Most definately :) I actually think it's legal in at least 42 states :oP Unfortunately not mine...who tells me constantly she's "hot listing" something she ordered wrong or didn't fit or whatever...only to find out two weeks later that she forgot to even place the order.

Oh, all very familiar. Very familiar.

Funny thing is, I just went on vacation. I had my blackberry and my laptop with me. I checked my e-mail, and responded to e-mail, daily. Made a few phone calls. Serviced my clients (I am an attorney.)

When my KD went on vacation for 3 weeks, he was completely incommunicado. Any issues that came up while he was gone had to wait until he got back, which delayed everything.

That really drove me nuts.

Josie, It'll be over soon....next week, hopefully!! Hang in there...if you kill the KD, you won't be able to enjoy the new kitchen!

I feel very sorry for people who "go on vacation" and then feel the need to work. Stick around the work force long enough and you will learn that you are dispensable anyway!! Anyone who chooses to take a real vacation SHOULD be out of communication - that's exactly what a vacation should be.

I agree with Patser. Did you check references before hiring? I would think that the work habits (good or bad)of your KD are things you should have/would have learned during the checking of references? Also, if your KD asked you to hold off finishing the floors, you should, there is nothing worse than being hired to do a job and then having the client hijack it. Save the sour feelings for when your asked for a refereence, and in the meantime, do as your asked so if something does go wrong, you can hold the KD responsible. Also, people make mistakes, I'm sure you are no exception.

I don't want to start a fight on the vacation thing, but if you are a professional, and people are depending on you, I don't think it is too much to ask to be available for a few minutes here or there to answer a question or two. For my part, I was in the middle of negotiating a very important issue for my client, with a statute of limitations deadline coming up in a week. I kept the dialogue going with at most 5-10 minutes a day of phone calls and e-mails, which I took care of first thing in the morning, or before I went to bed at night, which got the deal done on time. If I had refused to make those phone calls or e-mails because I was on vacation, the client could have suffered real harm. I enjoyed my vacation a lot more knowing that I had done my job. It simply goes with the territory.

When we hired our GC and KD, we knew nothing about his planned THREE week vacation. When we found out about it, we were promised our kitchen would be finished before the vacation. Our KD is also acting as the daily manager/supervisor etc. on behalf of the GC, for the whole renovation, he is not just the KD. When it was nowhere near finished before he went on vacation, he put someone else in charge and promised that that guy would keep everything going. Everything ground to a virtual halt within a few days because he had not adequately conveyed how things were supposed to go. For example, it wasn't clear whether a piece of woodwork was supposed to go this way or that way, so no woodwork got done. If he had been available to respond to an e-mail or phone call, he could have cleared up the confusion in literally one minute. There were multiple similar issues, and so basically work just stopped for almost three entire weeks.

For the amount of money he is making on this job, both from his KD role, and his GC role, I don't think that is too much to ask at all for him to have been reachable when necessary. If he could have spent a total 20 minutes on the phone or reading e-mail over the course of the entire three weeks, a minute a day, our kitchen would probably be done by now. I had to cancel a big birthday party that we had been planning on for more than a year as a result. I would never put a client in that position. It would be unprofessional, and I think it was unprofessional of my KD and my GC to put us in that position.

I agree that vacations are more enjoyable when you don't have to work at all. But if your work involves projects that depend on you, that may not be an option. I would never think to leave for vacation when I have open projects that will need my attention unless I could handle the work like jeannie did.

We just returned from a two-week vacation out of the country. I checked my e-mail three times while I was gone, spending a total of about 30 minutes doing it, and I saved myself and several other people a LOT of headaches by doing that. My BIL, who was with us on this trip, did the same thing. A project he had expected to be completed before he left wasn't, so he recognized his responsibility to stay in communication while he was gone. It took maybe an hour of his time, and it saved his company quite a bit of money by avoiding additional delays.

I would not have been able to relax on my vacation had I not checked in to make sure things were functioning at work. If I had not, I would have been too worried about the messes I'd have to clean up when I returned. I was able to enjoy myself much more knowing that things were taken care of. My BIL felt the same way, and I think this is true of most professionals. This KD, in my opinion, is not behaving professionally at all.

