Fred Hagemeister

So the windows took up 3 days to install 10 windows, and there are 19 more that will need installation hopefully before Christmas (and we are getting snow tomorrow night!).  Again, we were told by Stacey Skelton at Lowes that windows would take 203 days total.

Now, the siding that was supposed to take “a week to a week and a half” is going to take much, much longer than we were told by Stacey Skelton at Lowe’s (and that we used to pick Lowes’).  First, I can try to keep from counting the days wasted on having to relent on our constraints, and I can keep from counting the days that Adams Home Exteriors reneged on the starting date.  However, we’ve then had 5 days of installation work and have so far only done the following:

• removed siding from almost 3 sides (this would be a good thing, but they did this on days 1-2 and it’s been sitting like this for several days)
• wrapped most of the exposed sheathing with Tyvek.
• Sided 1/3 of the street-side short wall (with the caveat that they are going to need to re-do some of it because of the vent mistakes they made (Adams Home Exteriors).  Also, we’ve had no security light for over a week, and we haven’t been able to use our dryer for a week.
• Sided 1/4 of the front – this includes them installing an outlet j-block that will require me to use the old, crappy weather covers for that outlet, a lack of porch lights (they took them down and won’t put them back up until siding is done), and having to strongly negotiate a couple 1×6 pieces of vinyl I had to buy separately so they could have a mount for the porch railings that need re-installation.  Further, they gauged one of the columns I just refinished as part of this project.
• began prepping to far side, short wall, south of the chimney (half the wall).

This might seem like an okay amount, but they had not put up any siding after 4 days, they are now probably 1/5th through the entire project, and that would extrapolate to 16 more days!  To be clear, Stacey Skelton at Lowe’s told us it would take 1-1.5 weeks for siding!  Okay, you may be thinking, “it’s just two people’s word for it” but no, the estimated project completion was November 28.  At the current rate, we are looking at the siding being done after New Year’s Day and the windows may or may not be done since there has been absolutely no word on the re-ordered windows nor the ability to install them in a timely manner nor the idea that some of these 19 windows may have problems as well (which is very reasonable since 2/3 of the original order were screwed up).

The installers wrapped the street-side short wall in Tyvek and didn’t cut a hole through for the dryer.  We have not been able to wash and dry clothes for a week now.  Shawn Adams said he was going to get the crew to cut it, but that hasn’t been done.

This is more of a reference for storing the work schedule of the installers rather than anything else.

Windows

• Nov. 17 – installation begins – demolition may have begun on some windows and casing began but no new windows installed.  Paul from Adams Home Exteriors inventoried windows and found one was broken and that there were at least 4 more that were mis-ordered (arrived with wood grain that yet should have been white).
• Nov. 20 – they installed the 7 wood grain windows on the first floor (the ones that need to be re-ordered due to damage and/or bad seams) and 2 windows in the basement. Noticed the caulk being applied to dirty aprons and the gauges and bad seams on the wood grain windows.
• Installation stopped at this point.  Lowe’s re/ordered 19 windows due to arrive “mid-December.”

Siding – Adams Home Exteriors – Lafe is the only siding installer. He arrives at the work site around 9 am each of the days they are working and usually leave by 3/3:30 pm each day (one exception so far).

• Nov. 21 – installation was to begin but could not since most of the windows had to be re-ordered.  We relented and are allowing Adams Home Exteriors to begin work without the windows being done because Lowes and Adams promised to extend the installation, and Stacey  (Lowe’s) would work hard to get price discounts due to the problems – including the price reduction to white windows from wood grain).
• Nov. 27 and 28 – installation was to begin Nov 25, but Adams Home Exteriors could not begin until Nov. 29.  The entire windows and siding project was to be completed November 28.
• Nov. 29 – began pulling off siding – 3-man team
• Nov. 30 – more siding removal – 2-man team (from here out until Dec 13)
• Dec. 1 – At the end of the day, no siding has yet to be installed. Some Tyvek has been installed
• Dec. 2 – no work – they aren’t working weekends
• Dec. 4 –
• Dec. 5 – didn’t work – one helper may have been on site but no discernible work done
• Dec. 6 –
• Dec. 7 – workers stayed until about 6pm to “catch up”
• Dec. 8 – installers went against a request to only work on the short wall if they had a new kitchen vent.  They installed a bathroom vent for the dryer (cheap louvered kind) and just painted the rusted kitchen vent, i.e., they made a change without approving with the homeowner.
• Dec. 9 – they said they would come if it wasn’t for the snow
• Dec. 11 – didn’t work – Lafe (the siding lead) texted that he had a medical emergency. I met with Shawn Adams and he said they would redo the kitchen and dryer vents as requested.
• Dec. 12 – didn’t work – no idea why
• Dec. 13 – only Lafe working – I heard that the helper quit – this means one person is doing the installation by himself.  I contacted both Shawn Adams and Stacey Skelton and no responses. Saw no discernible work but scaffolding on the kitchen wall was raised.
• Dec. 14 – installer worked until 5pm

So much for scheduling.  So Shawn (Adams Home Exteriors) said the installation would begin straight after Thanksgiving.  Well that didn’t happen, and then he said the installers had to finish up other projects on Monday and Tuesday, November 27th and 28th so they’ll get started tomorrow, Wednesday, November 29th (strangely, that is one day after the project is supposed to be completed!).