POINTER94
Vice Admiral
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Messages
- 5,031
Just before christmas my fiance' asked if I would help on a project to help one of her co-workers (teacher) with a christmas present that would assist someone who was in a bad spot. The present would be to help remodel a kitchen in a "while you were out" type of scenario. I of course, agreed to help.<br /><br />Well I got there, thinking I would replace some cabinets, and lay some linolium. Well it had a suspended ceiling and upon removing that there was some nasty drywall, and behind that a lat and plaster ceiling. When I removed all this I discovered that the ceiling joists were 2 x 4's!!!! To make maters worse there was a 1000lb CI tub in the bathroom above this. 
<br /><br />I reinforced the entire ceiling structure with 2 x 6's and removed all the old lighting fixtures and replaced with modern, variable, can lighting in a proper matrix, installed a blue board and plaster ceiling and finished that. Then the floor was just as bad.......I finished that and topped it off with the new free floating tongue and groove hardwood floor/pergo.<br /><br />Having done the lighting I realized that the entire electrical in the room was a disaster, yep, redid all that. The walls were water damaged, so out with the lat and plaster walls, in with new blue board and plaster walls. (Leaking Chimney, fixed) Plumbing was a hack job, updated that.<br /><br />You get the picture. Ann had taken up a collection from her co-workers and friends and we came up with about 900 bucks. With this we got new cabinets, countertops, floors, lights, an new/used refrigerator and stove/oven, drywall, mud, etc. Yep, we were really bargin shopping and did what I thought was an incredible job. I had to throw in about 400 extra to do all the unplanned repairs. We completely gutted everything and replaced with new. This woman didn't even have a refrigerator or a stove. We also got a washer and dryer donated for her.<br /><br />I have given about a dozen weekends labor (I somehow became the sole worker on this project after the first weekend) since christmas to finish this in a safe and modern way, and in a way that transformed this into a kitchen - she was using it for storage before we started. <br /><br />To date this womans contribution has been to remove 4, yes 4, tiles off the old wall behind the backsplash. She hasn't lifted a broom, bought a beer, she even has us pay to have a key made so we could work on the house while she slept at her boyfriends house. (2nd one since the project started.) If I missed a weekend the dirt pile that was swept up was right where I left it two weekends ago.<br /><br />I feel like an idiot/sap/fool/clown/bozo/moron... It is taking all my willpower not to tell this bitc# what I think of her and her lifestyle. I finished the job because I said I would. Just because she has no class does not mean I should act the same way. Well it is done except for painting, (we bought the paint) and that is her baby. This was a medium project that got huge and I spent the past four weekends without seeing hide nor hair of the "person". Should I tell her off or let it go. I really feel taken advantage of... <br /><br />FYI I haven't spent a minute in this house without Ann. She has also contributed her own money in addition to the original outlay. (BIGTIME on her part, the 400 is between the two of us) She won't let me do anything without her helping. Even if it is just to be there to keep me company. She is just as upset.
<br /><br />I reinforced the entire ceiling structure with 2 x 6's and removed all the old lighting fixtures and replaced with modern, variable, can lighting in a proper matrix, installed a blue board and plaster ceiling and finished that. Then the floor was just as bad.......I finished that and topped it off with the new free floating tongue and groove hardwood floor/pergo.<br /><br />Having done the lighting I realized that the entire electrical in the room was a disaster, yep, redid all that. The walls were water damaged, so out with the lat and plaster walls, in with new blue board and plaster walls. (Leaking Chimney, fixed) Plumbing was a hack job, updated that.<br /><br />You get the picture. Ann had taken up a collection from her co-workers and friends and we came up with about 900 bucks. With this we got new cabinets, countertops, floors, lights, an new/used refrigerator and stove/oven, drywall, mud, etc. Yep, we were really bargin shopping and did what I thought was an incredible job. I had to throw in about 400 extra to do all the unplanned repairs. We completely gutted everything and replaced with new. This woman didn't even have a refrigerator or a stove. We also got a washer and dryer donated for her.<br /><br />I have given about a dozen weekends labor (I somehow became the sole worker on this project after the first weekend) since christmas to finish this in a safe and modern way, and in a way that transformed this into a kitchen - she was using it for storage before we started. <br /><br />To date this womans contribution has been to remove 4, yes 4, tiles off the old wall behind the backsplash. She hasn't lifted a broom, bought a beer, she even has us pay to have a key made so we could work on the house while she slept at her boyfriends house. (2nd one since the project started.) If I missed a weekend the dirt pile that was swept up was right where I left it two weekends ago.<br /><br />I feel like an idiot/sap/fool/clown/bozo/moron... It is taking all my willpower not to tell this bitc# what I think of her and her lifestyle. I finished the job because I said I would. Just because she has no class does not mean I should act the same way. Well it is done except for painting, (we bought the paint) and that is her baby. This was a medium project that got huge and I spent the past four weekends without seeing hide nor hair of the "person". Should I tell her off or let it go. I really feel taken advantage of... <br /><br />FYI I haven't spent a minute in this house without Ann. She has also contributed her own money in addition to the original outlay. (BIGTIME on her part, the 400 is between the two of us) She won't let me do anything without her helping. Even if it is just to be there to keep me company. She is just as upset.
