| Wednesday, January 25, 2006 |
| Holy Cow, It's Been That Long? |
My folks have been worrying because I haven't called in so long and Jallie Bean left a comment in her blog that I haven't posted in a while so this one's for you guys...
The bathroom install from hell is almost finished!
When we bought this new house we knew there was only 1 bathroom in the place... not enough for a family of 4. We set aside some money from settlement to have a powder room installed in the basement. Here's the catch... the basement is BELOW the sewer line. How do you get all those #1's and #2's out of the house? The Zoeller Qwik Jon, thats how!
Anyway, the guys that we hired to do this job (never go with the lowest bidder folks) didn't even know what a Qwik Jon was let alone ever installed one. They also took every shortcut they could think of. Needless to say, everything came back to bite them in the ass. Leaks, floods, spill overs, improper venting, etc. What a mess! They finally got everything fixed today. Is it code? Who knows.
They took shortcuts with the electrical too. Open grounds, improper wiring, you name it. I spent a couple of hours this past Saturday re-wiring the entire bathroom. It is code... now. Then the guys undid some of my changes and created a dangerous situation. I fixed the wiring again last night and told them this morning, "Don't f**k with my electrical work!"
Anyway, tomorrow they paint, hang the TP and towel holders and finish up. Everything looks OK but only because Michele and I had to take off from work and baby sit them. I was on the phone every night for the past week and a half with the foreman and a list of items that needed to be addressed.
I learned some things with this project and here they are:
- Get more than one quote and don't always go with the lowest one.
- Insist the contractor get all necessary permits. This insures that he has liability insurance and that he and his workers are licensed. Ask to see the permit!
- Check over their work EVERY day. If something doesn't look right, have it addressed. If your not sure or an item doesn't get addressed, have the township building inspector come out for a visit. He'll see that the problems get addressed.
- Pay the cost of the project in thirds. The first third gets paid up front... your contractor does need to purchase supplies. The second third gets paid half way through the project when you're happy with what's been done so far. The final third gets paid at the end of the project once the building inspector has blessed the project and you are satisfied with the work done.
What did I do wrong? Well I got more than one quote but I went with the lowest one. I assumed that the second one was handled... wrong, don't assume! We did do 3 and 4 right however.
Well that's all for now. Next thing on the agenda... getting my contract at Vanguard renewed. It expires in 5 weeks so I have to get my boss moving.
Ahh... more sleepless nights. |
posted by David Snyder @ 9:41 PM    |
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| 2 Comments: |
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My hubby put something similar to QwikJon in our lower level powder room... Pretty cool how it flushes out the back! Here's hoping for a better experience with contractors on your next home demolition (I mean, improvement) project! -- jal --
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Inlaws have one of those toilets.. Don't put tissues in it.. you will wish you had gone upstairs!
Oh, you forgot the most important thing that this project should have tought you! "YOU COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB YOURSELF!" Takes longer, and sometimes costs as much, but at least you know it will be the way you want it!
BTW, who has to go to the basement to get ready in the morning.. hope the kids and not you!
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 - Name: David Snyder
- Location: Springfield, Pennsylvania, United States
I'm happily married to my high-school sweetheart and have two sons. I love relaxing down the Jersey Shore. I also enjoy sitting by the pool after dinner, talking to the wife, watching the kids, and smoking a cigar.
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My hubby put something similar to QwikJon in our lower level powder room... Pretty cool how it flushes out the back! Here's hoping for a better experience with contractors on your next home demolition (I mean, improvement) project! -- jal --