Sunday, March 22, 2009

Frustration in 15 Easy Steps

#1  Agree to host the school's  Thank You Luncheon at your house.

#2  Decide, since all these people are coming to your house, you might as well replace that grungy, stained, extra gross carpet on the stairs that you've been talking about replacing for two years.  

#3  You ponder putting in hardwood on the stairs.  The rest of your house is all hardwood, why wouldn't you have hardwood on the stairs? 

#4  Your husband tells you that you are crazy.  He saw the stairs and they are made of plywood.  He tells you to get an estimate.

#5  Hardware on the stairs costs approx. $8,000.00.  The flooring man asks why you want to spend all that money?

#6  Husband spits out his coffee when he hears the estimate.

#7  You choose carpet and get a new estimate.

#8  Flooring Man #1 calls back when husband is working from home.  Husband scares that man away with hard core negotiating.

#9  Enter Floor Man #2.  Looks at the carpet you chose with Man #1 and  laughs. "Why would you want that on your stairs?  That will wear terribly."

#10  Choose new carpet get new estimate.

#11  Husband smiles because new estimate is $600.00 less than first estimate--and we even got a discount!

#12  3 days until the Luncheon.  Man arrives to install carpet.  Pulls it up...and BINGO, beautiful hardwood stairs.  Only the two bottom stairs are kaputt and need fixing.

#13  You make Installation Man wait one hour while you ponder how fast you can repair the steps and paint all of the trim in the stairway.

#14  Even though Flooring Man and Installation Man are willing to do whatever you want, you decide to go ahead with the carpeting (three days until the party, the cost of the hardwood refinish, on the hook for the carpet you bought, etc...).

#15  Bang your head on the wall as you watch carpet cover your coveted hardwood stairs for at least the next 5-8 years.

7 comments:

sistersledgekws said...

Well at least you won't slip. we did it too!

chatty kathy

Sherry Gann said...

Oh...what a frustrating experience!!!

Terri said...

I am so sorry to hear of your frustration. Isn't it funny what we will do to ourselves! What a brave woman to host such an important get together!! I would have loved to have come! I love reading your posts, you make me laugh and I need that alot!
Hope you have a non frustrating week this week! Happy Monday!

Anonymous said...

I can't believe the hardwood was under there. That had to hurt. But it's ok...because you know what the future holds. :)

Anonymous said...

At least you have a sense of humor about it... hope the luncheon went well (and was easier than the stairs!)

Anonymous said...

Sister, I feel your pain. I cracked up over your husband driving the guy away with hard-core negotiating. Is your Hubs an engineer like mine? Mine makes every potential service person have a nervous breakdown. He wears them down until they're nothing but a bloody stump. He's relentless. Mine took two years to decide what to do about our horror-show carpets. We fought so much about the flippin flooring, I thought we'd get a divorce. Happy Luncheon!

Rae Ann said...

Almost that exact thing happened to my mom-in-law! Except it was her formal dining room. She has been stuck with hideous sculptured pile (which she chose on purpose!) ever since.