Frustrated...

Today I am frustrated. So instead of writing something perky and upbeat or something tricky and ultimately depressing or insane I'm going to write a little bit about being frustrated. Because I need to sit here and write the words and because "better out than in!" Honestly I'm using my blog to get the frustrations out of my head and hopefully on their way gone.

As many of you know our AC broke on August 1. Right before our record highs of well over 100 with little cool off overnight. Thus began the project from hell. Like, literally hot as balls, hell. At one point everything in our house was warm to the touch. Which is really kind of creepy. Especially a toilet seat that feels like someone else just got off of when you sit down...

So anyway...we discovered that our nifty combo AC/Heater unit is a really difficult thing to fix, and replacements are really hard to find. Wait, let me back up...before I discovered that I discovered that having anyone even come look at a broken AC during a heat wave was a challenge. And then the first company I could get out the guy went up in the attic (yes, the attic) and came back down to let me know it was toast and would need replaced. He was going to get the paper work started and would get back to me later that day. So two days later I called his office and found out that they had no record of him starting the ordering process and they'd get back to me later that day, which was a Friday. So Monday morning I started the process again. I never ever heard back from the original company.

So I had two more companies come out and yes they agreed it needed replaced. And yes they both agreed that it was an odd unit to have in a residential unit. Usually you saw them in factories because the only way to repair them was to slide them out of the casing and there was no room in an attic for that. This is not an unusual thing for us to hear, that something in this place is odd. It's been an adventure every time we have had to have something repaired. Usually followed by, "this never should have passed code." I've learned that code is a more of a guideline.

So we settle on one company over another because they said they could bring the unit in through the house where the other one wanted to come in through the outside wall and that means involving the HOA and who needs that hassle right? Oh and the company I chose prides itself in its communication. Which after being left hanging by the first company and having dealt with the remodel last year I really wanted. And they did. Right up until I signed the contract and put down the deposit.

Every point of contact from that moment forward I initiated. "Where do we stand on getting the unit?", "Have you found a contractor to enlarge the opening in to the attic?", "Have you heard from the company yet about the unit?" On and on.

Oh, that bit about the contractor? Yeah, so it seems that when they put in the units the put them in THEN put the roofs on the houses. So there is no possible way to get it in or out of the house without making a bigger hole. They left access to the attic that was big enough for a person but not the furnace. Fine. It will be easy enough, just enlarge the hole. then patch it back up and they will handle that for me.

Which when I finally got their guy over there to look at it he said, "I need to hire an engineer because we need to move this and that and...permits...rebuilding...wall comes down...$3000." WHAT? To make a hole bigger? So yeah, they get another guy to come in. "Nah, it should be fine. Cut, cut, cut, patch, patch, patch, paint. Done." Much cheaper. So fine lets do that. He comes over to take one last look at the access and stands in my hallway and stares at it. "Do you want to go in to the attic?" "Nah, they sent me pictures, I can see this will work, my crew will be here tomorrow."

Okay, great, because the heater is coming Monday so that works perfectly. (This was last Thursday, yes 3 months after the AC broke) So his crew gets here Friday and..."yeah, we need you to come look at this," I overhear them on the phone, "there is a joist on top and the subflooring in the attic on the bottom so we can't make the hole the size you want." You know...things you can't see unless you are inside the attic, not in the hallway. So they call the heater guys and get the exact measurements and cut the hole to the size they HOPE will work and they will be back on Monday for the install.

So, while all of this is going on my washing machine has off and on for the past few months done a mystery leak. Not all of the time, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, no clue where it's coming from Bob, my handyman, has come to look at it and cannot find anything but it still leaks mystery leak. I've been dealing with it, not happily but it seems too early to buy a new machine, so I have been adding mopping time to each load of laundry and just being happy when it doesn't leak. That all worked out until Brent did laundry instead of me during sabbatical and was like, This is nuts! Order a new machine! So I did the scads of research and ordered a new machine. It was coming on Tuesday.

