This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more information.
Seemingly Competent Lawyer: “I don’t see anything in this contract where the builder is obligated to show you he has paid his subs before you pay him.”
Mrs. Groovy: “Yeah, that was one of the things I wanted to ask you about. And what about the part where it says we need to get flood insurance. Have you seen that before?”
Seemingly Competent Lawyer: “Not unless the proposed home was in a flood plain.”
Mr. Groovy: “Do you see anything we should be concerned about?”
Seemingly Competent Lawyer: “Not really. But let me look this over a little more. When I’m done, I’ll write up an addendum that provides you with all key protections I think you need. You can then present the addendum to your builder.”
Mrs. Groovy: “Sounds great. You can call and let me know when the addendum is ready, or you can just send the addendum to my email address. Thanks for all your help.”
This is the gist of the conversation Mrs. Groovy and I had with a lawyer about the building contract our builder, Terry, gave us. We asked this lawyer to review the contract because she was the lawyer who handled the closing of our Groovy land purchase and she seemed very competent. Anyway, we had this conversation in this lawyer’s office around 8:30 am on Monday, June 4.
Come noon on that very same Monday, Mrs. Groovy received an email from the seemingly competent lawyer that the addendum would be attached to a subsequent email by the end of the day.
Well, the end of the day came and went and no addendum was received. Come Tuesday morning, Mrs. Groovy emailed the seemingly competent lawyer and asked, “Did I miss anything from you?” Crickets. No addendum. Not even a response. On Wednesday morning, Mrs. Groovy called the seemingly competent lawyer again and left a message with her office manager: “Did we misunderstand something? Please call and give us an update.”
Queue the crickets. Wednesday came and went without a phone call or an email from the seemingly competent lawyer.
Mrs. Groovy was seriously miffed at this point. And rather than deal with a lawyer who was MIA, I suggested that we write up our own addendum and present it to Terry. After all, Terry gave us no reason to think he was anything but an honorable man, and I was sure he’d agree to any reasonable modifications that allayed our fears. Mrs. Groovy agreed, and I called the seemingly competent lawyer on Thursday morning to let her office manager know that the counselor’s addendum was no longer needed.
[Mrs. Groovy here. I don’t want you to think I just pulled this DIY addendum out of thin air. I did a lot of research on standard clauses for building contracts and I also spoke with an insurance agent about the protections we needed.]
Good News on the Building Front
Last week started badly. Our seemingly competent lawyer turned out to be a dud. But that’s the way it goes. Service people, whether they represent the trades or the professions, are not immune to the disease of over-promising and under-delivering. But happily, the week ended very well. Terry was fine with our DIY contract addendum and we signed the contract on Saturday. Meanwhile, Terry was kind enough to submit an application for a building permit earlier in the week. The county approved those plans yesterday (talk about a streamlined permitting process!) and Terry hopes to pour the foundation footings this week. Groovy Ranch is rapidly becoming a reality.
Fight-O-Meter
For those wishing to see Mrs. Groovy and me at each other’s throat, the past couple of months have been very disappointing. But fear not lovers of pugilism, I see a number of fights on the horizon. Here are three potential flashpoints that are poised to rock the Fight-O-Meter.
- I want a white subway tile back-splash in the kitchen. Mrs. Groovy doesn’t.
- I want open shelving rather than upper cabinets in the kitchen. Mrs. Groovy doesn’t.
- Mrs. Groovy wants to plant a number of trees to increase privacy. I think additional privacy is superfluous.
[Mrs. Groovy here. I was about to get into it here but I’m not gonna even bother. I know I’ll get my way. But I am softening on the subway tile.]
We Met Another Blogger
We’re batting a thousand when it comes to meeting bloggers in person. Everyone has been as wonderful as his or her online persona would suggest—including our sixth blogger acquaintance.
This past Saturday we met our Raleigh neighbor, The Budget Epicurean. For those of you who aren’t familiar with BE, she’s a blogger who writes a lot about—surprise, surprise—food. But she writes with such aplomb, and with such a commitment to frugality, I find it impossible to ignore her blog. Anyway, Mrs. Groovy and I had a rollicking good lunch with BE and her husband. We discussed everything from veganism and GMOs to Millennial stereotypes and my warped taste in YouTube videos. BE is one groovy chick. And Mr. BE is one groovy dude.
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, I’m almost done. Mrs. Groovy and I have finally photographed our first four-legged friend from our walks along Smith Creek Trail. Charlie is a four-month old Goldendoodle whose adorableness is only exceeded by his boundless energy. His mommy, Maria, is pretty awesome too.
Now I’m done. What say you, groovy freedomist? Have you ever had a service person disappear on you for no apparent reason? Let me know when you get a chance. Peace.
Leave a Reply