MONA LISA'S JULY 2008 HOUSE PROGRESS BLOG
Josephine's Summation of Contractor Speak:
"Lady don't worry about it. You'll love it when its finished."
and with that goes the proverbial next and final:
"Lady don't you think its a little bit late to worry about that now?"




Fri
Thurs
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29
 Finally Jay called Glenn to discuss a settlement. He wanted to know what we would be willing to settle for. Ive been waiting on the PDR headquarters representative from the SE "Dena" to call me back all day.
Mon
28
 I called the PDR Headquarters and let them know how we've been very unhappy with the local PDR company. They siad someone would get back to me tomorrow. Kenny was supoposed to get the stuff from Jay but Jay gave him nothing but excuses. It was the first day in ages without any rain here at our house.
Sun
27
Sat
26
 



Fri
25
 Kenny tried to get Jay's new revised downward list of charges
Thurs
24
 Kenny tried to get Jay to decrease
Wed
23
Tues
22
 Dr. Reeseman Apt. Digestive Disease Clinic 2:30 PM
Mon- July 21, 2008
 Today I went to Tom's to pick up the latest and hopefullyl final plans, I had him meet me at the Engineer's office a half mile from his place, and we clarified some issues which we didn't understand. I for one, didn't understand where all he wanted poles, but that thankfully was only one pole outside my master bedroom door to hold up the 4' overhang. Neither one of us could read some of the writing on the hand drawn plan notations which Jay had obtained last week. Tom needed some more time, to finish them at that point so we agreed to meet up after lunch around 3:3p PM and khe made me 4 copies.

While I was waiting for Tom I stopped by Marshall K's house, and he looked over what I had already and we discussed how to get the handicapped bathroom floor right.

Then Glenn and I met at the Uptown Cafe for lunch, and Tom called to let me know he'd made the changes and I could come anytime to look over it - he'd made one copy - to see if there was anything left undone before making the extra copies I'd need for the builders, etc. We n oted a couple of items undone, so he fixed them and made me 4 sets, I paid him and lelft.

I went straight to Larry's house and gave him a set of the latest and greatest and also a copy of the engineers drawing notations on the Jay copy which was only two pages actually, which were the pages noting the actual permit related changes.

USAA sent an inspector named Kenny to check out what had been done to fix our house.The inspector thought the restoration comopany was doing a terrible job and certainly not done enough to justify keeping the money they'd received as the first installment.  He will be asking Jay for a copy of the items done already and he's probably coming back tomorrow to do a more through check.

It looked like rain so I went outside and picked up the plastic and tried to flatten it out over most of the plywood deck and stacked the loose lumber over under the eve of the house.
Sun
Sat




Fri Jul 18, 2008
 Today Glenn took the day off, he made no phone calls nor was in any decision mode, so after we went to the Catfish Pad for lunch I (being the driver) headed straight to the PDR company headquarters. He was surprised and said he didn't want to go and I insisted we had to get the project moving along and we needed the paperwork to get it transferred and moving. He spent about 20 minutes inside talking with Jay and Jay led him to believe e wouldn't get much of our $47,000+ prepayment money back, and that Jay would charge him for every time they came out to do anything. I guess that would include such things as re-installing the gate after the mexican crew left it askew for children and dogs to run amok, and also I guess that will include a big bill for the 30 square feet I had left when they finally got there to help me seal the plywood he had installed before the plan was approved and would be ruined if I didn't act as fast as I could to get it sealed up. His worker Bobby broke my paint stick handle on just that little square footage left. It had worked fine for me for the aprox 970 sq. feet, but I did need them to move the pile of wood they left under the overhang and they told me they didn't think it was important to seal the edges so they left within 20 minutes of their arrival, not moving the pile of wood back so it would be somewhat covered over the overhang.
Thurs July 17, 2008
 Glenn and I had all day to think about the project and what we were going to do about my dissatisfaction with the way things were going with our builder. Glenn made no phone calls nor decisions on the issues. I called Lorraine and discussed what was going on and asked for her thoughts and help making Glenn understand my feelings and needs. She said she would.
Wed
July 16, 2008

Today was a hard start with having to finish delivering the Bobby Bowden pix from 7 am starting at the Fresh Food Co. Restaurant, and  then to the practice field from 10am til Noon, the back to the Sally Hall and I got all but 7 packs delivered and the rest handed off to a coach named Matt, forget his last name but he gave me his card.

Glenn called me and said the engineer wanted me to send him the videos of our home taken before the fire to look at again. I had to post them first, and they were from 5 to 45 megs each and it took quite a while. I email him a  list of them to look at.

