We downloaded the specs. Turns out, the dang Miele discontinued the model we were planning to install… Thank dog I looked it up, and we scooped up the crumbs that Albert Lee still had in stock!!
I’m always downloading specs and manuals because half the stuff I buy As Is always seems to be missing the booklets.
I have to shop for appliances in a different way. I’m looking every day for a crazy deal, usually its scratch and dent, floor model, etc. I have no choice but to buy it on the spot. Don’t have the luxury of picking a favorite appliance and buying it 4 months later. Also, I honestly don’t even know if I’m going to get oven unit with micro, separate units, double ovens, etc because it all depends on what I can find at a really good deal on any given day. So it forces me to do my appliance shopping much earlier in schedule than normal. Especially because it affects cabinet design and purchase which is a long lead time item on the schedule.
can’t you take an IPad with you and when you spot a “buy” you quickly look up the specs and instillation instructions to see if there are any "red flags"regarding instillation instructions/ cabinet size, depth requirements, etc, etc?
Its not like you are bidding for these appliances at an auction.
Yes I could, but if I don’t buy it that day it’s probably not going to be there next week. Usually I try to hide the appliances from damage and use the specs to design.
I understand…
well if that’s the best way to save money, then there is no reason to change anything.
do you look on the Best Buy- open box?
Great prices there.
BUDGET and SCHEDULE UPDATE
We are closing 11+ weeks on project. If this was anyone else in my business they would be done and probably sold by now. But NOOOOO… I have to waste a bunch of time trying to make this house the very best it can be for the location, view and size of lot.
I spent about 2 weeks making the decision on whether to do an addition and 2nd story. Then another 2 weeks doing blueprint plans for the modifications to existing house and addition… and pulling permits for the first portion of work. Then the plans go into the big black hole. I am beyond frustrated at this point. The design guys showed up out of nowhere last week to ‘measure’ again. I had hope. Then I called in and told them that I have to see a printed floor plan because they have never sent me anything that was readable so that I could double check the window and door sizes before they proceed any further. I want to be able to reuse some of the newer vinyl windows we pulled out of the house.
I tell them all I want is some printed floor plans to do a double check on everything. They were supposed to just make some copies and put them outside their door and I would pick them up Saturday morning (this morning). At 7pm last night I get an email “Floor plan not ready yet, we cannot make any copies for you”. What the hey??? these floor plans have not changed significantly for over 3 weeks??? How can they not be ‘done’ enough for me just to review window and door openings???
Meanwhile, I went to City Thursday night and tried to ask a lot of questions just to make sure that we had all our ducks in a row. They just kept repeating… “We cannot answer any questions/anything we say is not binding until you submit your plans”… “Where are your plans”??? “We cannot do a preliminary review until you have all your pages of the plans (I only had site plans and my original floor plans)”. “Here are the building codes you need to review” (which, by the way… when I get back to my home office I cannot find the Land Development Codes he cited anywhere on the website)
SPENT TO DATE: $62,000
Demo $5,000
Plumbing $2,400
Electrical $6,300
Kitchen $500
Bath $3,900
Landscape $16,600
Paint $2,100
Stucco $4,500
The rest is drywall, some cabinetry, and a lot of miscellaneous stuff. If I didn’t do the addition and new garage, I might be about $28,000 away from being done, although we still have an expensive deck to rebuild off living room.
Next week we are going to accomplish:
Drywall patches and priming of bathroom, hallway and hall bedroom
Start bath tile installation
Finish all exterior painting
New stucco on house
I need to get into gear and pick the tile for hall bathroom!
cb, I am getting concerned that you’re going to wind up in the red on this project because of the draftsman’s missing deadlines. I really think you have to get very tough with him. Ask him when you will get something. Then, once he gives you a date, tell him that you will begin to charge him whatever your carrying costs are for every day that he misses that date. Have him sign an agreement to that effect. Otherwise I’m afraid you’re going to go on like this for months.
