All good things must come to and end.....sadly!
I go back to work today after a week that we have been off for spring break.
It wasn't a wild spring break, but it was (for the most part) a satisfying one.
- I went to the zoo with some friends and got felt up by a giraffe (The highlight of the week)
- I had a surprise visit from an old friend that I had not seen in a LONG time.
- I went to a fish store with a friend from work.
- I went shopping (what lady doesn't like to shop?!)
- I got a LOT of estimates from guys for work I am trying to do on my house.
I bought a house roughly 3 and 1/2 years ago and I have been saving up for a long time to do some improvement work on it.
My house bucket list:
- New windows and doors (I never turn on my heating and A/C because the windows and doors are so old I can literally hear my money just fly out of the cracks)
- Get the basement waterproofed
- Get my gravel driveway repaired
- Get some landscaping around my house (I have no greenery!)
- I put down laminate flooring when I first moved in but never got the quarter round put down
I know this is a huge list and I don't know what I will be able to afford to get done, but even just talking to all of these contractors is stressing me out.
Everyone who comes out has a different opinion on what should be done window and basement wise.
I have a few guy friends that have done contracting work and they gave me some tips on dealing with these people. That actually is kind of annoying on its own because I feel like it shouldn't be such a game!
On top of that, I have not been able to get a landscaper or driveway guy to even call me back.
The estimates are coming back in slowly but surely and I now need to choose people to go with based off of referrals, gut instinct, price, and a little bit of faith.
Have any of you guys ever done work on your house? How did you choose what contractor to go with?!
I had sod put in the back yard several years ago. It would have been much more costly if I'd have gone with one of the clowns I called out of the phone book. Someone from church referred a guy, and it ended up saving me more than $1,000. Had hardwood put down in the same manner...referral from a friend. I hear you on the game-playing; my favorite is when they claim they can knock a percentage off if you commit right then (in order to keep you from getting more estimates). I've gotten to where I won't have work done if I can't find someone based on a previous client's referral.
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