some progress

With my current work schedule, I don't have nearly as much time to work on my remodeling as I used to have.  So, just before Christmas, I made the decision to hire a drywall contractor to get the first floor walls and ceilings hung and finished.  It's amazing what some cash and a hired workforce can accomplish.

The Monday they started, I left for work in the morning and the area looked like this:

I came home from work in the evening, and it looked like this:

By the end of the week, they were finished, packed up, and gone.  The walls were ready to paint!

Or... maybe not.

Once they were finished (but before I paid the bill), I inspected my new walls.  What I found was not exactly what I had in mind.  Granted, I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  And, in all fairness, the result wasn't terrible.  But, I'm an amateur do-it-yourself-er and I felt I could have done a better job on the final finish sanding.  Maybe it's just me, but my thinking is that if I hire a professional to do a job, they ought to be able to do a better job than an amateur, like me... or, at the very least, just as good, right?

So, I called the contractor (he's a nice guy... I like him) and he was very cooperative.  He assured me they would make it right.  He sent one of his finishers out to meet with me.  I discussed my concerns and he went back over some of the finish.  He called me that evening and assured me that if I had any other concerns, they would take care of them.

I inspected it a second time and found it considerably better, but I still found some flaws that I felt should be remedied before painting.  I believe he would have tried again to meet my satisfaction, but at this point (after two chances), I'm tired of calling and meeting to explain my concerns... you know, "if you want something done right, do it yourself".  So, since I was off Wednesday, I got out my drywall tools and finished it to my standards, which means that I now need to call him and discuss a billing adjustment to compensate myself for the material and labor I invested in his work.

But, pick out the paint colors, now it's ready to paint!  (Well, after I sweep... and sweep... and sweep the dust... and apply the primer...)