As for the financial considerations, I've been planning and saving for this for almost seven years. At the start of the year, I thought I had enough to cover the majority of it; but, the costs really add up; and money does not go as far as anticipated. So, budgets have to be reviewed and timelines may have to be stretched.
I just pray for wisdom and guidance. And, through all this, my God be glorified; and may this be used for His purposes.
24-Mar: Sent the signed proposal and deposit; so, decision has been made and actual construction will be starting, after all these years.
8-Apr: The start of the work has been delayed, but, I'm trusting that God has His perfect timing. Also, so far, I've been reassured that I've made the right choice of contractor and the process seems to work out. It's nice that I can just go and pick out the materials, cabinets, etc; and not actually have to worry about delivering them. However, in the midst of this, my sprinklers seem to be acting up; and I'm again reminded of my thorn. Yet, I also recall how the Apostle Paul said the thorn helped to keep him humble; so, I will just trust that God's strength is made perfect in my weakness.
13-Apr: Yesterday, I was able to pick out the main materials for the remodel - shower walls, floor tile, vanity top, cabinet style and color, laminate, glass frost and style, etc. Hopefully, it will look good when all done - I'm mainly going for a marble with contrasting wood/bronze cabinets & fixtures.
15-Apr: Demolition started today. I can see how God has been at work, especially with timing. Though the demolition and construction will intrude upon the peace and quiet of my life, I am looking forward to getting it done. However, I have been having doubts about the marble. There is so much said about how this stone is easily stained; and maintenance will be more than what I'm used to. However, it is a beautiful natural stone, and it even reminds me of the Greek and Roman ruins. I do actually like it better than granite; and the white will go well with the porcelein tile.
20-Apr: So far, this process has actually been helping me to grow. I've been forced to go through all my "stuff", most of which I have not really touched since moving in. I'm also re-evaluating my space and re-arranging and re-organizing. Also, I've thrown a lot out and given a lot away. It's actually been a good "cleaning" process; and I feel like the little changes I've made actually reflect that my perspective has matured. May God continue to be at work in my life.
23-Apr: This remodel has been pretty time and energy-consuming. I've had to say "no" to going to several things, just so that I could focus on what is needed for this remodel. I am still continuing to be stretched.
28-Apr: As I was journaling/letter-writing, I realized that this remodel actually represented a "letting go" and moving towards the path with the expectation that my "thorn" may be with me the rest of my life. I was sad, but somewhat resigned. God's Will be done.
Also, I've been faced with some challenges, and will need to grow in wisdom to deal with these challenges in an effective manner. I trust God to guide me.
5-May: This really has been a stretching and growing experience. I've learned how to better interact with my contractor, and I think we now have a better understanding of each other. I also feel like I've been able to address the challenges. I've learned about things I didn't know much about before, like PEX Tubing, drywall textures, etc. There have been delays and my drywall has just been finished today. It's interesting; that part of my house will essentially feel brand new.
29-May: There has not been much progress made in the last three weeks. And this week, I have not even heard from my contractor. What should I do?
30-May: I realize that, by nature, I try to avoid confrontation as much as possible. But, there is a time and place for it, and after much prayer and thought, I have decided that I will need to address it later today, but, will do it by starting with questions first, not only to get clarity on the situation but also to get the contractor to think through and articulate the situation from his perspective.
The response I got doesn't quite satisfy. In light of his quick response today, the total lack of communication this week is quite telling. Also, the excuses are starting to sound similar and not bear as much credibility; and the compliment thrown in at the end no longer seems as sincere. Additionally, the response seems to confirm that there is no sense of priority or urgency for my project; and I did not feel any more reassured regarding next week's schedule. This is unfortunate, since I was hoping that this project would not drag on so long; because it is cutting into my timeline, schedule, and plans now. And, this does not instill confidence in me that he would be able to complete my kitchen remodel in a timely manner if I were to go with him.
I decided not to respond, hopefully to help convey that I will no longer just accept the delays complacently, and that this has reached the limit of my easy-going accommodation.
At the moment, considering the delays and my current dissatisfaction, I'm really leaning towards using another contractor for my kitchen remodel. In checking online, I found a few that look quite promising.
3-Jun: I found that merely asking the question and bringing to attention that there has not been any work done last week did not seem to have the hoped-for effect on this week; because this week started out like the last, with no notification and no workers showing up. I had to actually clearly state that the delays have reached the point of being unreasonable. We are to have an in-person discussion - so, I'm just praying for the right words to say and leaving the results in God's Hand.
My contractor gave a lot of "excuses/explanations" for the delays and apologized for the lack of communication; but, hopefully, things can just continue to progress now.