So Monday heater, Tuesday washing machine, probably Wednesday drywall repair.  Great.

Get an email from the heater people, We have you down for Friday for the install. What? No. You have me down for Monday. That's why I got the drywall guy out here to cut a hole in my wall today.  Oh no, we thought he was going to look at it today so we rescheduled you...why would you think that? Okay well, we can move it to Wednesday. Fine. Contact the drywall guy to let him know that he needs to be here Wednesday not Monday.

Monday I get the call from Home Depot telling me when the washer will be delivered. Then get a call not two minutes later from a local company they use to let me know that my washer arrived so damaged they cannot deliver it and will be getting me a new one and new delivery date. Fine.

Wednesday comes. The drywall guy is here. The furnace people are here. He cuts a little more, wishes them luck and leaves. They spend the next 3 1/2 hours banging the old unit out of the attic. Had to call in another guy to help. Beat the shit out of my walls Tore up the ceiling. Made a gouge in the wall. But it's okay, they are going to send pictures to the drywall guy so he knows what to expect and he'll be able to fix it. The new unit goes in easier than the old one came out, because they've torn everything up.

OH wait...one more piece to that. Spatial relations are hard for people. They were all so focused on the size of the hole in the wall that not a single one of them noticed that there was another sub wall in front of that hole that they would have to navigate. So yeah, it's a mess up there. But the old heater is out, the new one is in, they are sending pictures to the drywall guy so he knows what to fix and my freezing house is warming up. Whew.

Thursday morning...

"The heater isn't running." It's 5:45 AM. We are getting up to head to the gym. The heater should have clicked on. Brent goes out to check and there is an error message on the Nest. It's not getting power. Then it cycles on. Okay, well that's weird. But then it turns back off. My new heater is not working. Are you fucking kidding me?

So I call the heater people, they will call me back.

I text the drywall guy, do you need to wait?

No, he doesn't need to wait, it will be fine.

Call the heater people again. They will call me back.

Hand my phone to Brent, oh yeah, did I mention that he is home this morning and I need to drive him to the airport in a little bit? So hand my phone to Brent and have him hopefully take the call while I get a shower.

Get out of the shower and the heater people have called they will be here between 11 and 12.

Wait for the drywall people.

Give in and tell Brent he needs to take Lyft to the airport. I actually don't like to do that. I like to drop off and pick up. It's a thing. But I have too many people coming in and out today and I need to be home.

Drywall people get here around 9 (I was expecting them at 8:30).
I say, "You got the pictures yesterday, right? It's a mess."

Blank stare.

No they did not get any pictures. No they had no idea it was as bad as all that. This is going to be a LOT of work. And there goes my reasonable estimate, which honestly I knew was blown as soon as I saw the damage. I am more disgusted that they are flying blind.

AND...while all of this is happening I call Home Depot to find out when my washer is going to come now, since I've not heard from them since Monday. Did you know it takes a remarkable amount of patience to figure out how to talk to a person at Home Depot? Though when I do finally find one she is quite helpful. As in letting me know that it's a huge pain in the ass. Instead of just getting a new machine it had to be treated as a return and replace and I will hear from LG directly now. Not Home Depot. And I should hear from them by MONDAY for a new delivery date. I ask, "would it be quicker just to cancel the order and reorder another one?" Well...I could do that but they have had issues in the past with trying to get the refund processed from LG so maybe not.

So my brand new washing machine is already a giant pain in my ass and I haven't even received it yet.

My heater doesn't heat.

My walls are beat to shit and it's a surprise to the guys fixing them.

My husband is in a stranger's car leaving for a week. (Which as my mood darkened over the morning he is probably grateful for)

And now I am sitting here trying not to yell at people I need to do good work for me, freezing my fingers off, short about 800 words for a NaNo day and having no idea what to write after this bitch session closes.

So yeah, I'm a little frustrated. And it's Thursday so cake isn't even an option.