Met with GC foreman today

The general contractor sent one of his foremen over to finish the stucco and door job. Other than the fact that he was an hour and 45 minutes late, I was pleased. He adjusted two of the deadbolt locks that weren't working correctly, rehung some wires the stucco guys took down and rehung the exterior lights. He also hung the phone box and attached some wires that were not part of the job. I appreciated the extra work.

I went over the deck construction with him AGAIN. I'm not sure why this was necessary since I've gone over it with the owner several times. It was an hour of super overwhelming details. We kept running into problems that seem to have no good solution. For example, the deck is almost at ground level and we have a large tree root right along the surface. We've been going back and forth about what to do over and over without coming up with a good answer. He also gave me a different construction scenario which will require much more excavation than what I had discussed with the owner. He also mentioned the need to build a retaining wall at the far end of the deck. The actual surface of the deck will be at ground level, so the support structure will be underground thus a wall needs to be build to retain the soil away from the support structure.

What I don't understand is why did this meeting even happen? I already met with his boss, and the information this guy gave me is different than what his boss said and different than what the landscaper said. I called the landscaper and explained the situation, especially the tree root. I asked him if we could removed the tree and replant one of the same species but put it lower in the ground. He called me back a few hours later AT HOME! What is it with not using cell phones? Time is really of the essence, he knows that, and calls me at home. He said the foreman was wrong, but I still don't know what that means or how to get to the bottom of it. I am really getting stuck in the middle and I don't want to be there! When I took on the house, I felt well prepared to handle it. I don't feel that way about the yard, so I specifically told the landscaper I wanted one contract with him for the job. I don't want to be responsible for it, and now I am. I spent a few hours online trying to figure out what to do about this tree root and got nowhere.

Once again, we are in a quagmire. I start full-time graduate school in 6 weeks, and we don't even have a first draft of a contract on the yard. We are back in that physics conundrum where if you keep going half way to something you never get there. I thought we were so close yesterday and then this comes up.

It has been a really crazy week. School is fast approaching and the house is in chaos. I have not been able to do life maintenance and things are spiraling down. For example, I've needed air in my tires for days now. I need new sneakers (I have foot issues and need good shoes. The old ones are so worn they are hurting me and I run nightly with the dog). The house is a cluttered mess, which causes me a lot of stress. Both C and I need new alarm clocks. His stopped working months ago and we've been using my cell phone. The alarm suddenly stopped working on it. I have a new phone, and have had it in the box for months but haven't been able to open it and get it hooked up. The clock in the bathroom stopped working and we need a new one. I need some dress clothes (slacks and tops) for an internship for school (we never dress up, and I really don't have anything I could wear). I have a hard time finding clothes so I am not looking forward to this. The light bulbs in the bathroom fixture burned out. Normally, not a big deal but due to the code requirements I need special bulbs that have to be bought at a specialty store. The mixer (mixes hot and cold water to get the temperature you want) in the bathtub broke a few days ago and we only have warm water to bathe in. Fortunately, this one seems to have fixed itself but it's worrysome just the same. Whew, what a list. Things really pile up when you can't maintain your life. Working with contractors can really upend your life and routines. I have to be here a lot while they are working and often I get a call that they can be here in 20 minutes so I drop everything.

This is why remodeling is not fun!