11-Jun: Bathroom and Shower Floor Tiling has been completed, and now I am second-guessing some of my decisions again. I really wonder if I should have been much more practical, staying away from marble and white tile. But, it's too late now to be wondering about that. At least it looks nice and the marble, tile, and shower walls all match with the marble-like theme. Now, in pondering colors, the "safe" route would be to go with an antique/marble white; but, I'm leaning towards a darker brown/bronze to match the fixtures and cabinets. A lighter brown in between may look okay; but, the darker provides a better contrast. I was going to leave the ceiling white, but there are some recommendations that for bathrooms, ceilings can be the same as the walls, since they are such small rooms in general anyways. Decisions....Decisions.... I've been using paint visualizers online, and they've been somewhat helpful, though the colors on the screen don't seem to totally match the color swatches in person.
13-Jun: With just a couple of days of work, there have been delays the rest of this week AGAIN. At this point, I cannot imagine going through this experience again with all the delays, especially since I only have one kitchen. So, this has solidified my decision, and I'm not even going to ask for an estimate for the kitchen so that it would not even be under consideration at all. In some ways, it's nice that this has all become quite clear.
18-Jun: In evaluating colors, I've confirmed that my palette of choice would be Earth Tones. I always lean towards the deeper browns and greens. It's interesting that I already have those colors basically throughout my house.
20-Jun: I've been increasingly feeling troubled, and after evaluation, I think the source is this whole remodel. There have continued to be delays, some of the work isn't done as well as I would like, there are still decisions to be made, etc. It appears that the contractor, for whatever reason, considers my project a lower priority. I've come to accept that it is his decision and choice; and the only thing I can really do is to make my decisions and choices based on that. I most likely will not be using his company again for future work and will not be referring friends to him. However, on a positive note, I will say that my favorite part of the remodel so far is the shower. The walls, seat, and shampoo box look really nice and seem like they would be practical. The masonry does seem to be their area of expertise, whereas most of the other areas are more secondary.
26-Jun: With the sink marble countertop and backsplash installed, I must admit that it is all coming together quite beautifully. No longer do I have to envision it all in my mind, I can actually just look at it; and it really does look great. I'm no longer second-guessing the floor tile, since I can visually see how well it ties in with the countertop and shower panels. And the contrast with the dark cabinets really does look good. Now, hopefully, the paint colors will go well with it all as well.
27-Jun: The contractor said he would include the painting of the master bedroom walls as a "gift" for my "patience" through all the delays. I guess that's validation that these delays are beyond normal. I've learned that I'm only able to voice my disappointment in the delays, and there's really nothing more that I can do. So, I'm not letting it frustrate and bother me as much.
3-Jul: With just the initial coat of the paint done on the walls, I now have a better idea of what it looks like. The rooms are definitely darker; but, I do think that it goes better with the dark wood cabinets and floors. Also, it was interesting that the bathroom (CENTER RIDGE - DE6230) and bedroom (DRIED CHIVE - DE6272) wall colors were more similar than I expected - when just walking in, they almost look like the same color, which actually ties it in together better. And the dark color definitely provides a nice contrast to the (LIGHTHOUSE - DEW385) white trim, doors, and ceilings. I also decided to have the closet painted the same white color, which I think is a good decision since it will make the closet brighter and will make it easier to see clothes colors.
7-Jul: It is actually all coming together nicely-I know that it is by God's guidance, for there were so many decisions that I was unsure about. The paint looks really nice, although the room green doesn't go very well with my billiards green. But, the contrast between the darker walls and the white ceilings and trim look really good. Also, the color in the bathroom really bring out the veins in the marble and tile. And the bathroom fixtures look great, which is good, since these and the shower tile are what initially determined most of the color choices. I have gotten compliments on the room colors, and to me, they invoke feelings of deep warmth. And when my friend saw the shower, she decided that's what she wanted for her remodel as well; which is positive affirmation of my remodel.
The other major decision I just made was on shower door glass. I chose glue chip and hope it will turn out nice; without obscuring the shower design too much. With all the feedback I've gotten, the hard water in my area, and privacy considerations, I really did not want to go with the clear glass; and I did not want it totally frosted either; so, the glue chip design seemed to be a good medium although it seems to be quite a bit more expensive (~33% more). I did learn that I need to be more alert and discerning whenever talking with sales people - I may have been a little too trusting when dealing with the shower glass person which may have resulted in the much higher price. I'll take this as a lesson learned.
11-Jul: The shower door and glass was installed today by Vintage Shower Doors; and I have to say that the glue chip really looks nice. I'm glad I decided to go with this instead of the clear. And, I think the extra cost came because of the Enduro Shield (EnduroShieldUSA.com), since I supposedly have the highest protection grade on the glass. With everything getting close to being finished, I'm pleased to be able to say that my bathroom now ranks up there as one of the most beautiful and classic; and more than that, it does look uniquely custom-made.
