Gosh, thank you everyone - it feels really good to be able to give something back here; I've learned so much from y'all! awm the paint is my mix of RH Saffron & Butter, done in Aura paints. I really like it in every light - this room gets a LOT of light, but none of it is direct sun. I tried a ridiculous number of sample paints, & finally decided to have my mix custom done in Aura. Unfortunately I bought too many gallons of RH paints (I do love their colors!) before discovering Aura & Ellen Kennon) The kitty is Django. & yes, he is a happy kitty, except when he's hungry. He was rescued as a tiny baby, from a dumpster, hungry, & 12 years later I still haven't convinced him that he'll always have enough food. daisy yes - those are the infamous stairs. Doing projects like this does make me understand at least one good reason for blogging, but good heavens, if I started blogging I'd have to read other people's blogs, & I already know how lost you can get in them! I spend enough time on the internet as it is! I guess this IS my blog lol! Besides which, I appreciate the well-written blogs - here you can just pound out the words w/o paying too much attention to editing. Not always such a good thing, I guess ;-D

When I run your specs on the website (with 1/2" natural stone) it comes up with 384 equiv cu ft and calls for an SM-11. I get your 624 cf by using a 10 ft ceiling vice 8 ft.

I know why you posted the info - misery loves company. We were luckier than you - we only had the pool plastered twice, the deck poured twice and the tile grouted twice. They ran over the automatic pool cover and reordered parts - wrong ones came in (but they tried to use them anyway!). Now the $$$ Coverstar cover has broken off screws and they hand cut the lip of one piece (in the middle!) - oh and it doesn't move 2" without getting stuck... We had to have our pool acid washed too (it took 8 days to get the pump working). The water is still not clear after two weeks of them messing with it. The light niche put in the gunite was the wrong one for the lights so we are living with holes in the wall and lights hanging until they can find the right parts to fix the problem. Oh, and the spa leaks - they are calling it a "nuisance leak" - but it causes the automatic filler (which was initially plumbed backwards!) to run constantly... The pool company is still plugging along fixing one problem only to create a couple more with each weekly visit. We have been trying to be as patient as we can - yet being firm on what must be replaced - in fear the company will just walk off the job. We signed our contract March 3rd! Mmmm. Happy 6 month anniversary to us. I feel your pain! It is a constant sick feeling in your gut. I wonder what the value of a nice summer of swimming would be? Thanks for the opportunity to vent.

The numbers don't necessarily look out of line for your price range or location, but only other pros working in that price range and location would know. Allowances are useful as a guide to make selections and keep within total budget. Have the contractor provide references and review each allowance line item in their office across a table. The first allowance on the list is Landscaping $7,000 My questions would be 1. How did you come to that number? 2. can you show me examples of a $7000 job? 3. Can you show me examples of other jobs your clients have done and how much. (BTW, I only have enough landscape allowance in projects today to cover undefined "city trees" and undefined "yard drainage systems" assuming the client will instead hire a landscaper and I would credit) Adjust if necessary. Allowance for pavers is $5760 Allowance for Countertops is $8325 Same questions How were the allowances arrived? DO they include installation or is it only materials. Did you measure and calculate or is this just a job average? etc. You can get through this in 90-120 minutes. You can ask similar questions of their referenced previous clients... were the allowances enough? Where did you exceed? I've done allowances for my entire career, mostly because clients won't pre shop materials but they've usually seen one of my homes. My least amount of overages was $360 for the entire job as client was disciplined and had seen one of my homes. The highest number.... add some zeros, but the client planned that.