Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Oooh, I'm tellin'

Sometimes it pays to be a tattletale...

I can't believe I almost forgot to post a follow-up from the Guardian incident(s).  While I won't go into detail about what transpired, I am happy to report that I am pleased with the way the GM handled the situation.  Not only will the GM be our POC at Guardian, but he also threw in some compensation without any prompting on my end.  Thanks, M, for handling this.

In my line of work, we go after consideration when a contractor fails to meet contractual requirements.  We're upfront with our contractors to let them know that they will fail (because our requirements are just that hard).  Once they get over the initial shock, we also tell them that we will work through the bumps because we do understand that it's difficult but they signed up for it and consideration may be sought.  The most important advice we have provided to them is that it's not how badly you fail but how you bounce back and resolve the issues.  Own it and move forward.



Sometimes not so much.

Over the weekend, we had a child in tow and it's just too difficult to take room measurements so the hubs and I took a long lunch (sans child) today.  We weren't expecting to see the crew on point-up duty (per earlier conversation with the PM) and were hoping to have free reign of the house.  Since Saturday, someone took it upon themselves to draw an obscene picture on our wall and I was less than pleased (plus the proportions were just overly exaggerated).  I swung by the model to drop off the key (which we didn't need) with the SA.  Our SR was off today and our PM and back-up PM are on vacation, but the SA was able to reach the PJM and addressed the situation before I even got back to my office.  Talk about service. (Thank you, K!)  I just hope the guys don't give me the stink eye the next time they see me or do shoddy work from this point forward.

Guys will be guys but it's downright unprofessional and disrespectful to be drawing inappropriate images on someone's wall.  I'm just glad my little girl didn't have to see it.  (side note:  Someone would be in the unemployment line if it were up to us.  Good thing we're not in charge, eh?  #rawr)

~*~

In other house news, the gas line was being run which meant the front yard was all torn up.  (oh, my, poor pile of dirt and rocks).  The forms for the sidewalk and walkway to the porch were also up so it won't be long until they're poured.  There's a downspout that empties between the garage and porch.  Normally, it wouldn't be much of a concern but a good portion of the rainwater will funnel into this tiny gutter which means a large quantity of water will be concentrated right by the house.  With the sidewalk being poured soon, I don't think it's going to be an easy task to run a pipe and daylight it further out in the yard.  Keep your fingers crossed that the drainage system does a fantastic job -- I loathe the thought of a leaking foundation.

(Really, I'm not typically this whiny!!)

6 comments:

  1. How do you know it wasn't vandals that came into your house and drew it?

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    1. I would much rather think it was from vandals but not likely. :( The house has been locked since sometime last week and vandals probably would have done more than just one drawing on the second floor. They should have been the only crew in the house since Saturday when we were there last. The guys working the gas line yesterday would have tracked mud everywhere so likely not them either (and they would have no need to venture upstairs). Imperfections on the walls have also been marked with pencil and the circled hole (inspiration for the drawing) happens to be where the hall light switch goes. The crew was very generous with their mudding application so not much of the box is visible.

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  2. I did not realize they have to tear up your entire yard to install the gas line!! I opt out of the gas cooktop because they will no longer allow the OTR microwave with it. So I decided to try the electric cooktop. I also told myself I could change it out if I do not like it but does that mean tearing my yard up after sodding? I may have to change it back.

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    1. We also opted for electric in the kitchen because of the microwave, but we still need to run the gas lines to power the fireplace, both furnaces, and the hot water heater. If you have other gas-powered utilities/appliances, you may still be fine later on.

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    2. Thanks, Jim! That is good news! We will have the fireplace, the hot water heater and I am assuming both furnaces. Uggghhhh I need to check! I hate not knowing! We will also have a gas grill hook up on the deck. I hope this means no hassle to change from electric to gas. I just have a funky feeling, I will be changing out the electric cook top sooner rather than later. Everyone has a point it is much easier to clean. The other nice thing about having the cooktop is the extra cabinet space below it.

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    3. Holy Cow, the hubster posted!

      Would RH pre-run the pipes (or hoses) for you and just not connect them? This way you won't have as much of a disruption to your gorgeous kitchen when you're ready to convert from electric to gas.

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