New Beginnings

Fourteen years ago, The Eldest wearing her Kindergarten ID fish tag, headed to her first day of school. Her Little Mermaid backpack was loaded with pencils, crayons and markers, everything a kindergartener needed. When the bus arrived, she climbed aboard and didn't look back.

Today, we loaded the station wagon with a duffle full of clothes, bins full of sheets, towels, comforter, pillow, throw rug, other bins full of snacks and school supplies, a clock radio, wastebasket, health and beauty aids, everything a freshmen will need. I hope.

We drove to the school, far enough away for her to be independent but an hour's drive for us. The school is a very small, all women's college. Freshman move in was well organized. An upperclassman checked our student's name on a clipboard and directed us to the dorm. A securtiy guard directed us to a parking slot in front of the dorm. Upperclassmen swarmed the car, helped us to unload and cart things to the Eldest's dorm room. The good Lord was with us as we only had to climb one flight of stairs.

I thought it amusing that the girls' names were on shark shaped tags on their door. No longer swimming in a school, but ready to take on the world.

The Eldest met her roomie and we met her parents. After the girls were registered and given their ID cards, there was a buffet lunch for parents and students. We had a nice lunch with roomie and her parents.

The orientation program was scheduled to begin at 4pm so we went for a drive to explore the area. Couldn't find any of the malls they said was close by! There was a CVS within walking distance from the school so we stopped to pick up a fan and a surge protector.

Himself wanted to get back on the road before rush hour started. The Eldest got out of the car, hit the pavement running and didn't look back. Time for her to spread her wings and soar.

Puzzled

There are so many emotions and questions about this situation. I swing between and I've been having medieval thoughts about justice. I'd like to have his gonads on a silver tray. I'd like him to be drawn, quartered and hanged by his own entrails. I had Western thoughts about justice too.

And then there are the questions. Why? Why us? We're good people. We try to use our powers for good. At least, Himself does. Is this punishment? Am I guilty of hubris because I wanted a pretty pot? What's the lesson? We trusted the wrong person? How easy it is to be taken to the cleaners? Were we given a quest to prevent this from happening to anyone else?

What puzzles me most is why did he do this? Doesn't he care about his reputation? He has committed fraud, misrepresented himself. Not only could he lose his license and livelihood, but he could spend some time in jail. His wife is part of the name on the invoices which means she's responsible for 50% of his actions. If he didn't care about himself, one would think he would care about what happens to his wife. Did he think we would say "oh well, boys will be boys" and not pursue matters? I'm pretty sure the money we paid is gone, but we can sue to attach a lien to his home, his truck, his tools.

I doubt the answer to the questions will ever be known. Time to get our sass up, and move on. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Friday,The Building Inspector

As LDH suggested Himself called the town building inspector. He came to inspect the bathroom and brought a stop Work Order. He was very sympathetic with our plight and he would try to help us out.

He was not happy as we related the details of the job. Contrary to what the contractor told us, we were supposed to have a building permit. Like LDH, the inspector scowled and grimaced at the work. It was not up to state code. He became incensed when he learned the contractor performed all the electrical and plumbing work. His license doesn't allow him to do that kind of work. And the building inspector will see he no longer has a license.

We will have to apply for a building permit. Once the permit is issued, we can contact a plumber to take care of leaks the building inspector found and to call an electrician to check the electrical work.

As to arbitration, he didn't think we qualified because we did not have a building permit. I think we'll still try to pursue this avenue. What's the worse that can happen but that our request is denied. We'll wait to see what the building inspector turns up and then decide whether we should sue the pants off contractor.

Day 39 - The Crusader

I called Lambie's husband to see what we could do. He graciously offered to help us out of this mess and to take on the contracting. He even came over last night to do a walk through.

