Mommycooks-
I soooo understand how you feel! We moved into our 100 yr old "fixer upper" last May- our original plan was to stay w/ my mom- but we don't get along so I decided against it and thought - "How bad could it be?" Oh it was bad! The entire first floor was gutted to the studs from the day we moved in last May until November 16th! I stayed upstairs w/ my 2 and 4 yr old when we were home, and we often ate dinner on the floor in the spare bedroom. Plaster dust, blue tarps, hanging wires, no working kitchen, washing dishes in the basement- I can't even begin to tell you how many fights there were between me and DH! I absolutely hated being home- our previous home was an adorable 3 bedroom colonial- that had been perfectly staged to sell- not a spot of dust anywhere- and every day I regretted moving there and questioned what I had done. I was sick to my stomach when I went to my old next door neighbors house (still good friends) and saw my adorable little house with new people in it- only to go home to my delapidated construction zone. My husband and I were DIY'ing almost everything, and we both work full time. In October, the kitchen was finally finished enough to get counter tops put in- 5 days after they were installed a tree fell on our house and hit the vent pipe from the kitchen and cracked all the plumbing in the wall- Back to no kitchen and washing dishes in basement. It also did major damage to our 2 month old roof. I so understand your frustration with the setbacks!! It is now January, the plumbing has been fixed (by cutting a hole in the outside of the house, and the roof just got fixed this week, they also had to replace 3 windows- and the dust is all over again- not to mention our plumbing pipes froze last week because of the draft from the damaged roof, so DH had to cut a hole in the kitchen ceiling to let warm air up to prevent pipes from bursting. So the perfectcly sheetrocked ceiling, that we actually paid someone to do- will have to be done AGAIN! Sorry this is so long- I could literally write a book about the whole thing- this was just the tip of the iceberg- so I can fully understand your AARRRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!
With all that said- it is coming out beautifully- and anyone who walks into my house is taken back with its charm, and the beautiful open floorplan. It really has gotten better, but would I do it again- probably not! Was it all worth it?? Absolutely :)

It'll be worth it, you'll see! People here have likened kitchen remodeling to giving birth. It's quite unpleasant, but when all's said and done, it'll be so nice that you'll forget all the bad times.

I hear you on being frustrated about days that nothing gets done. Our remodel was supposed to be completed in 3 months. After 10 months it was most way completed enough to move back into it and use it. Here we are 15 months after starting, and there's still a few thongs left on the punch list. And the biggest kicker? We didn't have any real unforseen problems or setbacks; the worker was quite efficient and did excellent quality work. So why the delay? He just wasn't here enough. Too many other late projects. If he had been here every day, we would have been done pretty close to on schedule.

So yes, I know your situation right now is miserable and frustrating. So hang in there and complain when the contractor isn't there. We were too nice and went along with our contractor's scheduling too long and look where we ended up.

Hmm.. I couldn't resist alku05!! Thongs on the punchlist.. might just get the plumbers/GC's and whomever else you're waiting for, on the job quickly! Thanks for the typo laugh! Needed it tonight with the news that our new build will be delayed.. a year..grr. Cheers, Kym

Mommycooks, ours isn't as bad to live with as yours by the sound of it, but just today I was thinking, "I WANT MY LIFE BACK!!" I've really ENJOYED the process, we like our builders enormously and will actively miss their company when they're gone, but boy it'll be nice to be able to sleep late, or walk around in my underwear when I get up instead of having to always be up and dressed by 8am!

Hang in there. It will be done eventually!

thanks to all. Just typing the vent helped me get it together enough to put the kids to bed (though short-tempered). And the pressure testing of the gas line AND the plumbing for hte new bathroom went off fine after a couple of fixes. So tomorrow is another day - hopefully one with granite, and a passed rough-in inspection, and an installed cooktop, and . . .

Thanks to everyone. I was wondering how I was going to work through this and I thought about GW - so you all rock!

Totally understand!

WE started in June, and JUST last Saturday, was it only a few days ago... we got the last wall in the LR painted and the tarps off the furniture. We went through Christmas still camping out and taking tarps off TV and couch when we decided to take a break!

Hey, at least you CAN take a bath! I've been craving a bath for so long... SIGH... DH says to go in the hot tub, he just doesn't understand...

The worst thing is getting your expectations up, and then having them dashed! Hope tomorrow goes better for you and you have a good night's sleep!

Oh, and I still envy you your bath! :>)

Anything worth having is not only worth working for, but also worth putting in the time required to GET it there. I live in a constant state of constuction mess and most of the house not finished as I am doing all my own work. My friends think I'm nuts, but I'm having fun working on all of it. The destination of being done is a great thing to think about. But I'm more enjoying the journey of getting there, and learning as I go.

Hope things are better today and things are going smoothly for a change...

Since there's no plastic to remove from the tub...

Take a bath tonight, relax, and imagine what it will all be like when done...or at least imagine what it will be like when there's no more construction & dust! :-)

DIY housebuilding...18 months of actual building...Other stuff for several months before, including moving into a 900 sq ft, 30+ yr old single wide mobile with 8 kids, a large dog, and 2 (now 1) cats (reduction by coyote). We have 21 days until our last allowable construction loan extension runs out, and like every time we've gotten an extension (twice), my dh says, "2 more months of work left." Now I don't know how we'll get rid of this monstrosity of a mobile without tremendous expense, but the mortgage lender won't close until it's history, so this must be solved soon, too. ---I think I've not only hit the wall, but am wedged in the endless center of it, and am thrashing around in the scratchy insulation trying to breathe...

Sorry so dramatic, the house is looking fantastic, but I hate having to hurry the quality craftsmanship DH and DS are doing (and no amount of prodding seems to hurry it anyway), and this financial stuff is getting to me. DS and DH look at me as if I'm responsible for deadlines and complications (classic case of shooting the messenger). I tried a nice, big glass of red wine last night...I'm not a big wine drinker so it didn't help, just made me feel gross. I think I need something more like a horse tranquilizer...

Hang in there mommycooks, you're not alone in your frustrations.

Oh rhome . . . sounds like you need a babysitter for the kids and a weekend away with some friends . . . I don't know where you are in the country but maybe you can take advantage of the mild winter and set up a tent outside! I am sorry for complaining.

But, perhaps, as happened to me today - bad days are followed by good ones! Our granite was installed today, and the rough-in inspection was passed, and the cooktop (non-functional) is sitting on the granite . . . and it looks like we will actually finish this project by the end of the month. So after doing some long-delayed paperwork, I am going to vacuum out some cabinets and actually PUT SOME STUFF IN THEM!!!

Cheers to all, and thanks so much!

Nica

Certainly sounds like a good day today...can't wait to see
pics.
Hang in there!