He-who-must-not-be-named came around when I was trying to get stuff out of the POD (which had some door problems), so I really wasn't in the mood to talk. I gave him the letter, but he wanted to talk. I told him to read the letter and we'd talk tomorrow. He pushed the point, saying Frank had said something about the deck. I said yes, that it was in the plan. He came back with that he knew the "truth" about the deck and so did Lisa and that it was never included. I said we'd discuss it tomorrow, and left him there.
Late tonight, I checked email, found a jpg scan of the contract with "Work not to be done: ground deck"... so damn. How did we miss that? I do remember us talking about removing the KITCHEN deck from the table, but not the deck between the dining room and the master bedroom. But I guess not. Should have gotten that clarified. My bad. So I'll have to apologize about that. A bit chagrined about that one.
Here's his letter and my questions/issues:
12/23/2007
Re: Construction of Residence
Dear Bill and Lisa:
This refers to your letter to me dated December 23, 2007.
First, I want to thank you for providing Coastline the opportunity to build your new residence. I am pleased to see that you found the house to be beautiful and that you were satisfied with the care, workmanship and extras provided. However, I was disappointed that you found nd that the house does not look like the house you dreamed of. The house was built according to the blue prints, which you provided, except for the changes that you specifically requested.
At the outset, I want to impress upon you that it is our intention to take care of your legitimate complaints so that you will be a satisfied customer.
You will recall that when we started on the project, you advised me that you have a low budget. Consequently, we reduced the original price by approximately $25,000.
During the course of the construction you requested various change orders that were not part of the plans. For example: Install an access door to the garage; remove the door from the bathroom and install a window instead; change location of the data outlets; built a sofit for the air conditioner; and install tube lights [WHICH WE PAID FOR]. The original request for floor covering was laminate floor and we installed ½ inch solid hardwood floor [HARDWOOD'S IN THE CONTRACT] without any charge. I estimate that this is approximately $15,000 [GEE, LAST WEEK IT WAS $13K to LISA] that we never charged for.
[AND WHAT ABOUT THE KITCHEN AND MASTER BEDROOM DOORS WE PAID FOR? WHAT ABOUT THE MONEY HE SAVED BY NOT INSTALLING THE STAIRWAY EAST WINDOW AND THE MASTER BATHROOM EAST WINDOW, AND NOT ENLARGING THE BATHROOM AND GARAGE WINDOWS?]
I disagree with some of the statements in your letter. For example, you suggest that I implied that the contract bid was all inclusive. This is incorrect. If everything was inclusive, then why did you sign off on certain items that were not included? [I SIGNED OFF AND AGREED TO THE OWNER RESPONSIBILITES THAT WERE OUTLINED, NOT TO SOME VAGUE TO-BE-DETERMINED LIST THAT CONTINUED TO GROW]
I also take issue with your statement that I repeatedly made light of your concerns or ignored them completely. I pride myself with acting professionally and go to lengths to avoid any misunderstandings. If there was a pattern of making light of or ignoring your concerns, then why did you not bring that to my attention earlier? [WE FELT THAT WE WERE PUT OVER A BARREL IN OUR DESIRE TO BE IN OUR HOUSE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.] Instead of "biting your tongue," you had an obligation to bring anything to my attention that you disagreed with. I specifically requested that when you signed the contract.
Concerning the railing, while the contract does not mention that it is included, in an effort to satisfy you, I am prepared to refund the amount of the wood-railing in an amount of $2,500,00 - the price according to Lisa.
Concerning the schedule of payments, I disagree that Coastline took advantage. This was a negotiated agreement and most of the payments were only to be made on completion. Further, Lisa thanked me on several occasions for the liberal and convenient payment schedule as she was able to invest the money in CD's.
[BULL-FUCKING-SHIT. 10-15% OF THE TOTAL CONTRACT IS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD TO BE HELD BACK UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT TO SATISFACTION]
Overall, I agree with you that the house looks beautiful. From my understanding, the only outstanding issue is the wood railing. As you know, we completed the project before the scheduled completion date.
The job is now completed. However, in an attempt to satisfy you, we will replace the painted sections of the roof and add gutters, clean the tile in the front and provide workers to assist you in moving in. I trust that this is agreeable to you
Very truly yours,
FT
OK, so he's somewhat conciliatory about the rail. Good. Tomorrow will be interesting. I still want to discuss the desk built-ins, the nook, the kitchen cabinetry overhangs. I don't feel as good about it, but I just want this over.
I'll be there much of the day, waiting for the phone guys, and maybe moving some stuff in.
I hate all of this, and just want it over.
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