Oh man… what a pain! Have they ordered the materials yet?
We finally got our solar panels, but the backup batteries will probably be at least a six month wait.
Ordered months ago. Once the roofing arrives, they say they can install it soon after. We’re plenty busy with other projects and enjoying our time here, but we’d really like to have a better idea of when we’ll be heading back to AZ. First world problems.
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So frustrated. The delivery window for the sofa we ordered five months ago for our cabin has been moved three times, now sometime in December. We have to return to AZ before Thanksgiving. The company will not/cannot slow play delivery or warehouse the item until we return in late May/early June. They told us we can cancel and re-order but can’t tell us when to reorder because, you know, they can’t guarantee a delivery timeframe on the “new” order or even guarantee the current price. I’ve tried to find a replacement from other sources but all seem to be experiencing the same Covid-related supply chain issues, and I can’t find anything I like better than what I have on order.
Because someone must be present to accept delivery, our options appear to be:
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Stay in Maine until the thing arrives (could slip to January, they just can’t say) which isn’t feasible
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Have DH fly out just to open the door and sign on delivery day (travel/car rental cost would be about as much as the sofa)
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Prevail upon our closest friends who will be at their primary home 2.5 hours away from the cabin by that time
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Rent a small storage unit and take delivery in AZ and then U-haul back to Maine with us next summer
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Commit seppuku
We’re desperate. Does anyone have any better suggestions?
I’m guessing you’ve already considered letting a neighbor up there take delivery for you?
Do they have those rent by month storage places up there? I’ve never used one, but if they do, would they take delivery for you?
Very frustrating!
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Thanks, @1214mom. We’re in an enclave of cabins that appears to be used only seasonally (!) and, right now, there are just three of us still here. Approaching (an unknown) neighbor was our first thought, so we e-mailed our association president to see if he would be willing to send out a cry for help to our community. He said he’d be happy to do it personally, but he’s back home in Boston now, and we have no full-time residents. He sent out an e-mail for us anyway which is how we know almost everyone is gone, and no one will be here in December. So, so frustrating. All of our options are suboptimal, but I guess we’re going to have to pick one. First world problem, I know.
Is the enclave of cabins even plowed in the winter? I know of seasonal communities that are basically shut down for the winter so if it doesn’t have seasonal maintenance, staying or getting there with the snow may not be easy. Is there a seasonal caretaker for the association? Maybe offer friends who like the snow a week’s stay in exchange for accepting the sofa.
I thought the same - offer the use of the cabin for a few days (in the winter or prior to you coming or leaving in the spring/fall to someone who’d be willing to accept a delivery.
A couple of your other options are doable but totally get the crappiness of the expense to do them.
Oops, meant to reply to OP. Perhaps TaskRabbit or whatever it’s called? I’ve never used or nor do I know anyone who has, but perhaps someone in the cabin vicinity is active and would like to earn a few bucks.
Yes, the association pays for plowing the main road, we pay to keep our drive clear. The homes are 4-season but, oddly, this current group of owners all appear to be seasonal or summer weekenders.
We can’t just let anyone stay for a few days unless they know how to properly open and close the place (flush the water lines, etc.), and the only ones we’d trust to do that are our Boston friends. The guy is DH’s BF and he has agreed to do this for us if he is our only option. It’s such a big ask, but it looks like we’ll have to take him up on it if teleportation is not market-ready by yearend. Sigh.
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Perhaps the realtor you used would be willing to sit there for a few hours and accept delivery for a small fee.
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The realtor is a friend of DH’s BFF and is not local in the winter. He agreed to drive out for a Facetime walkthrough and handle the sale of this place because he summers on the same island as our friends which is about an hour from where we are. The island closed after Labor Day. He’s back home.
I really appreciate all of these suggestions, but I guess we’ve run through all our options and will prevail upon our friend to make the 2.5 hour drive when the time comes. Fortunately, once the item reaches the warehouse, there is a 30-day window for delivery, so we can schedule at our friend’s convenience and just hope the weather cooperates around that time.
Could you ask your friend to have it delivered to a storage place near them. I wouldn’t want to do the two and half hour drive for a friend, but I’d be willing to see the sofa delivered to some place nearby. We’d even store a sofa for a friend in our basement.
Did you purchase and /or order through a retail store? Can they store it? Or, I’m assuming they may have a holding area offsite.
The company cannot warehouse the item because it is custom made by one of their suppliers and they use an independent shipping company to deliver. Believe me, we’ve spent mucho time on the phone with them and up the ladder over who in this chain can hold the item until we return. What really fries me is that I have spent $$$$ with this company over the decades and the best they can offer is to cancel/re-order honoring the original (sale) price but, again, no control over delivery so they can’t advise as to when to place the reorder. Potentially, we could end up in the same predicament with the re-order.
As for delivery to a storage facility, we’d change delivery to a storage facility near us in AZ and U-Haul it back with us next summer as we’d have to U-Haul it anyway from our friend’s place.
Again, thanks for the suggestions. I’ll let you know what we eventually do.
Update: Our association president came through! He pinged a couple of neighbors who use their cabins intermittently in the winter. One neighbor replied that they aren’t leaving for the winter this year and will be glad to help. We have a meet up planned for later this week. We are so relieved.
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Wow, that is great news. Hope the furniture shows up sooner than later!
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Anyone here have good luck with slipcovers? My 20 year old living room set is cosmetically shot, thanks for the dogs. Structurally, they are in good shape and since the dogs aren’t going away any time soon, I’m loathe to invest in new furniture. I’ve been looking into slipcovers…my big stumbling block right now is that the furniture all has separate, oversized back pillows. I can’t really fathom how that would work with a slipcover…
Anyone have a good recommendation?
I did, years ago, but they were custom made by a woman who did such sewing jobs in her home when she had the time. I hate to think what they’d cost today. About a decade ago I tried buying some ready made slipcovers and quickly returned them.
Do you sew? Or do you know someone who’d be willing to help with this project? Where have the dogs damaged the current fabric? If it’s on the back pillows, then covers could be made for them either with zippers on the bottom or envelope-style. You could do the same for the seat cushions if they’re removable. The envelope type pillow covers are really easy to make and these cushion covers would likely only require a gusset in addition to the top and bottom sections. I’d experiment with some inexpensive cotton first, then maybe use Sunbrella or another stain resistant washable fabric once I was comfortable with the fit and look.
If the damage is also on the arms or base, that’s beyond my ability. I’ve seen tutorials online for actual reupholstering but have never tried it on a sofa. I stick to the easy projects like recovering dining room chair seats and making padded headboards. Good luck!
For a temporary fix, especially with the dogs still around, buy a king size sheet in a color that goes with the fabric. You can tuck it around the couch and arms, then set the cushions over it. If the cushions are also worn, tuck the sheet over all of them. This has the advantage of being easily washable.
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