This is the fourth week of the project. Yesterday, I had to go down to Shepherd Center to get fitted for a new wheelchair. I’ve been using my current chair since 2007. For the past four years, I’ve gotten two experimental chairs from the VA. The first one developed a problem and they weren’t able to get any parts for it. The second one was made of carbon fiber and was a really cool chair. Without the wheels it only weighed eight pounds. It was a great travel chair, altho’ a bit unstable. It definitely would not do well on ice or snow so I would take my heavy wheelchair when I went skiing. Alas, since the VA chair was made of carbon fiber if it developed a weakness it was subject to breakage. That happened one of the times I visited Ryan and Sherry before they got the ramp. Going down their steps we had a mishap and the chair landed on the sidewalk and damaged part of it. A few months later as I was rolling down my driveway, the footplate caught on a lip where the road met the end of the driveway and the chair came to a halt. I demonstrated Newton’s First Law of Motion: A body in motion tends to stay in motion. The wheelchair stopped and I continued and we had the incredible flying cripple. When the wheelchair stopped, I heard a loud, “Crack!”. That was the weakened part of the frame giving way. I was able to make it up the driveway but that was the end of the chair. Anyway, at Shepherd, I regaled the people at seating clinic with the Great Master Bathroom of Dunwoody project and how it was dragging on. One of the ladies said, “How is it that they can build a house in four weeks, but it takes forever to rebuild part of it?” Amen.
Last week, they only worked one day on it. Tuesday through Friday, nothing was done. This week, the painter came by yesterday. All she essentially did was prep the walls for painting and buy the paint in the color I picked. Today, the granite dudes showed up. The project manager blamed the granite dudes for the delay in the project. Bullshit! With proper planning this wouldn’t have happened. The granite dudes were supposed to come at 8:30. They actually showed up at 8:00. What a shock! Usually contractors are late. They finished at 1:00. I now have two granite counter tops and a granite shower. It looks great! Now what remains are two new mirrors, shower doors, a grab bar in the shower, grab bars for the toilet, new electrical fixtures, the plumbing in the shower and the two sinks, and painting. Also knobs on the cabinets. I don’t know why the cabinet guys didn’t put them on. I know I selected them when I ordered the cabinets.
I know the job will not be finished tomorrow. Hopefully it will be finished next week in week 5. I hate home improvement projects! So do my cats.
Update: The shower door guys are coming Monday.
Hang in there. Been there with a master bath remodel, too. From the sounds of it, you’re going to have one spectacular crapper.
Also, glad to read you’re getting a new set of wheels. Gee, after eight years use, I’d think you most certainly deserve it.
Pictures! We need pictures!
After it’s finished.
New chair too!!!
Must be using union labor
Not in Georgia.
Did they put heavy backing in the walls for your grab bars? If not that is one of the most common bathroom accidents.
As long as they are on studs they’ll work. The ones I had next to the toilet lasted 17 years. The only reasons I’m having them replaced were for cosmetic reasons and one of them was loose.
See, the cabinet guys don’t put knobs on cabinets. That’s a job for accredited putting-knobs-on-cabinets guys.
As dpddj said above, it’s a union thing.
Thanks for the first laugh of my day, the incredible flying cripple. I have no time or know how to do many home projects, and I get truly appalled how much those who do it for a living seem oblivious to the concept of customer satisfaction. And after all your wait, (no fucking knobs?? ) I’m sure one of the SOB’s will expect you to refer their services to a friend or family. Oh well, this too shall pass. And I hope you have many years of enjoyment with your new bath. Take care, and also looking forward to photos.
Sounds fairly normal, Denny. Everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much as estimated. Also, based on my experience, “granite guys” hang upside down in caves for two weeks at a time, but have no memory of it.
Hope your project has a happy ending!
Sometimes I think about a repair or update. But if it’s non-essential, I take a deep breath and forget about it. Thanks for reminding me why.
That’s why I have put this project off for many years. Next indoor project is having the rest of the inside of the house painted. I’ve dealt with the painting contractor I’m gonna use before so that project will prolly only take three to four days. One day for all the drywall repair and two to three days to paint.
Interesting modern world,the Empire State Building was built in a year,and survived being crashed into by a WWII era bomber.Our small City diddly-dicked around with a specialty sewer plant designer/builder for nearly 2.5 yrs and new facility does NOT meet Codes that were in effect prior to initial contract…builder wants another 100K to bring it up to standards,denies any liability.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam were built in record times as well. Now, with the EPA, OSHA, and unions everything takes forever. It’s taken longer to rebuild the eastern side of the Oakland Bay Bridge than it did to build the entire bridge when it was constructed.
Wasn’t part of the delay having to replace all those big nuts and bolts that were something to do with fastening the cables? I seem to remember the rebuild on one bridge delayed cause instead of being rust treated properly the hardware was just spray painted by hand in some storage yard outside :)…and sourced from China.
After Hurricane Ike, I rebuilt the house here, mostly all by myself. Had a contractor replace the subfloors, lower two-feet of sheetrock, up to and including the tape, float & texture.
I took over from there, doing both bathrooms from bare-wall scratch. Every bit of hardwood, tile, trim carpentry & paint, was by me.
The only thing I didn’t install from that point, was the frameless-glass panel & door to the master bath’s walk-in shower. I’d ripped out the tub, and installed the shower instead.
To hell with modesty. I did a job that would be perfectly in-place in a Martha Stewart magazine. Impeccable work, albeit a bit slow.
But, I get to relax now and take in the near-perfection, rather than sit and glower at obvious flaws and shoddy workmanship.
All that said, I really don’t want to do it again, thankyouverymuch!
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
And after this project, I’ve got an outdoor project to do. I also need to have work done to the master bedroom: drywall repair, walk in closet doors widened so I can get in with my wheelchair, hardwood floors, and painted. Fortunately, that should take less than a week. Tomorrow starts week 5 on the Great Master Bathroom of Dunwoody Remodel. A three week project done in five weeks.