Windsor Terrace Reno

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February 8, 2008

Will it ever end?

Intellectually, I know the answer to that question is yes. But it doesn't feel that way right at this minute. Everything was supposed to be done by now. About a month ago, the job was 90% finished, so it was only logical that it would done now. But its not.

For one thing, the floors in our living room/dining room are being redone AGAIN. This will be the third time as the people doing the refinishing can't seem to do it right. Of course a whole lot of finger pointing takes place but I really don't care - JUST FINISH!!!

In addition to that, there are a long list of "little" things that need to be done like paint touch ups and knob installations. Why the crew is dragging on this last list of things is beyond me as they are not being paid by the hour. Ive have renovations done before, I know this last bit dragging on is pretty standard. It was just wishful thinking that it wouldnt apply here. Ive accepted that Im going to have to wait a bit longer for completion but it doesn't make it any less depressing.

Anyway, here is a peek at one room that is completely done (short of putting in the rest of the light bulbs in the sconces) - the master bathroom:

And before anyone asks - yes, there is a toilet in here. Its right next to where Im standing so its missing from the photo.

If the dust creation in this house would ever cease, I could add my lotions and potions, a potted orchid, fluffy towels and enjoy it!

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Comments

Dear Mrs Limestone:

Take a chill pill. This is absolutely the worst part of the reno. Everything looks great. Clearly you're a perfectionist and have insisted that it be thus. But anything that's not the way you want it now will get fixed soon enough. Our GC walked off our job after an 18 month reno (yeh, clearly we were crazy to put up with him for that long) and it took us another 6 years to really finish everything, doing a couple of major projects a year. Obviously not your style or speed but I do think you should be grateful for small mercies or you risk bringing down bad karma on yourself. On a practical level, have you tried offering your GC an early finishing bonus and/or late penalty?

Yours in the struggle.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 6:16 PM

Looks fantastic. I love the floor tile, what is it? I would love a his & her sink. My husband gets water everywhere!

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 6:37 PM

Guest637: Its marble basketweave. We got it at Classic Tile in bensonhurt. Its sold at high end tile stores as well and the prices at Classic Tile were A LOT less. This is the first time having a double sink (first time having more than one bathroom, actually) so its quite a luxury for us.

Guest616: Im not sure how to take your post. Appreciate the suggestions that I chill out but I wouldn't want to be in your shoes with a drawn out renovation for years. While I realize contractors are generally held to a lower standard, I don't think holding professionals accountable to do a good job in a reasonable time frame makes me the bad guy. Im sure you didn't feel like you brought down the "bad karma" when your contractors walked off your job. Thankfully, our contractor has been mostly a good guy so far, he has just slowed down considerably in the home stretch. Im just sharing my frustrations on this blog. It wouldn't really be true if I only talked about the sucesses without talking some about the negatives as well.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 8, 2008 6:50 PM

Your bathroom is beautiful. I say bring in some lotions and potions and have a nice steamy shower.

FWIW, when we renovated, the last 5% of the job was tortuous. You think you're going to be done any day--NOT!

Hang in there. You're right to be picky and get all your i's dotted and t's crossed!

Posted by: tinarina at February 8, 2008 8:49 PM

Mrs. Limestone,

I can understand your frustration. The end of a renovation is usually the hardest part to endure. You're entering the end stretch so just hang in there a bit longer.

Can you please share where you purchased your shower door? Was it custom made? Did it cost much more than a framed one?

Also, what color is your bathroom floor. It is beautiful. Actually, the entire bathroom is beautiful.

Thank you so much for sharing your renovation story with us all. Enjoy!

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 8:58 PM

Thanks tina. We've been having the ultimate game of "psych!" for a while now. It has to end sometime right?

Guestat858 - The doors are custom. I don't know exactly how much they cost b/c its one of the things the contractor provided as part of the larger bid. I do know as a matter of course they are more expensive than the framed typed.

The bathroom floor is marble baskeweave - white marble with a ming green dot. Its a pretty subtle green on the tiles. If you google "ming green" you can see what it looks like up close. Hope that helps.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 8, 2008 9:26 PM

Once again stunning. I now visit brownstoner just to see your blog. Good luck from hoboken nj and keep the pictures coming.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 2:30 AM

I had a custom shower enclosure done by Atlantic Glass...they're in the Yellow Pages. A 7' door with two narrow side panels and then another panel on the side that's about 3' X 4' (there's a side knee wall to the shower) and they charged about $2,500. I've had them done in other houses and they've all been between $1,800 and $2,600 for enclosures that were relatively small. A friend in Philadelphia has a three walled glass enclosure 8' tall and runs about 18' in total...I have no idea what something like that costs!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at February 9, 2008 10:12 AM

your bathroom looks gorgeous. I want to come over to use your lotions.

Posted by: guest at February 11, 2008 4:56 PM

sorry...Action Glass, not Atlantc Glass did my shower enclosure

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at February 13, 2008 8:42 AM