Here is what I obtained from our village website. They only provided "tips". I have included my comments to some items. More detail would have been helpful: Tips on Home Remodeling Getting Started The Village of xxxx allows homeowners to act as contractor for their own home remodeling projects. It must be noted, however, that a permit is required for all projects in which an addition or alteration will be done at the property. (comments: I can understand additions, difficult to define "alteration" e.g. cabinets replacement, carpet replacement with hardwood flooring, or replacing existing vanity and tub, or replacing existing fluorescent light with regular light.. etcare these "alteration"? or alteration of the structure of the home?.. this is a grey area dont understand this.. this can be interpreted different ways unless there is a definite definition for this) Additionally, projects that require the alteration of the roofline of the existing structure must have drawings sealed by a (STATE) licensed architect or structural engineer. Lastly, check the covenants for your subdivision before proceeding with any work; individual subdivision covenants may have special requirements and restrictions. Obtaining a Permit Although many people consider obtaining a permit to be a burden, it does have a critical role in any construction project. Having a permit entitles each homeowner: · Provides inspectors to answer questions. · Offers some security from contractor fraud. (some security? What does this mean? With permit contractor fraud did happen. With "zero" security from the village) · Allows inspectors an opportunity to verify that the contractor is working in a professional manner.(does this mean that the inspectors verify the quality of work and also the behavior of the contractors? Define what does it mean by "verify that the contractor is working in a professional manner" again.. this can be interpreted differently by inspectors according to their likeness unless there is a definite definition) Tips on Hiring a Contractor · Insist on a written contract. Obtain a written contract and make sure you understand the terms. Include a time frame for the completion of the project, but do not rush. Include terms of a payment plan and agree as to who will handle additional unforeseen expenses. · Make secure payments. It is not unusual for a contractor to require some money up front before construction starts. Make certain, however, that payments do not get ahead of work that has been completed. Never pay the full cost of the job up front. If a contractor insists on full payment up front, look for a different person. · Conduct interviews with potential contractors. Remember the contractor is working for you. Be certain that you are comfortable working with this person. Additionally, talk with friends and neighbors: people who have had experiences with contractors (good or bad) are always willing to share their knowledge. · Check with the Better Business Bureau. Checking with the Better Business Bureau will give you an opportunity to assess a potential contractors work history. · Verify the handling of inspections. Come to an agreement as to who will handle the permit and inspection process. If the contractor is scheduling the inspections, ask for copies of the results and keep them with the permit. · Make sure the contractor has insurance. Without insurance you may be liable if a worker is hurt in your home. The Village of XX does have an ordinance requiring all contractors working within the village to be licensed and bonded. · Ask for at least 3 references. Make sure that the sources had work done that was similar to your proposed project. · Get at least 3 bids. Check material pricing with that of your local building supply store to see if the price quoted is fair. · Establish a reasonable timeframe. If the contractor states the project will take 8 weeks, do not insist on 6 weeks; doing so might affect the quality of work. Revised

My kitchen is under construction and cabinets and counter are installed and now I see things that are "off". Just realized yesterday that the sink is off about an inch from the window. Too late though. It's things no one will notice and if they do I'm sure they won't mention it to me. With the exception of my OCD sister of course. LOL The main thing I learned in building a house is you can't trust anything that is on paper!! I measured, marked and remeasured that darn kitchen and in the end things are still a little off. We didn't have custom cabinets so that had a little to do with the final outcome, but it's really not a big deal. Having my new house is far more important than a kitchen that is "off" a tad. Those few inches here and there are not going to bother me, but than again I can't speak for how they will bother you. I've learned that before I get totally freaked out over a small error, I ask myself, is this something I would notice in someone's else's house. If I wouldn't, I feel no one is really going to notice it in mine. As far as the sink being a bit off, I have so many other pretty things going on in my house, I really don't think the kitchen sink is going to be the focal point and focus of people who visit. Not unless they have a hankering to do dishes. Good luck. I hope you can get this resolved to your satisfaction.

Not the finale on my schedule. EST it's on from 8-10. And it's just 2 regular episodes (8 compete; 7 compete). They were showing 2 episodes a week--one on Monday, one on Tues. Then last week, they only had one on, because of the other show's finale on Tues. And tomorrow, Glee's back on, so I guess they're just going to show the 2 back to back tonight--does that make sense?

Jane C., I would like to share my insight as an experienced (30 yrs.) woodworker. I work in a shop, not in the flooring trade or finishing, but we do a lot of projects that get prefinished and come back to our shop, for assembly and detailing, before going out for installation., hence my observations described later here. Unfortunately, there are many workers in the construction and home improvement trades, who are not very skilled, or experienced enough, to do a top-notch job. It seems the workers who did your flooring, would fit into this category. Not taping off painted woodwork is definitely unacceptable in my opinion, just a way to cut down time on the job. In your pic of the boot prints, it's hard to tell for sure without seeing it in person, but to my eyes, it looks like while the flooring was being installed, the workers had something on their shoes that left residue on the wood that reacted with the stain and/or clear coat. This would lead to my opinion, that these workers were not careful, and thorough, in their workmanship. Again, in my opinion, to acceptably spot-fix all those imperfections, would require someone very skilled and experienced at such things. In regards to the cracks and pits, I would have to say, with a high degree of certainty, that it is indeed from the wood shrinking. Any solid wood flooring, given a bit of time, is going to shrink a bit, under typical wintertime heating conditions where the air is dryer, hence the wood also dries out a bit. I would assume, when they came back to fix the poor finish job, the wood already shrunk a bit, and when new finish is applied, it doesn't "naturally" fill in all those small gaps. Finishes have a way of being repelled by cracks, rather than just flowing down in and filling it in, like one might think it would do. One must have a certain amount of acceptability, concerning these things- it's just the nature of wood and their finishes. Yes, those voids could be filled in with putty, but depending on the putty used, could still crack and eventually be sucked out with a vacuum, ( another coat of clear finish, after filling in all the cracks, would reduce the likeliness), but yes, it would make the voids less noticeable. I can't tell for sure if it's a glare in the pic, or if in the process of "fixing", they sanded some of the stain off, and now you ended up with noticeable light spots, If they DID sand through some of the stain, the only fix would be to strip, or sand off the WHOLE floor, and start over. Not sure how much success you'll have, trying to get a good quality fix/job out of these people. I know this may be of limited usefulness to you, but I just hoped to shed some light, from someone involved in the woodworking industry.