I have to agree that even though a vacation not interrupted at all by work would be very desirable, there are many vocations that do not allow for this. My DH (who is retired) comments when we are on vacation when I check my e-mails and voice mails but he understands that my job requires it as he was in the same line of work. My DB, who is totally in another line of work, is very much the same way and the fact that he is willing to do so has greatly increased his value to his company. In this instance, I agree that being available for a phone call or checking e-mails should be done, especially for the role this KD plays in the overall construction scheme.

I'm a KD and when I go on vacation I check my messages & e-mail. Who wants to come back to angry clients and a big mess??? As it's been said above, a few minutes a day can avoid a lot of problems. My company gives me a phone with e-mail -- I call it my leash. Josie has every reason to be mad!

O.K. on to the vacation thing, everyone is entitled to their vacation, and that's what it should be. My problem with my KD, is not that he's on vacation, but rather he's holding everything up because of his vacation. He is the owner of the company. I own my own business, and even on vacation, I am truly not completely on vacation. I am accessible if a problem arises. And no matter what,MY CUSTOMERS COME FIRST!

Or original install date was scheduled for a Monday, I received a phone call on the Thursday prior asking if the installers could come that weekend. I rushed the contractors to have their work finished so we could install early to accommodate the KD. When I in turn asked for the installers to come back and finish as much as they could while waiting for the replacement hood, I was told no. So in my opinion, I've been more than willing to do my part to makes things easy, but have not received the same in return.

Lukkiirsh, I did check references and they checked out.References really don't matter much, do you think the KD would have given me the names of people who had a problem. They will only give you the names of their happy clients. And BBB had no negative info on him. Unfortunately there are too many people out there who don't get involved in the remodel job and let contractors and KD's hold them hostage, sorry, but in my case that's not going to happen. I've paid him enough money, as long as I'm the customer I should get what I want. I've been more than reasonable. Yes everyone makes mistakes, but usually the person making the mistake will take the necessary action to fix it. In his case he's wanting me to make his job easier. The only reason he didn't want me doing the floors was because it would make his life easier. The cabinets are all in place, so all they have to do is be careful when replacing the hood and the crown moulding.

Kitchenwitch, there should be more KD's out there like you. When you're in a service industry, it's your job to provide the best service possible. Unfortunately bottom line seems to be the focus for some instead of customer satisfaction.

Igloochic, will you hide me out in that beautiful kitchen of yours if I get to the point of killing him? LOL

I think it depends on your personality and your job. As a business owner myself, I'd enjoy my vacation less if I wasn't at least available to make sure things were being handled in my absence. It was difficult to be on vacation in Yellowstone with no email access. And funny to walk into the visitor's centers and immediately see a whole slew of people grab their cell phones and blackberries. I realize I'm replaceable, but would rather my clients not;-)

The fact that he didn't have someone covering for him is justifiable.

I'll take the other side of this issue - everyone deserves a vacation to get away from things and recharge their batteries. I'll concede that there are some time critical issues - involving legal deadlines and medical issues where people MAY need to check in if someone can't properly cover for them, but I'm sorry, getting a replacement hood for your kitchen just doesn't fall into that category - I'll assure you that you'll live if you wait a couple of extra weeks for your hood to arrive.

I am feeling the same way about my KD right now. Yesterday he came to my house to look at a couple of major flaws in the installation. He blamed each problem on multiple factors (none of which were his fault). He told me the range sticks out too far from the cabinets because of the granite cut out--after I showed him that its not the granite he blamed the range specs. It was my decorator's fault that two end panels don't meet on the side of my peninsula. He really couldn't come up with explanations for trim pieces that are crooked or the enormous hole his installer cut over our sink valence that will now require a light fixture where we never intended to have one. He didn't understand why I was upset that he never informed me that I would have to install my hardware myself if I didn't order it from him and on and on and on. He also had no explanation for why our original installation time was estimated at 2 days, then 4 days and now we are at over 30 days of trying to finish the installation of the cabinets. After all of that he felt compelled to remind me that I owe the final 10% for completion of the kitchen and wanted to know when he could expect his money. He had a sad story about how Kraftmaid got paid and the installer got paid but he didn't yet. This was when I finally lost it and informed him that as an attorney my time is billable at $250/hour and given the amount of time I have wasted trying to correct problems with the installation and design not only would I no longer owe him any money but he would owe me considerably more. I've now hired a carpenter to try to resolve some of my issues with the cabinets and make it possible to install my range so that I can actually have a functioning kitchen again. I am furious and can no longer even speak in a civil manner to this guy. I know exactly how you feel.

