Had a Bit of A Hiccup.
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, then you know that our contractor who had been working with us on the renovation since December … abandoned the job at the end of February. I communicated with him on a Monday when he sent updates and photos, then on Tuesday I drove to town for a regular check-in and he was GONE. As soon as I drove in, I had an odd feeling. All his tools and equipment had been removed, the dumpster and his trailer gone. Initially I thought maybe they were at lunch or picking up materials or checking in on another job site. But after he didn’t respond to calls or texts, I knew he had left us.
The unthinkable had happened - but what can you do?? Some people just don’t do the right thing or have good values or morals. As I tell my kids, you can’t control how others behave, but you CAN control how you react.
So, how did I react?
Initially my husband and I were in shock. We rehashed and talked about red flags from the past two months that we ignored, even though they didn’t settle just so at the time. It took a few days to accept and process it.
Then I vented a bit on social media, posted his face in community groups as a watch-out to other homeowners hiring contractors, sharing our story (I will continue to do this). I reported him and his LLC to anyone who had contact with him during this project … Better Business Bureau, an engineer he used, Home Depot, Bank of America, Paypal and the state of NC Licensing Board. I found a bit of humor and posted some reels and videos on IG. I went through our budget to try to determine how much $$ we lost. Then we met with other contractors/subcontractors and came up with a plan to move forward. This has absolutely been a learning experience for us.
His leaving lit a fire - I think the past two weeks have been the most productive. I’ve spent a great deal of time at the house, as much as Rob’s travel schedule will allow. I updated two of the bathrooms - wall tile and new fixtures in one, board and batten and new fixtures in the other. I’ve hung shelves, started to arrange the furniture. Planning out the decor that I’ve been curating over the past two months. Cleaned up construction debris. Painted kitchen cabinets and installed the hardware.
We are under a deadline since our goal has always been to offer the house for weekly rentals starting this spring. But the good news is I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Siding is wrapping up this week and the exterior will be painted next week. The electrician and plumber are there today/tomorrow working on the interior lighting, new fixtures, checking all outlets and light switches for function and safety. And I’ll be back in a few days for more interior decor and small projects.
Here are some photos fo the latest - I continue to be excited and I hope we can host your family for this year’s vacation. If you’re interested, shoot me an email at Elizabeth@carolinaviewsllc.com or click here.
