A fitting end

So I thought that I wasn't going to have a closing this morning. I decided to keep my vacation day and stay home anyway, I've been really tired and wanted to just sleep in & hang out. At 7am, Metric calls me asking me what color I wanted the braces on the wood columns painted. Um, how bout the same color you've painted every other brace? So much for sleeping in.

At 10:30, my dad called to say the closing was scheduled for 1pm, so he was dropping off his car so I could go to the bank & get the money for the closing, etc.

After I got the check, it dawned on me that they hadn't done the final coat of poly on the floor. I called Metric to ask them to delay it until tomorrow morning, so I could at least get in today. After shelling out over 15 grand this morning, I feel sorta entitled to at least try out the new key. Metric said they had already started. So much for that.

When I got there just before 1, I decided to peek in and see how it looked. They had about oh, 50 sq feet polyed. Translation--they had started about 15 minutes before I got there, 2 hours after I was told they had already started.

The closing was uneventful, I got my key, and I can't even go into the loft for 24 hours. I could go on about the punch list of things still not finshed, but those will get taken care of in time. I don't plan on officially moving until the end of April anyway, probably the weekend after Vegas.

My parents keep asking me why I don't look happy today. Despite the fact that this floor thing is par for the course of this project, I'm still sad that even on this last day, this day when I became a homeowner, when I realize that I bought my own brand-new custom-designed loft at age 28 (even though I'm 30 now), Metric wins. Yes, I'll have a shiny new and repaired floor, but it will be, like EVERY FREAKIN OTHER THING FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS--delayed.

In closing, I want to thank everyone who read, commented, and supported me in this bloggy venture. My utmost gratitude and thanks to my parents for all of their time, love, and support (and all the new furniture & kitchen stuff), my sister Kimberly for painting the pop-art piece that's going over the fireplace therein becoming the 'focal point' that HGTV says you have to have, my cousin Michael who has offered his legal services for free for the past two years, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who have been buying me housewarming gifts for two years and helping me stay excited about all of this, Mark for designing the space and offering his architectural services for free, and to EVERYONE who has listened to me bitch, whine, complain, dream, and generally go on and on about this project for way longer than I should have had to.

I will post finished pictures tomorrow night. These pictures will be the 'before' pictures of what will be the details of the renovation I'm doing myself, and will be featured in the next blog, "Spring Forward"

-J

Of course

In the grand tradition of this construction project, it looks like we hit yet another delay. The flooring contractor ordered the floors resanded and refinished. In my mind I guess I thought that meant a couple of hours work, since the floors are brand new. When I went by this morning, the flooring guy was there with a sander, and sandpaper that looked like nails sticking out of a piece of paper. Translation--I doubt it will be done by tomorrow, unless they work all night, which usually doesn't happen.

What that means in terms of the closing I'm not sure. I guess I can rightfully close if the floors aren't dry yet, but it will certainly curtail the opening-day visits I thought I'd be getting. Then I'd just end up going to work and maybe taking Thursday or Friday off instead.

*Sigh*
-J

It's now Spring....

...and it's said that Spring is the season of new beginnings. Things are beginning to come to a close in this chapter of the Charleston Lofts saga.

This morning, I went by the loft, as I have been every morning now, and saw the plumber putting together the $400 faucet I had to buy last week. Well, the drain wasn't compatible with the pedestal of the sink. Long story short, I had to go back home, get the other drain I had, and bring it back. Yeah, that didn't work either. He ultimately used the drain that I sent with the sink, and just modified it to fit. After all that, I gotta say, the sink is not my favorite. I like it, just not so sure it fits well in the space. That might change after the bathroom is painted & the lighting changed. Hells yes I'm changing the lighting. C'mon, this is me we are talking about.

Everything is done now plumbing-wise though. Aside of a couple of minor things, the big item is the floor. The flooring contractor (I told you those guys just rock the house) has decided that the damage that was caused to the floor isn't worth trying to repair. He is going to completely restrip, sand, and seal the floor again. What this means in terms of dates I don't know, but I hope hope hope hope it doesn't push Wednesday out further.

