Decorating Diaries Update

I touched base with floor/tile/counter people yesterday, and the consensus is we do NOT need a skim coat put down in the shower area.  I forget the reason why--something about the liner or installation is fine without it. So that's  good news.

I was instructed to have the plumber come and "rough-in" the showerhead, as well as have our drywall contractor come and build in the walls for the shower door. (It's cheaper to build in the walls than it is to order a custom-size shower door).  So I just hung up with my drywall contractor who is going to stop by later today to take a look.

He asked if he was supposed to also do the sheetrock for the shower.  "I have no idea," I said.  "Call the floor/tile lady and ask her, okay?" He was a little miffed because we put him in charge of general contracting the project over a month ago, yet the floor lady was still coordinating through me.  I have limited sympathy for his situation. What that tells me is that he hadn't bothered to call them in a month and get them moving and to see what was happening.  If he had been on top of it, he would have known that the skim coat was in on the floor.  To me, paying for general contracting means I'm paying you to keep on top of things. That's not happening here.

It would be lovely if the plumbing and wall work could be done this week.  I have no idea if that's even an option. 

Meanwhile, my trip revealed to me a previously undiscovered desire I didn't even know I had.  Ready?  I want a mini-TV in the bathroom.

I know, I know.  But my hotel room in Tucson had one and I got sucked in.  When I saw it, I thought "Pfwwt!  Waste of time for me--I'll never turn it on."  Then one night I was watching a show and went into the bathroom to get my contacts out and wash my face.  I turned on the TV so I could keep watching my show and BAM! I was hooked.

I loved watching the news in the morning as I did hair and make-up and one night I laid in the tub and watched 30 minutes of Friends.  I'm not sure it would be worth us doing because we don't have cable anywhere except in the front room so I probably couldn't even get the local GSO channels, but it's a thought.

I'm so ashamed...

Decorating Diaries - Bathroom Update

A few of you have been kind enough (cruel enough?) to ask how the renovations to the master bath are coming along.  In short, the answer is "they're not."

For those just tuning in to The Decorating Diaries, please feel free to flip back to the OCTOBER entries when we started this whole, miserable project.  I thought I had achieved a sort of Zen-attitude about the whole thing, but I don't think the Buddha had urges to dropkick any and all contractors on sight, so I guess I still have a little spiritual work to do on the matter.

When last we left the Harris' (this would be...what...November?), they'd had the wiring installed on the heated floor.  FINALLY, last week, we got the skim coat laid over the wires.  It was a two-part process.  The guy came out to lay the skim coat (which is just like a coat of mud) on a Tuesday but ran out of material. 

"I'll be back 5-6pm tomorrow night to finish, if that's okay," he said.

"No problem," I said.  "I'll be here."

And I was here.  At 5pm, 5:30, 6pm, 6:30, 7, 7:15...  There are only so many times I can say it. Is it so friggin' difficult for these contractors to learn how to use a phone?  I called the next morning and was told his job from the night before ran later than expected.  Fine.  I understand.  But CALL ME to tell me you won't be here so I don't sit around waiting for you to show up.  I swear to God, there must be millions waiting to be made for anyone willing to open a school and show plumbers, heating and air techs, and contractors how to dial.

Anyway, he came back the following night and finished the job.  So the next day, the heated floor guys came out to test the floor. 

"Why isn't there a skim coat over the wiring in the shower area?" they asked.

"Because the guy said the liner would go there and the skim coat wasn't needed."

The heated floor guys frowned.  "The instructions are pretty clear all wires need a skim coat to conduct the heat."

So the heated floor guys left with the promise to contact the skim coat guy and decide among them if the tub area needs a skim coat or not.  I left a message this morning with skim coat guy to follow up, just in case.

And that's where we are.  3 months, and I have wires encased in mud.  Almost. 

I need to go practice thinking zen thoughts before I hurt someone.

Decorating Diaries--Madcap Update

Here is where we stand in the master bathroom renovation saga.

