Sunday, February 14, 2010 - A Bang Then a Fizzle

What started with great promise Saturday morning, ended not with a bang, but with a fizzle at best. Yes, we are getting closer and closer, but we are still struggling to get to the point where we kick the contractors out of the hose so the hardwood floors can be installed, sanded, and stained.

On Saturday, however, all of the wall repairs were completed and sanded, along with the completion of many other minor things. One of the big outstanding items to complete was the blowing of insulation into the attic. It took them most of the day to get the insulation 10-inches thick, but it was done, surprisingly, without much of a mess.

What also took them most of the day was playing in the mud...literally. Saturday, for whatever reason, was deemed the day to spread out the dirt/mud to start the grading process in the backyard. It seemed like everybody had their opportunity to have their fun spinning around in the slick mud, and actually moving a little bit of it here and there. Needless to say, there is a lot of mud spread in very large areas of clumps with the promise that someone else will come by, even it out, and prep it for seeding very soon. Not really planning to hold my breath waiting on this one.

The most exciting item, however, was the installation of our front porch light. This actually happened Friday, but it was not until Saturday before it was hooked up to the electrical source. It has kind of been the crown jewel we have been waiting on, and it does a fantastic job lighting up the new porch and the front of the house...and half of the block. Our porch has had a lot of onlookers over the past couple of months. It's nice to see people looking over as they drive by, or stop in front of the house as they make an afternoon stroll past the house. In fact, out contractor has received a number of calls from other people i our neighborhood who now want him to build porches for them. I'm sure the contractor wishes he would have hooked up the light weeks ago...I bet he would have had double the calls.

But with every up must come a down. The down came Saturday night when I heard F-bombs dropping from the back of the addition. One issue we have had since the beginning of the project has been the lack of consideration and cleanliness from the construction workers. Despite several trashcans in the backyard, fast food wrappers, soda bottles, and everything in between just gets thrown on the ground outside. Inside, they opted to throw it in the bathtub instead. I complained early in the project that they needed to keep all of the trash, nails, window screens, etc., out of the tub. Common sense, right? But common sense, or lack thereof, seems to have been lacking from the start of this project. I explained that if the tub were to be scratched, they would buy and install a new one. I raised this issue again before the tile was installed because it would be much easier to replace the tub, if needed, before the tiles were installed instead of after. Well, no one decided to listen to the voice of reason (me) and guess what? There is a scratch in the tub. I have notified the contractor that it will be repaired to our satisfaction or replaced...nothing less will be accepted.

So, this topped my list of things needing completion around the house before the floors can be installed. The contractor on Saturday felt there were just a couple of things left to do before they could get out of the house while the floors are being done...but I have heard this one plenty of times before. I have presented him with a list of 48 items that still need to be complete. Yes, I know, this is really his job to make the to-do list for his staff. As much as I want him out of the house, I also want everything completed. If he were making the checklist, there is no doubt he would be out of the house already saying he has looked things over and everything is complete. It's a long way from that.