I saw your kitchen too, just lovely! Which beach do you live by and do you have any ocean views?

Dedicated W/D closet is finished and yet provides emergency access: -45 degree angle hot/cold ball valve lever faucets replaced known-to-not turn-when- needed gated facets and all installed in Oatey wall faucet box -main house water intake pressure reducer added to lessen any whole house hammering. Water main ball valve lever placed in yellow placed for easy ID. -hot water heater drained and filled; water temp adjusted for hot -one closet water pipe replaced and both hot and cold pipes insulated well -new insulation placed between wall studs -fire-rated 5/8" dry wall cut with appropriate apertures and installed all the way to side walls then attached via screws to vertical studs inside floor trim - entire interior of closet (102"h x 36" w x 32"d) prepped and painted as well as closet door -fluorescent light bulb in ceiling light for longevity -new 4" diameter semi-rigid aluminum ducting (-new rigid wall duct for brief run to outside to new exhaust vent with (verified) louvered damper well above snow line -foam insulation around small areas of new exhaust vent to help secure it in masonry in addition to mason nails as well as add further weather insulation - existing 3 wire Grounded Neutral 120/240 volt electrical receptacle as well accessible dedicated 30 Amp circuit for ease of turn off Aside from plumbing, this was a DIY job. Our quote for a finished closet was $1000 excluding materials and painting (in addition to plumber charges). Main goals were to have finished back closet wall with water pipes as well as washer discharge pipe accessible without having to tear apart the wall. Electrical panel easily accessible. Also to provide better winterization for overall W/D function, fire wall retardant, proper dryer venting all appearing seamless with the adjacent closet walls. Thanks for your tip weedmeister. It led to an eventual solution.

Happens this way all the time in custom building. Perhaps this builder builds a combination of custom and spec houses. A lot of reputable, honest, builders have been caught short in the housing downturn we're currently experiencing. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions until you've had the opportunity to check him out. Start with previous customers, his suppliers, banks, local HBA to name a few. I personally would not hesitate a moment to put our last builder on our checking account. Not that I would do it that way, but I would trust him with it. Having said that you should keep in mind there definitely are unscrupulous builders, although not as many as there was during the boom. Do your due diligence before signing anything, but don't miss out on a possible good thing just because of a few negative Nellies.

Well, they are supposed to remove the old oven and install the new oven tomorrow, but I haven't heard from anyone. Good news! They measured for my countertop this afternoon. I went to approve it a half hour later. Then they started cutting the slab...and only one slab! Yay! The fabricator said they will install Monday or Tuesday. Now I really have to find a garbage disposal, water filter, and laundry room faucet this weekend. So excited about my countertop though. Peke