"Cabinet Woman" has now become "Cabinet/Tile/Liner/Shower Woman." We have this superwoman of contractors (and help) arriving at our home the week of Dec. 5th to get busy.  Here is my tentative (and I'm sure, entirely wrong) understanding of the schedule:

The wires are in the place for the heated floor.  What must come next is laying down the shower liner.  And then after that the skim coat, followed by the tile for floor and shower.  EXCEPT, at some point in there we need to build out a wall for the shower door.  If we leave it as is, we have to order a customized door--very bad for the budget.  So, my general contractor was here today and he said he thinks he needs to come build the wall before the liner goes in.  Oh, and the heated floor people have to come back after the skim coat is one but BEFORE the tile is applied, to test to make sure the heating system works okay.

(The whole process reminds me of that medical song: "The leg bone's connected to the...hip bone.  The hip bone's connected to the...whatever bone.)

So, by this weekend Blair and I must pick out a shower door, get the measurements to the general contractor, who will then call "Cabinet/Tile/Liner/Shower woman" to discuss when the wall should be built and then--God willing--things will start to happen. 

I've set my sights on the end of December to have the bathroom completed.  A month ago, that seemed a no-brainer.  Now, I'm not so sure...

All I know is that winter is coming and the temperature in that bathroom is sinking fast.

Decorating Diaries: The Problem With Contractors

After years (and years, and years...) of up-close and personal observation, I've come to a conclusion about why I get nervous inviting contractors into my home.  It's not because they don't do good work...we've been delighted with the quality of work we've received over the years. It's not because they're not pleasant...most contractors I've met are extremely polite and well-mannered.  No, the glaring problem that stands out across the board with all contractors is this: They Always Find Something More That's Wrong.

To wit, my heated flooring people are here today.  As I passed the pleasant man in the hallway he gave me a look that I can only describe as a mixture of disbelief and humor, mixed with a strong dash of sympathy.  "That ductwork you got under your house," he said, shaking his head slowly.  He paused for dramatic effect.  "You got yourself a mess under there."

"What do you mean?" I asked fearfully.  (I knew what was coming.  Contractors are always finding things wrong with our home).

"Shoot.  That ductwork is laying all over the ground and is tore up in lots of spots."

"Well, that would explain the lack of heat," I said, trying to laugh.

He didn't smile back.  "Shoot.  That explains a lot."

I can't even claim that he's just trying to make a buck off me.  He doesn't do ductwork and had no one to recommend for it.  I'm just left home to ponder that what I have under there is a mess.

Remember a few weeks ago when the contractor was here to touch up paint on the outside of the house?  That's how we discovered yellow jackets in the walls, gutters in disrepair, and rotting boards out back.  Frankly, I think I'm happier not knowing.  Just let me live in ignorant bliss and peace until the day comes when the whole house just falls down around my head and I'll deal with it then.

And for the record, here's the other thing I don't like about contractors.  They're always asking me questions for which I have no answers, making me feel stupid.  Today alone I was unable to answer:

• Are you doing a ceramic or rubber liner for your shower? (Don't know...)
• What size trim are you putting back up? (Don't know...)
• Are you planning on evening out that ledge before the liner goes in? (Don't know...)
• When are they laying the tile? (Wish I knew, but don't know...)
• What do you think of putting a bullnose in over this? (What the hell's a bullnose and how dare you speak to me using language like that in my own home.  And, by the way, don't know...)

Coincidentally, it is for the same reason that I flat out refuse to ever call our Road Runner High Speed Carrier when we're having problems or our e-mail goes down.  Instead, I call Blair.

"Internet's not working," I say.

"Call RoadRunner, " he says, shuffling papers in the background.

"I want you to do it," I say.

"I'm swamped here.  Can't you do it?"

"No, obviously I cannot and that's why I'm calling you."

Here's why I refuse. When I call they start asking questions like, "What operating system do you use?" and "Would that be with the TG-500 model series upgrade or are you using a broadbank thing-a-widgeee 2000?"  I just want to scream at them "I don't know!  I don't care!  Just fix the stupid Internet and leave me alone!"

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to peruse some bullnose trim online.