House Shopping Saga - Sit Down It's A Long One

Yesterday was a house filled day. A day after and my head is still reeling.

I'm working 6p-2am all this week, so it was an opportunity for Cute Boy and I to get something figured out with the house. It is fast approaching crunch time with us and our decisions and then it is up to the builders to bring it all together.

Yesterday went like this:
1. Money guy meeting
2. Bathroom decisions. Tubs, sinks, vanities, faucets, toilets and faucets
3. Fireplace shop - 2nd visit
4. Home/Lunch
5. Kitchen Part 1 and Kitchen Part 2

So, yesterday, I'm up at 8:30a after getting to bed at 2am. Thank the heavens for co-workers that relieve you a little early. We had a meeting with the money guy. I really like him, but I'm still somewhat worried and confused with the amount of money we'll be borrowing and how much of my current debt load I will be able to dump on the mortgage. This concerns me greatly and it is a mess of my own making! No one to blame but ME!!!!!

The next stop is Bathworks where we pick out our tubs, shower stall for the downstairs bathroom and the faucets, toilets and kitchen sinks. What a time this was. It was a relatively easy time to be honest. No control issues on the part of either Cute Boy or myself. It was all good. I learned a lot more about toilets and the way the work than I would have ever dreamed. Once explained by an expert, it all makes sense.

Cute Boy and I were able to scoop a black granite vanity for our en suite for $375.00 with the sink already built in. It was a clearance item. As soon as I saw it I loved it. We both compromised really well to get what we wanted out of our bathrooms and shower areas. We also found a black granite counter top for the main bathroom and the basement bathroom is going to have the same counter top as our kitchen counter.

The thing I find really funny about the bathroom decisions, is this is the one area I had some sort of idea in my head about what I wanted as far as colour. I wanted whites so that I could decorate in any way I wanted around the white and I wasn't committed to any one specific thing. Didn't turn out anything like I expected in my head. Funny how that happened. The only room with a mental picture and I'm no where near it.

The estimate came back on everything we ordered and we're only approximately $900 over budget. That was a good place to be. Everything is in stock even the over sized shower stall for the downstairs bathroom, so there will be no order delays. Smooth sailing so far.

Our next stop is the fireplace store, our second visit here. We decided on a fireplace, but the problem is deciding on a mantle set up. There was one there in the shop that we could have bought at a discount, floor model last one, but the colour isn't right. We bartered with the company to sand it down and re stain it for a fee, but they can't. That option is out. Cute Boy and I are back to our original thoughts of a very dark mantle with ceramic tiling around the fireplace. There is a set up in the store and it looks 100% better than I just described.

We go to lunch at Harvey's in the Home Depot so we can do some looking at things there. Too much to do and not enough time to do it. Nothing much decided there, so somewhat a waste of time.

We head home and Cute Boy gets a call from Derek, our contact with the building company. Awesome guy!!! You know the conversation is not going to go well when the Derek asks Cute Boy if he's sitting down. You would think he'd have seen so much he'd not be shocked by things like quotes - until now.

You see we've been having a hellish time with the custom kitchen company contact (owner's wife). Nice enough lady, not extremely helpful nor all that knowledgeable. Didn't garner a lot of confidence from either Cute Boy or myself. We tried to maintain a positive outlook, but at times it was near to impossible. Anyway, back to the point here.

Our kitchen estimate came in yesterday at 2x plus the amount we have in our allowance for our kitchen. I couldn't believe it. There are upgrades in the kitchen, I'll give you that, but $8000 worth of grades? I think not! This woman has to have been smoking a little too much funny stuff, I'm telling ya. I know the following things are upgrades - wine rack in the island, tandem (slow closing drawers) inserts, a shelf above the kitchen sink and shelves down the one side. She never mentioned the cabinetry finish we chose is an upgrade, not the height of the island.... nothing. She is absolutely clueless. There is no way we are using this company.

As soon as we got home from Home Depot, I was on the phone to another kitchen place that Derek recommended and within 15 minutes Cute Boy and I were in their shop with our drawings. It was a completely different feel and experience. I told the salesman we're looking for the recycling/garbage pull out track for under the counter and he says, "Oh, this?", and pulls out the drawer in front of me. The other woman had me searching Internet sites and measuring garbage cans/bins to see what size it was we were using. I could go on and on about the melodrama of this first kitchen place compared to the ease of this second place, but I'll not. I hope that this new kitchen estimate comes in under $15,000. I'm not sure what it'll be, but anything has to be better than the original quote. Keep your fingers crossed, will ya?

The gentleman at the second kitchen design shop had hoped to have our drawings done by the weekend, but since it was 3:30-4pm Thursday, that Cute Boy and I dropped them off, I don't expect them until sometime Monday.

Monday morning we have a meeting with the plumber and the electrician to discuss plug positions and outlet connections. Oh fun!

Things are really moving along and I'm feeling much better - thankfully! It is getting a little bit exciting and that is really saying something considering the fiasco of the kitchen.

I'll keep you posted on how kitchen place #2 comes in with their quote.

You're a trooper if you've made it through all this!