by In the last post I mentioned that I had finally gotten my permit, so I could resume work. The first thing I did was hire out the work to re-cut the slab so that the electrical and refill could be brought up to code. On the morning of May 18th a couple of fellows arrived to cut into the slab in the master bath and kitchen. In preparation for this, I cleared the spaces, took down the walls for the alcove surrounding the toilet in the master bathroom, and used my chalk line to outline where I wanted the cuts made.
I was really glad I outsourced this job because these guys made quick work of it and were done within three hours. Well worth the expense. Here is the result.
The next day I replaced one of the 14/2 wires with 12/2 and enclosed them in a conduit. I later (months later) discovered that even that was not sufficient. But we’ll get to that in another post.
With the newly issued permit, I decided I would look for someone to do the two bathrooms. To this end I met with Georgette at David Waller Interiors to see if they could help. That seemed encouraging and we set up an appointment for May 26th to have Georgette come to the house along with some of the subcontractors they use. The electrical guy had all sorts of negative things to say, telling me that a lot of the wiring had to be changed because once the walls have been opened up, you have to replace the wire (with exactly the same stuff, only newer). He recommended I get an inspector in right away to assess the situation. After he left, one of the other guys, Richard, who was privy to the exchange with the electrician, told me that it was not so dire and that he knew a guy who could manage the entire project and handle the inspection process. Having done so much work already, I was concerned about the inspections and was very receptive to the idea of having someone help me navigate that space. So Richard put me in touch with Marty, who was a general contractor (GC) he had worked with.
Marty showed up on June 6th. I really liked him and we had a good discussion. I sent him my SketchUp model so they could provide me with an estimate. Unfortunately, on June 20th (two weeks later!) Marty told me he did not want to take the job. He was too busy. That was annoying given that he took two weeks before he bailed out; wasting my time. So I called Richard again and he put me in touch with another GC, Joe.
Joe came by on June 23rd and looked over the place. He mentioned while looking around that it was a bigger job than he expected, so I was not optimistic that he would take it on. So he left and was going to get back to me. On June 28th, having not heard from Joe, I contacted him and he told me that he could not take the job. Too busy. It’s funny how I have to chase these people down just to find out they don’t want the job. This has become a common theme in this industry. I find that it is rare that someone will call you when they say they will. I frequently have to chase them. So I called Richard yet again and he put me in touch with Mike.
I met Mike on June 30th at the house. He seemed willing to take the job and we arrange to meet again on July 7th, at which time he would bring someone else along to take a look. We met as scheduled and Mike and Scott showed up. Scott would be the one managing the project, so I walked him through the house, explaining what I was after. It appeared that they were still up for the job, so I gave them the code to the lock box so they could access the place while I was away on vacation for the remainder of July, returning early August. They planned to bring other trades by to get their input and to determine costs.
I had a conversation with Scott and the plumber while I was on vacation. The plumber needed a few more details. So I was happy to know that Scott was bringing people by. When I returned in early August I contacted Scott to find out what the situation was. He still did not have a number for me, but did have a drywaller scheduled to come by the house. So I met the drywaller at the house. Nice guy, and we had a good exchange. A couple of days later Scott told me that the drywall guy wanted to return to the house to take more measurements and that Scott would drop by too. So I met with them on August 11th and we had a chat.
Scott proposed that we do it in stages. The first stage would be to get the place ready to the point where flooring would be next. I liked that idea because it would be progressive and consequently, I could take over should I choose after each stage. Scott figured he’d have a price for me on the Monday (August 15th). So I was feeling pretty good about that.
On Thursday, August 18th, having not heard anything from Scott, I texted him asking what was going on. I got no reply that day, but did the next day. Scott informed me that he was still waiting to get with Mike to discuss it. Mike was out of town on some personal business.
The next week I was notified by my apartment complex administrator that my lease renewal was upcoming and asking me about my intentions. To answer that and tell them how long I intended to keep the apartment, I needed to know if I was going to hire Scott and company, and that required I have a cost estimate and some idea of how long it would take. So I texted Scott again on the Monday (August 29th). He responded that he was busy on a job but that he would contact me later in the day, which he did not. So the next day I asked again. I got no response that day (like pulling teeth). He did respond the next day, August 31st, giving me a price estimate of $70k. To that I immediately responded that I wanted a breakdown of the costs. I wanted to know where that number came from. It seemed very high for just the first stage. At the time of writing, September 4th, I have yet to hear from Scott.
Given that I seemed to be in a perpetual state of waiting, I decided I had to do something and made an appointment to have an inspector come over and help me understand what I needed to do. I was concerned about doing this on my own, fearing that they would tell me I had to pull all sorts of things down, but I was fed up waiting for people, so I bit the bullet and decided I would open myself up to whatever they had to say. When making the appointment, I explained my situation, which was that I wasn’t looking for a specific type of inspection (i.e., framing, electrical, etc.), that I was looking for guidance more than anything. So they sent two guys over on Friday, September 2nd.
The two inspectors, Chris and Dennis, were very good. They explained a lot to me and made me realize that I didn’t really need a GC to manage this part of the project. There was nothing drastic that needed to be done. Most of the things they pointed out where things I was happy to hear about and can easily incorporate. So I am now thinking I will proceed without the help of Scott and Mike. I’ll pull in the subcontractors myself, as needed. If I do hear back from Scott I will consider what he proposes, but for now I am proceeding as though I am on my own.
As a result of this, I contacted an interior designer. I want to put together a comprehensive plan of what I am doing. So far I have only had a general idea, figuring I would cross the various bridges when I came to them. But if I am going to bring in subcontractors, I’m going to have to have a better idea of what I want them to do. For example, if I bring in a plumber to do the piping to the bathtub, I need to know what bathtub I am getting. Similarly for the vanities in both bathrooms. I’ll also have to know what tiles I want and such. So I’m looking for some help with this and set up an appointment with Jennifer for September 14th.
In the meantime I have started working on the house again, finally! Now that the inspectors have alleviated my concerns, I am ready to resume framing the exterior walls. This includes the laundry room, master bedroom and master bath, and the east garage wall. So I picked up a load of lumber and foam board and got to work on Sunday, September 4th. Here’s what I accomplished:
It’s amazing how good it feels to be finally moving forward again. I wonder if I’ll ever hear from Scott.
The next day, Monday, I finished framing the laundry room and started on the wall in the master bath.
On Tuesday (today) I finished the Framing in the Master Bathroom.
Next I will tackle the master bedroom. That will require that I empty the room, and there is a lot of stuff in it, as you can see. So that will be a bit or work.
I will end here, since this has been long enough. In the next post I will show more of the framing work and hopefully will have something to share about my meeting with the interior designer.
nuntawob 