Here is the updated task list:
- Delivery of range and refrigerator *DONE!*
- Bringing gas line for range up through the floor *DONE!*
- Installation of range
- Templating of countertop for island and base cabinets *DONE!*
- Installation of remaining cabinets *DONE*
- Fabrication of countertops *DONE*
- Installation of countertops *DONE*
- Installation of undercabinet lighting *DONE*
- Installation of dishwasher, 2nd oven, and refrigerator *DONE* (but has to be redone, more on that later)
- Installation of sink, garbage disposal, drain and faucet *DONE*
- Installation of bathroom fixtures *DONE*
- Installation of hot water tank *DONE*
- 3 coats of sanding and poly on the floor, 4 coats in the bathroom
- Finishing the deck, installing the patio, fence, and gate
- Fixing the crooked ductwork on the bedroom wall
- Fixing the crooked ductwork in the living room *DONE*(sorta, it's straightened & we're going to move it ourselves)
- Closing in and connecting the fireplace *DONE*
- Fixing the ceiling over the kitchen *DONE*
- Filling the hole in the ceiling over the dining area *DONE*
- Patching the walls where the backsplash had to be removed *DONE*
- Patching the walls in the bathroom *DONE*
- Patching the walls around the fireplace that had to be torn down and rebuilt *DONE*

Hey looky here, it's almost closing time.
-J

Ain't nothin' ever easy

Plumber called my dad yesterday. The faucet for the bathroom that I bought 2 years ago doesn't fit. It has European connectors and he couldn't find the right couplers. Ok fine. I had to get a new faucet for him to install on Monday, so yesterday I called this plumbing supply place in California that can overnight just about anything you want. Granted you pay $25 for that service, but it works nonetheless. I decided to by the Hansgrohe version of the faucet, since that's what the shower jets are & it would all match.

That little decision cost me $400. Yeah. $400. For a faucet. Anyway, they assured me that it would be delivered UPS by 10:30 this morning. I told work I had to wait home for it, and expected it to arrive by 10:30. Actually that's a lie. I don't trust UPS.

Because of that, last night I went up to EXPO with my parents and bought their Expo-generic version of the faucet for $200, just as a backup in case the Hansgrohe didn't come. The guy at EXPO said there is no comparison, that the Hansgrohe is far better. Far better at what I don't know, since they both spit out water, but whatever.

This morning, 10:30 rolls by, no faucet--OF COURSE. I called www.faucetdirect.com and they told me that it was on the UPS truck, that they will credit me back the $25, even though it was not their fault (plug for Faucet Direct, buy everything there.) Well as it turns out, the UPS guy knows my father and delivered it to him at work & he didn't know it was there already. All the pieces are there, let's see if the plumber can do this one.

I stopped by my place on the way in and saw something I've never seen before--a whole CREW of people working. Electricians, carpenters, painters, even the cleaning lady was there. They had all the appliances polished, all the cabinets polished (the cabinets get polished with car wax--very cool) and the ENTIRE loft was COMPLETELY repainted, including the rusty steel columns.

The painters were just about done. After they finish, the plumber does his dance with the bathroom faucet, then the floor gets refinished. Following that, the cleaning people come back and we sign the papers--I hope.

An outstanding issue is the patio which is not finished (okay not started), but Wanda told my Dad to have my lawyer contact theirs to write an addendum to the P&S addressing this.

Deep breath kids, it's almost over.

Um, Holy Crap

My mortgage company called, and as long as we get the COO this week, we close Wednesday morning at 8:30am. Um, Holy Crap.

"C of O"

That stands for certificate of occupancy. Krispy emailed my father to say that they expect fo have the C of O by Thursday (that's two days). Once that happens, it's all about how fast the lawyers & mortage company can act. Hmm, too easy you say? Of course it is.

Krispy also said that he is waiting for pricing from the finish carpenter on the appliance installation. Um, shouldn't this have been addressed when the appliances were ordered? Two years ago perhaps? Regardless, I'll be doing the microwave trim kit and custom dishwasher panel myself. Surprise surprise. Might we have the aforementioned C of O this week? Might we close before the mortgage expires?

Let's not get our hopes up. Okay just a little.

So this is interesting...

My father just called. Today's updates?

Fireplace is finished, surround is finished, and fireplace is WORKING!
A toilet was installed!
They were working on the sink!
The backsplash wall was patched!
The gas plumbers were still there, finishing the stove installation!

I talked to Metro this morning, and the missing handles will be here this week, and the island will be done as soon as the gas for the stove is hooked up.

and the biggest news of all

THE DUMPSTER IS GONE.

It's interesting what Mass General Law, Section 93A can do.

Maybe we'll be in Vegas afterall.

Let's not get our hopes up though, they still have plenty of opportunity to screw everything up.

