Welcome to joys of working with "friends". The guy is working for you and not living up to expectations. You can either bring it up and deal with the fallout OR keep quiet for the sake of harmony.

IMO, if all the people he recommended are doing good work, chances are he's going to do good work too. The delay is annoying, but as long as we are talking days and not months, I'd consider it just one of the many overruns you are likely to encounter in a major project. Being done on time is good. Being done properly is critical.

Been without a cooktop since Dec 5. Had our wall oven installed in April and bought a single burner in May.... It is amazing what you can get by on if you have no other choice.... 1 week will go by in a blink....

Thanks everyone. I am just sick of being cranky! DH and I have put off taking a vacation---even a weekend getaway until after the kitchen is done. Our last vacation was with his family and that was in late December/early January.

Bill- thanks what I know is the right advice.

Dianalo- I do have an induction burner, toaster oven and microwave in the basement which I do use. However, handing out in the basement on beautiful days is no fun. I have also grilled anything and everything. I think the problem is more that I got my hopes up that it was going to be done by DH's birthday (8/11) and it was not.

willtv- Thank you!! Your kitchen is wonderful! :)

What's one more week? No worries and it will be great when it's done! I'm with Bill - I'd rather it be done right rather than fast.

I think part of the problem was that for days he did not show up. I mean this week his was at my house Mon & Tues but not Wed or Thurs. Then he showed up early today 7:45 am to hurry and finish but he is not. The GC has also expressed frustration with him. So it is not just that he is slow at doing what he does, it is that he is not working full days and not showing for days that I find frustrating. I have no problem with someone that just takes their time and pays attention to details. Also the GC cannot finish what he needs to do b/c he is waiting on the E. Which slows down the entire project. I know they saw one more week... problem is I do not believe it. I think the E will move even slower now that there is now impending deadline (ie inspection date).

Thanks for listening to me vent. :)

How long has E been working on the kitchen? How much work is there to physically do? It seems like just a kitchen shouldn't take so long to finish even if he isn't working whole days. My E is a non-bonded but licensed electrician who works nights and weekends doing side jobs like ours. He gets a whole lot done in short spurts. And we're doing electrician work in the entire 2000 s.f. house.

Not that my questions matter much because the fact is your E is working slowly, and you're horribly frustrated. I just can't see how a small space
Ike yours would take so long to wire. Regardless, if you want to keep the peace, take a deep breath. Ever done yoga? I find it helps me a lot......when I actually get the chance to do it! :)

Your kitchen is going to be great. You will love it when it's done. I think it's like labor--very painful but the end result makes the pain fade from memory.

Breezy- The E has been working on the project since the beginning back in May. We upgraded our service from 100 to 200 amp service (not our idea but the city's) and switched from fuses to circuit breakers. The kitchen was a complete gut- down to the studs so he had to put new wiring in--but the walls have been in since late June. He also had to put in 4 new smoke detectors and a CO detector, 4 puck-under cabinet lights, 5 recessed cans, electrical for the range hood, gas range, DW and Fridge and new outlets. My kitchen/DA is small. 11 x 26 roughly.

Fortunately I have been doing yoga for past few years on Monday nights. Its just that we are so close but yet so far away. And people keep asking stupid questions (they do not realize they are stupid questions) like
"You can at least use your stove?"
-Um no, there is cardboard on the floor and over my soapstone, a step ladder in the center of my kitchen, tools everywhere, the GC's radio on my counter, oh and the E has not hooked up the electricity to the range yet.

"You can start putting your things in the cabinets"
- No. I opened one cabinet yesterday just for fun-- found a tube of wood filler, another of wood glue, two kinds of tape, a pen, and a half eaten bag of chips (not mine of course).

But your are right Breezy-- it will be done soon and I know I will enjoy it so much!!

Give him a reasonable amount of time to finish up BUT at some point you may need to push the issue. So what if it gets back to your friend and their parents - it's his fault not yours.

