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Hey, groovy freedomist. Not much to report this week other than to proclaim that Mrs. Groovy was definitely the MVG—the Most Valuable Groovy. Here’s how she did it.
Replacement Doors Installed Frugally
Some years ago, I installed three pet doors in the master bedroom so our three cats could do their business in the master bathroom closet behind closed doors. It was the perfect way to give the cats access to the litter boxes and keep the foul smells of poorly covered doody bombs from permeating the master bedroom and beyond.
But now we’re selling Groovy Headquarters (i.e., our Charlotte home), and our realtor, Hailey, advised us to replace the pet-door doors. It seems that many potential home buyers are turned off by pets and the pet-door doors would likely create more negative impressions than positive ones. So out they go.
Whenever Mrs. Groovy and I have a home improvement project that is beyond our ken, we default to Lowe’s and its team of subcontractors. Mrs. Groovy thus went to the Lowe’s website to get a rough idea of what Lowe’s would charge to replace the three doors. And she wasn’t happy. If we went with Lowe’s, it would cost us more than $700. Mrs. Groovy was convinced she could do better. It was time for her to don her general contractor hat.
I’ve learned to stay clear of Mrs. Groovy when she’s on a mission. [Mrs. Groovy here. He’s a smart boy. I learned him well.] Hell hath no fury like a woman trying to save a buck. And after a couple of days of working the phone and the internet, Mrs. Groovy hit pay dirt. Her general contracting powers made a mockery of Lowe’s prices and installation services. Check it out.
Lowe’s
3 Avalon white hollow interior doors: $270
Delivery charge: $75
Installation charge: $387
Total: $732
Mrs. Groovy as General Contractor
3 Avalon white hollow interior doors from Matthews Building Supply: $130
Delivery charge: $0 (We were able to get all three doors in the Camry by lowering the back seats and moving the front seats forward six or so inches.)
Installation charge: $150 (Mrs. Groovy found a local handyman who got great reviews and only charged $50 per door.)
Total: $280
Savings: $452
I freakin’ love it. For a Brooklyn girl who didn’t even own a screwdriver when I met her, Mrs. Groovy sure has a knack for getting home improvements done and saving money.
Two Additional Builders Found
The town we’re building in is very rural. Louisburg has a population of less than 4,000 and is mainly farmland. For this reason, we think it’s best to go with local players. Local designers and local builders will be familiar with the county building department and this should help us avoid any permitting or inspection problems. That’s the theory, anyway.
Right now we have one builder to submit our house plans to. We were introduced to Chuck by Sarah, the engineer who tested the soil of Groovy Ranch during the due diligence period of our land purchase. We like Chuck. And he appears to be a very capable builder. But Mrs. Groovy and I are definitely in the “trust but verify” camp. So we want to submit our house plans to at least two other builders.
Quick aside: Chuck, by the way, was the one who introduced us to our designer, Michael. Yep, Louisburg is a little Peyton Place-ish.
Anyway, unbeknownst to me, Mrs. Groovy took it upon herself to find two additional builders. Again, she started working the phones and the internet, and without too much trouble, she set up interviews with two builders who primarily work in the Louisburg area. Here’s how her exemplary detective work unfolded.
Call local lumber yard → woman there told her to call a local hardware store → guy there gave her the names of three local builders that he thought did excellent work → Mrs. Groovy googled the three local builders to see what the great unwashed had to say about them → Mrs. Groovy then called the two that had the best reviews and introduced herself.
Now, here’s the best part. I’m in the den working on my opus, The Groovy Guide to Financial Independence, and all of a sudden, I hear Mrs. Groovy in her bedroom talking to someone on the phone about conditioned crawl spaces. What???? My curiosity now piqued, I abandoned my opus and darted into her bedroom. [Mrs. Groovy here. Oh give me a break! Opus Schmopus!] Once there, I didn’t interrupt her, I just listened. And I was shocked. After she was done talking about conditioned crawl spaces, she started talking about hand cut rafters. Then she started talking about metal garages. She eventually said goodbye and hung up, and before I could get a word out, she blurted, “We’re all set. I found two additional builders with good reviews. We’re meeting with them in a couple of weeks.” [Mrs. Groovy here. Mr. Groovy forgot one detail about the metal garage. One of the builders has a local guy who does barn-type metal structures as accessory buildings. It’s all he does and he’s known for it. The builder can show us one! I think Mr. Groovy will love this!]
Holy purple cats! Again, this is a Brooklyn girl who didn’t even own a screwdriver when I met her, and now she’s grilling builders about conditioned crawl spaces, hand cut rafters, and metal garages. I married a good one.
Fight-O-Meter
No fights this week. I guess that’s a moral victory of sorts, considering the drubbing I’ve been taking.
