Another thing that wears me out (since my preference is to stay up late, and not be an early riser) is that they always say "oh yes, we'll be here at 7AM to get a good start" and then they start to straggle in about 10:30. Every. Single. Day.

Other than central AC, there is not a single improvement I have made to my house that was worth the money, aggravation and disgust of having to deal with contractors. Not one. TV and websites and magazines get people all starry-eyed about what a fantastic "lifestyle" they could have if they only dropped six figures on their kitchens like the Joneses. Reality differs.

It's best not to renovate unless you really, really have to. Unless you have an extraordinary tolerance for liars, animal-like personal habits and grown men who behave like infants.

Move into temporary housing. In the spring, put up a tent. Or, a yert.

The worst part for my independent, claustrophobic self is getting trapped by them at the house. One day we left at 11:30 am to get lunch, and visit some showrooms that were recommended by GC. We get around the corner, and he calls. He has one(!!!) question...... We left the house at 5:30 PM!!! Low blood sugar, hunger and possibly PMS had made me SO irritated that I was beside myself!!

Good Luck!

I had a family room added on in 2001. When that was completed I swore I would move before I ever did anything like that again. And in retrospect, because they were able to do much of the work outside, before they broke through the connecting wall, it was a lot easier than the kitchen where there was no getting away from the disruption. Even though I had smaller projects done over the years, it took 10 years before I could consider taking on such a large remodeling process again. I actually did consider moving instead of remodeling the kitchen, but the thought of moving is even more overwhelming to me.

Good luck. Alcohol helps.

Leaving the toilet seat up. Animals.

I like to think of myself as an assertive, modern woman (albeit 67 y.o.) who's been around the block several times. I have an opinion about everything and it will eventually come out. I think I'm rational and have a sense of fair play.

As much as I don't like to ever play the weaker sex card, construction is generally a man's world. I think a lot of the things that irk me about my GC, his subs, and work in general have to do with the fact that I didn't have a partner with me in this who had the same reproductive equipment as they. There was a dismissiveness that I don't think they would have pulled with another guy. That being said, I would have gladly had a partner of any ilk to be able to bounce things off. I just had myself to go, "Am I being unreasonable?" "Should I accept what this guy did?"

I think once the dust settles I'll be glad I had my reno done. I stayed under budget and got pretty much what I asked for. I just wouldn't ask for it again. ;-)

Yikes! I'm just now interviewing GC's to update our kitchen and replace the tile floor that runs through most of our living areas. I just walked through the kitchen and thought maybe this is a bad idea. I'm not sure I want to deal with all this project will bring. Then sat down and read this thread. Too funny! It's exactly how I'm feeling, though now I'm even a little more scared...

My biggest problem is dealing with my damn husband. He has had very little to do with any of the process or selection, research, etc. If I try to give him a task, it somehow comes back to me (tried to make him in charge of the electrical since his dad is an electrician so I figured he could do all that....after umpteen questions from him, I finally just said I would figure it out). So basically his life has been disrupted very little by this whole process. However, now we are getting into the nitty gritty (cabinets arrived yesterday - yeah!) and all he has done is b*tch and moan about how he doesn't want to be "put out" and doesn't want everything in "disarray" and hates to be "inconvenienced" and OH MY THINGS AREN'T ORGANIZED LIKE NORMAL. Considering the existing kitchen is being ripped out tomorrow, guess what, he will be all of those things.

Long story short, who wants a nice enough but occasionally grouchy houseguest for a couple of weeks?

"My electrician, whom I love when he can come, listens to conservative talk radio. For hours and days on end. Loudly. Those people spend so much time congratulating each other on how clever they are it's nauseating."
I can put up with the noise, dirt and dust. I can put up with crowding the family in the bsmt and not having a kitchen or kitchen sink. I could not put up with conservative talk radio for 5 minutes. There is no way I'd allow that in my home. I don't allow people to offer my kids drugs or guns and I would not allow them to listen to that i.q. dropping drivel within earshot of my family or me....

Seriously, I was ok with a lot of the process. The not finishing, change orders on things that should have been included and stupid mistakes are what really ticked me off... If they had all done a basic competent job on our project, I'd have been fine with the disruption.

A week with my painter and his 1980's soft-rock ballads, Dianalo, and even conservative talk radio might start sounding good.

