Thursday, April 15, 2010

Quotes...or...the big lie

Well, the drywall began yesterday. I came home at lunch to get my IKEA paperwork so I could pick up some of my IKEA cabinets and went upstairs to check out the dry walling. They had two bedrooms finished. I don’t know how people can work with that stuff day in and day out. They must constantly feel like the surface of a blackboard with all that chalky dust.
When I got home from work at the end of the day almost the whole upstairs was finished. There’s just a bit of drywall left to do in my master bathroom. I am sure they will be finished the whole house by the end of today because it is so open concept downstairs there isn’t much surface area.
The drywall dust just from them cutting was everywhere. I tried to sweep up gently as best I could because I didn’t want the cats tracking through it and getting too much on the bed.
Speaking of the cats…. If you are ever renovating and you have cats let me just warn you they use any sawdust or dirt to do their duty in. I thought I caught a whiff of kitty wee when I got home from work. I checked around the house this morning and low and behold one corner had a bit of sawdust in it and my cat used it as a litter box. It’s nothing a little vinegar won’t fix and hopefully it won’t happen again. Note to self: be sure to bring the cat box inside.

Soooo…the glass railing….
As you have probably guessed from reading my blog I am not a patient individual and customer service and communication are a big thing for me. The company I was going to order the glass railing from didn’t get back to me about my question regarding installation so I had another company come out. Their quote came over my budget at $5,300. I told them I was quoted $3,600. from another company and that they fabricated their own metal. He said the best he could do was $4,300. The style of the glass railing was a lot different (no posts) but I actually liked the $3,600 better. I told him I’d let him know in a few days. He also quoted me for the glass in the bathrooms which I haven’t had quoted before so I’m not sure what the cost on that should be yet.
Turns out the company that quoted me $3,600. finally got back to me about installation and so I placed my order. I called the latter company that quoted $4,300 to let him know I’d decided to go with another source. Long story short, he called me later that day and told me he could do it for $3,400. instead of $4,300. I asked why he could suddenly give me a good price now and why he couldn’t before and he gave me a song and dance about getting the glass cheaper because he had just purchased a large quantity. I told him it was too late and that I’d already placed my order. He told me to call them back and tell them I changed my mind as it’s a woman’s prerogative to do that….. Ah, sales people, ya gotta love em! I guess glass sales are a lot like used cars and insurance. I'm not going with him!!
The next set of rip-off artists…painters! If you are renovating and have the time to paint…do it yourself. I’ve tried everything from telling them I’d buy the paint to telling them I’d do some of the filling to I’d do some of the painting work and they still found a way to rip me off. I’m tired of getting quotes. I’ve had 5 quotes. This includes asking people I know if they know someone. If I had the time I would paint the whole thing myself but I would have to take time off of work and I would be set back probably more than a couple of weeks. If this reno was taking place during my job’s off season I probably would have considered painting myself. Unfortunately my job is just starting to get very busy and I can’t afford the time off.

My house is beginning to look like a real house now...and the bonus? I've been told that by the end of next week I may be able to soak in my new tub!

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