Still more windows

I started today by trying multiple times to get find out the status of my orders with Home Depot. Not only could I not get someone on the phone in three tries, but I left a message per their instructions which was never returned. They are horrible to work with sometimes. I placed an order with a local independent plumbing supply place, which a sales rep at Home Depot saw in my notebook, and he said "You should have ordered here, we can match prices. " What I didn't tell him was that I had tried, for hours, to place the same order and the sales help just wasn't informed enough to help me. I got it done in 20 minutes with the help of the knowlegable staff at the plumbing supply place (and my plumber).

On that subject, I called the local plumbing supply place and my order there is delayed too! In this case though, at least the staff has a clue and is nice - it's the manufacturer that has the parts back ordered for 6 weeks. The sales rep assured me that this company (Grohe) is very reliable in their estimates. The good thing is that the delay is for the faucets and handles (known as "trim" in plumbing language), which are the last things to install. Since we hope to be in by May 1, this shouldn't delay us. The rest of the order is in, and we arranged delivery for tomorrow.

I stopped by the house and rechecked our window order and then picked C up where he spent his lunch hour looking at windows with me. What a trooper! I think our session raised more questions than answers. Windows now take the cake as the toughest thing I've shopped for yet. A posting on the Google group misc.consumers.house said it best "There is no such thing as a standard window." They are difficult to compare due to varying standard and optional features, and some companies don't make windows in all sizes. I think I know the line we will use, but we still need more information. I spent the afternoon looking at windows online, and then made a run to Home Depot for to price a few more lines. One line didn't come in one of the sizes we need and the other seemed really expensive. Another difference is lead times - some take only 2 weeks and others take 4-8 weeks. This is becoming a factor if we want to be in by May 1. I also need to stay ahead of the contractor too. Ugh.....

I spoke to the roofer today, and he wants to start this week. It works out well weather-wise, and he is able to get the city inspections done to coincide with his schedule. The only thing is that the bathroom fan needs to vent out the roof and that hole has not been cut in the roof yet. The roofer said he would come back and install flashing around the new cut. Seems like a plan.