My take on the vacation access is this - I'm part of a team at work, and if I can straighten something out and make someone else's job easier by taking a call or responding to an email while on vacation, of course I would want to do it. I would feel horrible if my inaccessibility caused a delay in any way for our clients. I have always felt that if someone needed to totally insulate themself from their job to completely recharge their batteries, they either need to do a better job hiring assistants, are taking their job much too seriously, or are in the wrong profession.

I do agree that you'll live if you wait a couple of extra weeks for your hood to arrive, just as the KD will live if he has to wait a couple of extra weeks after his due date for your check to arrive.

It sounds like this KD has waaaaay more customer service problems than merely going on vacation. But Weissman makes excellent points, namely that we're talking about a kitchen hood, not a brain tumor that needs immediate treatment regardless of vacation plans. Vacation is vacation. If you're busy making work phone calls, emails, faxes, meetings, coordinating, then you're working. You're not on vacation. The problem with this KD seems to be his customer service and planning when is working, not that he takes vacation.

The point of my comment was that these are issues that should be addressed when looking for the right KD and/or GC for your job. Especially during the travel season. It's a personal choice how someone conducts (or doesn't conduct) business on their vacaiton, but I feel it's the homeowners responsibility to check references thoroughly and ask these type of questions before signing on the dotted line. If it's really necessary or important to you, come to an agreement ahead of time that can be noted into the contract. If you've made the appropriate effort to ensure your needs are met and your GC or KD did not disclose to you up front, then that's a different story however, you have to know going into the remodel of a kitchen that things happen and to be prepared. Lastly, planning a birthday party during a remodel is risky since any GC will tell you things are never completed on time, as I said, be prepared and have a "plan B". Getting worked up over the issue, doing things that go against the advise of the person you hired to do a job and not being prepared for worse case scenarios will only make the process that more challenging for everyone involved.

Josie, we'll make you a priest's hole behind the range so you'll be nice and comfy during the winter :)

Igloochick, I'm on my way, I'll provide my own blanky and pillow. I'll even get up early to make you breakfast, I'd be itching to get my hands on the toys you got in your kitchen ;-)

Paigesmom, I so feel your pain. Every time I read one of you posts with the problems you are having my heart goes out to you. We all put our hearts and souls into our kitchen renovations, and all we want is what we envisioned. BTW...I've seen your pics your kitchen is stunning.

The point is really not about my KD going on vacation, yes everyone is entitled to their vacation. The point is that he's holding me hostage. He won't deliver my replacement hood so I can have my gc install it. Instead he is making me wait for him to come back from vacation. His installer could install the new hood and cabinets while he's on vacation. But he won't do that, and I don't know why. That's what ticks me off, and it's not only a 2 week hold up. It's already almost 4 weeks since the problem was discovered. Because of his mistake, my gc can't finish his portion of the work.

Weissman, let me ask you a question, would you buy a car and pay 90% of it but have to wait 4 weeks for the wheels? That's pretty much the situation I'm in. I've paid for 90% of the work, but only have 50% of it done. I may sound like I'm whining, but really I'm not. I just want what I paid for. A complete kitchen.

And as far as having the floors finished, what good would it have done me to wait? My KD is the only beneficiary of that. Because if the floors aren't finished, then he doesn't have to worry about his installers damaging them. Waiting would only have set the job back another week.

Josie, I agree with you re. your unprofessional KD. If you have your floors finished before the installers come back, make sure to protect them by laying out rosin paper with masonite over it. Vacuum three times before laying it down to make absolute sure nothing is underneath it, tape all the edges, and you're golden. Installer boots leave can leave some nasty prints on fresh floors -- with this guy's track record, better safe than sorry.

Thank you circuspeanut, that's the plan. I already have the rosin paper ready to go. By the time the installers come back the floor will have had a full 2 weeks to dry. And luckily we've been having nice dry weather.

I agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with going on vacation and being out of communication and completely away from work IF you prepare properly so that no one else is inconvenienced by your absence. Any true professional would have either ensured that all work was done before he left or made sure that the job was being competently handled by someone else while he was gone. This KD did neither, and that is completely unprofessional. In this case, josie, her family, her GC, and even the KD's colleague were inconvenienced by the KD's actions (or, in this case, inaction). I can't understand how anyone would consider this acceptable behavior by a supposed professional.

