We're getting this new addition, and if it were our money paying for it, I would be more picky. But, for better or worse, it's not our money. To save our contractor any headaches, I am making some concessions where normally I would not settle. (If you wonder why, it is because when he was dealing with ABEG, they made him bid and re-bid and bid again to the point where he would have quit the job altogether had it not been for the fact that it was for Our House. I want him to stay around for Phase II to finish the job, because he is fair and honest and he knows the plan already.)
For example, there are our new French doors. Contractor suggested a higher kick plate, where I had wanted a narrow trim around the bigger glass window. I agreed that the kick plate was a good idea, but I really still wanted the narrow trim around the rest of the door to maximize the view. The doors arrived, and I was disappointed that the windows were smaller than I envisioned, and the trim was so much wider than it should have been. I decided that I'm not going to live here forever, so I would make do instead of asking Contractor to send it back and order a new set of doors.
The living room windows are another issue. We decided to do a set of three windows, a large single pane of glass in the middle, with two single-hung windows surrounding it. Only the two side windows will open, and the thought behind that was for ventilation and also so we could still use our window-mount air conditioner.
The set of windows arrived, and Contractor had decided to make the middle window larger, which would have been fine, except now the side windows are too narrow for our air conditioner to fit. Phase One does not include a swamp cooler, so now we are looking at a Summer of Blazing Heat without the option to use our air conditioner!! At least we will have screens and be able to open our windows, but no air conditioner?? We live in the desert. It gets unbearably hot here. I'm not kidding, sometimes even at night you have to spray yourself down with cold water and pray that you fall asleep before it all evaporates and you get hot again.
I am trying hard to let this go, but I find myself wishing, hoping, that somehow, when they are installing the living room windows, they will crash to the ground and break. So much so that an entire new set of windows would have to be ordered. Is that too much to ask?
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Hi there,
I sort of stumbled across your "bad girl" blog and then floated to this one. I live in New Hampshire--reading about life out there in the REAL boonies is fascinating. And I complain about having to drive ten minutes to buy milk. My mouth is now shut. :-)
About the air conditioner...doncha just love how stuff can get so screwed up without really trying? My suggestion is to cut a hole through the side of the house, insert a metal sleeve and mount the AC there. It's known as a wall mount here. You CAN'T live in that heat during the summer. I think the wall mount solution is the way to go, unless you can get the contractor (what was he thinking?) to put in a different window.
If you do go with the wall mount, just make sure you have an electrical outlet somewhere beneath it. They don't make those electrical cords any too long. Supposed to be a "safety feature" for the customer, but I'm convinced that it's a "cost-saving" feature for the manufacturer. :-)
Good luck to you, my dear. I'll be looking in from time to time to see how you all are. Those sheep do look mighty tasty.
I have a little blog of my own.---www.midnightnurse.blogspot.com Stop by and say hi someday. Chris
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