during three days of delivery attempts. So the drawer/shelf inside is broken, so that has to be re-ordered as well. Just feels sort of defeating. And we're caught between feeling somewhat responsible since by going with Bud the contractor we should have shouldered some responsibility and paid better attention to what was ordered. Like that massive pantry pullout thing I would have never selected, and am now stuck with.

And yes, you do see a new paint splotch on the wall with a backsplash tile leaning against it.

I am so tired of this.

Awwww man....

The story continues....Bud and his cabinet guy installed the cabinets today (I'm still a little suspicious about this replacing drawers and doors and veneers and such). So they get to the last three cabinets, the peninsula, and hmmm....the loser cabinet order guy got a 24 inch cabinet to go next to a 28 inch dishwasher. And would that be a 30 inch cabinet where there should be a 15 incher? Yep, now we are really messed up. The rep will visit tomorrow and take an inventory of what they need to replace. I'm resigned to this taking a few more months. Eric is very sad. And mad. And kicking himself for going with Bud. How do you put a value on stress and frustration? Taylor keeps saying she wants her old kitchen back. Kids love routine, and ours is out the window. Deeeeep breath.....