Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough

Friday is fast approaching! Things are getting packed up at the rental and tidied up at the new place.

Nick called yesterday evening to tell me he went to pick up the tile we ordered for my front bathroom flooring and back bathroom shower floor. It was supposed to be in Saturday. They told him it was on back order...until the END of September. Why, you ask, didn't they tell him that when he ordered it two weeks ago?! (Oh, but they could give him five pieces to start. WTH is Nick going to do with five pieces?!?)

You might also ask why I ordered from that place, against Nick's recommendation? Because the tiles were perfect...and I couldn't find them anywhere else!

Delightfully difficult to obtain marble

See?!? Anyhow, I marched right up there to "take care of business". The tiles...all of them...will be here Thursday. Sometimes it pays to be assertive. <insert smirk>

So now I won't have a finished bathroom by Friday, but at least I'm not waiting until OCTOBER!

The hardwood floors are finished and the awesome COIT duct cleaning guys are here doing disgusting work.  They were a bargin for $265.  Where's Mike Rowe when you need him?

Back bedroom

Front bedroom

I don't know if I'm glad about the amount of rocks and drywall that they pulled out of the ducts. It clearly covered up the repulsive yuck that was there before we started renovations.
 

Disgusting vent findings

Ehem, Nick just called to say his PREFERRRED tile store also dropped the ball on tile ordering and that the remainder of what we ordered from them will also not be in until Thursday. So there! Every tile shop around is mediocre at best.

I'll be back this afternoon for A/C installation!

Bureaucracy, Shmureaucracy!

I had to leave work early to meet Nick at the house yesterday.

The concrete guy was there tidying up the finish work to the front steps.  He quoted a mere $2,200 for redoing the sidewalk from the street to the steps and adding a 10'x40' driveway!  Having your own off-street parking in the Highlands is like having Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket--eat your heart out Veruca Salt!  (work to begin soon)

Nick rode with me downtown to the city planning offices to beg for get a building permit for the new bathroom.  We left at 1 pm, found meter parking, showed our IDs, signed in and waited...for over an hour, just to see someone.

Around 2:30 pm, we were instructed to go to cubicle #7.  There sat a man, with his feet up, talking hurriedly on his cell and barking instructions.  He glanced at us long enough to snap, "Did you ask for me by name?"  This was not a good sign.

Of course, Nick answered in his quiet voice, "No.  We're just looking to get a building permit."

I left once during this exchange to feed the meter for another hour and a half, but it turns out this guy had hundreds of blood clots and needed surgery and was waiting for someone to come drive him to Cleveland for this special procedure.  Why was he at work???

He explained that he had over two years of plans and reports he hadn't filed because he just didn't have the time and others there didn't do their job right.  Looking at this pile, I guess we lucked out with cubicle #7:

This image doesn't do justice to the amount of papers...everywhere.

Nick shared the drawing of the proposal "I" was making.  Apparently, if its contractor requested, it has to be architectural renderings.  If it's home owner requested, you can draw it in crayon on a napkin and you're cool.

Nick mathed his pants here.  This is why I'm not a contractor.

In the end, Harold, the permits office angel, was really nice and thorough.  He quizzed Nick on code and tried to trip him up on R ratings and pitches and spacing and stuff.  Harold was really impressed with Nick's knowledge and told me several times how fortunate I was to have him.  Duh, tell me something I don't know!

Harold was really happy I was fixing this house up and keeping it in the style it was intended to be.  He even said, "This sounds weird, but God's gonna bless you for this."  Yeah, that was unexpected, but not weird--maybe coming from a city worker about a house...

Harold, the City Angel

Three hours after arrival, we left the city offices.  We also now had Harold's business card and cell phone number and we're instructed to call him anytime we have questions or need help.

I wanted Nick to take a pic with me and my new permit, but he just scoffed at me and walked to the car.  <disappointed face>