Fori: yes, hide/lock up/take to your office anything of value. Move anything remotely breakable to the bedrooms.

I worked from home for a good part of our remodel, and although it was mostly DIY, we did have some contractors in for various things.

What I found the most difficult was trying to keep myself busy without seeming to hover. Move your entertainment and/or work (tv, stereo, computer setup, sewing machine, etc) into a room far away and lockable. Get earplugs. Set up regular 'walkthrough' times each day, like a dog-walking schedule, so they learn when to expect you to be up and about. They get jumpy at your presence otherwise.

It's not so bad. Think about snow days when you were a kid. Everything's a little off and regular expectations are relaxed ("sorry about XXX ... my contractors!" is an explanation that will virtually always meet with understanding nods).

My house is small enough that I could be in a different room, not appear to hover, yet could hear, "Oh $hit!" and stroll in to see what the calamity was for that day. Still, I would err on the side of hovering, being a pesky presence. It's my house, dammit, and I get to watch if it makes me feel better. On one occasion, I poked my head into the kitchen to see that the spots for my peninsula pendants had already been selected, cut out and wired by the electrician without any input from me. They're probably okay where they are, but what? they couldn't take 30 seconds to run it past me?

Wow, I'm feeling really lucky. Our contractor, his helpers and subs have all been - without exception - courteous, neat and timely. The music has not always been my style, but nothing obnoxious. They've seemed to be aware that there are kids in the house and change stations accordingly. I was worried about them leaving the gate open and letting the dog out, but they've been absolutely sweet with him.

There were a few times when the noise got too much for me (tearing off stucco, grinding/cutting the concrete slab) and I've had to leave. A couple of times the dust was obnoxious (again, the cement grinding). And yes, things seem to go way more slowly than I think they should at times, but my GC warned me about that.

This hasn't been a cakewalk, and I'm REALLY tired of cooking in the garage, but now that we're getting closer (cabinets are in!) I can tell it's going to be worth it.

The very worst part for me is the shopping. I HATE shopping. It's constant, endless and stressful.

On the other hand, it's been very, very cool for my family to see this take shape around us, from the demolition to pouring the cement to framing to stucco to cabinetry...it's been a real education for all of us.

Lol at dianalo and Freeman! I hadn't thought about this aspect and we're a couple months away from starting. I absolutely couldn't stand listening to that and would surely lose my mind. I guess I'd better ask the contractor what he listens to. :)

What's with the door thing? Were they raised in homes where they regularly exited and entered through broken windows or pet gates?

The first thing every contractor did upon arrival was to prop open both my screen door and front door. Even when the AC or heat was on. Even when nobody was home. Even when they left the site. Why? It's one thing when you're going to be running in and out to the tile saw in the front yard or carrying in materials. But when you're only going to be leaving for your, OK, five lunch breaks, open and close the door like everybody else.

Just like with puppies, you have to nip really bad behavior in the bud. By the time the third contractor arrived for his first day of work and reached down for the screen door stop, I yelled so loud I think he peed a little.

Don't get me started on stealing. Put everything in your house that's worth more than fifteen cents in storage. Including your children, for several reasons.

The alcohol suggestion is one that should not be skipped. We are MOVING in 2 weeks. I went to the liquor store today. I think we have enough libations in the house already, but what the heck. I stocked up a little more. I can tell what's ahead.

Is there somewhere you can go? Maybe ask around, sometimes there are short term rentals available. You might feel better by doing that. Living in the house during such a big project will really get the best of you.

Good Luck!
Bee

About 15 years ago we replaced our kitchen floor and a 2 1/2 day job took 3 months. It took me 12 years to even consider having a contractor/workperson/stranger in my home to do any work whatsoever. Unfortunately, a broken kitchen sink, falling apart cabinets, 2 leaking bathrooms, 42 year old shag carpeting (why doesn't that stuff seem to die?) etc. forced my hand into doing something. We decided to do it all at once - moved out and did a whole house reno. We were so fortunate to find a GC, KD and crew who knew that they were working on someones home - that to the homeowner it wasn't a "job".

How do you take that first step? - You jump in feet first, with a bunch of patience in one hand and alcohol in the other.

That's what got me through - understanding and knowing that mistakes were going to be made and being patient enough to know that the crew were human and just dealing with it.

