Hello, Blogging Pals. Excuse me just a second.
AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I am probably making a mistake as I am typing this while absolutely furious. I will try to edit it before publishing it. Apologies in advance for any errant words.
I have had nothing but grief with nearly every single job, small or large, that I have had to have done at my house or at my aunt's house. The three exceptions are the plumber (who has done multiple jobs at both properties and is a jewel!), the HVAC contractor who has been out to my aunt's a few times for different things, and the gentleman who took on the cutting of my cabinets for my kitchen paint project. Those three did what they said for what they said with no surprises. The work has stood.
Now then. I have been trying to find someone to fix a flat roof portion on my aunt's property since the last "contractor" royally screwed us over with his "repair" job last year. Calls to contractors I have been referred to have gone unreturned. Does everyone here have so much business that they can ignore requests for work?!? I do not understand this at all. If anyone in a real city with real competition ignored calls, they would be penniless in no time. If I had ignored calls when I was selling real estate in Austin, I would not have been in business more than a couple of months. I worked hard to keep my clients happy with constant and rapid communication!
So... as I was returning home Friday morning after working out, a gentleman in a truck approached me. He gave me a card and explained he was working on a couple of houses down the street (I know both owners) and was wondering if he could give me a quote on gutters. There had originally been gutters on the house but the previous owners, from whom we bought it, had pulled them down. Don't know what that was all about... but it has not had gutters since. We had talked about putting some in but just never got to it... probably because our contractor experiences just seemed to get worse and worse. I had a few minutes so I walked him around the house and he gave me what sounded like a decent price (comparing it to what I had paid in Austin on a per foot basis back in 2001).
His workers arrived shortly thereafter and the process began. It took longer than expected which set my day back a little but the product was fine and the job looked okay. I told him I would let him know my satisfaction level once it rained. In the meantime, he met my husband at my aunt's house to look at the roof job we need done and, after discussing it at length with my husband, we told him he could move forward with it. He indicated he could start it Monday. That was before the rainstorm that rolled through late yesterday.
The spousal-unit noted dripping water from one corner this morning, the day after installation. He took a ladder out and proceeded to check out the back gutters. There was water STANDING in them!! Uh... I am not a builder but I do get there is a slope required in gutter systems that allows the water to run toward a downspout! DUH!! What is the problem here? I sent a text to the contractor advising he needed to contact me FIRST THING Monday to resolve this situation AND that he was NOT to begin ANY work at my aunt's house until this was resolved. After phone calls and the arrival of the gutter guys, there is work being done now to resolve my concern. I am NOT happy as I hear screws being re-done which tells me there are now going to be open holes where the initial screws were in the fascia. Even assuming the drainage issue is resolved, I am not at all happy about this entire mess. Once again... I am disgusted with this town and its seemingly incompetent, uncaring, money-grubbing contractors.
In the meantime, the contractor (who did none of the work, mind you) is telling me his sad tale of how he stayed up until 9 p.m. last night lining up a roof guy to work this weekend and that he is over at my aunt's house ready to go!!! Are you KIDDING me?!? I have told him his guy can drop materials, if he has them, but he is NOT to begin ANY work at that property until we have resolved my concern. I have alerted the caregiver on duty today and she will call me if anything is started before I give an okay for it to happen. The contractor is clearly not happy with this as he is likely having to pay the guy even while he is not able to work... but that is not my problem. The agreement was that work would begin on Monday anyway... so his move forward is not my concern.
I have no idea how this is going to end. There are two guys crawling around the house on ladders right now. The contractor disappeared. I am missing the fourth Saturday fly-in/drive-in at the airport which I always attend and for which I supply cookies. My day has been pushed back until I don't know when. My attitude sucks big-time and I am going to have to sit here until they are done and I can hose-test every single gutter and downspout.
I wondered why so many houses here were in varying states of disrepair when I was viewing properties to consider purchasing in 2009. I believe I have the answer now. Homeowners here are unable to find anyone to do work... good work... proper work... correct work... so the properties simply sink further and further into disrepair. If you are not a proficient do-it-yourselfer... you are in trouble here. I hate the incompetence and lack of customer-friendly businesses here.
I will let you know how this ends when I know. Thanks for listening.
Until next post...
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