It’s been an interesting couple of days filled with adventure with the company installing the new garage floor. It all started with a fire. Relax. A fire of my own starting, in my style challenged, backyard fireplace. When I cleared out the garage in preparation for the new floor, I came across a bunch of random pieces of wood including an old end table that had been consigned to eventual conflagration. I was genuinely interested if it would burn (my pyromaniacal side emerges) since it was constructed of some sort of fake wood. In short order I had a major conflagration going and started worrying about my busy body neighbor down the hill would call the fire department on me (again). It all worked out and I was left with a great bed of coals that the overnight rain storm handled with aplomb.
The
installers showed up on time Friday morning and I wasn’t immediately filled
with confidence. They were herd workers but it seemed like a bit of a fly by night
set up. The company apparently sub-contracts the installation, a fact not
shared with me ahead of time. They had some cool machines though, including one
that shaved the top layer of the existing concrete floor. I’m a sucker for
heavy duty machines that accomplish exotic tasks. That stage went quickly and
they then filled in the small holes and cracks with a filler. The next step was
the bottom layer of the new acrylic floor and I noticed at this point they weren’t
paying a lot of attention to the side walls. 
FBR Helping with Christmas Cookie Prep
When
I signed the contract for the work, I specifically chose to have the side walls
done as well. I brought this up and they said that wasn’t put on the work order
and recommended I call the company to sort it out. I did that and they blessedly
answered the phone on this first call (last time that happened all day). You
can probably read into that comment that I didn’t get a lot of satisfaction.
They said they had to check with the production manager and would get back to
me. Needless to say, the getting back to me part never happened. I called and
left four separate, increasingly pointed, messages for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile back in the garage, the installers had started spreading the flakes that
provide the texture to the floor. 
The Ex-Table
The Cool Concrete Shaving Machine
They
didn’t finish the last foot of the garage floor near the opening since it was
still raining steadily and said that would compromise the seal. They packed up
and left at this point, promising to return today to finish it up. I wasn’t
filled with an abundance of confidence based on my interaction with their company
throughout the day. I knew it wasn’t their fault but I let them know that I had
left all these messages and please try and talk to the production manager about
the side walls. It was at this point my Favorite Panamanian decided to get
involved and lecture me about my failure to get the side walls done. She was
mollified when I told her I hadn’t paid yet, other than a deposit, and wouldn’t
until they fulfilled the contract. I (and she) was fortunate the First Friday
Family Facetime call rolled around at this time to put me in a much better
mood.
Shaved Floor with Holes Filled
Spreading the Flakes
I
was still pissed this morning when I received a call from the installer informing
me the production manager had directed him to pick up additional material so he
could do the side walls when he came. My calls apparently had some effect but
it would have been better (and basic customer service) for someone to call me
back on Friday to confirm that. They showed up and got back to work on that
last foot of the floor and all the side walls. In fact, I had contracted only
for about five inches of the walls but they covered the entire side wall, up to
the height of the wall sill. I didn’t complain, figuring this was recompense for
my frustrating Friday.
End of Friday Work
Final Result
RECURRING CHARACTERS:
ABFA – Amazing Best Family
Athlete - my daughter
in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter
#3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel -
second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue
about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut
Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor
of the big river; Curbside Girls – close
friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which
grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of
course); FBR - First Blog Reader -
first granddaughter; First Friday –
celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene
Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene,
NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend
since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife –
her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew –
son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia
member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends
of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin
Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we
have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high
school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the
Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather -
my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course
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