Day 65 – Shingles, Walls, Windows & Still More Demo….
It was a very productive weekend! On Friday morning, the roofers showed up and worked until 10 p.m. and got most of the shingles done. They came back on saturday and finished the job. They roof looks great! The shingles have some variation and texture to them that makes them not seem quite as flat as it was before. The shingles are black and will look amazing with the gray hardie panels and the cedar accents. This must mean that there is another cheque to write in the near future!
The framing has come a long way over the last few days. Rob and Tristan have worked on the interior wall and yesterday got some windows in. R and I were in charge of wrapping and weather proofing all of the openings. We now have both North windows in and the windows and door for the eating area!
The windows are beautiful! And they had better be as, if I knew when we were window shopping what kind of issues and problems we would have with Marvin Windows, I really don’t think that we would have gone for them. Don’t get me wrong. The are high quality, well built, unique and beautiful windows but….we had problems getting clarification on all of the specs and ensuring that they were all correct and consistent from draft to draft, there are now several windows that were not the correct size and don’t forget the screen issue that has yet to be solved. Darryl is a good guy (who talks too much) but is too new to being a salesman I think and has missed details that he simply should have caught. Additionally, the way he speaks to us made him the second person that I wanted to hit in the face yesterday. Don’t get me wrong, he tries hard, he came by within 15 minutes of R calling him yesterday to discuss the current problem with the windows but when you spend as much money as we did on windows, I expect to have a salesman who is at least a touch apologetic for the f-ups. Anyway, when it is all said and done, I will love the windows and be truly appreciative of the unique features that we have and really enjoy how beautiful they are but at this point I will not be recommending them to others quite yet.
Moving on, R took yesterday off and again, it was so nice to have him with me all day. We ran a bunch of errands including investigating the cedar planks we need for the soffet and a bit of siding on the house, we picked up the replacement tile for the main bathroom shower that we had to rip out. We got the backer board, wood stain, etc from Home Depot and also headed over to Payless Wholesale Tile to order the final tile we need for our new shower. The owner or manager (who is always a nice guy) wasn’t there so we ended up dealing with a guy who I have seen there before. This guy is the other guy that I wanted to hit in the face. He was an asshole. There is no better word to describe him. I think that we were taking time from him biting his hangnail and he had absolutely no desire to help us whatsoever. We returned the sample and were asking about the price and wondering if that was the best price we could get. We were not rude or demanding, just inquiring. We would have paid the $3.85 a square foot if he had simply said that he was sorry but that was the best he could do but instead he chewed his fingers and half heartedly called the owner (when we asked him if he would check) and then had to be specifically asked and prodded to take our number and write down what we were looking for to ask the owner when he got back. Needless to say, I did not get a callback. So, I could call but I really want to go back and speak directly to the owner.
“Is this your best price?” “I don’t know. Probably.” “You don’t know? Well, could you check?” “He’s not answering his phone but I don’t think that he will give you a better price.” “But could you check for sure?” “He didn’t answer his phone.” “Could you just get him to call me then?” “I guess.” “Thanks.”
I’m pretty sure that I didn’t paraphrase very much of that exchange. If it wasn’t for the fact that I know that owner/manager is a decent guy…well, I guess we’ll see.
Finally, there was still demo for us to do last night. I am so tired of demo. There us rebuilding in the midst of all of the demo but enough, enough, enough. We haven’t even had to do all of it. Rob and Tristan have had to do a ton of it. We have a bit of a running joke now. Rob is not allowed to add more debris to the pile anymore unless it is someone else’s fault, like the window issue yesterday. The great shining note on the garbage thing though happened yesterday. I called my best friend Chad and asked him when plans to come and get the concrete debris and he said that they will come next week after Rob is done so that they cam take it all! That means that we will not have to haul all of that shit again. Chad will send out a digger and a dump truck and take care of all of it! I don’t even care (very much) how much that will cost, I am just thrilled that it will soon all be gone! See? I get excited about garbage!
Today, I need to harass a few people and go and prep three more window openings for windows and receive our new furnace! That means we are one step closer to heat. It is chilly, to say the least, in here. As I write this, I am wrapped in a blanket and I’m pretty sure that it is warmer outside than it is inside.
Off to get more work done and warm up!