Hope you don't mind if I vent

11 years ago

I'm 4.5 months into a whole house remodel with plans to move back into the house in 2 weeks. Things have been going basically ok with only minor snags. This week it seems like it's just been one thing after another, so I'm here to vent :-)

1. The guy who templated our kitchen counters for Caesarstone pointed out a couple of areas that weren't level. The day before installation I asked my GC to confirm that everything was leveled out. He acted offended by the question. Sure enough, when the install happened 2 days ago there were lots of adjustments that needed to be made. The Caesarstone installers were pretty patient about it, all things considered.

2. 600 square feet of new flooring was just installed. I asked my GC 3 times to cover it to protect from the dust and traffic of all the subs going in and out. Finally DH and I bought a big roll of resin paper and did it ourselves.

3. Did I mention 600 square feet of flooring? The flooring subcontractor forgot to add in the hallway area so I ordered 500 square feet of flooring per his direction. I had to scramble to get the additional 100 square feet which was in a warehouse about 150 miles away. Fortunately the floor sub drove out to get it.

4. And speaking of flooring, the existing oak floors are going to be refinished next week. I've asked my GC several times to confirm that his original quote is going to cover the entire cost of the flooring subcontractor's work because there were some changes to what we had installed new vs what is going to be refinished. Finally I sent him an email saying that I'm not approving any work over the cost of the original bid, if they do it anyway then I'm not paying for it.

5. I get to the house today to find my GC and my painter in a big argument about caulking. I have my own painter on the job because he's incredibly meticulous about details. My GC is not. Fortunately DH was there to referee.

6. There's no sign that my GC is going to apply edge banding to some of the cabinet drawers that needed to be cut down to smaller sizes. I bought the edge banding myself because GC seemed clueless. Final payment won't be made until this is done.

7. Vanity counters were installed today and every single wall, all three of them, was wavy. These are all new walls, is it really that hard to get a straight run of sheetrock?

But the thing that put me over the edge today was:

8. Text from GC saying they did a standard 12" rough-in for the toilet and I have to return the one I have because it's for a 10" rough-in. THE TOILET HAS BEEN SITTING IN ITS BOX IN THE SPARE BEDROOM FOR 4 MONTHS, WHY ARE THEY JUST FIGURING THIS OUT NOW? AND NO I CAN'T RETURN THE TOILET 120 DAYS AFTER IT WAS DELIVERED. A quick google search makes it seem that this can be surmounted. I can't bring myself to drive over to the house now, I'll let them figure it out, but who knows what kind of rework will have to happen with the tile if they cut out too big an area.

You know how Springsteen says in Rosalita "Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny"? That song has been running through my head all afternoon.

OK I feel better now.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

Susan
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
you are much more patient than i would be!
your gc sounds careless and incompatant to say the very least.

i hope you do laugh someday and you get what you want in the long run.
gr8daygw
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I once heard that if you can get 90% of what you were expecting to count that as good, lol. I have often had to use that one to get through the day. I feel for you, it's those little things that pile up and get you in the end.
I hope it all works out for you and that you can get moved in when you wanted to. It would be great if you were there for Thanksgiving : ) and had enough time before that to get it situated the way you want. Good luck!
Related Professionals
Brownsville Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Fox Lake Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Henderson Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Midvale Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Ocala Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Ojus Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Redmond Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Bay Shore Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · League City Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Spokane Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Vienna Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Land O Lakes Cabinets & Cabinetry · Sunset Cabinets & Cabinetry · Elmwood Park Tile and Stone Contractors · Plum Design-Build Firms
michoumonster
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
annkathryn, just hang in there. your progress pics look amazing. i am sure things will turn out the way you want in the end. good luck with the home stretch!
annkathryn
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks everyone :)

I'm feeling better now.

I spoke with a customer support person at faucetdirect.com and they'll exchange the toilet for a 12" rough-in with no restocking fee, even 4 months after I bought it. Are they great or what? Website linked below. I've bought most of my plumbing and lighting from them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Build.com + faucetdirect.com
springroz
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Annakathryn, do you have the same GC that I had???? This sounds exactly like my remodel....OK, except that the cabinet maker was supposed to make a sample for me, and they made the whole kitchen, and it was WRONG, so back to square one....and my GC cut the door into my new mud room, then could not find a door to fit, so I had one custom made, and carried it 1000(yes, 3 zeros!!) miles , and it is hanging, but still not weatherstripped, and has the deadbolt, but the knob has not been put in....

Same person, right?

It will all get done, and I adore living here, so I am just going to get it finished a piece at a time, and not fret about it(anymore).

Best wishes,
Nancy
luckymom
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sounds like my GC- only mine is my DH. Can't get him off his butt unless I'm coming totally unglued. We're down to less than 10 days before the granite goes in, carpet will be installed, etc. and I finally got him to paint 1/3 of the great room ceiling last night... at least it's the part over where the granite will be. And he only got paint on 1 cheap runner rug I'm throwing out anyway (why use drop cloths? We've only got about 4-5 from my late father who was a painter).
Sadly, we've remodelled before and I STILL wasn't smart enough to see this coming. UGH!
gr8daygw
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I know a way to get hubby going, call in some pros, lol. Ha ha just kidding.... But Honey, I know how busy and tired you are and I just didn't want to bother you with this, bats eyelashes. Cheaper than counseling or dividing everything 50/50..
juliekcmo
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
sorry you're stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
suzanne_sl
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
On the wavy walls thing: if the walls were already in place and you were just putting new sheetrock on, this may not be the GC's fault. The most common reason would be that the original carpenters didn't install the 2 x 4s with all the crowns (bows in the length of the stud) facing the same direction. In our kitchen we had one stud with the crown facing into the kitchen vs.facing into the bedroom on the other side of the wall. That one stud caused the entire run of cabinets to need really impressive shims to get everything straight. Less likely, but still possible, is the original carpenters got one or more studs slightly out of alignment. If your GC built that wall, then wavy falls on his head, otherwise he gets a pass on this one. In either case, he'll be out of your hair soon. Soon! Happy Dance on the horizon!
luckymom
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I would call in pro's except it wasn't a planned remodel (water leak- insurance still hasn't given me a dime-4 weeks as of today) and we're doing other things not covered- new counters, microwave, DW (broken by emergency restoration crew when they took out sink cabinet- can't be fixed, but insurance & restorer's are arguing about it, it was a TOL Miele and nobody wants to fork out)- all sorts of things. It's all just sort of steamrolled into a semi-remodel. Way over the "estimate" the adjuster mentioned. Heck, they wouldn't even pay for a pod to store all the stuff in from the kitchen and bedroom that were damaged.

Needless to say, this has NOT been pleasant or fun.
a2gemini
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Glad you can vent and we had ears to listen.
Fortunately, our experience was better than yours.
Done as of yesterday - but no pictures until better lighting. It is so gloomy today - I was hoping that would allow good pictures but nope....