Coming from a person with extensive OCD, this is how I get thru each day. My husband will ONLY work when I am NOT home. I give him a call when I leave work so he can have enough time to clean before I get home. If an hour won't be enough for him to conceal or cleanup the mess, he tells me to go shopping or something. We have an agreement that he will do his best to spare me from any mess or calamity. He personally hand picked any outside contractors we need so he won't mind being around them while working. We'd NEVER allow strangers in our house without him there working along with them. That has cost us alot of time but peace of mind is priceless. We also cooked 'freezer meals' ahead of time to put in the microwave for the times without the stove or sink. We stocked up on paperplates & plastic cutlery for the times I had to do dishes in the shower. We added 'drywall dust' as an additional food group. All valuables were removed from the house. Each load of laundry gets lysol & pinesol as well as 'construction clothes' going into individual loads. We have been living in our house during the entire process; at times, one of us has to go outside or leave but we haven't killed each other yet-close a couple times, but God stepped in. The timeline/time limit went out the window at least eight months ago, but it's OK. The longer it takes, the longer I get to figure out where the money's coming from anyway. Any sooner & we may have missed an important detail, any later & we may just not finish. Slow & steady is the pace for us; how ever long that takes to finish. Patience, tolerance & Do-Overs have been a daily blessing each day throughout the entire project! Sending you much patience, tolerance & do-overs! Good Luck!

Ha. Thanks, y'all. So I need to start drinking early in the day?

We can't really move out for the project. I'm territorial. And except for running the kids places, I can be here as I'm retired (let's say). I want to watch my stuff.

It shouldn't be that bad, right? And yet I'm considering telling the architect to put the kitchen in the addition with only a single door going into the existing structure so I can ignore it as long as possible. Of course then I'd probably throw the bums out early and end up with two kitchens.

Unfortunately the living area of my home is all open (this better get remedied with the remodel! Or a future remodel?) (doing this in phases would be stupid, right?)) so I won't be able to completely hide. I can set up my groovy retro travel trailer I guess. Might want a kitchen anyway. That does mean I'll have to be sure my addition allows me to get the thing out again...

I guess I'm not worried about a temporary kitchen. My kids only eat fruit and PB&J anyway. :/ The weather will not be bad. I can even set up a chickenwire fence to give the dog and kids a place to play.

Oh, how about when they block your car with their truck and you can't leave? Or eat your oranges!!??? (If they asked I'd hand them a bag to fill, but dude you oughta ask!) Peeing in the bushes!

But I should be able to handle this. Ugg. And to think I avoided replacing a mere FENCE because of the hassle!! (Yeah that still needs doing...)

Ah, contractors....a few weeks back, after a meeting at my house with the architect, I noticed that our next-door neighbor was doing work. How did I know? There was a random guy standing in the neighbor's doorway, outer and inner doors both propped wide open in 40-degree weather, no materials being carried in or out. Said Random Guy was yelling "f'ing this, f'ing that, that f'ing b'" into his cell while his cigarette smoke drifted back into the house through the opened doors. I thought to myself, "really? REALLY? We're going to have to put up with that nonsense again?"

My advice? Plan. Plan like heck. Bid your job when you have 100% completed drawings. Order your materials ASAP to allow for backorders and out-of-stocks. Move your valuables into a secure area of the house. Unless you're doing a gut job or overhauling all your HVAC, workmen should not have access to every room in your house. Block off your area. Have a sitdown with the GC before the job starts and go over your expectations on his managing loud radios, cursing, smoking, closing doors/windows, locking up, trash removal (they'll take away old drywall but unless you stay on them, greasy lunch bags and half-drunk bottles of Gatorade will litter your space for weeks). Buy alcohol. Expect good work but be prepared to confront anything that is less than acceptable. Know going in that you can have only two of the following three choices: quality work, inexpensive work, fast work. Choose your top two and accept that the third won't happen. Know that this too shall pass.

Fori, you need the best GC you can get. My GC's guys would never tramp on your flowers or ruin your topsoil. When my main water line burst, they dug up my roses, put them in buckets, dug the trenches, replaced the pipes, etc., and put the roses back. They were happy. They bloomed. You'd never know they'd been disturbed.

You need that kind of GC.

