Breaking The Silence
Posted on December 7, 2007 by Eric
Filed Under Household, Housing
Sorry we haven’t been writing lately. It’s been lots of 7AM to 10PM days and just a short time at home. We didn’t do a good job ahead of time estimating how long we’d have to work on different tasks around both homes.
A quick update – we’ve been robbed! Our new house was robbed and the appliances were taken. The thief broke in and took the most expensive and easiest items to take. At least the thief was courteous and turned off the gas when he snipped the cable to the gas stove. We think it probably wasn’t his first time through this. We’re still dealing with that event but everything is being resolved. It was the builder’s responsibility to lock it up so they bought us new appliances. The only problem is the new microwave is broken. It’s getting handled through the warranty however. C’est la vie.
One thing to learn from all of that is to make sure to get things in writing. I trust the builder and the company to do the right thing, but when it comes to money sometimes people can be funny. It’s always best to get things in writing.
Another lesson – it may be cheaper to seal your own tile but it sure takes a long time. It took us nearly 4 days to get it done. We saved $1300 doing it ourselves, but lost all that time. Although I’m really happy we saved that money, I’m physically exhausted and feel like I’m behind in other areas.
We had a little debate about movers, too. We shopped around a little bit and found different movers estimate things differently. We were concerned about movers that estimated by the hour. Is there motivation to get things done quickly? If our move is done in 4 hours, then the hourly rate vs. flat rate turns out to be mostly the same. However, if the hourly folks take one more hour, that’s another $100. On the other hand, if it’s a flat rate, will the movers rush through and not be as careful so they can save time?
We decided, after some debate, to go with the flat rate. If we get any guff about the amount to move (they made us estimate boxes as well as the items we’d be moving) then we’ll move the small stuff ourselves. We’re not done packing our boxes yet so we don’t know where we’ll end up number-wise.
Here’s to hoping we’re done with the move soon and ready to get back into our groove. I need to get to studying and Melissa wants more time to write. We’ll get there in just a little more time…
Image Source: Mykl Roventine
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Eric,
Yeah, sealing grout is a time-consuming job. Worst part is that it will need to be sealed again at some point. It all depends on where the tile is and how much wear and exposure to moisture it gets. I think it’s a good idea to seal your own tile so you’ll get a good sense of how long it takes and how to do it. Unless, of course, you can afford to pay someone to seal it every time it needs it.
I’m so sorry to hear about the theft of your brand new appliances. I’ve never heard of such a thing but can see where it might be a not-unheard-of occurrence in new housing developments. New empty houses might be easy pickings.
Be sure to have cash on hand to tip the movers. My mom moved house so many times she probably couldn’t even count the number anymore. She always said to tip the movers 1/2 at the beginning of the job so they’ll know to treat your stuff well and again when the job is done if they’ve done a good job.
Good luck!
Sorry to hear about the stealing of your appliances… Glad the builders are doing the right thing.
Oh, Eric, I’m sorry about the theft of your new appliances — sounds like a very professional job. I hope you and Melissa will be able to feel safe and secure in your new home when you are finally moved.
Also, a comment on Elizabeth’s comment about tipping the movers “fore and aft” — my uncle is in the moving business. While he always treats the items he lifts and hauls with care, he knows to exaggerate the appearance of his gentleness around the “nervous nellie” clients. Not everyone has his work ethic, of course, but labeling things well, making your expectations clear, and tipping fore and aft are all good practices to ensure you and your stuff are treated well.
My goodness the theft is horrid! So sorry! :(
I hope everything goes smoothly today!!
I had a fabulous experience with by-the-hour movers some years ago. We were moving 3 people’s stuff from one place we all shared to 2 apartments in different complexes. It was such a bizarre move, with having to remove a window and pass furniture up from the 2nd floor balcony to the third floor window because nothing fit up the spiral staircase! Those 2 guys got the job done SO fast!! I was shocked and amazed, and since I knew they get an hourly rate that’s far below what I paid for their services, I gave them a big tip, too! They were worth every penny of my broke-grad-student budget! I never regretted it.
That’s crazy. Sorry to hear about all of the added stress; holidays are stressful enough as is. :(
I had never heard of that kind of appliance theft. I’d heard of TVs being taken but not gas appliances. I guess with all of the building going on there’s a lot of supply.
Interesting though that you bring up the tile thing. My wife and her mother installed a Purgo-like floor in our living room and it took essentially a day for 200 sq ft. Installation would have easily doubled the cost. Still $1,300 in savings over four days for your tile is nothing to sneeze at.
@Elizabeth – I’m not looking forward to sealing the grout again, but if it has to happen, it has to happen. We took your advice on the 1/2 tip up front with the movers. Because the move was less than we had estimated, we tipped pretty well. It was 2 guys and they moved fast and did a great job. They got us moved in less than 5 hours! I thought that was pretty fast!
@Kimberly – we really liked our builder and we’re glad they are doing the right thing too. They did a great job and have had a lot of integrity and pretty much always did the right thing.
@Lissa – Apparently this situation is much more common than we realized. We’ve told several friends and quite a few of them have heard of this happening to other people. We had a handyman over the other day and he said it happens all the time to new homes.
@PaidTwice – Thanks! Things are definitely improving. We’re starting to get more and more settled in. Hopefully before Christmas, when my parents get in, we’ll have settled in.
@HistoricStitcher – Sounds like you had some good movers! Removing a window? That sounds like a rough move too!
@MBHunter – This seems to be a phenomenon common with new homes. Before the new owners take ownership, people break in and take the easy to take kitchen appliances. And where we are, there isn’t as much development around us, so they could do this very quietly. How do you like the Pergo floor? I’m thinking of saving up and converting some my office from carpet to Pergo and would prefer to save money putting it in myself.
I am so incredibly sorry about your appliances. You don’t need that on top of the stress of moving and being a DIY’er. I hope that things turn around for you and that your move goes smoothly!
@Amy – Thank you. Things are looking better now and starting to go well. It was just a much longer and more difficult road than expected…