Ok how much worse can it get

(I had accidentally saved this post before, instead of publishing it.)

So another day goes by with NOTHING happening. I can't tell you how stressful and disappointing it is go in there, morning after morning, and hear such loud silence, and see everything in such an unfinished state. It looks sick inside, and I get sick every time I see it.

So, as it stands now, it's still not done, and there are 30 days left for my mortgage rate lock. I can't extend it any further, and realistically can't justify hanging on if my rate is going to go up, which I know it is.

If my atty files suit this week, then I end up having to go to court, paying all kinds of fees, legal and otherwise, losing vacation time, and not being able to go to Vegas to celebrate my 30th b-day with my friends. This project has made me put so many things on hold, and it's going to keep doing that. As it is I had planned to take a couple of days off to move in, do the work I had to do, etc. Now with Vegas coming up so close, I wont be able to take the time to do both. What's even worse is that while I'd rather be in Las Vegas than dealing with all this crap, I HAVE to be here to deal with all this crap. I have almost $350k on the line now, I just can't walk away from that.

Vegas is exactly what I need right now too, a little break from reality. A land where an Egypitan pyramid is up the street from the Tower Campanelle, which is across the street from Hawaii would do me some good. Miami was fun, but Miami is a real place--Vegas is not. :)

I often wonder what my life would be like now, if I had taken one of the places I saw in Salem. True they needed serious work, but I would have lived there already & done the work myself. It'd be long done by now. Haha, some of those places were so nasty. I remember one night the realtor even told me we should go. The rug had this unexplainable GIANT black stain the middle of the floor. It's Salem. Who knows what sorta freaky satanic thing took place there.

I'm rambling. I'll stop now.


Sigh.

Goin to the mattresses

Sorry for not updating, I spent a very relaxing weekend in Miami & this week at work has been CRAZY busy. I am taking a fast minute now to update before I go to lunch, since I'll likely be here all night tonight.

Well, since the countertops, absolutely nothing has been done at all in A104. Before that, it had been about 2 weeks since any real work was completed. I started thinking that there had to be a reason. I watched as every other unit in the building finished, and all my neighbors moved in. As it stands now, only mine and two penthouses aren't done. The kicker is, the only thing that HAS to be finished for me to get an occupancy permit are the bathroom fixtures and the gas line on the stove.

When I saw the plumbers on Wednesday morning, they were getting ready to finish all that, and told me they would definitely be done by yesterday, today at the latest. As of this posting, they have not even STARTED anything.

I could chalk this up to a lack of materials, but the materials are all there. I could chalk it up to the fact that I have some custom stuff going in, but that would be evidenced by the installation taking longer than normal, not not starting at all.

What has been annoying through all this, is that METRIC CONSTRUCTION is using my loft to access the dumpster that's parked right outside my sliding doors. It occured to me that THIS was the reason why no work is being done. If they finish mine, they have no way to get to the dumpster without going through the lobby and around the back of the building.

This morning Krispy called my dad to deny that claim, saying they could go through 105 if they needed to, and that there is not a forced delay just to be able to access the dumpster. What Krispy did NOT know however, was that this morning, I had photographs of the plastic runner that was installed this morning, from my back door, right to the sliders that have the dumpster parked immediately outside with a ROLLING TRASH BIN ON IT! So Krispy, um, thanks for having them install that so I have something to go the Attorney General with.

So where we are now is that we are likely going to have to take legal action against them under MGL Section 93A, Deceptive and Unfair business practice. What a nightmare this has all become.

Does anyone have any suggestion on what I can do to get my story out there? Something public must be done.

Here is the updated task list:
- Delivery of range and refrigerator *DONE!*
- Bringing gas line for range up through the floor *DONE!*
- Installation of range
- Templating of countertop for island and base cabinets *DONE!*
- Installation of remaining cabinets *DONE*
- Fabrication of countertops *DONE*
- Installation of countertops *DONE*
- Installation of undercabinet lighting
- Installation of dishwasher, 2nd oven, and refrigerator
- Installation of sink, garbage disposal, drain and faucet
- Installation of bathroom fixtures
- Installation of hot water tank *DONE* (It appears)
- 3 coats of sanding and poly on the floor, 4 coats in the bathroom
- Finishing the deck, installing the patio, fence, and gate
- Fixing the crooked ductwork on the bedroom wall
- Fixing the crooked ductwork in the living room
- Closing in and connecting the fireplace
- Fixing the ceiling over the kitchen
- Filling the hole in the ceiling over the dining area
- Patching the walls where the backsplash had to be removed
- Patching the walls in the bathroom
- Patching the walls around the fireplace that had to be torn down and rebuilt

Another 15 minutes

So I entered my kitchen-in-progess into a kitchen design contest at www.apartmenttherapy.com. They picked me as a finalist!!!!

