A WAILING AND GNASHING OF TEETH

For a homeowner, “you have to find a contractor” are words of doom. You may live in a small town, in which case all contractors worth a hoot are all booked up, or you may live in a suburban or urban area, in which case finding one (a) reliable enough to actually turn up, (b) able to carry the job through to the end without delays, or (c) talent to do the job in a professional manner, seems almost impossible.

After the recent water damage to our home, we have had many, many strangers coming in and out. Most of them are telling us that what we want to happen will not happen, for one reason or another. Some of them simply don’t turn up when they say they are going to, and when they do, they don’t explain their absence.

I am supposed to be grateful that they show up at all, presumably.

If I sound disillusioned and disgruntled, you’ve read me right. I am. I am at the stage where I know some obstruction to each phase of the repair will pop up. Most often, this obstruction will require hiring yet another subcontractor. The aperture will be too narrow, or too wide. Sometimes the workmen will have to leave to “get a part,” and will not return for days.

I have counted all my blessings, believe me. I am lucky to have insurance. I am lucky to be able to pay our deductible. I am lucky to have an intact home at all. But I’m finding those reminders will only carry me so far. Right now, I feel mad and powerless. You know when the floor people can come? Next year. That’s right. Next year.

Sooner or later, I will be able to look back on this and laugh. But it will be a long, long time.

Maybe after next year.

Charlaine Harris

Comments

[Mark]

Home repairs are so aggravating!!! I need to fix the sink in my master bathroom, yet it sits there for two months now with me using other sinks in the condo.

[Charlaine Harris]

We couldn't use the sink in our kitchen for a few days. It's amazing how aggravating that was.

[Susan]

We're renovating our kitchen right now. I feel your pain.

[Cathy M]

I feel your pain. We've been in our home for thirty years and in that time we've replaced a tile roof (post hurricane fun), remodeled our kitchen top to bottom with problems with each part of the remodel and updated our bathrooms (the latest took three months).

My mathematical view of home improvement is that it will take at least three times as long as a contractor predicts and cost twice as much as you originally plan or budget.

I think you should write a book about a homeowner with magical powers that compels those of the building trades to come when summoned, do the job promised and only charge what they quote. And if they don't . . . I'm sure you could come up with a suitable punishment.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

So fascinating that there are people who simply do not show up. I am always baffled by that.

Good luck….sigh..

[Charlaine Harris]

Cathy and Susan, I know plenty of people feel the pain. And I'm sorry. But at least I don't feel singled out! Cathy, that would be a great universe, wouldn't it? For every unreturned phone call or no-show, there would be an elaborate penalty.

Yeah, Hank, you would think they didn't need to make a living.

[Deb Romano]

Charlaine,

I like Cathy's suggestion, and I would buy that book!

Most of my interactions with plumbers have been disappointing. Return a call? Show up? Ha! My most recent one was a really good experience, though, and it made up for all the bad ones. (I was once a victim of credit card fraud, thanks to one of them.) My recent experience was refreshing, though: it was an emergency involving a gas leak. He returned my call within twenty minutes. He was at a job an hour away but said he would call to let me know when he got on the road, which he did. He called to let me know when he got stuck in traffic. He arrived late in the evening, worked on the problem for an hour and had to return the next day when the gas company returned to turn the gas back on. He was thoroughly professional, as was his assistant. I have a minor plumbing problem right now, and I'm definitely calling him to fix it.