25-Jul: The closet was finished yesterday, and it actually looks great and seems like it would be really good for storage space. The dark wood matches well with the flooring, and it's nice to have a lot of shelving. However, my contractor really seems to be dragging his feet to the end. With only one day of work this week, it frustrates me; and I don't know what I could've done about it. I just hope that all will be finished soon - all that is left are the handles on my bathroom cabinet, and my acoustic ceilings in the rest of the house. May God's Will be done.
29-Jul: A friend prayed with me about the remodel on Sunday evening, that I would be able to talk to the contractor and try to get the final part finished in a timely manner. An hour later, it seemed like answer to our prayers, since the contractor said he would send someone to finish everything in the bathroom on Monday; and when I asked about the Acoustic ceilings and mentioned that I wanted it done ASAP, he said he would schedule it for Tues/Wed. Well, on Monday, the person only came to apply sealant; the cabinet pulls are still not installed, and the outlet covers are still needed. Today, no word from my contractor. Hopefully, tomorrow... but, we'll see.... What can I do?
The contractor also hasn't been around for over three weeks now; and he has not been good with communication at all. He hasn't even told me how the acoustic ceiling removal will be done, nor whether I need to put things away. I took the initiative to move as much as possible into the newly finished room; but, it would be nice if he didn't ignore and neglect my project so much.
6-Aug: Everything continues to take longer than indicated, even to the very end! But, at least it seems like my contractor is making some effort to get things done. He even stopped by for a short while, but, interaction seemed strained and awkward - not absolutely sure why; but, at least scheduling is continuing and text communications seem ok. So far, all the ceilings have been scraped. The drywall guys are now "mudding"/"texturing" the ceilings (I've decided to go with the splatter texture throughout - it was more interesting than just flat). Painting is scheduled for next week. So, the "light at the end of the tunnel" is still there, but, it's further away than I thought.
8-Aug: All the ceilings have finally been mudded/textured. The drywall guys do really good work; and they clean up well. And one of the guys even worked way overtime one day, going way above and beyond. So, the only thing left is to paint the ceilings; which is scheduled for next week. I am so looking forward to finally having this project done!
11-Aug: The painting is expected to be all done today! It is quite exciting, and I am ready to be able to move forward with the next phases of the overall plan. I continue to place all things into His Hands.
12-Aug: With the way the remodeling project has gone all along, I suppose it is fitting that the ending was sort of strange and anti-climatic. The painter co. owner asked for the remaining paint from my bathroom, and also, when they started the ceilings, they asked for the remaining paint from my other ceilings. When they finished, they left and took all the paint with them, not leaving me any touch-up paint and even taking the ones I had. Strange! Then, I get an invoice in email, showing the additional costs of about $1500, asking for payment of the balance. So, I suppose that means the project is all done. It is so strange that I didn't even get any other notification from my contractor, and no final visit.
But, for the next project, I have definitely learned that I should request that any additional costs be discussed with me beforehand during the project.
So, as an overall summary, I would say that the work looks good and I'm really happy with the shower. Their area of specialty in masonry does show through. The bathroom is beautiful and I do like the MB floor and closet as well. The marble vanity does require extra care and maintenance, but it does set the tone for my bathroom and it looks really nice. I'm glad I insisted on the non-transparent glass, the frame for the mirror, and the dual-flush toilet. The color scheme is really warm and comforting. The negatives would be that they did not do a great job with cleaning, communication was not the greatest, there were way too many delays, and my project seemed like it was low on their priority list. But, I am so glad that it is all done; and the resulting outcome is very nice.
13-Aug: Just when I thought everything was all done, I realized that the light switch cover plate in the bathroom has still not been installed. So, I will have to follow-up on that. Nice.....
Oh, but, I did find that the painters left the two cans of touch-up paint for me by my garage door. So, not as strange as I originally thought. So, good :-)
Well, it's delays to the very end. Supposedly the painters were to touch up the bathroom today, and the contractor to bring over the light switch cover plate today or tomorrow. So, still waiting........
14-Aug: I feel like my patience is being tested to the very end. The painters did not come yesterday, supposedly they'll be here today. And we'll see whether the light switch cover plate gets installed.....
I've been praying for the Holy Spirit's guidance to know what to say and do. I don't know if it is worth voicing my frustration at this time; but, I also don't want to give the impression that all the delays are totally fine. I was considering asking what I could've done differently to reduce the delays... but, I really think that it is what it is.... At this point, I just want to have it all done with.
15-Aug: It's all done! Four months later, and the last check is paid off. It actually ended fairly well. I did not voice my frustrations; and our final completion was amicable. I'm just glad that it's done. Now I can focus on what's next......
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