Having tile put in today.... they started yesterday.
Back in the beginning of AUGUST I decided to get tile put in for my kitchen, family room, and downstairs bathroom. The bathroom was carpeted, so we definitely wanted that *out,* especially since we'd had some plumbing problems. I had to bring a mold inspector in to test for mold spores, so to increase my chances of getting a good "score" I tore the carpet out of the bathroom myself before the test. Then I started getting estimates for the downstairs and my two upstairs bathrooms, which also had been carpeted.
Much hedging on the downstairs, so fine, had just the upstairs done in September.
In October, attempting to schedule a time for the downstairs, suddenly there were "complications." They had to come out and re-measure. The second measurements didn't match the first. Then apparently it was a different company that had measured the first time. Then company #2, which had done the upstairs, changed their downstairs estimate by about $1,000. (???) Company #2 also badmouthed company #1, saying they had "licensing issues," which was blatantly false, but apparently company #2 was better than cheaper company #1?
So at this point I get fed up and call company #3. We talk, some more hedging, maybe I have to buy their tile, maybe I can buy their tile somewhere else...
Last week I firm things up with company #3, who's the cheapest, and they send out a guy to re-measure. I buy their tile, sign their contract, put down a deposit. The day before they're supposed to start, they send out this laaaaaaarge guy, J, to "take a final look before starting tomorrow."
Well, the next morning, it isn't J who shows up to start tiling, it's S. And S wants to know where I want the tile put in, and what else I want done. Despite the fact that I had already gone over this 100000 times with the rep from company #3. Say whaaaat? And then they don't like the kind of grout I wanted to use (epoxy - super stain resistant), so I cave and go out and get some "regular" grout, but apparently I still got the wrong kind because I had to go back AGAIN, all the while they're doing work at my house... and I get back and find they put baseboards in the wrong places while I was out getting their stupid grout. Soooooooo frustrating.
I just hope the floor looks really, really good to make all this fuss worthwhile! Grrrrrr!
Anyway, just ranting... I'm sure I'm not alone in my frustration with contractors!