He looked. He scowled. He took photographs. The laundry drain ended in the bay over my computer workstation in the basement. Good thing we didn't move the washer upstairs! Wires coiled in the ceiling and not run to the circuit box. Fortunately, they weren't live. The news just kept going down hill. Shoddy work, work not done up to code. Poor LDH, he didn't want to make us feel bad. I'm glad he told the truth. Too bad more contactors weren't like him.

There were rays of sunshine poking through the bad news. The disaster was fixable. The contractor hadn't really done any major plumbing. The sink, toilet and shower were in their orignal spots and they work. He didn't think everything had to come down, but some might. The blueboard used is not rated for tile work so, tiles might come down and mold might grow behind. He might have to remove the shower, and no guarantee the walls won't crack. As I told him, in for a penny, in for a pound.

We felt a little better after LDH left. He didn't think it would cost as much as we already paid out, though this is one expensive bathroom for a little dollhouse. He could fix the bathroom, make it better, stronger, faster. Well, maybe not quite like that, but he said it would look nice which is all we wanted in the first place.

Day 38 - Options

Another day, no show from the contractor. No phone call, no explanation. No surprise, there.

I spent the morning researching our options. An online chat with a representative from the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations was helpful. We got some options open to us. We will file a complaint against the contractor with the Board of Building Regulations and Standards. We also meet the requirements for arbitration and we were told to file a request for arbitration. There is no cost to file. If the request is accepted, we will have to pay a fee to the arbitrator based on the amount of our claim. We might be able to recoup $$ for some of our loss. Hopefully, the complaints will be a black mark against the contractor.

After much discussion, Himself and I decided we did not want this contractor to finish the bathroom. We were more than patient with his two hour work days and endless extension of when the job would finish. With skipping out with the half the job completed, it feels as if we were raped. No more.

We will find another contractor who will finish the work professionally and in a timely matter.

Day 36 - Disappointment to Anger

I had a very bad feeling yesterday when the contractor left after one hour. He also took his trailer he used to store our fixtures. I told myself I was just being silly. The bathroom is only half completed. He began work on July 2. It was only supposed to take 3 weeks to complete. 4 tops with problems. Since he was to finish up today, he has been paid on full. But he would be back to finish. It's always a gamble when a homeowner hires a contractor. Unless you know the ins and outs of the trades, you have to trust these people.

This morning we waited. We waited until 9:15am, an hour after his normal start time. Himself called the contractor's cellphone, got the voice mail and left a message. Was the call returned? You guessed it in the cheap seats! No! This is the third time he's pulled a no show and didn't bother to call or return our calls. No excuse! It wouldn't have taken more than a minute to call to say he wasn't coming to work today. We have been more than patient and more than fair! So the old adage holds. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Fortunately, the state I live in has an arbitration process for homeowners to lodge a complaint against contractors. I have printed out the required form. Taken photographs which will be burned to a CD to be submitted with the form. I have his license number. There's no guarantee we will recoup any of our loss, but at least the process will make me feel better and maybe teach the contractor a valuable lesson.

Since word of mouth is the best advertising, I am now his worse nightmare. I would never recommend him to do any work. We had other work to be done down the road. This contractor won't even be considered.

Also fortunate is a back up plan. The major portions of the bathroom are installed and work. Lambie's husband is a contractor, and was the original person we wanted to do the work. But because he had taken a full time job, he didn't want to hold us up and take 6 mos. for the remodel, especially since we only have the one bathroom in the dollhouse. I'll call to see if he is available to work some weekends to finish the job. If he can't or doesn't want to, I hope he can recommend a reliable person to help us out.

Caveat emptor.