When they were working at another house (my referral), they cleaned down the front garden and made a mud puddle in the street, which the neighbor drove through and messed up her driveway. She complained. He sent a crew out to clean the street and her driveway.

The GC complained that every workman in the neighborhood, including the mailman, was using his portapotty, but his workers would never consider using anything else. They're quiet, clean, and respectful. They sometimes, of necessity, blocked the driveway, but were always right on the spot to move so I could get in or out.

I wish you lived nearer so you could just hire him. There has to be someone similar in your area.

Any real miseries I had with my kitchen remodel were of my own making. You need to find someone who will take care of you, understand you, your fears and your needs, and do a good job. If you have that, you'll be able to cope.

Wine.

Thats how I coped.

I feel very lucky. We are in the middle of it right now - drywalling now, but I can paint this weekend & cabinets set next week.

I work from home and the noise has been minimal from the GC. I am on the phone a lot and need a "professional" environment and have not had a problem at all (other than demo day and when the electrician was doing some drilling right next to my temporary office). I only hear the radio if I come downstairs for a bite to eat. They get here when they said they would and I let them use the powder room which sits next to the kitchen. They are doing a quality job and only a few days behind schedule overall. We chit chat here and there a couple minutes each day...it will be weird not to have them here during the day.

This feels like it is flying by...just a few more weeks!

These were the considerations that stopped us from doing a badly needed kitchen remodel for 14 years. Finally, I decided to just do it myself. It is harder, but less frustrating! The cost, of course, is that I am now in month 9. The end is in sight, though!

Angie, if the end is in sight after only 9 months, you're as good as a GC.

I think I am ready to GC with minor DIY a kitchen myself now. It's the large addition I also want that is giving me pause. I know, I know: I'm a slacker. The previous owners built their own addition. And I go and have it removed just to build another.

A few houses ago I had a great GC. He was a neighbor. All the other neighbors recommended him. He sort of specialized in those 1920s houses. His crew cleaned daily, didn't squash stuff, closed doors, and tolerated a nosy cat. I had no problem giving them my keys to refinish the floors while I left the state for a week. I'm sure there are people like that out here, right? I mean, even with the holiday music (which never was very loud).

Maybe my sense of foreboding is just due to not liking the drawings we got so far. Sure it would flow better, but move my powder room 4 feet over and make it bigger? But I just painted it!!! And a whole room for laundry?? Am I expected to fold clothes now?

That's what happens when you tell an architect what you think you want and tell him to go be creative. But I can't help but wonder if I'm subconsciously opposed to anything but the least invasive remodel.

One thing that I think made a huge difference is the fact that I'm retired and can be here whenever needed. I didn't have to take time off work and then wait around. Basically I was home whenever anyone was working at my house. I might have taken off for an hour to run an errand, but only when certain guys were here and no decisions were pending.

Five years ago when I got hardwood floors, I was working and would leave the house in the morning and come home to big changes. I wish all contractors were as good and reliable as Israel Velasquez.

Al. Co. Hol.

I most have had the world's greatest remodeling experience. My contractor would call me a day or two ahead of time to tell me who was coming and at what time. They always came at the stated time. His carpenters worked from 7 a.m. until 4 or later. A couple of times I told them I would clean up so they could get going but they wouldn't let me. ( maybe they thought I wouldn't do a good enough job). At times some of the subs had the radio on but it was never too loud. The plumber and electricians were great too. No one wasted any time on the job. My Amish cabinet makers were beyond fantastic. They did sing and talk to each other softly in their own language but if I came in the room they would switch to English. They wanted to reimburse me for some snacks and lunch I gave them and for using a few of our tools.
My remodel was done on time, within budget and with no problems or issues. I wish everyone could be as fortunate as I was.

We're still in the early stages of working with our GC and his crew but our experience so far remodeling the boys' bathroom and the powder room has been great. Like badgergirl, our GC contacts me the night before to say who will show up and at what time. And they are pretty much on time, give or take 10-15 minutes, which can be blamed on traffic. They are polite, take pride in their work and clean up after themselves. When my indoor cat got out accidentally (I usually put him in the playroom but didn't this one time), the electrician felt so badly, saying that it was his fault because he might have left the door ajar (uh, no, Arin, he's my pet, my responsibility) that he helped me look for my cat! Seriously, he was out there walking the neighborhood, looking for my cat. The cat showed up about a half hour after I started looking. And then I had to go look for Arin. Found my cat but lost my electrician. ;-)

I have read so many horror stories here on GW that I was really scared to start this process but I think we really lucked out with our GC. I'm still nervous about the remodeling ahead but that's mostly because it's (aack!) a lot of money and we're so used to doing everything ourselves that it's hard to not feel guilty about not DIYing it (but this is beyond our skill level) and about all the decisions we (mostly I) have to make and worrying about whether I'll make the right decision.... These are the things that keep me up nights. But worrying whether we chose the right GC? Nope.

