More snags

I got a call from the general contractor at 11:48 this morning at work. It turns out that the plumbing permit application they faxed me yesterday to fill out and have notarized was the wrong one. (And after having sent a courier down from Broward County last night to pick it up here at home.) So, in mid-afternoon they had a guy bring the correct application to my office for me to sign. (My signature had already been notarized--I guess you could say they know me by now.)

Then a while later, the general contractor called back again to say I would need a letter from the condominium association to the City of North Miami, giving the GC permission to do the work. I'd already supplied a letter from the condominium association on July 28, giving permission to do the work but specifically mentioning the electrical work and the electrical contractor. The GC now needs an original letter mentioning the name of the GC. (I asked whether this would hold up approval of the permit and was told it wasn't.) Again, this is something that you would think should have been taken care of a while back, not at the last minute.

I think if anyone in particular were to blame for the way this remodel has stalled due to problems with permits, obtaining letters, etc., it would be the kitchen expediter at the Home Depot store. This paperwork could have been started on at the beginning of May, when I hired Home Depot to handle the remodel. If I did my own job the way the kitchen expediter has done hers, I'd be fired. There's no excuse for all these last-minute snafus and my going without a kitchen for almost two months now. This job could have been done in a week or two.

There's really not that much work involved. It isn't a major construction project--nobody's moving any walls or rerouting the plumbing. Even the electrical work is minor (the appraiser said so) and the electrical contractor is ready to roll. This whole job is basically a matter of removing one set of cabinets and counters and replacing them with another. Why should it be dragging on for so long, with me not having a kitchen for two months? It's absolutely ridiculous.