Shortly after we bought a house in October, we began our hunt for a contractor to save us from what might have been a mistaken purchase. See, we’d had less than two hours with that house before we had to make an offer or not, and the summer real estate season was shriveling up. We’d already lost the house we wanted and we’d turned down several houses that might have worked.
So, this one we went for, and then the more time we spent with it after the purchase, the more we questioned our decision. Should we put it back on the market and try again in the spring? Or, could we find a contractor to change it—somehow—into being more like one of the houses we wished we’d bought?
We began with a curated list of 13 contractors. Some fell off the list after phone conversations (over our budget, over our deadline) and some fell off the list after we met them (too small for our project? Drunk?).
As of November we were down to two companies. We’d walked through the house with folks from both, talking about what we wanted, letting them take measurements and visualize what they could accomplish. Then we met each at their offices for the “design reveal.”
One meeting was pretty much a disaster. There were high-pitched voices and arms flailing, and that was just on the side of the contractor! On our side there was despair. Maybe we will have no choice but to put the house back on the market, and take a financial hit as well as risk that we’d never find a house we want where we want it.
I spoke with my friend Heather who’s a designer about this whole messy process, and I started to think that a) the house is the problem in that we can’t force it to be that much different than it is, and b) maybe we’re the problem, in that we’re insisting a contractor force our image into being against best practices.
The last contractor on the list we dreaded. This is the expensive company, the guy with a receptionist, a sales guy, a showroom, and large staff of subcontractors. A fancy website that walks you through a very long, detailed renovation process. This guy offers bells and whistles. He holds your hand. And you pay for it all.
So, we sat in his office ready for hostilities. We were greeted with a simple design for our upstairs bathroom that no one said could be possible.
It’s this small. The door can’t be opened all the way. We want a shower. Previous designers said we’d have to open the wall into the next room to make way for a shower.
We scribbled and searched for a solution. All we want is a shower!
And then, voila, there was the simple plan.
Well, turns out this is going to cost us $60,000. But, by the time we got to this appointment, we’d reconciled ourselves with not getting any work done in that bathroom, anyway. Still, what a relief that these guys came up with a solution!
Their prepared plans for the living room are not what we’re looking for, exactly, but they are on the right track.
What we want is going to cost a lot (for us). We talked housing prices in the area, we talked cheaper solutions. We walked around their showroom, and all I did was come up with more expensive solutions (the aim of a showroom, I’m sure).
We took Thanksgiving to think on it, and we’re going to sign a pre-construction agreement and give them a down payment, so they can poke holes in walls and investigate mystery house parts and invite subcontractors in to offer their own estimates. Then, we meet again with a specific budget, and we decide. Continue to go for it, or go back to the drawing board and sell the house?
If we continue, we won’t be able to move in until this summer, so we’ll need to renew our lease on the apartment. That will mean a full year since we pulled into Wisconsin in the trailer knowing we needed to buy a house. A year ain’t so bad, but all this work over that year kinda sucks. Still, now there’s a chance we will get a house more like the one we want.
Just imagine those wing walls gone, the wall on the right gone, and one long wall with three sets of windows all with the same treatments. Lots of light, lots of room with the living room and kitchen along one side of the house, and a downstairs bedroom out of sight here.
Fingers crossed. And thank goodness for this final contractor meeting!
I have finally caught up with your blog today, and wow is there a lot happening in your world! It feels like a lot of hurry up then wait. And that is OK. A year is a long time to wait to get what you want from the house, but a year is worth it to make it your home. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the house is not holding too many surprises along the way.
Thanks, Cindi! There seems to always be a lot happening in my world.
Yay! On all counts. Shower. A sober contractor. I realize you won’t be moving in as soon as you’d hoped, but in the scheme of things and with as many renovations as you need, summer isn’t unreasonable. Can’t wait to see all the progress photos.
😊
Great news!
I knew remodels were expensive, but holy cow! Still, if you end up with the house you want (or close to it), it’s worth it. I’m glad you at least found someone reputable! You really do get what you pay for, it seems.