We've encountered a few glitches of late ...none of which have to do with our actual kitchen contractor. So far we've been having great luck with them; it's the ancillary retailers who are driving me crazy. (Like Sears last week, which delivered the wrong color frig and then gave Lee a hard time when he told them they made a mistake and needed to correct it).
Our furnace was replaced yesterday. (It was old and was unlikely to be able to handle the increased living space; we were planning to replace it anyway.) Following the replacement, it took a l-o-n-g time to get actual hot water. I timed it this morning: it was a full three and a half minutes before the water got lukewarm in the shower, and 4:30 before it was hot. NOT acceptable!
Happily, Lee contacted Brian, our project manager, today, and it was taken care of (hot water in about 10 seconds now. MUCH better!)
Glitch number 2, as yet unsolved: We got a message from Wilson's Casual Furniture today that the manufacturer of the kitchen set and stools we ordered Saturday has discontinued the fabric we selected. The fabric was dropped on Wednesday, he said. "We just missed it by a few days," our salesman explained oh so helpfully, informing us that we now need to come and select new fabric. NOT EVEN AN I'M SORRY! This is a 4-figure order -- for which they've already thoughtfully billed our credit card in full since it's a special order (that they can't deliver) -- and it didn't even occur to him to toss in an I'm so terribly sorry that we have such crummy communication with our suppliers that we were showing you options that have been discontinued and we are inconveniencing you telling you to schlepp all the way back to Berlin. Livid? Me? Alas they were closed when I called back, more tomorrow....
Otherwise, the main news this week is the pile of lumber in our dining room, making it a bit tricky to pick our way into the plastic-zipped living room (balance over the lumber, hold steady on the 2x6 while you unzip the plastic, then teeter your way in amidst the clutter....). Without the living room, we'll be down to our bedroom, the computer room and the bathroom for total living space (the guest bedroom is piled with boxes; family room is half gutted and half piled with stuff and sealed off; dining room and kitchen are emptied and part of the work area).
Meanwhile, without insulation (and walls) yet in the addition area, temperatures in there are reaching second circle of hell magnitude in the current heat wave; it's just scorching in any of the walk-through areas not sealed off with a working room air conditioner.
Am I having fun yet? Sigh....
New on the kitchen project Web site: Calendar of events: The initial proposed schedule, and how it's stacking up to actual work so far: Just one Week 6 photo to date, of the lumber in the dining room.