Kitchen Kapers - the Demolition

.......drum roll please............

Today we FINALLY start the kitchen project. The contractor is due here around 8:30 AM to start the demolition!

M and I spent most of yesterday packing up the rest of the kitchen.

We're excited.

Nervous.

Anxious.

Ready to get this thing DONE!

I'll post some pictures in a day or two. I'm still in the dark ages and working with a film camera, so I have do finish the roll first and then get them developed.

Kitchen Kapers, the next phase

And the winner is........................

We have decided on a contractor for our kitchen! Whew...

It came down to two that were really great...prices were comparable, references great...etc.

One was just a bit pushier than the other and that kind of turned me off. He called me during dinner one night to see if I made my decision (don't interupt me during my feeding time), then he kept trying to get the price of the other guy out of me...but the clincher, the very worst thing he did was say: "So...if it comes down to me and another guy...whadda I gotta do to get your business?"

Poor dude just sealed his fate right there with that statement.

I am in sales and that is one statement from any sales person that just makes me cringe every time I hear it.

You could have THE very best product in THE world at THE best price, and I will walk away if those words are uttered.

So....I guess this is where the real fun begins! Packing up the kitchen, living on microwaved food for a few weeks while perfect strangers rip the heart out of my home and give it a new one.

Are we nervous.............


You better believe it!

Kitchen Kapers part 4 & 5 & 6....

Ugh...now I know why we put off this project for so damn long. What a pain in the ass! First, I admit...I know NOTHING about contractors or home improvements. I opened the phone book and just picked a few random contractors that live in my general vicinity and called them.

V came over last saturday to give us his quote. Much lower than T, but wasn't willing to give me an itemized list of labor and materials. V's way of kitchen remodeling is that he gives you 3 choices of cabinets. Pick on. He measures...looks around...measures...draws a sketch, asks questions. Kind of abrupt and a no non-sense kind of guy. He will not let us buy cabinets from a different place. He doesn't work that way. He swears on his grandchildren that once he's committed to a job, even if a million dollar job came in the next day...we were there first and he will show up and get it done.

I believe him. He's snarky, but I really believe he's an honorable guy.

R Jr. came in today and did some measuring. (All of these guys seem to be italian? coincidence? I think not). R Jr. and his Dad have this schmancy Kitchen place and he's got the computer software that will put the cabinets you pick out on the model so you can see what your new kitchen is going to look like when it's done. R Sr. joked that it will cost $50K!!! HA..HA...I wasn't laughing. He said "Now...when we tell you the real price, you won't be so shocked!" ha ha again. (This guy just needs a stale cigar wedged between his teeth to give him the complete look)

JJ sent me his quote in the mail and I got it today. This is where I get confused. His prices is WAAAAAAY lower than everyone else's. Mind you...we never told him what kind of cabinets or tiles, but his quote says (Labor and materials) I'm wondering what materials would that be exactly!?!? Hmmmmmm. I'll call JJ and see what's up wid dat!

L - who was just this big cuddly wuddly teddy bear of a guy, never came through. (This is the one who told me he would show up every day too) His wife did call and said he was working on it.

ok...buh bye now...bye, bye...buh bye!

M gave me the name of yet another contractor that is remodeling her co-workers kitchen. So...this will be #6.

ugh

Thank god it's freakin' friday man...it's almost time for wine!!!

or is that whine?

What -e-ver!

Kitchen Kapers part 3

OK...L contractor's wife called me to say he didn't forget me and he'll give me his estimate soon, but he got held up at another job and it took longer than he thought.

This is the guy who told me he is VERY reliable!

ummmmhmmmmm...sure.

Kitchen Kapers part 2

Mr. T from the contractors I called about my kitchen came to do a visual today. This is the $25K guy. He is the sales person.

T looks around...does some measurements and then scratches his head. He tells me he isn't as good with kitchens as he is with windows and doors, but he doesn't understand how this would cost $25k.

I don't understand how it would cost that much either.

So...Mr. T blue tooths his boss about the kitchen and describes it a bit more. Mr. Boss...has never seen my kitchen...does not know the dimensions of my kitchen and has never seen the floor plans of my kitchen says...maybe it will come down to about $22K.

I ask for an itemized breakdown of how he comes up with this figure and he won't give it to me. Mr. Boss just makes this number up based on the info Mr. T gives him. He's also basing this on 5 men for 5 days to do this job. 2 people in my kitchen will bump into each other...5 people in my kitchen is the equivalent to a phone booth stuffing contest...it ain't gonna happen!!!

I like Mr. T. Nice guy...typical sales guy...but he's nice. (He's also Irish...this always helps!) Mr. Boss - I'm not liking him too much so far.

Stay tuned - this is bound to get really interesting as the other estimates come in!!!

Home Improvements

We have one of the worlds smallest kitchens to ever be in a full sized house. It's a galley kitchen and even though it's efficient, it's not the kind of place you want to spend any great deal of time in if you don't have to.

The folks that occupied our house before we moved in, were renters. There was Momma and Pappa bear. 2 baby bears...although they are grown up, one in-law bear and 2 grandbaby bears! I think on occasion...another baby bear lived here when he was out on parole as well.

Anyway...Momma bear smoked like a chimney, Poppa bear was into HAM radio's, Baby girl bear looked like the only responsible one of the family and Baby Boy bear, his wife and their two itty bitty bears ran amuk and caused quite a scene! We know all of this from the shape that this house was in. Underneath one layer of wall paper in the living room were beautiful crayon drawings. The ceiling above where the bed was in the master bedroom had a lovely tar and nicotine stain....gag. The floor in the kitchen...which is some kind of laminated something or other was scratched, burnt, torn up and stained.

I digress...so...after 8 years of occupying this house...we finally have the finances and the time to re-do the kitchen. I've been calling contractors to come in and give me estimates and each one has their own selling point: "I do all the work myself...I don't hire any out side contractors", "It's just me and my son that will work here and we take pride in our work." "We buy all of our cabinets wholesale and pass that savings on to you!", "I'm registered with the Better Business Bureau!"

Yadda, yadda, yadda....blah, blah, blah.

The first "rough estimate" came in from a guy who has not visited my home and is only going by pictures and blueprints - $25,000!!!!

He wanted to know what my budget was...well it ain't $25K that's for darn sure!!!

NEXT!