As it turns out, OP made good use of the down time by having her floors finished so it's not like the entire time was wasted. And, if I understood correctly, all that remains to be done is installing one cabinet, the range hood & some trim.

Summers mean vacations and when multiple people are involved, spouses & kids, it takes some doing to juggle work & school schedules so every one is free at the same time to take the vacation. Just goes with the territory--kinda' like living in Wisconsin where everything stops for those magic two weeks in November--deer hunting season.

Well, I'll address the planning a birthday party during the remodel issue. We started demo in February. Early February. My husband's 40th birthday is the end of August. We hoped to have a party in September. Seven months after we started. (Btw, our cabinets were ordered in November, granite, floor, backsplash chosen in January.) Our original plan called for the kitchen to be finished, with inspections and everything, April 30. I allowed for 4.5 months of delay in planning a party for September. And I never really planned it, i.e., spending money etc. I originally hoped to have a big big party, to unveil the new kitchen, celebrate husband's big birthday. Then I scaled back to hoping for something simpler, like a backyard barbecue, then I hoped that maybe we could have a small handful of close family and friends over, then we decided that we will hope that we can still have our Thanksgiving dinner that we have every year.

But my husband will turn 40 only once, and he was born when he was born, and I couldn't change that. I really thought allowing for 7 months was enough, especially given the repeated assurances I received that it would be done long before the summer arrived.

Holli, you expressed my point very elequently. Thank you.

Ci Lantro, you understood correctly, that's all that's left, well actually all the trim, but still minor in the scope of the job. That's all we wanted to do, was make good use of our down time.

Jeannie, I totally understand your point. You gave MORE than enough time and then some. The sad part is, that you'll always remember your husband's 40th birthday in a negative way. I had a similar situation when we were re doing our backyard we added a paver patio, and while it wasn't mandatory, I asked if the contractor could have the work done before a planned birthday party for my daughter. He had it done, he choose to work extra to do it for me, and because of that I am always reffering him to my friends.

But no worries everyone, If I do kill him (which I won't) I've got Igloochic's place to hide out, you've all seen the pics, I'm gonna have it good.*rubs palms together*....LOL

When I read posts like this I think this could be me in a few months.....

I wonder if there is something wrong with the replacement hood and he is waiting for yet another replacement and that is why he won't deliver it our allow his installer to put it in while he is away.

If his office was nearby I'd "drop by" to see the hood telling his assistant I know you can't put it in yet, but I just had to see it....

It seems a little fishy to me that he would want to risk upsetting you more after he already made a mistake and this was supposed to be his attempt to remedy it.

Perhaps your final payment to your KD should go on a little vacation of its own :).

Kitchenredo2, we are only waiting for one replacement hood, not another one.

Oh and I forgot to mention, that his screw up is costing me more money to the tune of $943. long story short....

When we placed the cabinet order I gave him all my specs including the specs for the hood liner. Somehow some other specs got mixed in my file. The hood liner he ordered would not accomodate my liner. And the new liner will not accomodate it as well. You see Medallion Cabinets do not custom make their hoods to fit the liner, but rather want you to purchase their Vent A Hood liners, because Elkay owns Vent a Hood, and they own Medallion Cabinets as well.
I had to scramble to find a liner that would fit the replacement hood.

Yes I think my final payment should go on a very long vacation, and possibly never return ;-)

For my kitchen, I let my KD handle the cabinetry, countertops, electrical, backsplash and color choices (of course with feedback from me, but I liked her choices). Her expertise was very much greater than mine in those areas. BUT, for the appliances, I took the reins. I chose the appliances, purchased them, did the follow-up on delivery time, and worked with the GC on installation. I gave my KD the appliance specs for her to work with, but that was the extent of her entire involvement with appliances. Only us TKO'ers get as nitpicky as I did with appliances; most people doing kitchens, including KD's aren't so obsessive about it. She would have been much more relaxed about the appliance choices, not as minutely detailed about features, or as thorough about getting the best bargain. As I said earlier, she has the expertise to design a kitchen, but I had the expertise to choose the appliances, and I also liked the feeling of "control" I had regarding the appliances. In the end, there were some problems and delays with the countertops - the KD handled it. There were no problems with the appliances because I obsessively handled them and made sure everything was delivered and was per my choices. I would do it that way again, and recommend that method to everyone.