Maybe this is the positive karma I needed! Please go vote for me at www.apartmenttherapy.com and tell your friends!

Here is another one so you can see the wall damage; it's most noticible on the corner. The island and base cabinets are going to be fitted with a special surround. The dishwasher is missing its front panel which will make it look like all the other doors-totally hidden. Also, the fridge isn't blue, it's steel, it's just still wrapped in plastic. 

Here's today's update. The countertops are in, and if you look closely you can see where the wall is messed up from where they pulled off the backsplash that they were implicitly told not to install. Overall I like the counters though. It's not visible in this picture, but they have a very fine-grain texture in them. I like how shiny they are. What do you think? 

And the hits just keep on comin (did I use that title yet?)

Yesterday, I went w/my parents to do another fun site visit. Wanda let my Dad borrow the key to the unit so we could go in, and proceeded to leave for the day before he was able to get it back to her. My father was concerned because we knew the countertops were getting delivered today, and was worried that the contractors would have no way to get in.

Well as it turns out, they must have their own keys, because when I went by before work, they already had the island counter in, and were cutting the opening for the cooktop. Here's where it gets fun.

My dad went by a few minutes ago, to find both countertops installed, however there was a 4" backsplash on the wall that actually wrapped around to the bathroom wall. What's fun about that you say? Oh I don't know, maybe that I had told EVERY SINGLE F'IN PERSON INVOLVED WITH THIS COUNTERTOP INSTALLATION THAT THERE WAS TO BE NO BACKSPLASH!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH! I can't handle it! I just can't handle it anymore.

So now, I have asked my father to pursue the option of taking this godforsaken project as is and finishing it myself. I realize that plumbing and electrical have to be done by a licensed contractor, but everything else I can do myself. These morons will f up every single solitary thing they can before this is all done.

It's freakin like "The Ring"

Dear readers,

You just have to hear today's events. To make a long story short, my father actually had to go to the site and HIMSELF finish the kitchen cabinets so the counters, range, and countertops would all work right--I don't want Metric touching anything they don't have to anymore.

So I decided I'd pay Dad a visit while he was working. Now under normal circumstances, what I saw when I opened the door would have shocked me and probably freaked me out a bit. Since I've been enduring everything you've been reading however, it was no shock at all. I was more annoyed than anything else, but as I think about it now, I AM kinda freaked out about, it was just like something out of a creepy movie. What I saw was something that should never EVER be inside someone's home. EVER.

What did I see you ask? Lamposts. Vintage turn-of-the-century lampposts. There were about 10 of them, 20+ feet high, all IN MY LOFT!!! Apparently that's where they decided to store them until they install them, since, yes, mine is the LAST non-penthouse loft to be finished. Dad says the electrician said they are getting them out tomorrow, but still, the bad karma in this place is almost to much to handle. I think I need to get my patootie to Salem and get some curse-fighting crystals or something. Does anyone know any incantations or anything?

Sigh. Lampposts.

-J

Ah, what the hell

So many of you have commented at your sadness that the blogging has ended. That said, here's a little update for you:

- Delivery of range and refrigerator *DONE!*
- Bringing gas line for range up through the floor *DONE!*
- Installation of range
- Templating of countertop for island and base cabinets *DONE!*
- Installation of remaining cabinets
- Fabrication of countertops
- Installation of countertops
- Installation of undercabinet lighting
- Installation of dishwasher, 2nd oven, and refrigerator
- Installation of sink, garbage disposal, drain and faucet
- Installation of bathroom fixtures
- Installation of hot water tank
- 3 coats of sanding and poly on the floor, 4 coats in the bathroom
- Finishing the deck, installing the patio, fence, and gate
- Fixing the crooked ductwork on the bedroom wall
- Fixing the crooked ductwork in the living room
- Closing in and connecting the fireplace
- Fixing the ceiling over the kitchen
- Filling the hole in the ceiling over the dining area

EXCELLENT! Two things in TWO WEEKS! Wow these guys are speedy.

Oh and this morning they told me they wanted to charege me for changing the bathroom fixtures I wanted. I never changed them. They've known my selections since February of 2004!