OH yeah! We have one neighbor that is driving me nuts. We have not seen him in a month or two and I am so glad! LOL! We stated we were getting a well, he stated we needed to do a rain water catch system, he even walked through the house and stated things HE thought needed to be changed. Drove me nuts! He told DH he stops by everyday to check on the house. DH told him that was very kind but really not necessary. LOL! At first I thought he was just trying to be nice but it got to be to overwhelming and he started to knock our builder. He had his friend who is a custom builder stop by and take a look in case we wanted another builders thoughts on things! WHAT!? I finally had to tell him we were very happy with our builder and that further advice was not needed. We had made our decisions on wells, septics etc. I think that is why we have not seen him in awhile. But yes, I have had a number of people ask me why there as not been any work done in the last few days, etc. Our builder told us he uses certain crews that he trusts and has used for years. So far they have all been worth the wait....except for the electrician!!! I have serious issues with that guy! LOL! Anyway, now when people give me advice I do not ask for I just smile and say thank you very much but we have it covered! Good luck with your build!

when i'm ready to re-do a room or design a new home what works for me is to find a pic ( pics) of a room I love from magazines. I post the pic up on my refrig or another place I'm sure to see the pic all day long. I keep looking at the pic until I say yeah or nay I can live with that. Than I copy the pic as closely as possible. That includes wall colors, furniture, floor.etc. I'm not saying you buy the exact furniture, but rather use the color schemes and furniture styles you see in the magazine pic and than try and match it up with your own budget.

I think perhaps by definition we TKO are disproportionately fussbudgety. What's it all for anyway? You can't take those perfectly unscratched cabinets with you. Maybe have yourself buried with them like pharaohs? Nah..... Dings Happen. And as for dh's who can't refrain from cutting on granite - well, that's why we just need to teach (or have taught) our children well.... :) And in the absence of that, this is why we have MIL jokes... ;) FWIW -- I drive around in a minivan that has a cracked bumper; you can see its innards, the metal "I-beam"-like thingymabob in there. It is very out of place in LA where so much is just-so. I attract a lot of attention. But it is not worth it to me to spend the money (thousands; more than the car's worth) to fix it. And in all honesty, I don't care, though I recognize it gives many the willies. Thing is, it reminds me of an interlude in French Canada where the ding was inflicted by a snowplow. They have a very different relationship with snowplows, snow removal and those who perform said operations there. The previous winter there had been several individuals killed by errant snowplows. But subsequent inquiries had determined the individuals were simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time" -- like my car and its bumper (parked, on the side of the road with many others just like it). Things happen, and just about all that changes is our reactions to it. Seems a life's lesson I rather value leaving visible on my bumper. But of course that's way too long a story to explain to the guys trolling parking lots looking to "fix" it (not) for a few $$.

Oh my gosh, you guys are cracking me up! I never heard of the "while we're at it" syndrome, but yes, we have caught it too! Though that's not really the hold up here. And we've begun quietly keeping a "while we're at it list" until the kitchen is done - we don't want the contractor to get distracted!!! I'm not angry. Even though some personal issues caused the contractor to be away, that is not entirely unexpected when it's 2 guys doing all the work. They do beautiful work. and even though they are quite behind and know it, they are not taking any short cuts to get caught up. I appreciate that integrity and artistic sentiment. The penalty clause we included is quite stiff, but it's more of a scare tactic to keep them on track (how's that working out?!). We certainly won't enforce it at the earliest possible date, if at all. We like the guy, we love his work, and honestly, it's in a part of the house that doesn't interfere with our day to day lives, and I have a fully functioning kitchen in the meantime. Clearly, not much to complain about. Just tired. And impatient. Glad to see I'm not alone here. We can cheer each other on. Since all of my major decisions are made, I haven't been on here as much and don't have a lot of time just to peruse (though I do when I can). I'm afraid if and when it's time for the reveal, nobody will care! :D