Let me start today by acknowledging how very grateful I am to be in a position to renovate my kitchen in the first place, and to have a kitchen to renovate at all. Annoyances and aggravations can all be solved - there’s a solution for everything! - even if sometimes that solution is only Patience.
Today was kind of a mixed bag, but I’d rather concentrate on the good things. The electrician arrived about 8:00 AM to wrap up his remaining work. By the time I returned from errands at 11 he was gone, which meant that the new hallway Moravian star lantern was successfully installed. And it is beautiful, just what I had hoped.
Today also gave me my first little taste of what my new daily life can be like. To walk into the kitchen from errands, have a counter right there at the door on which to put the grocery bag, and a tall slim refrigerator for a tall portly dude like me where most everything is at eye level — that is all great. This also means I can start stocking the refrigerator. It is the only one of the four appliances to be installed yesterday that is actually working. And it is beautiful, just what I had hoped.
I brought home a couple bottles of champagne to celebrate the renovation completion on Friday. But . . . but it doesn’t look like the job will be completed by Friday. Though it is highly unlikely that will keep me from celebrating anyway!
My two big assignments today were to a) find out about the carbon filter and b) find out about the missing stacking bracket for the washer/dryer, which was supposed to come with the washer/dryer. Or so we all thought. The buzzards at ye Heaumeau Depeau sell it separately, I learned calling the 800 number this morning. “How,” my contractor asked incredulously, “can they sell a stackable washer/dryer without something to stack it with?” One word: profit. And then their delivery fee is almost the cost of the item, and they can’t get it before September 29 anyway. September 29. You will observe that that is not the end of this week, or even the end of next week. But . . . what’s the worst thing that can happen?*
Now I must say, even though I didn’t get the information I wanted, my 800 number experience with ye Heaumeau Depeau today was much better than hitherto. They have probably tagged my number as “Really courteous unless you keep him waiting very long.” The Nice Customer Service Representative told me he’d call the recirculating vent manufacturer to find out why the carbon filter wasn’t there; after a few minutes on hold, he had to tell me that they don’t open until 9 AM PDT, so I then had to call them after noon.
Calling this company was the first time I ever heard “If you do not wish your call to be recorded, please disconnect now.” In other words, we don’t care whether you like doing business with our company or not. Then after five minutes on hold, “All customer service representatives are still busy. Please hold to leave a voicemail, and someone will return your call shortly.” Frankly, this is not promising. And it’s almost 5 PM and I still haven’t heard back.
The contractor and his partner came over during the midday hour, essentially for a punch list meeting. They stacked the washer and dryer in place (without the stacking bracket, and without hooking them up) to get them out of the way. They swept up, and it was surprising to see how dirty the floor had gotten with everyone mucking about. It’ll get a good mopping on Friday. The counters, backsplash, and paint job all got high marks.
They surprised me, though, when they told me that there had been no pins with the cabinetry to fix all the shelves into place. Might’ve been nice to know that a couple weeks ago when they got installed! So I won’t be able to start loading the pantry shelves just yet. When I call the kitchen designer, I need to get pins for the shelves, a black touch-up kit for the pantry cabinetry, and a replacement door in exchange for the one with the damaged corner.
Besides the all-important dishwasher, at this point the only items remaining to be delivered are the drawer knobs and pulls, which should come tomorrow. On Friday, the Bearded One will install them all, install the curtain rods, solve the problem of the floor tile coming up by the parlor door threshold (either by “banging down on the tile” or replacing the new threshold with a new threshold of double width, like the old threshold), and plane down the parlor door so that it can actually close. Friday the plumber will also install the dishwasher (assuming it does, of course, arrive by Thursday), replace the faulty fitting on the gas line in the basement, and reinstall the stove. And once the dishwasher is in, it will actually be safe to use the new garbage disposal.
But, to end this meeting on a high note*, the best good thing to happen today was picking up a decorative element for the kitchen this morning on my round of errands. I’m not going to tell you what it is until the Big Reveal (whenever that will end up being) but let’s just say I have been waiting a long time for this. And it is beautiful, just what I had hoped.
*Yes, I’m aware that that isn’t the wisest question to ask in 2020!