Still left to be done:

The wall under and over the window has to be tiled.
The 3 walls above the shower have to be tiled.
The wall between the shower and the laundry area needs to be tiled.
The hole for the dryer vent has to be cut.
The dryer vent has to be installed and run up through the crawl space and vented out the roof.
The shower fan has to be vented out the roof.
Tile in the laundry area needs to be finished.
All wall tile needs to be grouted.
All wall tile grout needs to be sealed
Under floor heating has to be installed.
Washer and dryer to be brought upstairs.
Medicine and storage cabinets need to be installed.
Laundry cabinets need to be installed.
Ceiling needs scraped, textured and to be painted.
Window clamshell and stool needs to be installed.
Window clamshell and stoll needs to be painted.
Bathroom door needs to be taken down.
New door needs mortises cut for locks and hinge and the door hung to swing from the opposite side.
New door knob to be installed.
Mermaid hooks need to be installed
Toilet paper holder needs to be installed
Join between floor and door wall needs to be tiled/grouted
Missing tile in corner where door will swing in needs to be installed
Outside wall in hallway needs new baseboard.
Construction debris needs to be removed from the driveway.
Wall sconces by medicine cabinet need to be installed and connected.

Day 34 - More of the Same

The bathroom looks the same except the tape and the sock has been removed from the sink. The water lines to the sink were connected.

The bathroom will not be finished tomorrow.

Day 33 - Moving Along

The contractors arrived this morning. When I asked if he would be able to finish everything by Wednesday, I felt like I copped his attitude. "We'll just have to wait and see" I figured they would be gone in two hours, so I left Himself to supervise and I went across the street to whine to my neighbor. When I got back, the contractors were gone. No surprise to me, but it was to Himself as he wanted to touch base with the contractor. The mural had been installed. The outlets for the washer and dryer had been installed. The wall under the window was given another skim coat.

So I puttered and cleaned up the kitchen. Made lunch for everyone. Was sitting in the bathroom contemplating the lint in my navel, when the door started to open. I thought it was one of the kids. "Damn it! Can't you see, I'm busy here!" The door instantly stopped moving and the contractor offering profuse apologies LOL

They went back to work, connected the faucets to the sink, glued the sink to the vanity. He'll hook up the water lines to the sink tomorrow.

Himself got to chat and the contractor is still convinced they will be done and out of our hair by Wednesday. From the contractor's mouth to God's ear.

Day 32 - Corner Correction

On Friday, the contractor removed the tile which had been set out of kilter. He scraped the wall down then applied the mud so they can retile on Monday.

He's assured us he would be finished by Wednesday. I can't really see how as there's so much still left to be done.

The wall under and over the window has to be tiled.

The 3 walls above the shower have to be tiled.

The wall between the shower and the laundry area needs to be tiled.

The hole for the dryer vent has to be cut.

The dryer vent has to be installed and run up through the crawl space and vented out the roof.

The shower fan has to be vented out the roof.

Outlets for the washer and dryer have to be installed.

Tile in the laundry area needs to be finished.

All wall tile needs to be grouted.

All wall tile grout needs to be sealed

Under floor heating has to be installed.

Washer and dryer to be brought upstairs.

Faucet needs to be connected to the sink.

Medicine and storage cabinets need to be installed.

Laundry cabinets need to be installed.

Ceiling needs to be painted.

Window clamshell and stool needs to be installed.

Window clamshell and stoll needs to be painted.

Bathroom door needs to be taken down.

New door needs mortises cut for locks and hinge and the door hung to swing from the opposite side.

New door knob to be installed.

Mermaid hooks need to be installed

Toilet paper holder needs to be installed

Join between floor and door wall needs to be tiled/grouted

Missing tile in corner where door will swing in needs to be installed

Outside wall in hallway needs to be sanded and prepped for painting

Outside wall in hallway needs new baseboard.

Construction debris needs to be removed from the driveway.

Wall sconces by medicine cabinet need to be installed and connected.

They average 2 to 3 hours per work day. I just don't see how they will finish all that is still left to do.

Day 31 - More Tile

Another day, more tile. The fan light in the shower was connected to a special switch. Will be odd having a light in the shower. The fan is ultra quiet.

The contractor thinks he will complete the job by Wednesday. Heard that one before.