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. Was Mrs. Groovy truly the MVG this past week? Or am I just trying to soften her up because she’s beating the crap out of me in the Fight-O-Meter? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Peace.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman trying to save a buck.”
Brilliant! Mrs. G’s $452 savings and mastery of conditioned crawl spaces are definitely worthy of this week’s MVG award.
Go Mrs. G!!
Love this. I need to find a way to get into more scraps with Mrs. Cubert. Or, maybe just get both of us to be less passive aggressive about shit that bugs us. I kind of like the more direct (but loving!) scraps.
I kind of like the pet door deal. It’s not like you’re living in Bel-Air for Pete’s sake. Let the new buyer replace the doors, if they like the house enough. 🙂
At first we thought that too, about the doors. Let a buyer replace them — someone might even want them! But for some folks, once they associate a pet with a home, they feel negatively towards the home. We didn’t want to rule out any potential buyer based on that.
Mrs. Groovy recently posted…Building Groovy Ranch: Update 10
Wow Mrs G what a hero!! Someday many years hence I know who to turn to for subcontracting, detective, and negotiation work. Getting so pumped for y’all!
Thanks, BE. Mrs. G really had a great week. And get this. Today, our handyman was in our front yard putting the hardware on the last replacement door and a big wind came out of nowhere and scattered the hardware all over our lawn. He was able to find all the components of the hardware except the two screws that hold the door knob together. Anyway, he said he had a bunch of the necessary screws at home and he’d return tomorrow with them. But before he left, Mrs. Groovy asked him where the hardware was sitting before the wind and where he found the last dispersed piece. Mrs. Groovy then began to search the scatter zone and in two minutes she found the screws. Amazing.
Wow she is truly a finance ninja!
He’s giving me a wee bit more credit than I deserve. But thank you!
I don’t understand – can you really fit through that pet door Mr. Groovy? Are you that skinny?
LOL..I feel so bad for laughing as hard at this as I did…
It pains me to admit it, but Mr. AF just delivered the funniest comment of the year. That’s going to be tough to beat.
Haha! Mrs. Groovy has me on a short leash. But she’s not making me crawl through pet doors yet.
So I read this line: “I’ve learned to stay clear of Mrs. Groovy when she’s on a mission.” And I turned to Chris and told him that he needs to reach out to you and take a lesson! I always tell him: “Don’t interrupt me when I’m on a mission. You know I’m on a mission. I know what I want!”
Oh, no! Did I just ruin it for all the husbands out there? I’m sorry, Chris.
For something like replacement doors, I’ve found the Habitat for Humanity surplus store has a good selection and prices. Around Lowes is the expensive place…
Agreed. We tried the Habitat for Humanity by us but it didn’t have our door model (the Avalon) in stock. It did, of course, take our pet door doors. So hopefully someone will be able to take advantage of them.
Wow, I’m so impressed. Mrs. Groovy is so good on the phone. Great job being a general contractor. I’m horrible at this kind of thing. So jealous.
I hear ya, Joe. Mrs. G is more of a pit bull than I when it comes to this stuff. I wonder if pit bullism is something that is innate or something that can be cultivated. If it’s the latter, Mrs. G has a great opportunity to make some money with an online course.
I have two cats and I keep their liter in the basement . They always seem to find their way there:)
Caroline recently posted…February 2018 – Income, Expenses And Goals
Oh, gosh, I hear ya, Caroline. My kingdom for a basement! Unfortunately, Groovy Headquarters has neither a basement nor an attached garage. We were stuck with finding a place for the litter boxes in our living quarters. Not fun. The master bath closet seemed like the best option.
Good luck my friends…the build continues!
Thanks, DDD. Hopefully by this time next month we’ll be in the bidding phase.
Matthew Building Supply to the rescue! Over 50% off on the doors alone. I’ll have to check that place out next time. Great work, MVG!
The Green Swan recently posted…Is My Grocery Budget Less than Yours?
Matthew Building Supply was a great find. Wholesale prices for anyone off the street, whether you’re a contractor or not.
Glad to hear there was no bloodshed this update. 🙂 Nicely done Mrs. G! Keep up the great work, and carrying Mr. G. 🙂
Brian recently posted…Interview Series: Bull In Captivity
LOL! Mrs. G took pity on me this past week.
Not only do you have a competition among builders, but a competition between Groovys. Good outcomes all around. Even the fight-o-meter is in awe.
Haha! You’re very wise, Susan. Competition, though painful, is good.
Sounds like Mrs. Groovy is just takin care of business and you can relax a little more. Hey, we women folk can change are ways and become handier. I’m still waiting for that to happen to me. I have a loose faucet. What do I do? Help Mrs. Groovy?!?!?