Dark chocolate also does wonders for the nerves. Dark chocolate and red wine is even better. ;-)

I'm one of the lucky ones. I had very few issues/complaints about things done wrong/problems with workers. Good questions to ask, though, when you are checking references before selecting a builder. I remember one of the people to whom I spoke saying how they were surprised at how much they enjoyed the process--we found it this way, too.

I did securely hide all my good jewelery (still haven't moved it back, think I remember where it is) and left my big shepherd in the bedroom with the rest behind closed doors. Lots of subs coming through the house.

My daily crew would show up between 5:30 (the first parked outside, quietly reading his paper and 6:15 or so AM. They waited until I opened the garage door or gave other indication of being up. I really looked forward to their arrival because it was such fun to talk about what they'd done the previous day and were going to do that day. Also, because when they were there, it meant actual visible progress (vs. the slow progress DH and I make).

Good luck fori, take the plunge and enjoy the ride!

marcolo you're spot on!!

yeah. I'm thinking maybe i don't even need drawers in the kitchen anymore...

stealing? my new mop disappeared. it never even got used once...by me. My new scraper went with it evidently. one of my sliding pantry doors also went POOF! he lied about it... I later (after he was done and gone) found the guts to it buried in some scrap stuff. They were there to patch up a bunch of drywall - seems he used pieces of it to fill in some holes. wonderful. oh, and a brand new (never used) can of scrubbing bubbles... such weird things. of course, there wasn't much else in there at the time. My new dust mop escaped the terrible fate of the others tho.
I was so glad to get rid of them! I'd never allow them back on my property. They also played horrible loud music. Never again on that either. I took my CD player over there now - anyone coming in to do anymore work will only be hearing what I listen to. If they're there working, I'll be there to - at least the majority of the time and won't be announcing when I'll pop back in if I do leave. I never go more than 20 ft away.
my painters were good tho - they spent half a day cleaning up after the drywall guys. They asked who they were - said they didn't ever want to work AFTER them again - I was happy to give the name of the drywall people.

and my sister wonders why I still don't have flooring down. (other than that I haven't really decided what it will be yet).

'I would err on the side of hovering, being a pesky presence. It's my house, dammit, and I get to watch if it makes me feel better.'

I'm right there with ya on this! I did have a problem being in there with the painters tho - the smell got to me. Thank goodness they were good workers on their own! I just popped in every few hrs for 5 - 10 min. They were always busy working.

Now I feel bad. I've never really had a truly bad experience and I still complain. :P

"Just like with puppies, you have to nip really bad behavior in the bud. By the time the third contractor arrived for his first day of work and reached down for the screen door stop, I yelled so loud I think he peed a little."

This comment just made my day. Thanks, marcolo.

Anytime I have contractors working on my home, I worry. I worry something will happen to my dog, so I make certain to either lock her in a bedroom while I'm home or take her to a family member's house for the day if I'm not (even if the work is outside and she's inside). So far I've never left contractors alone in the house, and I would absolutely worry about stealing if I did. I also worry about the quality of work and so I often hover. So far they haven't minded (so far only small jobs since I do almost all DIY) and have always been friendly in answering questions or accepting suggestions. I usually won't hire contractors that seem condescending. I may not look like I know much about construction, but I do a lot of research and am quite capable.

