I was thinking of you yesterday and wondering how it was going.

You know what, this is a good thing (sort of). Cuz now you know that you were right to document everything. You will need to continue to document everything. As (I think) Fern4 said in a post, this GC is NOT going to be your new best friend (hah!) You will NOT be staying out of their way assuming that now they will be on their best behaviour.

You are being reasonable. Continue to be reasonable, wear your label 'difficult customer' with pride. Maybe get T-shirts made? :>)

Not sure how big your bay is, so can't answer the question about blowing the insulation in. But not a huge deal to cut out ceiling and repair it- so if you phone an insulation or 'smart home' company and ask and that's what they recommend, then firmly insist it be done properly.

Wanna know where we're at? Supposedly my cupboards and doors are at 'the stainers' where they've been for over a month. The kitchen company is nagging the carpenter who is nagging the stainer (and according to the foreman (cuz the 'carpenter' doesn't return my calls)he got into 'words' with the stainer yesterday on my behalf), who is saying he has bigger jobs to get finished.

I'm just hoping he hasn't "lost" my doors. They took several off to resize. My granite should be on this side of the world now (left China Mar 5), now I have to wait and see if this batch will fit/look better and pray that my cabinets/walls don't get damaged when they take the old granite off. Then, supposedly Kitchen Guy will make backsplashes and window sills out of that granite... we'll see...

BLECH!!!!

So wanting things to be the way they are supposed to be (and the way you are already paying for them to be) makes you a difficult customer who wants free stuff?

Who is telling the contractors this stuff? Might be useful to document that as well . . .

Seriously, stand your ground (not that you won't!). I would politely point out that if this was THEIR house, THEIR money, and their time, how would they want things to be and how would they want to be treated? You could acknowledge their frustration as well (after all, it isn't the contractor's fault the KD couldn't measure) but remind them that you are indeed already paying far more than expected (in loss of kitchen time if nothing else). Blaming you for something they forgot to do is not helping the situation.

This will one day be behind you and you will be so pleased to be in your new kitchen . . . we are pulling for you.

I'm so sorry all this is happening, but I sure am glad you've taken pictures and are self-advocating.

It's amazing that they've been told that they should watch their step and not talk to us b/c we are "difficult customers"; yet, if they don't do something properly, you are responsible for the consequences. Who is in charge? Someone at Expo? It sounds to me like the contractors have been stripped of authority; thus they aren't fully engaged and committed to the project.

I agree with Mommycooks that you need to know who is making the decisions. I don't see how an off-site designer at Expo could reasonably be in charge for details like insulation and drywalling; but if that's the chain of command, then the designer (or manager, or salesperson, or whomever) must fix errors. If it is someone at Expo, it should be possible to talk to higher-level employees until you find someone who has the authority to fix the problem.

It also seems to me, even though you had a big meeting last week, that the GC either needs to take charge (and fix the insulation on his own) or accept your constant oversight. Of course, then what's the point of having a GC?

I could rant on for a while... I just don't see how someone can try to excuse seeing that there's no insulation, drywalling over it, and then trying to blame you!

"Difficult" - Well yes. You're not putting up with their BS and excuses. Their incompetence is putting them in pickle after pickle; your documentation is making it clear that they're to blame; and you're holding them financially responsible for their own errors. Most customers aren't that well organized and are more willing to be steamrollered now, and whine later.

"Unreasonable, unethical or unfair" - Absolutely not. You are ntoe trying to get more than you contracted for; you are simply refusing to accept less.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being in the construction trades is seeing your work be completed. So not surprisingly, construction folks absolutely hate having to tear out and/or redo work they just finished, leading to the whines, rants and excuses you are now experiencing. So understandably, they don't want to rip out the ceiling. On the blown insulation - it's probably a better solution than simply reinstalling what you had, so if they're willing to do that, I'd let them.

Contractor just left. He asked to see the pictures I had so we went through them...day-by-day. He is no longer arguing with us about it. Remember the shower drain pipe we had to re-route? Well it turns out the hole left behind when the drain pipe was removed is just big enough to fit the "blower" in, so the Contractor will be blowing insulation in today or tomorrow.

