Almost there

I can't sleep in tomorrow - not that the dog and cat ever allow me to - because the plumber is coming at 8am to install the toilet and sink. Whoo-hoo! The laundry room conversion has taken so long that I stopped believing it would ever end. But the painters are here today, and once the plumbing fixtures are in place, we are DONE.

Except for the post-completion wrangling. There are a couple of outstanding problems. One is an outlet that is not flush with the wall. Another is a line item on the original bid for a dumpster, a dumpster that never materialized. And then there is the floor tile.

Long story: Once upon a time, I replaced the linoleum in my kitchen with Durastone. Loved the stuff, so last year I had them use it in what is now the old laundry area. Later, while extolling the virtues of Durastone to one of my co-workers, we visited the Durastone website, where I discovered that my pattern had been discontinued. My flooring people found me some more, though, and I had them do the family room. I was contemplating having the breakfast bar between the kitchen and family room removed at some point in the future, so I made sure I had enough Durastone left over to do that job.

For the new laundry room, the contractor provided a line item on the bid for the flooring, using a different floor company than my guys. I asked my guys for a bid as well, which was a bit lower, so I said to the contractor, If your guys can match that bid, I will just go with them. They did, and they were able to locate more of my pattern. So far, so good.

When it came time to install the floor, however, the flooring guys wanted to use a "couple" of my tiles. I said, OK. Well, they used all but two tiles. That means I have virtually no extra tiles for repair nor any for the kitchen should I decide to remove the breakfast bar. I assumed their bid included all materials, so I feel duped. My response was to ask the contractor what he wants to do, replace my box of tiles or deduct the cost of a box of tiles from the final bill? He said he would get back to me. Either way, I hope I can find another box.