I never liked roller coasters, and I still don't....

I never liked roller coasters, and I still don't...

March 10 - 12 --  The last few days around here seem like one long roller coaster ride -- not really so much about thrills, but lots of ups and downs, with too many downs.

The ups included the reappearance of the finish carpenters on Monday.  Three showed up to make an "assault" on the house.

In the master bedroom the "ups" included:

• door hardware and the chest of drawers in the master bedroom, as shown below, along with the hardware on the closet doors and the hanging bar and shelves inside the closet.

However, the "downs" included:

• the carpenters complaining that the painters did not paint the drawer faces on the chest of drawers and they were installing the knobs, no matter what.  Also, they were not happy that they had to cover the newly finished floors with paper (more on that later). 

In the master bathroom, the "ups" included

•  mounting two surface mirrors in the master bathroom with a small glass shelf under each mirror (and bathroom towel bars, etc)

However, the "downs" included:

• the carpenter explaining to me (see the drawing on the newly painted  wall in this photo) that there was no way that the medicine cabinets could be recessed into the wall because: a) the framing was off and b) they would hit the newly mounted surface mirrors.  After much deliberation and discussion with the contractor, the carpenters will now custom make medicine cabinets to recess into the walls adjacent to each surface mirror

A rare "up" with no "down" in the hallway between the dining room and the kitchen leading to the laundry room and the pantry included:

• the first "decorative" touch on accent wall when entering the kitchen from the dining room and adjacent to the laundry room, and

• doors remounted and with hardware to the pantry and the pocket door to the laundry room

The roller coaster ride started up again in the gathering room...

The "ups" included:

• the fully assembled hardware for the library ladder, the hardware for the bookshelves, the mounted doors and knobs for the AV cabinet, the installed center channel speaker above the fireplace mantel for the surround sound system, and the mounting of the bracket to hold the flat panel TV

The "downs" included:

• the center channel speaker was only "30%" mounted because the speaker wire needs to be attached (which I will have to do because the remaining 70% is completed); scuffed walls, with fingerprints and nicks, that will need to be retouched; and this is most painful...the once beautiful floors are not so beautiful.  The carpenters were complaining that the painters should have stained the ladder before they re-assembled it, and so the ladder will need to be stained to match the floors.  Also, the carpenters left with about 80% of their work completed and announced that they would be back to finish up, but weren't sure when....really?

The plumbers made an appearance on Wednesday, but again, the roller coaster ride reared its  ugly head....

In the guest suite bathroom the "ups" included

• the plumbing for the claw foot tub and the sink was completed, along with the toilet and medicine cabinets (surface mounted), towel bar and TP holder.

However, the "downs" included

• the location of the p-trap for the claw foot tub (shown as I am standing in the basement looking up) is situated such that....

the door to the basement from the stairwell cannot be closed as it hits the plumbing by about 3/4 of an inch, and after much discussion between the plumber and the contractor who both tried to "brainstorm" about various solutions to move the plumbing, the only solution is to "notch" the door so that it will close....really?

• the other "down"  is that the plumbers (similar to the carpenters yesterday) left without completing the rest of their tasks, and who knows when they will return?

The 3/4 bathroom off the gathering room is just about complete with mirrored medicine cabinet (surface mounted), soap holder in the shower, TP holder, robe hook and towel bar installed, however it is a dusty mess that is awaiting a good cleaning:

Likewise, most of the hardware, closet doors, clothes bar, and shelves have been installed in the mudroom:

                                                                                                                                                                                                




But, there is saw dust, and a mess everywhere, and I don't even want to write about the floors (so much for the paper that was supposed to protect it).

To end this post on a high note, one very neat thing is that for the two main-level bathrooms, the door knob inside the bathroom is polished chrome, to match the plumbing fixtures, while the door knob that faces outside the bathroom is satin nickel -- amazing that privacy door knob fixtures can be ordered like this --- so very "matchy, matchy."

Despite a few very trying days (and I've spared you from most of the other hassles), the sun will come up tomorrow, and the painters are expected to arrive at 8:00 am to begin their attack on the dry wall issues, and the dumpster that has been sitting in the front of the house since the beginning of last June should be removed for good before the day is over.