remember when i had that great idea? to build a mini house?

[Deleted]

in place of my termite-ridden shed?

can i please go back in time and bitchslap myself in the face?  that would be SUPER AWESOME.


this project is fine.  but, like, we are out of money to spend on it.  okay?  OKAY designers?  you know how we told you that? so when you're all "no prob, we'll just do a skimcoat on your patio as part of the concrete pour so that everything looks uniform and also because otherwise your guests will have to frog-hop over 6' of bare earth to get from the patio to the pool house" don't then tell me it's going to cost TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS more.

lol.  ha ha ha.  hee heee heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

i know that when you all are people who do projects like "let's tear down this house and start from scratch and build a 5000 sq. foot masterpiece" $10k doesn't sound like a lot of money, but it is. 




aside:  i'm losing it.  yes, my diamond shoes are too tight so i've already made that joke for everyone who wants to come in here and make fun of me and/or make me feel bad for feeling bad.

[Deleted]

Sept 10, 2013 13:36:56 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

I wouldn't even know where to begin on this sort of undertaking.

well, i started by closing the door to my office and ranting to my husband on the phone.  then we called the project manager and were like "so, NO." 




that was easy.

[pantsparty]

Ugh. This sucks. Your designers suck. I would have a hard time not having this reaction to that quote.

[Deleted]

Sept 10, 2013 13:37:41 GMT -5 cjoy said:

Plant grass seed. Throw down some pavers and make a cute little path. Boom. 6' of bare earth problem solved for less than $100.

throw in some concrete stain for our existing crapass patio and you have the alternative plan i've cooked up thanks to the interwebs.

$10k.  wtf was going to be IN that concrete?  flecks of gold?  mofos.  their quotes have heretofore been reasonable, i have no idea what happened here.

[Deleted]

Time for mulch!

[angelaa73]

Don't kill me but what about tiny pretty white gravel' think rich people driveway...

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Maybe they were also going to take the meow secretary and bury her in there?

[Deleted]

Sept 10, 2013 13:39:54 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Is it a garage you're turning into a small apt? Is this where the bathroom reno is or is that in your house?? I didn't realize you had multiple projects going. Sorry:( I'm sure you were hoping it would all be done before the baby comes.

there are 4 simultaneous projects:

-knock down garage and build miniature house sans kitchen because we don't want people staying too long.

-redo master bath bathtub, and then we added tile.

-redo front foyer tile (thrown in because it was so freaking cheap as part of the overall project that we couldn't have beat the prices doing it ourselves).

-redo downstairs bath fixtures because they're ancient and sticky so a shower is like cold--cool--lukewarm--SCALDING YOUR SKIN.



they're supposed to be complete NLT 10/10.  i'm due 10/30.  L was a week early.  ho ho ho ho hee hee hee.

[sergey]

Sounds quite frustrating but I think your solution is a good one.

[eddy]

If just concrete costs 10K I am never ever ever going to be able to afford to do anything house related. never

[bittybomb]

Concrete is expensive. I just had a guy come and give me a quote for finishing the basement of my 100 year old house. Our ceilings are low and my husband is tall and we would need to drop the floors. I almost passed out when the guy told me how much the concrete would be.

[Deleted]

Sept 10, 2013 13:41:36 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

no no, I mean tearing down a shed and building a mini house. lol. I am impressed that you even had the gumption to do that. This sounds very stressful. It was bad enough when our house was being built, and we were just along for the ride on that.

yeah.  i have no gumption anymore.  i'm gumption free.  i'm not sure how i'm going to make it through L&D, since i think it takes gumption to shoot out a kid.  maybe i'll ask for some 1950s/60s era twilight sleep.

[Deleted]

Sept 10, 2013 13:43:34 GMT -5 @scottydeux said:

When you're associating with these builders make sure you take off any fancy jewelry and dress in clothes with stains on them. I do this when talking with contractors. I also look forlorn and stressed, so they f*cking listen when I say we don't have the money.

oh, see.  i just rub my stomach like "you know babies are expensive."

[goaskalice]

Sept 10, 2013 13:39:40 GMT -5 cville said:

Sept 10, 2013 13:37:41 GMT -5 cjoy said:

Plant grass seed. Throw down some pavers and make a cute little path. Boom. 6' of bare earth problem solved for less than $100.

throw in some concrete stain for our existing crapass patio and you have the alternative plan i've cooked up thanks to the interwebs.

$10k.  wtf was going to be IN that concrete?  flecks of gold?  mofos.  their quotes have heretofore been reasonable, i have no idea what happened here.

This was my thought. Diamond and gold concrete - you're so fancy! Holy crap $10K, there are many better uses for that money!

[Deleted]

Sept 10, 2013 13:48:14 GMT -5 cjoy said:

Sept 10, 2013 13:41:25 GMT -5 mofongo said:

You make this sound so easy but whenever I have attempted a project, like finding a stud, it always ends badly or with multiple holes in the wall, created while looking for the stud. This was WITH a stud finder.

We no longer DIY for anything. We cannot be trusted.

Measure 16 inches from the nearest window frame or electrical outlet.

OR:



we have one of these.  and, yes, whenever we're using it i totally point it at my husband and hold the button down so it beeps.  that joke doesn't get old for me.

[DotAndBuzz]

Oh no. NOPE.

We had the beginnings of this issue w/ our contractor (who has been fantastic and saved us a lot of $$/been very reasonable previously) when he brought out a guy to take a look at the siding and windows we need to replace. They got to talking, planning out the project, and the next thing I know they're measuring to replace more windows. So 8 windows turned into NINETEEN. Um, no. Stop now. H got them back on track, and he actually said "man, I'm sorry. I know you'll replace these eventually (he is correct), and got ahead of myself. But it sure is easy to plan a project and spend someone else's money!" Ha fucking ha, dude.

I'm liking the grass or concrete stain as the solution, instead of the hand mined, platinum guilded, concrete they quoted you.

[dizzydee]

We got a quote to put concrete on our driveway. It's currently pavers and we need concrete for a basketball goal! They wanted $14,000...haha. And since I'm giving birth to a toddler, at least that what R and his mother think, we HAVE to get this done ASAP. We also need a spot poured for his playhouse that's already purchased and sitting in my yard. Heaven forbid we buy diapers, nope, let's get shit that can't be used for 3 plus years.

[jane6672]

Install a 6" moat around the guest house and fill it with $5,000 of piranhas.

You'll still come out several thousand ahead, and your guests definitely won't overstay their welcome.

[rex]

Sept 10, 2013 13:50:36 GMT -5 cville said:

Sept 10, 2013 13:48:14 GMT -5 cjoy said:

Measure 16 inches from the nearest window frame or electrical outlet.

OR:



we have one of these.  and, yes, whenever we're using it i totally point it at my husband and hold the button down so it beeps.  that joke doesn't get old for me.

My H just points it at himself. Hardy har har, H.