P365 - 2014 - Day 90 - Finally.

P365 - 2014 - Day 90 - Finally.

Finally.  We finally have railings.  It has been 7 months since the deck on the existing front of our house was torn down to begin construction.  We were originally told this whole project would take 6-8 weeks.  No sweat.  No worries.  The contractor had been "doing this for 30 years" so we trusted his estimate of time to complete the project without nailing down an actual date.  It quickly became apparent that we should not have trusted his ability to correctly estimate the amount of time to complete this project.  Six weeks came and went and we still had some faith in the process as we were reminded time and again that he "had been doing this for 30 years" and we "are not contractors".  Eight weeks came and went and we were blamed for "changing" things - we didn't change things...as it turned out, there were many things not factored into the plans - such as new drywall in an entire room that was gutted.  You know, small stuff like that.  We did end up with a new floor on the first floor - that is true.  But that was because we were originally told by the contractor that we could piece in and add to the existing floor even though we were removing walls, taking out a bathroom, and adding an addition. Again, we had trusted that 30 years of experience to know that it would, in fact, be near impossible to add to the existing laminate wood floor that we had in our existing home.  So, at the last minute the 5 year old floor had to be removed and we had no choice but to pick an entirely new floor.  I was told I was being "difficult" when I asked for a time estimate as we slid past the original estimate.  I was told to "find something to do with my time" when I questioned the delays in the process.  When we questioned if we would be in our home for Christmas (which we were originally told "I don't see why not") we were told to "get that sh** out of our heads".  Wow - we were floored.  What professional speaks to customers that way?   To say that this process was not what we had bargained for, is a vast understatement.  After sixteen weeks (double that first estimate and still not complete), multiple "extra" invoices for things that should have originally been factored in (drywall and paint to name the most obvious) we had had enough.  We asked that the contractor finish what he had already begun and was responsible for - the electric, the plumbing, and a major leak in roof that caused interior damage after not being addressed properly when it was first reported to him - and we decided to handle the rest of the work ourselves by either doing the work or contracting it out elsewhere.  So, here we are 7 months from the beginning of the project - that's 20 weeks past the original estimate - can that be right??  We are still working on finishing some interior work and the front door still needs to be painted - but we finally have railings!  Finally.