It is all depends on what is the scope of work, dose he need to install sub floor, float cement, dose he pay for the thinset or you, and is that a custom job or standard square area. Best is always to get 2 or more estimate, then you get the feeling if the price is ok, you may hire the one more expensive at the end, but just because he was more qualify and you felt more secure he is qualify to deliver what you paying for.

Only you can decide what you're willing to deal with here. I will say that if you decide to go before the contractor's board, they will expect that you've tried all avenues to correct the problem with the contactor FIRST before resorting to them. And they will look at the specs of the job overall, and what would have been a reasonable result to have been expected given the site conditions and the contract language. If you are the one that set the specs of the job and then got bids for it based on those specs, then you cannot hold a contractor at fault for following the specs that you set forth. Was the difficulty of installing large format tile discussed with you at all by anyone before you chose it? Even with perfect slab prep, you will have some lippage with large format tile. It bows in the middle. It's the nature of the tile to have lippage when installed in any other pattern than stacked where the bows in the middle align. And that's why manufacturers only recommend a 1/3 offset pattern. It minimizes any lippage issue. Is that the pattern you chose for the tile? Or is it a "random" pattern. That will create more lippage that wouldn't be the contractor's issue. It's the nature of the tile coming in to play. And it would be installed contrary to the manufacturer's recommendations, so it wouldn't be supported as an actionable item. Any tile floor can only be as flat as the substrate it's installed on. What type of diagnostics did you or the contractor do to determine what type of prep the slab would need? Would you have been willing to pay an additional $500-1K to ensure that you had a problem free install? That would include grinding down high spots, and filling low spots until the floor was flat enough to support large format tile. Was the flatness of the slab discussed at all? If you would have been willing to pay for better prep, then the contractor should have done that better prep at the additional cost. A true tile pro would have at least brought it to your attention and had you sign off on it if you refused to do so. If the condition of the slab was brought to your attention, then you really don't have a lot of recourse for the issues that you are seeing. As far as the cleanliness of the job site, contractors usually stipulate "broom clean" which doesn't mean move in ready. It means the majority of trash is gathered up and the place is swept. It doesn't mean mopped and scrubbed. You should always plan on cleaning a space post renovation, or hiring a cleaning service to address the job. Renovation produces lots of dust and dirt and it gets everywhere. It's not your contractor's job to deal with that unless it's written into the contract that he will hire the cleaning service upon job completion. That would be a higher bid for the job, of course. It sounds as though your tile job simply needs a good initial scrubdown.

I had been presuming shakes because of the rural setting and because it's really a very plain Italianate house - basic center-hall style (originally - they remodeled and moved the stair and removed the hall), no bay windows, none of the other fancier elements. But I'm very glad to hear about Downing's advising for metal. I really could see this house with a metal roof, even more so than shakes. His mention of that in his book will enable me to justify it to the folks who will have the final say on renovations being aligned with its historical styling. In fact, if you have the time and the inclination, could you write out the exact reference (only if its a sentence or two) and tell me the title, page number and edition of the book you got that from? If you don't have time, please just tell me the title and I'll dig it up from our library system or have a university reference librarian friend look it up for me, so it's not a problem. I have to submit a proposal for all the work we'd do (we're applying to be resident curators - live there "free" for life, on 10 acres in a state park, for fixing it up which becomes a tax deductable donation). Here's a pic: But then my next question is, what modern metal roofs look similar to the metal roofs of the mid-1800's? And what color would an early Victorian metal roof have been? If anyone has links showing either old roofs or new, I'd appreciate it!!

gailrolfe, When I said I found a Medallion dealer off the internet I meant I went on the Medallion web site and found the name of a local shop that sells them. Then I went there, looked at their products and talked to a cabinet salesman. They actually carried about 20 different lines of cabinetry so I was able to look at products other than just Medallion. Once my architect and GC have looked over the order I will purchase from them. I know many people on this forum buy their cabinets online and save money. IMO, the only successful way to do that is if you have a complete and very well-thought-out plan with impeccable measurements, if you are very familiar with the line of cabinets and all of its products, and if you have actually seen the cabinets in person. Every kitchen designer/cabinet salesperson I have spoken to has given me information or ideas that have been helpful to me, so I think it is a good idea to talk to several, even if you end up purchasing online. If you go to the link below (and let's hope you can--it is the first time I've ever attempted to link here!), you will see a partial list of cabinetry from less expensive to more. Not all lines have inset doors (and inset doors are generally more expensive), so you could start by looking up the various lines on the internet to see if they have inset and to look at their door styles. Then you should be able to get the names of some local dealers. Call them, go see the cabinets and ask a lot of questions. Most places really WANT to sell you cabinets, especially in these economic times. As for custom, it is best if you can get recommendations. You may even be able to get some here. If you can't get recommendations you will have to look in the phone book and go in blind, but you should always get references and see actual examples of a custom shop's work in any case. The custom bid we got was in line with our other bids, but many people here have been able to pay less for custom. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Relative cabinet prices