Glenn and I met for lunch though I was really tired and still needing to work. We went to San Miguels and the conversation drifted back to the home project ... he informed me he had called Larry P to discuss the situation about rebuilding our house and his concern we might lose money for some reason. I got very upset that he'd called larry and told him to get doggie boxes if he wanted a ride back to work NOW. I went straight to the car and tried to reach Larry. He didn't answer but called me back later.

In the meantime while I was waiting for Glenn in the truck, I called our builder to tell him how much I was displeased with his services, and tired of looking at the crappy smut everywhere after all these months... Glenn came to the car and kept shushing me, so I told the builder I would call him back because I had to concentrate on driving as I was in such a hurry to get Glenn back to his work so he would be out of my sight. I was very very upset with him mostly. He seems more interested in pleasing this builder than me.

I came home and sent the builder this email.


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Brick walls and other things
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:12:50 -0400
From: Mona Lisa Abbott>
To: Jay White <jwhite@pdr-usa.net>
CC: Glenn Abbott warren bird


Dear Jay,

I am very unhappy with the things I see around here.

Workers sent over to build my house with 2 foot overhangs instead of what we discussed, after you said you'd do everything you could to make sure the overhangs were 4 foot. Did you ever listen to the conversation we had on June 26?

*Wood sprawled every where uncovered being rained on, since the beginning of July and not stored off the ground on some kind of under supports and properly covered, and it took so long getting help waterproofing the deck when help arrived I had most all of the top painted except for about 10 square feet left finished. I asked Ryan and Bobby to seal the edges with the leftover paint  and they said that the edges weren't important... and didn't matter (to them) so I had to do it also. Old nails discarded where ever without any effort to be put in the trash. Workers beverage and food trash and garbage left helter skelter to rot on the new deck or yard is not a pretty site.

I've tried to cut you some slack on giving us an itemized list of how the funds are being expended as we go along. Is it a problem to keep us informed on what I hope you are keeping a record of already?

I do not like being left in the dark nor being misinformed...  Alan insisted it took 100 80lb bags of cement to to fill in the rebar-ed cement cells. I told him is utterly ridiculous.

I do believe I would have noticed 100 bags of cement sitting around here... when I saw them doing that job.

100 - 80 lb bags would have been quite a few stacks.... _very noticeable. If that was a joke, it wasn't funny.

I do not like fake inspections. For instance we were supposedly waiting for the "inspector" when I finally called Alex Arbona, the permit inspector to find out what time he'd be coming, and come to find out, no one from your company had called him to come inspect before the plywood was nailed in place. Also come to find out, the bolts which should have been every 4' were instead every 5 foot and had to be fixed. I hope they were, I didn't have time to be on top of these people and I cannot be here to document every nail that your workers put in the walls.

*We need to assess our situation here...  I'm wondering how much of our money is left from what we've paid you so far and how much do we get back if we just call it a day as you said you thought we should do on Monday a week ago. I'd like for my husband to be pleased, but how can he be pleased if we get a divorce, because I'm not happy with your company and he feels stuck with you. I wish I could be happy, but you are just too busy or just not willing. Your words are there, but your actions speak louder.

Our contract seems not properly worded. You inserted your company as your name, and I'm not sure we are legally protected with the wording of it from liens being put on our property if you haven't paid the suppliers and subcontractors.

I'm tired of lies and half truths. You told us we could stop the work at any point if we were not happy with it.

You are just too busy with other projects to pay proper attention here. I'm tired of living with smut that should have been properly removed before 5 months have gone by.

And the brick wall we discussed today, which we had been led to believe... should be fine with paint...  apparently according to other people in the industry will _not be ok with paint unless you get the proper equipment to remove that crappie surface and restore the brick. You said if the powerwashing didn't work, you'd sandblast, but you NEVER DID. Your plan seems to be to wait til its too late.

*Please SANDBLAST OR TEAR IT DOWN AND REBUILD, which ever we need to do. We like the brick.

 If you want to paint a section and prove others wrong, you should do that before its too late to sandblast or whatever needs to be done to make it right.

Same with Stairwell. I don't like the asphalt melted look there ... or on on the pool deck.

Your timing seems awful to me. Putting the plywood floor on before laying out most of the plumbing lines, and laying out some of the electrical preparations, can be done... but I think it should have been done in the light of day  ... I could go on and on. I'm disappointed and I want out.

I want the bill and I want to get some of our money back. We have the insurance itemized list to go by, which you led me to believe we'd all get sick of looking at so often, and yet we haven't even once looked at together. Its time now.

Mona
============
 I will followup with a phone call tomorrow.

The architect finally called me back to ask if I'd gotten the closet detail. I still havn't had time to look at it.
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