Like kellienoelle, my significant other also gets frustrated with remodeling. I am simply the type of person who really likes to dive into DIY projects and I've now completed two bathrooms, a laundry room, and am half way through an entryway. I've done 95% of all the work literally on my own. He complains of things being out of place and messy, which is odd since he is the king of messes in our house. But somehow I think it's the idea of change that bothers him. In the end he is happy with the results and loves to show off my work to his friends and family. But he complains anytime I even think about continued improvements on our home (even when I am doing almost all the research, actual work, and paying for everything). He refuses to help with just about anything (unless I absolutely beg and plead for some minor help like carrying giant sheets of plywood that are just too large for me to manage by myself), even though I've told him just having a second person helping me with some of the simple tasks would make things go much faster. One time he did end up leaving the state for most of one of the bathroom remodels, and while I did miss him, it was nice not to have him complaining about the construction during that time.

Good luck with your remodel.

many mentions of alcohol or even better breezygirl's al.co.hol. :) but nothing yet on an even more critical item: a wine opener that's packed WITH your stash OR screwtop wine. And even if you're too snobby to drink screwtop wine, have a screwtop bottle on hand anyway for the time that you can't muster the effort/coordination/time required to operate the opener.

HTH

Seriously, desertsteph, they stole your sliding door and used it to patch walls?????????? I don't have words...........

Most of the hard stuff is screwtop or corks with the little handle thingies. :) And I ain't too proud for a box o' wine.

But I can't get into that when workers are here can I? I'm only stressed when they're here. And it's not even stress, really. Just not comfortable. Get off my lawn!

I was talking to the spouse about the large unpleasant scope of the project and we were both thinking the same thing: two steps. Do the addition without messing up the guts of what's here. Then fix the kitchen. I guess neither of us were all that keen on the idea of gutting our house. And that was making me uneasy. The best way to get proper flow to the addition does require reconfiguring the old and I'd lose all the cheesy fifties goodness that makes this house special. And there would be workers in it.

Yeah. OK. I think I'm ready. Who needs therapy? Not me this time! (I doubt this is cheaper. Ha!!!)

A lot of good experiences are sited above. I think you are getting overwhelmed by the whole project. Granted, we need to look at the whole project so that the project is cohesive. But, remember to incorporate the motto "one day at a time", or one job at a time. That might help keep the panic down. We get paniced as we think of all the things that can go wrong, etc - but that's not what's happening "in the moment". Take time to enjoy the aspect of the project that you do well while paying attention to the aspects that come more difficultly for you. Keep communications open with the GC, crew, & others that are involved in the project. This is your project too, not just the timeline of a GC. If you like to ask questions as to reasons why things are done the way they are being done, be sure you let this be known to the GC before you hire someone. I would imagine you will get a sense of this when you interview.

When I did my kitchen as a modified DIY and my own GC, I enjoyed talking to the workers. I tried not to intrude, but if something wasn't what I thought it should be I pointed it out, asked for rational, and had it redone if I felt like it wasn't what I had in mind. An example was the time when my electrician was putting in the counter outlets. I could tell that they weren't level. I asked about this and he said they were level. Upon further enquiry, I found out he had measured "level" from the floor. Well I knew my floor wasn't level. So, because he was such a nice person and easy to talk with, the discussion could take place. I told him my counters will be level and that I want the outlets to be equidistant from the future counter surface. I was surprised that he didn't know this. But, he was perfect in every other way. He was happy to learn about LED so that he could install them for me. I will hire him again because of his electrical skills, communication skills, respect, and interest in learning new things.

I think having an idea about the details that are involved with construction is helpful. For example, I am not a great organizer and my talents tend more towards creating, & craft. I try to really work at going over the organization so I don't miss something and I can be a little more relaxed and confident about the DIY stuff.

Best of luck to you!

I always tell any worker in my house that the guest bathroom is at their disposal. Why can't they at least put the effing seat back down when they're done? Are we from different planets?

We were lucky enough to have a wonderful GC - he's done various work on this house now over the years and has got to know us well. When he did the siding, he had his guys doing fingertip checks of my garden for scraps of plastic or nails, knowing how I am about the garden.
We set some ground rules: they wanted to start at 7.00. Tough, you're starting at 8.00. No weekends except by arrangement.
My GC has a rule with his subs: they must clean up at the end of every day. He even provides a shop vac on every job so there's no excuses. I don't know if it was a rule or not, but no-one played a radio.
I was at home anyway, so was right there to be consulted - and they knew I had a folder with specs for every single thing, and once they'd got used to that, would come and refer to it regularly. I also made it clear they could use the bathroom, and they treated it with respect - I took a tip from GW, and put old towels in there, so they didn't have to worry about the good ones. And I can live with the seat being left up since I wasn't using that bathroom myself.