Are you paying full price for the work? I'd take E aside and tell him that you appreciate all his help and referrals, but you NEED to get this kitchen done as soon as possible. You've tried to be patient, but you need this done ASAP. Then, write everything down in a journal or tell us about it.

If your friend complains later about the uncle being upset...show her these threads or your journal (if you don't want her to know about your venting). Let her see that you've tried everything you can think of to get this project finished and your concern about possibly losing your GC, if the timetable doesn't improve QUICKLY.

If your friend can't see the tough spot you've been in, then I wonder if she's really your friend. Having dated info really makes it easier to show your concerns and not let your friend think you're just venting or over reacting on a given day.

Of course, if all else fails...there's always wine. And it is Friday :)

My $0.02: Get him to give you a date when he will be done. Tell him you need a *date* and hold him to that. Then it's his deadline, not yours.

And lavendar_lass is right: Friday wine addresses many issues, IMHO. :)

~~Steve

So sorry for your frustrations & delay. I have so been there. My 4-6 month remodel is on month 16 and counting.

This is where I insert the biggest thing I learned on this remodel. For any lurkers reading-please don't work with friends.

Working with friends makes the inevitable-INEVITABLE-conflicts that come up that much more difficult to address because everyone starts taking things personally. (In the original poster's case-does he/she really need to be worrying about what the niece/nephew of the electrician will think if word gets back about any problems on the job? There is enough stress remodeling-who needs compounded stress?)

Trust me and avoid hiring friends/extended family. :)

I hate to ask but are you paying E by the hour? If you are, do you think he's a slow worker to pad his bill?

I like Lavendar's and Steve's advice. I hate confrontation but having him name a *reasonable* date seems like a great way to handle it. I'm sorry you're having problems with E. Hang in there (love the kitty poster, willtv) and indulge in a glass (or 2) of wine or other alcoholic beverage.

I have to agree with littlesmokie about hiring friends and relatives. I hired a friend's DH to install carpeting when we were getting our last house ready to sell (20 years ago). He did a terrible job. I didn't confront him because of the friendship thing and we were selling the house (mistakes weren't obvious but I knew where they were). He also does tile. I currently need tile work done in my master bath. I am NOT even mentioning it to my friend because I will NEVER use her husband for any flooring or tile work again. It's just too awkward when there are problems with the work.

NYSteve- Great advice. I will try that. DH is getting really frustrated with the E, more so than me.

Lavender-- Yes, Friday and wine.. that is the upside :)

Littlesmokie- In this case I am glad I found my GC because the man is awesome and my house is a 1957 ranch which could use a few more updates, so I am so glad I found someone I can trust.

Flwers- no worries, there he is being paid for the job, not by the hour. I was very reluctant to hire E in the first place because of that--but my friend's father (E's brother) was insistent, so much, that he gave my number to the E and E called me. And up to this point I was not as concerned with E--I knew he was slow but it was not holding up the project. Now that he is-- that is a different story.

UPDATE: So E called the city on Monday and scheduled the 2nd inspection for Wednesday. E worked on Monday and told DH he would be back on Wednesday to finish up for the inspection at 11am. Just heard from DH. We did NOT pass the E inspection. :( Supposedly they are minor things i.e. forgot to put plate on microwave outlet, etc. The reinspection will happen on Friday. DH does not know if the city is going to charge or not. DH is furious. He told our GC to finish what needs to be done of E's work if he can and we will pay GC from what we owe E. DH did not run this past me, which means he is really upset. FYI - DH is the calmest most easy going guy in the world. So I am not sure when I will have a kitchen--but I feel very sorry for the next person that asks me when it will be done!

Newbie- I agree with your DH. The E missed an outlet cover? That's sad. Hopefully your wonderful GC can finish the job and no more worries, except maybe getting a T-shirt that says...for your own safety, don't ask when the kitchen will be finished! LOL

Lavender -- I love that t-shirt idea :)
I'm going to get one for my GC!