Bradley, I am sorry you had to go thru all this BS. Judging by your last post I think things are starting to look up? BUT I wouldn't just hand him the money Sat when they are done..first, make sure you watch them the whole time, and make sure they KNOW you are watching. They will do a better job if they know you are out there keeping your eye on them. They know you know where the problems are, and if you don't see them tend to something that needs attention, dont be shy about saying..hey, I noticed you didn't do this, or that. Make sure all the problems are taken care of BEFORE you pay them the remaining balance. I, honestly, would tell the guy, I'll pay you the balance in say, 5 days..after I have time to have it running and make sure all the probs were taken care of properly, if not, they have to come back and fix it till it's right. I would write up this agreement and have him sign it..if he's not willing to sign it, well..that'd be trouble in my book. Is there a written agreement from the beginning of this project? If so, you need to look into that..I hope you didnt sign anything without reading the whole thing first, though it's so easy to do, you want to trust these people, and we should be able to, it's a shame we can't all the time. I wouldnt pay for something done half-assed. You hired them to do this job so that it is done RIGHT..leaks are NOT good, even a little pinhole leak. Yeah, evap is normal, its a given..but NOT leaks, thats totally different. True they are easy to fix yourself, but this was what they were hired for, there are no excuses in my book. They claim to be professionals, so that is what is expected of them, and they should live up to it, period. My opinion is that you don't pay the remainder of what is owed until the job is satisfactory..NO leaks. Is this a liner pond? I am a little concerned that if they used tubing that wasn't satisfactory, what kind of liner did they use? I hope this ends well, and quickly for you so you can enjoy your new pond!!! BTW..we'll be expecting pix! :)

I agree with both Sue and Weissman. He hasn't got a leg to stand on without a signed change order that specifically notes a change in the insert size (which he obviously doesn't have since you never changed the size...!) You could let him finish (insisting he do what you want), then simply deduct the extra cost from your final payment if he has the gall to include it. He's not going to go after you for $500, especially when there is no contract in place. On the other hand, in your shoes, I think I would take Sue's approach and just get a GOOD tile guy in to do the job after the rest of the work is done and the GC has cleared out. That's what we did -- the backsplash wasn't done for another 5 months, but we took our time, found a tiler we really liked and for whom the references were phenomenal (which is why we had to wait that long -- he was booked solid) and the backsplash quite honestly is probably the most professional part of our kitchen remodel. I'm not sure I'd let a GC do it himself no matter what, unless he can give you plenty of references (that you actually see) indicating he's done this before and knows what he's doing. I would tell your GC that given his confusion about your specifications, the "moving target" on the price, and your concern about how he plans to do this, you have decided to engage a professional tile installer instead. As a question, have you basically paid him everything he's owed on the rest of the work, or did you hold back something? And how serious are the items on the punch list or are they very minor? (since he may be ticked about not having the additional money from the backsplash work and may just walk on you if there's no contract... might be worth letting him do that if the consequences wouldn't be extreme...)

We live in Florida, the windows on this home had no molding around them. They do have marble window sills. When I ordered shutters, they used what they called a "z" frame which included case molding. The new case molding frame does not go below the window sill. Sorry the picture doesnt look clear, its clear on the camera and computer but looks blurry in this post. When we lived in Charlotte, the windows all had case molding around them, which was installed by the builder. The shutters came with a 1/2 inch shutter framed that was set inside the window area, not on the case molding. (Kind of looked like what sits on top of my marble window sills). It made a box around the inside off the window area. That was screwed into the window frame and the shutter was hinged and screwed into the shutter frame. Hope that makes sense. I dont have a picture of those shutters.

Thank you so much everyone! I never expected to get so many thoughtful replies. It helped me to think over and also confirm various points. I have always had custom drapes and sheer curtains and although I still love the look, there are problems with those as well. There are three size blades available here. We deal in metric but they equate to 2.5", 3.5" and 4.5". My windowsills are about 4" deep, so too shallow for the largest blades. Since I was wanting the 3.5" it seems to me that will work. Am I right? Dusting is not an issue for me. Like Palimpsest mentioned, it will be easier than vacuuming my drapes and taking down copious amounts of sheers to wash. I don't like the bedroom too dark, so that won't be a problem but is a good point for those who do. Our screens are removed from the outside, so they will not be a problem thank goodness. Ida, I don't have a cat at the moment but you are so right about the fur! They also seem to leave a greasy residue on corners they push past all the time. It will be nice not to have to deal with all that. It looks like I will proceed. Now I just have to paint all the window frames before I order anything. Not looking forward to that! Thanks again everyone!