A Willing Victim of Home Invasion

Presently there are three strangers downstairs pulling my house apart. They have torn the carpeting from the stairs to the upper floor. They are moving everything around downstairs, taking the artwork off the walls and hiding it in the downstairs closet. I didn't expect this to occur until sometime next week, but Roni (the one responsible for this upheaval in my home) brought them in today.

It all started last Monday with a call from a contractor who has been following up with me (us) for about a year now. It was a cold telemarketing call that started it all. Usually I hang up on these guys, but this fellow was so engaging and had such a soft-sell attitude on the phone, I told him we might want to do a little remodeling, and to call in about six months. Sure enough, six months later he was calling "just to check up on your needs." Again, I told him call back in about six months, which I suppose was last Monday, because he called a third time. I said I was interviewing contractors for some remodeling prior to selling the house. We had an appointment set for Tuesday (yesterday) in no time.

Roni showed up for the interview. A 15-year immigrant from Israel, he was friendly, fast talking and enthusiastic without being too pushy. He had an iPhone full of construction shots and video testimonials from previous clients. Most of the work was on a much larger scale than the work needed here, but he said no job is to big or small. In the middle of our "interview," I got a call and used it as an excuse to pop upstairs to the computer and do a quick search of their company. After visiting several sites that ranked contractors, I found the business had a 90-out-of-100 rating on one site and ranked in the top 30 percent of builders nationwide (even higher for California proper, though I forget what the number was) on yet another. And I couldn't find a single complaint, even on the state contractors' website.

I went downstairs and asked to see more of their work. He pulled out a fully prepared folder with before and after shots, obviously photographed by a professional. Roni pushed forward and just started writing an estimate. I noticed his price for the removal of the popcorn ceiling and prepping the walls for paint was exactly the same as the one I had received from a contractor Bob McBroom had recommended. And the cost for painting the place was a little less than another quote.

What really sold me was the fact that Roni would be the supervising contractor, and I didn't have to deal with a number of separate people. "I even bring you samples to the house: you just look and choose." And the fact that his iPhone was filled with so many shots of job sites that even he had trouble locating specific pictures made me realize he was really into what he did.

Stairs and entry before
(with demon cats)

We started with an estimate of $14,250 and, with some wrangling, worked it down to $12,750. I had estimated a budget of $10,500, and I figured the extra two grand was worth it not to have to deal with managing and scheduling multiple contractors. As Roni put it, "You've been through a lot and you need to just sit back and let someone take care of this for you." That made heaps for sense to me. I also reflected on the fact that the two contractors I knew from the chamber of commerce said the job was really too small for them. "If you want to replace the cabinets and appliances in the kitchen, we'd be happy to quote it, but just the countertop; you can find a guy who specializes in that."

Entry and stairs today

So Roni wrote up the contract and I read it over. There was a separate form that listed the specifics of the work to be done. As I read through them both, I realized that there was no mention of the separate form on the main contract. I pointed that out to Roni and he said, "You're right," then wrote down "see attached work order form 1031." He was impressed by that. I think a lot of people sign it without reading the thing.

So, after writing a $1,000 check for the deposit, we parted company, he saying they would come over tomorrow (that is, today) to take a sample of the popcorn on the ceiling to test for asbestos (which they won't find, as it was outlawed before the construction of this place). He said he'd show up at 11 with the project manager, who would be here on a day-to-day basis. Sure enough, I glanced out the window at 10:55 and they were hanging out on the sidewalk, and at 11 sharp they were at the gate, and I let them in.

Upstairs landing looking down the stairs

I showed them the leftover bamboo from the flooring downstairs and Sam (the project manager) said there would be enough there to finish off the floor in the downstairs bathroom. Before I knew it, he was busy ripping up the carpeting on the stairs. Sam said they are now trying to find matching bamboo (or, failing that, matching hardwood) to finish off the stairs. Roni said he was going to a nearby job site where they were just finishing up and bringing back a couple people to begin prepping the downstairs for removing the popcorn and getting ready to paint.

And they've been down there for the past four hours. I went downstairs earlier and offered them (Carmen and Miguel) some cold water, since I was getting some for myself. I'm not sure how long they will be here, but I just realized that I have to take down all the vertical blinds before they start prepping the walls for paint. I'm pretty sure I can manage that myself, but thought I had the weekend to get it done. Carmen (the one with the English, I think) just came up to say they had finished for the day. "We be back tomorrow at 9 a.m." I thanked her for the work, which was substantial: the entryway and the living room are cleared, floors covered and ready for work, with everything piled up in the dining room and out on the patio.

Roni said the entire job would be done by July 14, and at this rate it will probably be earlier, which means I can get the house on the market for sure by the end of July, once the cleaning crew has been through and all the donations are out of the house. He warned me, though, that once they started they would be here from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday until the job was completed (save the July 4th holiday).

I'm so grateful for all this, no matter how surprising this jump start is. One of the things that made Steve and I such a good couple was that I have a tendency (just like my father) to put things off, to just hang out in the house and procrastinate. Steve was the one who kicked me in the ass and got me moving on things. I think he saw me sitting here and decided to send Roni to kick start my plans and get my life moving forward at a healthy speed.

Now the big question in my mind is: where will I be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas this year?