We had another bay that I cannot prove one way or the other about the insulation b/c it originally had a board in front of it so we cannot see how much insulation there was...but the picture I have from the end of the day that the board was taken off shows very little insulation...and that's where we have water pipes to our tub going through. The Contractor scoped it today and there isn't much there, so he's going to go ahead and cut a hole in the ceiling and blow insulation into that bay as well. That particular location will be covered by upper cabinets & crown molding so neither of us is worried about getting a "perfect" patch...as long as it's decent looking and not too obviously different from the rest of the ceiling. Yes, it would be wonderful to have a perfect patch, but in the interests of keeping things going and fairly pleasant, I'm willing to compromise with this since it won't be seen.

As to acknowledging our Contractor's frustration...I've assured him that I know that most of the issues have not been his fault and I told him today that we really appreciated that he went ahead and did our tile floor despite the stop work order, etc. I've tried to identify positive things as well when I find a problem to help keep things running somewhat smoothly.

Thanks for the moral support! Hopefully this problem will be resolved quickly (no more 8-9 weeks of no work!)

buehl, I've been following your story since the beginning, you aren't a difficult customer and you are being very reasonable.

The contractor asking you to tell them where to insulate is completely unreasonable.

I am not sure on this one but does the code require the insulation of all the exterior walls? You can call your town building inspector and describe the situation, he would be able to tell you if the contractor is supposed to install the insulation in there. If this were the case it would give you an undisputable argument.

I like the suggestion of mommycooks for acknowledging the contractor's frustration with how the project is going.
But definitely be firm on this one, it is their mistake.

annab6

Buehl, it is a relief to read to the bottom of the thread and find you and your GC have worked things out. He should appreciate your organization, attention to detail and looking for the positive in his work. You are doing well!

re: insulation. Blown cellulose (newspaper basically) is one of the most efficient insulators available. We had it done 22 years ago when our roof was off. Just a caution: any impediment in the wall keeps the insulation from completely filling the space. For example, the insulation will stop at any cross bracing between the studs and can't get below windows. Openings need to be made below these areas, too. It should do the job.

Anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine gets labeled as a "difficult patient" by her doctor and can't escape it because it was written in her chart? Hee, hee.

Buehl, if we made a movie of your kitchen remodel it would be a blockbuster comedy of errors. Kudos to you for sticking up for yourself and not letting the frustrated GC take the easy way out. Glad it's working out, and I'm crossing my fingers that you have smooth sailing for the rest of the project.

Update....

The Contractor did blow insulation into the overhang. He ended up having to put a hole in the ceiling where he didn't want to though (in addition to the other hole that will be hidden by the refrigerator cabinets...but repaired as well), b/c he couldn't get the insulation into the overhang from the existing hole in the stud for one of the bays. The "drywall guy" who was here as well told him, "just cut the hole! It's not that difficult to patch it properly"

The vent ducting is now in as well. The rest of the ceiling will be sealed up Monday. I think cabinets will begin next week...they cannot put the pantry in until the sink wall base cabinets, at least, are installed (determines exactly where the pantry wall will be).

We're chugging along!

Yay for progress!

You are so emotionally competent!! I was giving DH an update on your story yesterday and we are both in awe about how well you are dealing with this. Good job buehl!! You're going have a great kitchen soon thanks to your perseverance.

hoohoo!!!!!

looking forward to those finished pics!!!

Stay strong; you are being reasonable on every front. Not being willing to accept shoddy work should not label one as "difficult".

What is wrong with expecting a job well done? Puhlease!

It sounds like the contractor is working towards your goal of work that is what most of us and you believe as acceptable and probably can't wait to get it done and get the heck out of there!! But, just maybe, he will perform to a higher level in the future (and hopefully the KD, too)!
Hope this story inspires those out there reading it as far as not accepting sub-par work and doing the documenting; especially if you have a funny feeling from the get-go. Get those cameras out!!!!
Plus we all get to enjoy the pics if you don't need them to prove things as you have had to do.

Hi buehl...

Glad to hear of good news and progress after all the trials and tribulations of the last several weeks.

Fingers cross that the road stays clear, and we look forward to pictures of progress and completion.