Posts Tagged ‘contractor problems’

I cannot tell you how difficult it is to find professional people.  While I am attempting to do most of my kitchen remodel myself, I know my limits.  I’m not going to build a cabinet for the new oven and cooktop we want to install.  The Mister isn’t very handy on the best of days, and he’s not going to attempt it, either.  So, when I know something is beyond my skills (or desires), I have no qualms about hiring a professional.

All I need is a 30″ custom cabinet for a Wolf oven in place of where our 30″ electric range currently sits.  It’s a simple job for any skilled carpenter.  The exact specifications for the cabinet – really, just a frame for the oven – is in the literature for the Wolf oven.  When it’s finished, it would look something like this:

Cooktop Over Built-in Oven

I know it’s not a big job like building a whole kitchen full of custom cabinetry.  Thus, I sweetened the deal a bit by also throwing in the trim work.  I’ll hire someone to build the custom cabinet as well as install crown molding throughout the kitchen and dining room.  I figured that would make it a worthwhile job because I can’t imagine the frame for the cabinet being more than a few hundred dollars.

Our granite installer recommended a carpenter he has worked with on several jobs.  I figured that was a good endorsement, and I called him.  He seemed nice enough when he came to give the estimate even though he tried to upsell us a bit.  He said, “It would look better if you removed that soffit entirely and installed cabinets that went all the way to the ceiling.”  I agreed; that would look fabulous.  However, new custom cabinets aren’t in our budget.  We’re saving money by reusing our old cabinets and buying high-end appliances.  Though he seemed disappointed to hear that, he measured for the molding and the oven cabinet and said he would get back to us with an estimate.

I never heard from him again!  I’ve called him several times and sent emails, and those messages have gone into a black hole.  I’m just going to assume that’s his way of saying our little project isn’t worth his time and he’s declining the job.  That’s extremely unprofessional, in my opinion.  I know it isn’t the biggest project in the world, but I would rather someone be direct about that instead of avoiding me for weeks.  A simple “this isn’t worth my time” is preferable; I can move on and look for someone else.  Instead, I’ve burned about three weeks waiting to hear back from this guy who clearly had no intentions of doing the job at all.  I never even got a price quote from him.

So, I’m in the process of finding a new carpenter, and it’s holding up our entire project.  I’ve already gotten an electrical contractor and the permits for the electrical work we need. (That was an ordeal I’ll talk about another day!)  I finally got another carpenter to return my calls, which was thrilling.  However, this dude said, “Well, I can come tomorrow to do the estimate, but I’ll have to bring my kids with me.”  Really?  Really?! How unprofessional is that?  I told him that wasn’t acceptable to me and, if dependable childcare was an ongoing problem, to let me know now so I can find someone else.  He did reschedule for earlier in the day, but now I’m hesitant to hire him at all.  If I give him the job, will he come to the job site with his kids in tow?  He didn’t sound very happy when I said he couldn’t bring his kids and kept saying his wife was going out of town, which meant he had to watch his kids for the next week or so.  As such, I’m already looking for yet another contractor to do a second bid, provided I can find one.

I don’t care if that seems mean.  It’s seriously unprofessional to tell a client you must bring your kids with you to a job site.  I guess the economy isn’t as bad as everyone says it is because contractors act like they don’t care whether or not they get my business, nor do they care if they present themselves to potential clients in a poor manner.