What was intended to be a fall project, then a “before the first snow” project, and is now a spring project has finally started.
The first delays were due to contractor issues. We couldn’t find one last fall. For all the construction and home improvement slowdown reports, we had contractors who wouldn’t show up for quote appointments, contractors who were quoting 3x what the eventual job will cost, and contractors who came out before deciding they didn’t want the job and didn’t return our phone calls. Fun.
In early fall, a neighbor and I started chatting and he gave me the name of someone he used for construction projects at his job. (He said he would use him for home projects, but he didn’t want to be perceived at work as possibly getting kickbacks.) We called him out, he was willing to do the job, and even better, at the lowest price. Talk about lucky for us.
But then, we had to wait for the weather to break to get the tree out since it required a very heavy crane and the ground was simply too soft. That happened in December. But, we still couldn’t get started. Turns out that licensing and permits from the town go on a calendar year cycle. So if we started in December and hit a delay, we would have to start the paperwork over again and pay another round of government fees.
January arrives and we make contact with our contractor again. He jumped through all the hoops for the town. By the time we get all of the paperwork in hand, signed, and notarized – along with all of the construction drawings and documents – it’s late-February. He drew up a contract, we paid it, and we waited. And waited. And, finally, on Friday, we got permission.
They started work at 8am. And, oddly enough, both neighbors also had either a contractor or landscaper out to do work as well. I think we gave the trash and recycling truck drivers a hard time with all of the trucks in the road. I’ll update with more photos as the project progresses. I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s done by the end of the week.