I cannot get a date out of them. I have sent several emails detailing that I have to get my subcontractors lined up to start the project and I need a date. No reply. Then I make phone calls and all I get is ‘You are my top priority’. I really don’t understand it because I have used him before and he works with everyone I know in Point Loma. I’ve talked to my contractor friends from the neighborhood and they said you have to be the squeaky wheel. I don’t know how much squeakier I can get 
He is about to get a really bad reference from me and I am going to make sure that every contractor in the neighborhood knows the situation. Maybe they can put pressure on him because they are my friends and they know that I have a critical situation.
I just don’t know if the issue is that this old house is so complex and my addition is really difficult to design, draw and engineer.
Or maybe you could learn if he is having personal or health problems and really won’t be delivering this time, despite assurances. Either he, or his firm, if there is one, should be bringing in help.
So you are going to have to buy the external blower for the hood separately? Big advantage of outside blower is that it is much quieter.
Re the draftsman, have you considered offering to pay a bonus if he delivers by a certain date? (Not that he deserves it…)
“Maybe they can put pressure on him because they are my friends and they know that I have a critical situation.”
I wouldnt count on that…
“He is about to get a really bad reference from me”
THAT is the leverage I would use to get him to move his ass…
“and I am going to make sure that every contractor in the neighborhood knows the situation.”
THIS is when you add the deadline–"IF I dont have my plans by XXXX date.
Regarding stove vent - I think I linked to wrong model (although style is the same). I figured out from my receipt that I have the Internal Blower model and the blower unit is already installed inside the unit.
From a distance, I don’t know how you should manage the draftsman. But I know it’s getting critical, and so far all you have are pleasant noises from him that you’re his “top priority.” To which I would retort, “Then I’d hate to see how you treat clients who aren’t your top priority.”
This is nuts. It’s time to take drastic action, although I don’t know what that should be.
Drastic action involves having a backup plan in case I have to walk out of there with some half done software files that probably only work in a certain software
I am planning to go into the office and stand there on Monday. I will be prepared to walk out with all of my original plans and whatever software they have completed - which they have to give me since I already paid the advance of $2,500
I agree. Good luck.
Be prepared for them to give you nothing but your $2500 back.
While we wait for cb’s report…fire the photographer on this property: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-160022006-833_Cornish_San_Diego_CA_92107 Listed at $1,250,000 on 11/30/15, reduced to $1,195,000 on 12/13/15, sold at $1,075,000 on 2/5/16. Now back on the market at $1,300,000 with no work being done?
Agree, @marilyn. Nice views of the utility poles and lines.
What about the HOUSE?
Marilyn,
I saw that come up and I cannot figure out why there is not even one shot of the actual house. I researched the listing agent… agent has never sold a house before and has never represented a buyer in San Diego MLS. There are rules for listings in MLS and one big rule is there has to be at least One photo of front exterior in the MLS. He’s already broken that rule!
Do not recognize the buyer as an investor/flipper. Someone from Lakeside bought the house. Have no idea how they think they are going to sell for $1.3 million 2 months later when a highly regarded local agent couldn’t sell it for more than $1.075mil earlier.
Update on Plans
I was hovered over my phone this morning to make the call to Engineer. I was planning to go into his office and sit down to discuss status of my project and possibly pull the project and start with another drafting firm. He called me at 9am and said that they needed to come out for measurements again because things were not lining up and he couldn’t finish his engineering. This is the 4th time people have come out to the house to measure. The attic/roof/basement structure are very complex and it’s hard to figure it out because things were not built the same way as they are now.
So, they show up about noon and spend 3 hours going through everything again. I have to give up on a big wide window between my French doors in living room, but we will get a decent size window in there. Huge complexities for shear walls, bracing, roof structure, etc. I am definitely going to need some major professional help to get this done.
But the good news is that he had all kinds of blueprints and I can see that they have everything completed including roof framing, regular framing, topography and exterior site views. Before he left I pinned him down. He says that he has to get this done because they are losing money, it has taken so much time to try to incorporate the existing structural components. He is planning to spend the entire day tomorrow completing the Engineering, then they are going to send out for Title 24 review and roof truss calculations. He literally said I should be ready to go to the City by the end of the week.
I am planning to go stop by their office every day this week to make sure all the crazy forms are filled out and every thing is totally complete.
I loaded some pictures of work completed into the Flickr group
I found interior photos from the original listing and let me just say yup, original owner