Lisa sent me a text message with a pic of the front door during her meeting with Fred:
It looks great.
She said that Fred was unhappy with Frank over his discussion of money last week (re: the sandblasting of the garage); Frank, according to Fred, spoke out of turn... the sandblasting is included. That's great.
But now there are other issues...
Seems like all that redwood that has been stacked and covered in the backyard was ordered "by accident." If we pay for it (three grand, a "really good price" according to Fred), they'll build the deck.
Uh, what? Wait a minute. Wasn't the deck in the plans? And how the hell is the redwood an "accident"... and why would we need to pay for it?
The bank of high glass cabinets, suspended by two tall column cabinets that cap the ends of the island in the kitchen... well, that needs to go. Fred had a kitchen planner there today, and they said that it was stupid to have the structure there in the kitchen, now that we've opened it up; it messes with the sight lines. Even though the cabinets are glass, and that the supporting cabinets (not glass) are eleven freaking feet apart.
Lisa has never been a fan of this structure; she could never picture it (not even with the elevation). I could and I thought it was cool. If we lose it now, my concern is all the lost cabinet space. Without the tall columns cabinets at the ends of the island, we lose A LOT of storage space (the high horizontal glass pieces were always for me decorative and not functional)... the kitchen planner's replacement idea of low cabinets (to the height of the island) will buy back some, but not nearly half of the storage space. Whatever. Lisa didn't like the structure, so I can live with losing it. What I hate is the (underlying) rationale of Fred's: expense. The cabinet structure would run (according to Lisa's conveyance of Fred's estimate) nearly 60K.
BUT GEE... WASN'T
IT
IN
THE
FUCKING
PLANS?
Breathe.
So we're supposed to meet with the kitchen planner next Monday, to finalize that cabinet issue (which, we believe, IS covered by our contract), to pick out vanities for the bathrooms (NOT covered, but we knew that), and to pick out tile and granite (again NOT covered, but we knew that, too)... IF we can fit that all in on one day.
Like I really want to be part of that trip right about now.
Lisa hates to tell me these things because this is how I react. I get pissed (which is unpleasant for her), or I want to bail (which is no help to her). But my take is that anger is the only rational response to getting put over a barrel and reamed. And if she doesn't want me to display that anger to Fred, then I don't want to be a part of any meeting... it's safer that way. So Lisa's in a bind because she wants me there (but pleasant). I'm in a bind because I want to help Lisa, but I'm too pissed to "just play nice."
I know that rationally I don't want to blow up at Fred because he has us in a very precarious situation. We piss him off, and he can prolong this to the end of the full contract (mid-February)... I want back in the house by the end of the year, and I know our only shot at this is to keep him happy.
But him happy at what cost to us? And I mean that both emotionally and financially.
Sure, he's had to build soffits to house plumbing, ducting and the laundry chute because of architectural drawing deficiencies (of course, that laundry chute issue was caused because they altered the plan to line up the roofline to align it with the garage, forcing it over and down where the laundry chute should be, making it impossible to put in a low door for the chute, blah blah blah). Soffits. Quite frankly, I don't give a flying fuck about soffits. Do the soffits cost more than the east window in the stairwell? or the window over the mirror in the master bath? And you can't tell me that the soffits cost more than that "60K" cabinet structure in the kitchen?
WHAT THE FUCK WILL BE NEXT? can't be the deck... that's in the plans, but seemingly not in Fred's plans. Maybe the breakfast nook?... maybe that doesn't get built in. Or maybe the desks in the boys' rooms? (Lisa says that would be too much even for her... but I don't want to see it go that far)
My take is Fred's just lost any recommendations from me. Lisa doesn't want to go that far. She wants a good relationship with him when all this is done. Well, as far as I'm concerned until "all this is done" ACCORDING TO THE FUCKING PLANS, my recommendation is in my heart and mind and mouth... and not coming out any time soon.
In my anger, I asked Lisa is it too much to ask that people just do what the fuck they're expected to do (like build a structure according to the god damned blueprints... silly freaking me... I thought blueprints were supposed to--I don't know--DRIVE THE FREAKING CONSTRUCTION, not be a "wouldn't it have been nice if we could have done it that way, but that way was way too much trouble or way too expensive" exercise is mutual monetary masturbation).
OK... I've got it out of my system. Maybe I can sleep now in Chicago. I'm sorry Lisa had to meet with Fred alone... but I thought it was just going to be the handover of a ridiculously large check... not a descent into a quagmire of contractor-ly bullshit. I'm sorry Lisa had to deliver bad news to me. I'm sorry I'm too much of a dick to say, "It's OK, dear, 'cause I'm focused on the 'big picture' and all this is just stupid details, until our family is together living under one roof in a house that is our dream home." No, I just couldn't bite my tongue. And I'm sorry she had to hear me rant and rave. No question about it: I'm a prick.
But the only question left is: Can I play nice?
I have to... I want to get out from over this barrel, and move back into my house sometime in the next three months.
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