And she be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
She be been taking care of business (it’s all hers)
Taking care of business and working overtime
Haha! Nothing like BTO for paying homage to Mrs. G. And don’t worry, Tonya. You’ll become handy soon enough. Here’s what Mrs. G and I did to become more knowledgeable. Whenever you have a handyperson over, stick around and watch what he or she does to fix the problem, and ask a lot of annoying questions. It’s amazing what you can pick up by just watching and being inquisitive.
Every Batman (Mrs. G) needs a Robin (Mr. G)!
Way to go Mrs. Groovy! You are definitely destroying this game, and saving you guys amazing chunks of $$$ along the way.
You all will definitely be one of my first contacts when we eventually make our Charlotte move in the next couple of years! You guys have done some amazing investigative work with local contractors in the community.
Can’t wait to start seeing the final product come together!
Thank you, Sean. Can’t wait to have you guys as neighbors. From handypeople to microbreweries, we got you covered.
Love to see the updates. Nothing more gratifying than getting something done yourself and saving money in the process. Good stuff!
James recently posted…Survey Finds 42% of Americans Will Retire Broke
Thank you, James. Mrs. G really did an awesome job. A few hours online and on the phone saved us over $400. Not a bad ROI.
Love it, Mrs. G! You are a feisty one – but when it comes to these projects, getting your “feet wet” and understanding everything that is going on is key! Because even “trust, but verify” can go south if you don’t know what they’re doing! “Hell hath no fury like a woman trying to save a buck” – laughed out loud and spilled my coffee, Mr. G. Worth every bit of the clean-up.
If you spilled your coffee then Mr. G has done his job!
There’s going to be a lot we don’t understand. But since we own the land we have every right to be on site and ask questions. We’ll try not to be a nuisance (Mr. G is better at not being a nuisance than I am) but we’ll need explanations.
Mrs. Groovy recently posted…Building Groovy Ranch: Update 10
Oh no! Sorry about the coffee, Vicki. I forgot how devilish mixing blogging with old English proverbs can be. And you’re so right about understanding everything. Mrs. Groovy and I spend about a half a day watch YouTube videos of builders explaining each phase of the building process. So we shouldn’t be total ignoramuses once construction actually begins.
‘Hell hath no fury like a woman trying to save a buck” You’re in good company, Vicki! That was a great line and absolutely true. I’m still chuckling at that. That would be great on a t-shirt.
I’m the handy dandy in our house and I had a plethora of powers tools putting Jay’s to shame when we met. (Nothing says excess like excess!) I love that DIY spirit! I will say that small towns are incredible places for skilled tradespeople. They were much more plentiful and easy to find BEFORE I moved back to the big city 🙂
Good advice from the realtor. I love pets, but those doors would be a strange turn off having looked at many houses last year when we moved. Nice job saving money on the project! Tom
Tom @ Dividends Diversify recently posted…Tech, Where Cash is King
I’m also making my rounds of the house to remove all the covers I put on every outlet. You know those plastic baby covers? Mr. G’s great aunt scared the heck out of me with a story about her cat that got electrocuted sticking its paw in an outlet.
Mrs. Groovy recently posted…Building Groovy Ranch: Update 10
Hey, Tom. Mrs. Groovy’s handyman came by today and installed the doors. The master bedroom and master bath look so much better now. Those pet doors were a real eyesore.
You better close this competition, my friend. Like right now, because you are doomed. That is a war you cannot win. I know these superpowers, Mrs. HCF has some of them just sometimes she shy away from unleashing them. Maybe I should send her to Rookie Training to Mrs. Groovy. When we bought our house in the middle of my sentence of nod on the deal she released her powers and bargained a $2k discount in a blink of an eye. I was proud, shocked and happy. Best choice ever 😉
PS: the cat door on the bedroom doors made my eyes wide. I am not the cat kicker kind at all and love all kind of animals (maybe except amphibians) but in my ruleset, their place is outside of my living space.
[HCF] recently posted…Pirates of the Cryptobbean
Mr. Groovy may not recall that I would have been fine with ONE pet-door to the bathroom closet that became the poop closet. But he got a little pet-door-happy and decided we needed the other two. The real kicker is that none of our three cats used the flap. They’d pause on the other side, or just stick their heads through, until I opened the regular door for them.
I’m afraid you’re right, HCF. Being six wins in the hole at this point is going to be tough to make up.
Mrs. G is clearly crushing it, buy that lady a hard hat!
One major problem I see, however. She interrupted your work on The Masterpiece? Unacceptable! (BTW, I’ve been working on my “homework assignment” for The Opus, with honor. Lmk your timing and I’ll send you the draft….).
LOL! She’d look so cute in a hard hat. No rush on the “homework,” my friend. The opus is taking a little longer than I anticipated. I should have it done by May or June. So your homework won’t be due until May 1 at the earliest. But we’ll talk before then. Don’t forget, Mrs. G and I are determined to visit you in Atlanta. We want to pay our respects to the retirement maestro.