Money Whoas

Some of you have heard of the recent cost overruns Colleen and I have been facing. Here is a quick recap and the good news updates on two of them:

A few weeks back, Colleen and I got the 3-D designs of our new kitchen cabinetry which were really fun to look at. A few days later the quote came in at three times what was in the allowance. Whoa! After much discussion and searching around, we went back to the cabinet guy on Tuesday and had a very productive conversation that we think will provide us with something more affordable that we still like. It may even come in at less than double the allowance. Dare to dream!

The addition requires a retaining wall be built on both sides of the house (totaling about 50 feet in length). This was not in the original bid (long story) but Colleen and I assumed it would probably cost in the $5000 range. Just two weeks ago, our Architect emailed us saying that he had a mason all lined up, all we had to do was sign the change order allowing the contract increase of $11,500. Whoa! After looking at many options (including dragging our friends into a wall building party) we found another mason willing to do the same project for less than $5000.