Well, I got off the phone with the KD this afternoon, His crew will be here Friday morning to finish the install. Almost 5 weeks after the mistake was discovered. He wasn't happy that I had the floors finished while he was on vacation. He really is an arrogant S.O.B. He wants to look at the floors before his installer do any work, which I don't have a problem with. I understand that he wants to make sure there aren't any scratches before he starts.I went out and bought sheets massoinite to cover the floor to make sure the floor is protected. He keeps on harping on the fact that he doesn't want a problem, well does he really think I want the floors damaged, it would be a problem for me too. He makes it sound like I'm trying something out of him. But he doesn't want to be responsible for any damage. I told him, if you damage it you fix it. He keeps on trying to blame me and my husband for his mistake. Then he has the nerve to call me again, and mak sure me is he going to be paid in full. I told him when the job is complete and we are satisfied we will discuss payment. He wanted me to commit to full payment. I've done quite a bit of renovation in my home, and no on has ever asked if they will be paid in full BEFORE the job was complete. He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to deduct anything from his final payment, which I should deduct the extra expenses I incurred because of HIS mistake.....

It'll be over soon, It'll be over soon, that's going to be my new mantra.....

Thanks for the vent. (Oh geeze,that's what started my troubles....the vent....LOL )

Josie--I've been getting the same calls from my KD/cabinet guy, a/k/a the Godfather, almost daily. First he called to tell me that he found a trim piece that will fill in the gap between the end panels on the side of my peninsula--but he would like to make sure he gets his money. Then he called to tell me that he's willing to install my hardware even though I didn't buy it from him (but I'm still quite sure I paid for it anyway) in order to make me happy so he can get paid. I understand he's running a business and that they would like to make a profit on this job, but I would prefer if the job was actually done before he asks for his money. I'm sure I'll end up paying him and as much as I would like to deduct some portion of his fee for the hassle and nightmare that this has been--I would rather just end my dealings with him by paying in full and not fighting with him anymore. Good luck to you!

Pigesysmom, I've been thinking of you. I hope it all turns out well for both of us in the end. Are you sure we don't have the same KD? LOL

What really bothers me is his attitude, I did NOTHING wrong, this is all his mistake, which at first he admitted to, now claiming WE didn't want a 42" hood. We never said no to a 42" hood, if anything my dh asked if a 36" hood is sufficient for a 36" range, and he told us yes. But then again this is the same person who wanted us to purchase a 600 cfm vent for a range that can put out 82,000 b.t.u.s.

But I guess that's all water under the bridge, I just want my kitchen finished.

And he had the nerve to tell me, well you really aren't inconvenienced, you can still cook. Yea....sorta, but I don't want to fry too much without a vent hood. The grease will just go all over the place. That's the reason I purchased a high performance hood. DUHHHHHHHHH.

Good Luck to you too Paigeysmom. But doesn't it just turn your stomach when they ask for full payment BEFORE you've received your full product? It just makes you know what they are all about....the Benjamins

My KD (also a certified bath designer) managed to string us along for two years without really getting anywhere. I finally had to drop her and do it myself. The problem is by then we had had a baby and we have to deal with the kitchen remodel, a bathroom addition and a NEW baby...sleep what's that?

- Jim

>>But then again this is the same person who wanted us to purchase a 600 cfm vent for a range that can put out 82,000 b.t.u.s.

I know you're down on your KD right now, but this isn't a bad recommendation - unless you're planning to blast all your burners on full most of the time, 600 CFM would probably be enough.

Weissman, I know I probably won't be blasting all burners and the griddle at all times. But I do a lot of stove top cooking, lots of garlic and onions so it can get smelly. I love to pan sear meats and fish. So I think for the way I cook, I would get use out of a 1200 cfm vent.

I should have elaborated on my reference to the 600 cfm hood he tried to sell us. He wanted us to purchase a Vent-A-Hood, we asked if it had baffle filters, he told us it did, I asked this question twice because I knew I didn't want a mesh filter, so this is more an example of he doesn't REALLY know what he's talking about. The present hood he supplied us with has a perimeter of about 4 inches all the way around, so the wood is actually over the burners, and it's only 24" above the stove, again not to spec. I know it's acceptable in non-combustible situations, but not in mine.