Sunday, December 5, 2010

Raising the Roof (Part 2)

This will be short as I'm tired and not in the best of mood.  I've been gone all day.  Long story short - the people we hired said they would have the workshop down in one day and back up on our property the next.  Well, Friday went by and they asked for another day.  Saturday went by and still not down.  This morning (Sunday), we called the man who we bought it from and whose property it's on and he said it was only about 20% finished.  Keep in mind, the man is moving Wednesday, so the workshop has to be gone by Tuesday.  Uh, we can do that math.  We called the guy who was supposedly working for us and he was all full of stories.  We drove up there (an hour and a half) and not only was it 20% done at most, but they were taking all the siding off and the windows out!  What were they planning on doing, driving us down a truck full of lumber?  My partner called the man and fired him (we did pay him a $300 deposit but felt we had no choice).  Okay, now what?  Here we are on a Sunday with $500 out for a shop we bought and $300 lost to people who were completely unreliable and lacking knowledge and integrity (they consistently weren't showing up on time and Saturday only stayed 3 hours to work) and an hour and a half from home.  My partner had $700 left in the original budget to get this thing taken care of.  So, we drove to Home Depot where the Mexican men hang out for work and drove some back to look at the workshop.  They said for $700 they would take it down and deliver it to our home but would not reconstruct it (The roof will be in two pieces cut at the ridge cap, the carport roof cut in two, the 4 walls and floors).  So, they got their tools and started working like crazy.  They did more work in 2 hours than the other joke of a crew did in 2 days.  My partner is meeting them back up there in the morning bright and early and they are to bring it back tomorrow.  As for putting it back together?  My dad (age 76) who is 3 hours away was a contractor and he and my mom and a friend of theirs will drive up and we are gonna get that thing put up next weekend with the help of a neighbor or two, I hope.  If all goes well, we will come out on budget and only be a week behind, ha ha.  But, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed cause a lot can happen in the meantime and there's a lot to be done.

I'm also not in the best mood cause I have a sick hen.  She wasn't able to get up to the roosting bars with the other hens this evening after I had come come.  She is wheezing some, her eyes look glassy and she is listless and inactive.  I put her in a carrier, put a towel down (her toes are curling some) and put her in the second bedroom where she'll be warm for the night.  I'll check on her in the morning.  I don't do well with sick animals and I"m angry at those people who took our money and had no idea what they were doing because I was gone all day while she was sick. 

4 comments:

  1. Looks like, in this case, your instincts were right... I feel just horrible! I am unable to tolerate people like that (one's who don't own up to their word)! I think you did the right thing in replacing them... Sorry about the $300 shortage, but it's better than a full $1000 or having the man move and you can't get your carport.

    Like you, I worry about sick animals, too. I'm the type to fret and fret. It sounds like you made the right move by bringing her inside. Will you try antibiotics? I'm worried about your little hen. I hope she is okay.

    Please do keep us posted as you will be in my thoughts.

    Farmer

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  2. Sorry to hear the people didn't pan out for you and you wasted $300 on them Praying the remainder of this project goes smooother for you and you'll certainly enjoy it when it all up and finished. :o)

    As for the sick hen, try giving her yogurt, just in case it's a viral, intestinal illness. I'd also try to get some fresh garlic into her( even if you have to hold her beak open and push it down her throat. I'd also suggest adding apple cider vinegar and alittle honey to her water( these should both help perk her up and if she doesn't drink, dip her beak and make her take a little at a time. Keeping her warm is a plus as well, just remember when she's well not to take her back out directly, but rather acclimate her again, otherwise the shock may be to much.
    Sick animals can be frustrating but when they get well, you feel like you've really accomplished something, because you have to figure out what the problem is by watching the animal, it sure would be nice if they could just tell you what didn't feel good, LOL!!!

    Blessings and Hugs for your week,
    Kelle

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  3. Losing ther $300 is only part of the disappointment. The time lost can never be replaced. Good luck with the rest of your project and I hope hen recovers.
    ~old dog~

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  4. I'm still catching up...I had a feeling the CL crew were going to be a bust. I'm the eternal optimist as well and you never know. Thankfully it was only 300. Going to part 3!

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