I'd put off renovating the kitchen for 12 years, because I was so leery of the disruption, but my GC and all his subs made it exciting and even fun. (yeah, I know that's crazy).

With all the criticisms about contractors, I just wanted to relay my experience with my guy today:

So - final tear out of our old cabinets today. What I came home to too was truly unbelievable. In addition to tearing out all of my old cabinets, my GC fished through all of my new cabinets that are strewn all over the garage, found my new sink base and the end cabinets on that cabinet run, put them in place, put my old counter on top, put my sink back in, reattached the plumbing, RE-HOOKED UP MY GARBAGE DISPOSAL, all because he didn't want us to have to go through the weekend without running water and a disposal. Seriously, how did I luck out with this guy?

I figure if I can complain, I should also sing their praises when warranted.

Kellienoelle, can I have him when you're done?

I wish I could clone him for each and everyone of you all.

We have had good experiences with the crews for the kitchen reno and the kitchen floor plus family room reno. In both cases they were tidy workers who cleaned up including sweeping at the end of each day. They ate lunch out or at the patio table and cleaned up afterward. We never had to clean up after them. When we mentioned to the GC of the family room job that our grandkids were going to be up for the weekend, he had his guys do an extra through clean-up including double checking around the patio in case any nails went astray.

Both GCs told us what to expect for work times for the next day or two and generally the workers arrived on time. Of course there was the rare exception here and there like the time that the flooring guy coming to fix a scrape in the floor misunderstood and went to the wrong job (where he had a frustrating time trying to find what he was suppose to fix).

Nobody ever harmed any of our landscaping. Perhaps it helps that there was a good size concrete patio to do any work at the family room door.

The GC for the main kitchen remodel set expectations for his crew's behavior and they met them. I assumed that they would use the powder room, but he insisted on bringing in a porta potty. He also asked us to take the pictures down from the non-kitchen side of kitchen walls.

The very few times that they had to be out of the kitchen family room to do something, they asked first. Other than that, they were only in there and on the patio outside the kitchen. For any messy work, the doors to that area were covered with plastic and taped - very little dust ever made it through that so the rest of the house stayed clean.

I don't know what music they played - I was at work.

I was working from home when we did the family room remodel and my office is on the other side of the wall, though there are closets on that side which deaden the noise a bit. If they played music or listened to the radio, they kept it quiet enough to not be heard in my office. The only noise that I heard was essential remodeling noise - especially the demo of the very thick "mud" left from a prior tile floor.

Security precautions: I wouldn't leave pocket size expensive items lying around. My mother taught me that it was wrong to tempt workers by leaving such stuff out. But we didn't hide things like TVs and computers. Of course we kept them well away from the dangers of the work zone. For the kitchen remodel, we double keyed the patio door and gave the GC the key that opened only that door. Once the project was finished, we re-keyed it to use only our house key. That way, we didn't have to worry about someone making and keeping a copy of the key to use after the job was over.

Between our planning - e.g. setting up a temporary kitchen and freezing some made ahead meals for the kitchen remodel and rearranging the living room for the entertainment equipment during the family room work - and their consideration, we were pretty comfortable during the remodels.

LOL @ mudhouse & the music. And why did I get a visual & audio of "getting the dog to poop on command"? LOL

You can do it, fori. To answer your question, I think many GWs turn into raging alcoholics. ;)

Did anyone hear on NPR today the story of the warship Vasa? Read part of the story. It will tie into remodeling.

"Vasa set sail on her maiden voyage on August 10, 1628. At the time, she was the most powerfully armed warship in the world, with 64 bronze cannons.

Twenty minutes into her journey, the ship was hit by two strong winds. It heeled to port, water gushed in, and the ship sank less than a mile into the journey. Thirty people died.

Soon after, there was an inquest that concluded that the ship had been unstable. But the reasons behind the instability have remained a point of debate over the centuries.

Fred Hocker, an archaeologist at the Vasa Museum, has been trying to find some definitive answers.

"We have, over the last three years, measured every single piece of the wood in the ship," says Hocker. "If we want to understand how the ship was built, that's what it takes."

Hocker's meticulous measurements paid off. They gave him fresh insight into what made the Vasa unstable.

