Learning to Expect the Unexpected (or, Adventures with Installers)
While we've done pretty significant renovations before, most of that work was DIY. So while we had the odd plumber or electrician come through the condo, our experience with having contractors or installers has, up until now, been pretty limited. We're starting to realize that managing that process is a very specific skill and one we'll have to develop over the course of this renovation. In addition to that, however, we've also learned that things can sometimes... get weird. Two quick stories: Some Like It [Exceptionally] Hot When we bought this place, we knew it needed A/C. Some previous owner had installed pretty nice furnaces, done the ductwork, and even started to run a coolant line outside, but didn't quite get to the part where you actually put an A/C compressor in. So, OK, this should be pretty easy. Right? Nope. We got a couple quotes, which varied by a many thousands of dollars, but both salespeople seemed to think the installation process wou...