It’s been a very busy week. Saturday Agent Smith took a load of stuff down and met with the Wall Guy again to talk scope and costs and such. To be certain, we are also going to have a couple other construction companies give us bids.
I was then down on Tuesday for what was supposed to be the day the plumbers would finish the drain replacement project, only they called 15 minutes before their arrival to say they had to reschedule. I was not amused. They wanted to come down yesterday, but that wouldn’t work, so now they’re scheduled for tomorrow and if they fail again I have a verbal promise they will do the work for 1/2 the signed contract amount. Considering this is a five thousand dollar project and these same folks are bidding on the septic replacement, I do hope for their sake, there are no more hiccups.
Other projects are moving along more smoothly. The rusting well tank is scheduled to be replaced in early July. It will be quite a task as it requires a crane to come in, lift the old one out and put the new in place on the pad. It will also mean blocking the road that leads up the hill to 6 other houses, so a letter is being sent explaining the situation. I do hope our new neighbors are not terribly put out by the inconvenience. The work is being down by Bruce Barton Pump–the same people who handled the initial well tests during escrow. I really liked Bob and the company is well reviewed in the Bay Area, so it is the one project for which I didn’t seek multiple quotes.
In addition to the well tank, we have signed with Armstrong Roofting to put new foam roofs on the three flat roofs (Great Room, Studio, and entry/linen bath area.) This milestone means I can start working on getting quotes for gutters to be installed on the main house. Who knew there were so many options available. From ones that are very rigid and will eventually rust to ones that are squishier, seamless and won’t rust. If nothing else, I’m learning more than I ever thought I would about construction.
Another large project that is signed off on and just waiting for a work date is the driveway repair. Brad Butcher of Asphalt & Concrete Repair came by last week and of course he visited during what I thought was a free hour and so I was rushing off to the Apple Store in Los Gatos to get a Thunderbolt to Ethernet Cable. Thankfully he didn’t actually need me there to assess the state of things. If the work turns out well, I may get them to quote out a section of the private road that leads up to our house that also needs some work.
Things are moving along so well I am now working on finding a contractor to replace our old oil-burning furnaces, I have Pool Covers Inc. coming out to start the process of replacing the existing pool cover, and since the initial/existing contact I had for a pool maintenance company flaked on me, I have Corby Gould Pools (who did our initial inspection) coming out to do some work and quote out a new solar panel for once the Studio roof is completed.
I am a contractor calling fiend.