For one thing, the ship was asymmetrical, more so than most ships of the day.

"There is more ship structure on the port side of the hull than on the starboard side," explains Hocker. "Unballasted, the ship would probably heel to port."

No wonder the ship tipped to the port side when the winds hit.

But why was the ship so lopsided?

While examining the ship, Hocker discovered four rulers the workmen had used. Those rulers were based on different standards of measurement at the time.

Two were in Swedish feet, which were divided into twelve inches. The other two were in Amsterdam feet, which had eleven inches in a foot. So each carpenter had used his own system of measurement.

"When somebody tells him, make that thing four inches thick, his four inches is not going to be the same as the next guy's four inches," says Hocker. "And you can see those variations in the timbers, as well."

So when you start your remodel, mix yourself a cocktail and just be glad your workers all use the same ruler! :-)

Luckily the ship sunk in waters that preserved it and the ship is restored and on display in Stockholm.

Here is a link that might be useful: NPR story of 1628 ship Vasa

Why can't they at least put the effing seat back down when they're done? Are we from different planets?

Yes. Mars and Venus, I believe.

"Seriously, desertsteph, they stole your sliding door and used it to patch walls?????????? I don't have words..........."

yes. seriously. it was so bazaar!

They were very cheap doors and I didn't want them - that's why they were off the pantry. I figured someone could use 'em tho. After the guys left and I was looking thru trash/crap they left behind (they didn't bother to clean up) and found some suspicious looking 'parts'. I checked the remaining door and those parts matched up with the other half of the slider - the body of the door was very flimsy and looked like it was just drywall.

He'd previously said he needed to get some drywall... I'm not a rocket scientist but I could figure that out. No one else had been in there - or would have a use for half of a sliding door.

He pretended to look around for it when I asked him about it. Didn't fool me a bit. I knew that door didn't have legs.

neither did my new mop, paint scraper or can of scrubbing bubbles. After they finished (?) there I went over to clean up and do some other things and those 3 things were also gone.

OMG I hate country music and Spanish radio. Now I know why! It was those contractors! Now I have a conditioned response to it, when I hear it, it means trouble ahead.

My husband and I were in our early 40's and a tile contractor whom I came to loathe said we were "elderly" and just wanted things done a certain way but that was not how they were doing things nowadays!!! LOL! (This over my inquiring why he wasn't using spacers and I still have the uneven hideous grout lines to show for it). This was a few years ago so I only wonder how he would think of us now....talk about disrespectful! But Linelle, I would not want a contractor calling me Mama!!! I get called Sweetie a lot which is sort of ok (it could be considered cultural here) if not to excess but Mama is where I draw the line, oh dear, how awful for you!!!

Another time a group of contractors came in the middle of the night and stole all of our ladders and left their old ones on the lawn. It happened in a matter of seconds. I remember being awoken hearing a lot of commotion looking out the window and seeing them out there. My husband was out of town, I was so scared. That was our other house we built before we built this one. We have a long history of awful stories. But there were some good ones along the way too, sadly the ones you remember are the really violating ones such as being stolen from and one time something even much worse happened to me when I was there by myself and a contractor came by. My husband was out of town much of the time, they know this. One fellow liked me a little too much if you know what I mean. Thankfully nothing really awful happened to me but I did get attacked but was able to ward off the worst. You have to be careful when trying to be nice and doing things like making cookies and doing little things for them as advised by some to get on their good side because some of these men can take that the wrong way. It took me a long time to get over that and changed me forever as far as trust goes. It makes me tear up just remembering that day again.

Gr8day, that sounds awful. It's a scary world we live in.

gr8day - I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. I guess that puts any worries I have into perspective for sure!

I've been planning like mad for weeks...buried my head in samples and driving all over town to choose things. While keeping myself so very busy, I managed to forget that the days did not stop ticking away.

My DH reminded me last night that April is only a few weeks away. A FEW WEEKS?!?! Needless to say, I was up with my thoughts for hours.

I am a nervous wreck. I can take solace in the fact that my GC is a stand-up guy that's done work for us before and is always the model of manners and consideration, not to mention excellent work. We shall see how his subs hold up to his high standards.

His ability to remember to call me back or research something he told me he would...not quite as stellar. I guess that goes with the job, though. I see nagging in my immediate future.