Ugh, Contractors . . .

What is it with contractors?

For the most part I'm a lucky gal, my hubster does a tremendous amount of stuff around the house that most normal people would have to hire out.  He finds a need, searches for the 'cool' tool he can buy and then does what needs to be done, but recently he hasn't had enough 'free' time to do all the big stuff he used to tackle.  There were two big projects he wanted to do on his own, but . . .

Sometimes you just have to hire a contractor.

Recently we resodded the front yard (we, as in me and hubster--the kidlet is worthless when you mention the word 'work'.  Oh, they'll participate for an hour or two, but that's it then they get on your nerves and you send them off to play with the kid down the street) after we hired a crew to put in an automatic sprinkler system.  They were awesome, though none of them spoke English and they could have used a string line along the property boundary to set the pipes on a straight line.  Oh, well.  Three days and they were done.  It would have been two days, but we got deluged with rain, turning the 'yard' into a muck hole.

Job one finished.

For over a year now, hubster has been pestering me to have an outdoor fireplace put in.  He wanted it up on the deck, but I said NO!  The deck isn't large enough and it would crowd the seating area, plus it would block all our hard work last year when we landscaped the side yard.  We discussed putting the fireplace by the far end of the pool in one of my small garden beds; it had the added advantage of blocking the fence surrounding the pool pump equipment.

I caved.

We hired the contractors.  Hubster was the one to choose them.  They figured out the contract, payment methods (three: beginning, middle and when finished), design, and paid the first installment, etc. . . . and then, one of them walked off the job on the first day. 

Well, crap.

Michael stayed.  We also found out that the contract wasn't written in their company name, but in the name of the guy who walked off the job.

Well, crap.

Amended the verbal contract.  Poured cement.  Rain happened. Then we had to write another check.

*wait, you asked, what happened the the nice payment schedule that was lined up?? Those of you who have had to deal with contractors are probably laughing up your sleeve right now.

More work happened, though their work ethic isn't mine.  They arrive most days between 9:15 and 9:45.  Oklahoma in JUNE.  It's HOT by 9:15.  I fully expected them to get started by 7:30 daily, but I failed to voice my expectations.  Sometimes they work late, sometimes they quit at noon.  I don't get it. 

Last week, they requested more money. *sigh* I wanted a timeline. This was bogus. Yes, I handed them a check, but wanted to know when it would be finished because one of my brothers was coming to visit--THIS WEEK!

Oh, and then they promise to work all day Friday, but one guy gets ill (bad Margaret suspects too much partying on our money, good Margaret sympathizes--which Margaret won that one??  If you didn't choose the bad Margaret, then you don't know me very well) and they both quit for the day.  Michael promises to work all weekend, but forgot to clear it with the wife.  She wasn't happy.  No work after 10 AM on Saturday. 

Sunday they did worked. Too bad it was on the wall and they forgot to use the little tool called a LEVEL.  Hubster was NOT happy.  The boys had to rework the stupid wall to remove the dip in it.

And Michael promised this work would be finished by the end of Tuesday?

Trust me, that ain't happenin'! I look at him and told him not to lie to me.  He continued to promise, but wouldn't look at me when he mouthed those words.

And then hubster decided to let them add a firebox next to the fireplace ( Add $500 more dollars) and timeline extended to 'this weekend'.  I said, 'so by Friday night you will be done?"  His response, "Uh, no, this weekend, as in Saturday night." 

Right, like I believe that--NOT. I'm just shooting for the darn thing to get done by the end of June, but I'm not about to tell them that! I'll still push for this weekend.

I hate dealing with contractors.  Hubster and I would have real tough time building our own house.  There is too much crap that goes on and I'd much rather be oblivious to it. 

On a side note:  They have managed to kill a large portion of our lawn with rock chips, equipment, rocks, boards, lime, etc, but guess who spends at least an hour every night sweeping up their mortar mess, rearranging their rocks, removing the boards from the grass where they haphazardly flung them?  And who also taped off the kool deck to keep from destroying it with cement?

Not me.  Hubster has been going above and beyond to straighten their mess, pick up after them, and cover their tools when it rains--and we've had a lot of rain.  In fact, that's why I'm up so early writing this blog.  The rain started at 3:17 and I couldn't go back to sleep.

I wanted to start my serial blog today, but I couldn't concentrate to finish the first installment.  I might have to wait to start it until next week.  After all, Hubster's birthday is on Tuesday, my bro is arriving on Wednesday, we're celebrating our anniversary (June 20) and Father's day on Saturday, plus we'll have the family over this Sunday for burgers and swimming, whether or not the fireplace is finished!

Please share your contractor stories! Though I suspect my story is pretty much the norm for those beasts!
Write on!