Thanks everyone for your insight. I think I was so tired last night and it all came to a boiling point. I must frustrated with DH. I should have given a brief history. LOL! The builder came highly recommended by two people. One was my sister and the other from a co-worker I worked with before I had DD. My co-worker had no idea we had already set up a appointment with the builder. He really has been great to work with and his subs are doing a wonderful job. I am all around happy with the results we have gotten so far. We gave him a price range we wanted to stick with of around $200,000-230,000 and he came back at $220,000. The first builder we talked to came in at $325,000 but had us tripped out with the best of everything! LOL! I feel very blessed in that area. Anyway, he does lots of remolding and I know he does have a few of those going on right now. The foundation crew told me they were working on the weekends to get caught up from the rain. I understood that. The framers knocked it out fast. The roofers worked on the weekend as well. DH really thinks it is because of the rain that has delayed everyone. I guess I was just feeling so, oh what am I looking for, lost in it all I guess. Not knowing what is suppose to be happening next. We have not made any major changes to the plans. Pinktoes is right, I think I am just not happy with not knowing what is going on. LOL! I did email him last night and asked for a breakdown of what is to be expected on the house and that I was feeling a bit in the dark. In the beginning the builder said it would take 5 months. I was delighted, since DD is starting back up at school. That deadline would have been September. Oh, well. I am going to take a big big BIG breath, try to gather myself and be grateful that we are even able to build this house. I also need to remember I am not the only one building a house in this area and the subs could really be busy and/or behind. Sometimes you need to let it all out! LOL! Thank you for being here to allow me to do that. Everyone is so bright and insightful it is a breath of fresh air :-) I feel a lot better this morning after reading the posts and stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. The email helped last night as well! Pinktoes we do have a camera out there. It is not hooked up to the computer but I sure wish it was. That would be so great! We had planned on going out of town next week to the coast and not even think about the house but there is a storm a coming! We will wait and see where it ends up going. Thank you again everyone!

Here's today chapter in the ongoing saga of the kitchen that may never be built. The cabinetmaker we want to go with has committed to installing the first week of May, which is 3 weeks behind the timeline. He requires a 50% deposit with the balance when complete. Normal, right? I've been told that the builder would not pay him until the work is complete. Sounds like he's playing hardball. We recontacted our KD from our current kitchen whom we have a great relationship with. She advised that if ordered this week, cabinets would take 5 weeks for delivery. That would then allow for installation to be done within the original timeline. The major difference between going with the cabinetmaker and my KD is we'd be getting full overlay cabs with the KD versus inset. DH is leaning toward wanting to use our KD, as we know her well and are very comfortable with her installer. Since I began writing this post I've received a call that our meeting is occurring tomorrow rather than today. I've told them that they better bring decision makers to the table as we are not leaving without knowing who and how my kitchen will be going in. My brain is dead.

Roxan I ran into the same thing this summer. For the few things that I have hired someone else, the one this summer won the prize for most disorganized and unprofessional. Part of the problem seemed to be the particular trade (concrete) I was looking for. Some would call back then not show up at the appointed time, others were concerned just how big was the job and if it was worth their time. Not to get into the details but all future contractors will sign a contract with ME in regards to time they will arrive/leave and who will be on the job site. Also a start and completion date. Talking with my neighbors, who have had similar problems, some of the contractors seem to have no concept of what is appropriate behavior. Examples such as bringing your kids and dogs. Actually had another neighbor who was looking for a concrete contractor to pour her a patio. The guy could have had another job. Needless to say, he wasn't considered. And as mentioned neighbors/friends are a good source. Though my guys, who put in my windows, I found at the home remodeling show. They were excellent.

Oh, when it comes to paint and color, vent away! Please allow me to use your post not only to commiserate but to add my own vent. A little over two years ago I painted my kitchen what was supposed to be (well, it looked like it on the card, anyway) a nice lighter version of TerraCotta. I even used poster board to get an idea what I would be getting. For the next three weeks I tried, really tried to fall in love with what I called my "living inside a cantaloupe" kitchen. I couldn't, no matter how much I tried, get used to the paint color. Three weeks later I tried again, again using a very large poster board for almost a week, placing it in different areas of the kitchen to check for variations in lighting....day, night, natural, direct sun, dusk, shadow. I tried...Oh, how I tried to love my new color in my kitchen. I put back all the decor knowing that would bring me the look I wanted. Uh....nope, it didn't. This time it reminded me of a very elderly woman who put way too much dark, rosey blush on her cheeks. By this time the budget was gone and being inside a cantaloupe was a lot better than being reminded daily of very rosy red cheeks on a very elderly lady, so I repainted with the 'light terracotta', which wasn't, but it was going to have to make do. That was two years ago....no decorations have been put back up because I've used those areas for painting sample colors on the walls. Two years and my kitchen still looks like 'an experiment in orange' at a paint factory. *sigh* My apologies for my vent on your post but I SO SO SO Understand where you are coming from!