This weekend, we unveiled my nephew's head stone at the cemetery, and it was a pretty miserable day on Sunday. The last time I had a year like this was 1993, and I burned the damn calendar on New Year's Eve. I may use a Burnzomatic Blow torch this year plus 6 pounds of C4 explosives at this rate, not that I have an opinion, mind you.
Well, after more than 30 years, the concrete had cracked on the driveway, and had started to crack in the garage. We went through the process of interviewing contractors, getting bids, talking, doing the whole deal. We took our time. We picked the second most expensive contractor who promised a turn-key solution.
We expected them in September. No one came or called. We called the office. They promised to call back. No one called. We finally got a start date. October 15th. Not quite September. The Project Manager finally came out to survey the job the Friday before at 4 PM.
Monday morning, at 8:00 am, no one showed up. We got a call. The project manager called in sick, the men would be there at 3:00 PM and start work. At 1:00 PM the men showed up, and worked until 2:00 PM. Tuesday morning, the men showed up at 8:00 am and started right in. tree limbs were cut, concrete was broken, and I went to t'ai chi. At 2:00 PM the door bell rang, and the City Inspector's announced to me that they had condemned the garage.
Above is what the garage looks like now. The salesman called and wanted to know who had called the City? Like I called the City? I spent an hour dealing with the City Inspector getting them to agree that when the contractors showed up with the required structural engineer to show that what they were doing would be satisfactory, that they would be issued a counter permit, no hassle, no waiting. $75. And the salesman is hassling me that the City is trying to stick him up for money that he shouldn't have to pay. I finally lost it. I was screaming. Judy told him that we expected a structural engineer from the beginning, and we certainly has=d asked about that, and the permits, and that we expected the job to be finished for the agreed upon price. I was still screaming. I have no idea what I was screaming either, nor did I care. I still don't. I have had it.
Just in case you couldn't read what it said, that is stuck on *my* garage. I am not quite ready for prime time yet. I'm actually pretty pissed off. Any good suggestions? Like going to M@'s and breathing the air for a while?
17 comments:
Aaaah thanks so much sweetie.
this is either very sweet or the direct result of you not wanting to hear me bitch about blogger limbo anymore
I got people....give me names...boom...I'll take care of them!!!
Capish?
Oh, bummer. I'm sorry.
ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
who called the city? any clues?
although, we put a 1/2 bath upstairs in my house, actually hwmnbned & his brother. w/i 1 hour of demo, an inspector showed up. he said they troll (whoops, I meant patrol) around neighborhoods looking for activity...
so, when are they going to finish?
you know my thoughts on screaming @ people, doesn't help anything & makes your blood pressure go up. think of the McDonald's analogy--- you take your burger back up saying they forgot the mayo, the fry-cook spits on it. urban legend, I know, but you don't want them spitting on your concrete (cement?) as it is curing.
don't make the contracting firm your adversary---
enough lecturing for one day! sorry!!
I think breathing the air at Matt's would at least stop the screaming... might be hell on your tai chi, though.
I think you might want to add 6 ounces of gasoline to the bonfire for this year's calendar. You can't be too sure when it comes to these things.
At least you were not on the local news for “Man goes crazy and sets contractors on fire”
P.S. If you can’t make it to m@’s for some air… I am sure he can send you a nice plant for your greenhouse !! or basement :)
Go get 'em Lee, I'm just learning about what you're up to and how you do it!
Wicked, you're a great sister, we have to get together soon! After they fix the garage, I can't risk you.
Me too, Ali.
You're right CM, but I'm not on any anti-depressants, and I couldn't hold it in. The City was patrolling, and they told me they couldn't help but notice....the salesman from the contractor all but accused me, which is what set me off. This after negotiating for him and his company for over an hour and a half.
The job is shut down until they get a structural engineer here to prove to the City that what they are doing is acceptable. The idiots didn't bother with the permits first. I mean, they had a bobcat here and jackhammers breaking up the concrete, a huge trash bin, how could the City not notice what they were doing?
WG, t'ai! breathing! good ideas! And maybe going to a spa in Hershey PA and lying down in a pool of dark chocolate until it all oozes into every pore in my body!
MJ, c'mon down. I want to take you to a real hospital with real doctors. Bring your plants. I'm already so damn angry, I might as well go over the edge.
I'm thinking one of your neighbors probably called the city.
You have what sounds like a very good case against the contractor so I hope you have documented everything from the very first phone contact with this disreputable company.
Good luck with it. Your house looks lovely. The driveway, not so.
Oh, and I meant to thank you and Judy for not letting me walk through the garage when I visited... what, with it being condemnable and all. :)
take a deep, deep breath....get a glass of wine, walk around back so you don't have to see your disaster area and look at the birds instead. Sit and drink...
Scream hunny. Screaming Helps I Scream. I Scream alot
For feck's sake, I don't believe it - someone up there is really testing you this year. I'll have a word, see if I can get them to lay off you for a while.
Puss
Damn...that just confirms my distrust of contractors and keeping their word!!! It sucks..but hey, look at it this way...you got out of bed this morning, put two feet on the floor and greeted a new day....sometimes we have to keep things real simple.
(at least I do). ;-)
Peace
Hearts, they left a piece of equipment that breaks up concrete and the large industrial trash container that you couldn't miss. The fact that the City collects leaves on Tuesday might be an indication as to why the City came and shut them down on a Tuesday. Besides, both houses on the other side of the street have families that can't or don't speak English. The third grader across the street speaks the best English of any of the 235 adults in there, not to exaggerate the point.
Claudia, I just got home, I am skipping directly to the gin, screw the vermouth. Too dark for the birds. I won't be able to see by the time I finish the comments section.
OK, Lee, HUNNY! HUNNY! HUNNY! I do feel better, my wife is running over here! Got to go..
Puss, I'm REALLY going to get pissed off soon.
Odat, I may need to come to NYC soon, just to meet you for lunch, and get some boots with built-in horns.
I'm so sorry.
So, so sorry.
Did the screaming help at all? Or did it just throw you out of wack? You're in my thoughts.
Eris, this is why we're not chatting on-line a lot. I was screaming HUNNY at the moon. It helps a lot! My neighbors came out and joined me. We don't sing a lot around here.
Shit. That's the pits. I hope this is sorted by now.
I too am tempted to burn a couple of calendars. But something won't let me. I look back at them and marvel at what we/I lived through. Plus it helps to remind myself "be glad you're not back then!"
I'm thinking of you. Taking a break from blogging myself. Worn out and tired over here. I'm still checking on my fav bloggers though :)
{Hug}
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