Oh, funnycide (death by being funny?), how I wish so hard that that was the case here. I'm so glad for you, though. You're tile guy deserves a cupcake for all of that, at least. I sent a calm email early this morning. Among the highlights, I wrote: - a brief description of that morning to jog his memory - my firm decision that these tiles cannot stay on that porch - a request for a "mini-break" so all players can return to a better equilibrium going forward - that if he needed to get those tiles off ASAP (per Bill), that he should come after 12noon (so I could be there, but I didn't say that...for all he knew, the drywall guy needed to be there during that time, which has happened a little bit in the last ten days) but re-iterated the needing-a-break thing for the next little bit. He didn't acknowledge the email. He came anyway. He came this morning instead of afternoon. He didn't remove any tiles. He left me a note to not do so either (which I wouldn't anyway, and wrote him in this morning's email that I would not without his say-so and instructions how to not damage the tiles or underlayment). I know he read the email from this morning, given the contents of his note. And the fact that he didn't stay to work. I don't think the way to handle a problem that stems from not listening to the customer (face-to-face)is to blatantly ignore what the customer requests (in an email). It's kind of freakin' disrespectful at this point. So the tiles are still there, still curing harder and harder, and now it is the weekend. Now what? A contractor that I know who does extremely high-end remodels told me that his entire job now is following the various subs around making sure they actually do what they are supposed to. He told me that the phrase he uses most often as GC is "rip it out" followed by "do it again, and this time, according to spec." He says this is basically his whole day. Two million dollar reno he headed last year had three separate tile crews; only one actually finished the job, and even they had to rip out the whole foyer because they did 1/4" grout line instead of the 1/16" specified like a gazillion times, including five minutes before they started setting it. This GC (not mine, can't afford him, but he's fun for stories) also says he posts details specific to that area everywhere through a build, clearly, many copies, taped to walls so subs have easy reference, etc. Nothing - NOTHING - stops the "mistakes." Regarding tile, he has actually layed out the tile in the order to be set, layed out the room, snapped the lines himself, yada, yada, yada...and they still disregard it sometimes. This is a guy who does beautiful, solid, conscientious work. And even he ended up on his knees, grouting 1200 feet of tile at 11pm because that crew just never showed to grout the final bit. (He did it himself to get the floor done in time for the next part of the schedule to start on time). For those of you who wonder, he never heard from them again (a respected crew in our town) even though they only got half the money. Think about that: they let go of HALF the money because they wouldn't show up to grout. It's disheartening.

If you haven't heard from him by close of business today, then something's definately wrong. That's not just poor communication skills. When a customer calls you and you can't call them back within 24 hours, even to say, "I'm swamped right now, I'll get with you after hours." then an elephant of a different sort is in the room. Either he sees you as too demanding and he's not making enough money from the job to deal with you as as that type of customer, or he has some financ:al issues elsewhere that are consuming his time and effort. Or, (being generous here) he or an immediate family member is in the hospital. Either way, he should just come right out and tell you what the issue is rather than ducking your communication. However, some contractors are worse at conflict than they are at communications. Sort of, "If I ignore it, the conflict won't exist." If you have one of those, then there is precious little that you can do except part ways. Conflicts and problems always arise in a project. That's the #1 reason you hire a contractor. YOu want him to use his knowledge base to deal with those issues. It's just babysitting on a larger scale and with more expensive toys. If a contractor can't make the boys and girls share and get along and follow mommy's rules, then he shouldn't be a contractor. And if you have that guy, then it's time to legally separate yourself from him and move on.

akchicago: I did look at the pre-made angled plugmold, but a few reasons prevented me from using it. 1. very expensive 2. did not want the brushed nickel finish, prefer the anodized aluminum look to match my tambour doors and toe kick. 3. I had two miter cuts to deal with and needed blank raceway over the sink, so really using the pre-made product didn't give me the options to fully integrate it since it is not meant to be cut and does not come with other parts needed. andreak100: Regarding the LED strips, I used Philips Color Kinetics eW Profile Powercore LED strips. I used several different length sticks to make two contiguous runs separated by a small connecting cable to make a 45-degree turn. These were purchased from Farralane lighting, & audio inc., online, which had a pretty good price if you register for the website. I purchased the "Gray" housing which is metal and really looks almost like anodized silver aluminum (but the plastic parts are gray). The LEDs are covered by a diffusing lens, which I think helps spread the light around uniformly. Note that they mount toward the front edge of the cabinet, not in the back, and they light both the coutntertop and backsplash, pointing away from the user. I liked this better than some LED options that seem to point only down or only back. These come in three different color temperatures, I elected the middle option of 3000K, and I think they look nice color wise, but I have not seen the other options to know how they compare. These LED bars use 120v, and because of this required no hidden transformer. There is an in-line switch and wiring box option that I used to clip directly on to the end of the LED bars. Very integrated looking and you can turn them off and on by flipping the switch right there under the cabinets. Note that I did ALSO install an in-line 120v switch in the lower cabinets with the intent of using a dimmer with these, since they are dim-able. The idea was to keep the dimmer set at the desired light level and turn it off and on daily using the under cabinet switch. However, I went through a few dimmers trying to find one that worked well with it (and eliminated buzzing), but was never very happy with that. Therefore, I removed the dimmer and just put a switch in-line (or I could have hard wired them to be always on I suppose but I didn't have the right coverplate). Overall, I am very happy with the LEDs. I am also installing one of these in the Appliance Kiosk underneath the bottom shelf to light the work surface (the toaster oven is mounted above the counter and blocks the overhead lighting), and the LEDs will turn on with the same switch as the overhead recessed light. I'll post more about the Appliance Kiosk soon!

I've learned so much from all of you! My husband and I have been the contractors in our remodels but with this new house we have a builder. And I HAVE WARNED him that I really want to be a big part of it. We are only in the wall footings stage, so we are just starting. Our builder told me that he has heard it ALL and nothing I might ask is a dumb question. I told him I would be the first one to change his mind, so he should be prepared. He has nicely told me that I was overthinking a couple things but surprisingly I did find an error (made by the architect) that I was questioning him on. Guess I've decided to not wait to ask questions, especially about items that can not be easily changed. The main thing the builder asked was that I tell him of my concerns first. (He does answer is phone or respond quickly to my delight) . In Sheads case, only knowing what I've read, I would have done the same thing. Doorways are a pretty big thing. Time is money and her contractors subs for the next day would possibly be wasting their time and her money, if every single door had to be redone by the previous subs. In my case, I probably already know some of sub contractors or their boss because we live in a rural area next to a very small city. If I don't know them, I've probably crossed paths somewhere! If my contractor didn't respond within a few hours, yes, I would be looking for their number. Sooo, I hope I'm not the most demanding customer, ah, it could happen.