This may surprise some of you, but I'm a very opinionated person. No, really! I always have been, and I'm not moved by peer pressure. This was good in high school because I never drank, went with my mother to see Barry Manilow with my girlfriends and shouted my spirit as the overly-enthusiastic school mascot (A Cherokee before that was politically incorrect.) I will say, not caring what people think has its advantages. My kids got this gene, and I love it and the only thing I have to worry about is if THEY want to do something stupid!
But...there is a dark side. Have you been around people who aren't willing to let you have your opinion? Who do their very best to undermine it and convince you that's not what you really think? You've made a mistake? I have to say, this type frustrates me most of all, because last time I checked? They weren't me and they try to negate you.
I have an old kitchen. I bought all new appliances and painted the old cabinets white and got cute new pulls. I wanted to get tile counters (because they're cheap). Only they're really not all that cheap, come to find out, because it takes a lot of manpower to put them in, so I thought all right, maybe Corian or granite.
So I have a tile guy come out and he says to me, "You don't want to put granite on these old cabinets. In five years when you do a hundred and twenty thousand dollar remodel and blow these things out..."
My mouth's ajar, but I say, "I'm not doing that. I like this kitchen. It works for me." No mention of the fact that if I have a hundred and twenty thousand, it's SO not going into a kitchen! Can you spell Carrera?
But he still doesn't give me a price on granite. Okay, so I try again, "I just built a house in the country. My dream house. I found out I don't care enough about a house to ever do an overhaul. I like my kitchen." Unsaid, or I wouldn't have bought the house!
I have six people in my family and if this kitchen works for us, it will work for anyone. Even if people do THINK they need HGTV quality. But it gets worse. I had a Viking stove in my last house. I found that really, it worked great, but I didn't need that much stove. I'm a good cook, but I'm not a professional who cares if the temp is exactly right on the oven. If it's not, I can turn the dial and make it a little hotter. I'll figure it out.
So anyway, I bought this great stove on Ebay. It's a DeLonghi in stainless steel with two ovens. This guy looks at my new range and says, "Is this going?"
"Going where? No, it's not going. It's two weeks' old!"
By now, I'm a little annoyed. I wanted this green glass tile. By the time he left, he told me I really wanted white, white, white. So whatever, I found someone new who is going to put in black granite (cheaper for some odd reason) for a very reasonable price and my kitchen will be done. Seth (son) and I cook in there every night together and we love it!! But thank goodness I know what my opinion is and who does this sales pitch work on? Because I need to slap them. I think the guy only took this bid so he could get the 100k remodel that's happening in a few years. NOT!
www.KristinBillerbeck.com
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17 Comments:
Thank you for not getting talk in to White Tile!
Rainbows color and so many people go with white everything,it's a sin I tell you!
The Black Granite Sound Lovely.
And I love your Stove!
Blessing!
Oh, I SO feel your pain. I wanted to put Pergo flooring in my family room once, and a workman refused because my house was "too nice" for Pergo. Aarrggh!
A prisoner of hope,
Megan
You'll be happier with the granite anyway. You don't have to clean the grout.
I thought granite was more expensive than tile?
Congrats on the new kitchen. (Newer than before anyway.) And by the way, did your husband actually allow someone else to come in and do the work? Geez, mine would be saying that he'd do it himself to save a buck or two. Then it wouldn't get done for 6 years!
My post above....
I thought granite more expensive than tile - I was thinking that the tile guy would have made more money on the job with putting in granite. So why is he not wanting to do the service?
That's what I thought too Rhonda, but I think ultimately he was thinking about my kitchen remodel. You know, the one that's not happening!! Megan, did you get Pergo? I had it with kids and it was too loud for me. I have these great old hardwood floors in this house, and they are INDESTRUCTABLE. Not at all like things today. The guy wanted to know if I was taking those out too, and I said, "Are you kidding me?" LOL
You know what's worse than white tile? White. tile. GROUT. Ugh. I'm sooo proud of you, Kristen. If I had a nickel for every time I was talked into what I didn't want, I'd be able to afford ANYTHING today. Thankfully, I've aged with attitude, lol. (ie., I say what I think more now than ever)
Love this post.
I think you'll love your granite! It's way better to live with than tile. But it's always live and learn.
I would have showed that jerk the door too! good for you sticking to your guns.
Love the two ovens. I wish I'd seen one when I bought my new stove.
I thought the fifth eye was neat.
I can relate! We bought an older home last year and when we first walked in to look at it, I fell in love with the blue and white kitchen with the Waverly wallpaper. Very girly. Very English looking. The real estate agent said, "Well, you've have to change the kitchen, of course." I just stared at her for a few minutes before I said, "This kitchen is why I'm buying the house!"
LOL! I've been talked into a few things in my day. Not house stuff, but still. I once bought this cologne from these two door-to-door salespeople. I spent all the money on my person, borrowed against my paycheck (I was at work when they bombarded me)...and then bought THEM lunch! I learned from that one. Now I stand on my own two feet! I will NOT be pressured!
Love the stove!
Rachel
OH. That oven/stove is beautiful. I CANNOT show it to CJ because you know he will demand I find out WHERE on ebay you got it, and get him one too.
You do NOT want white tile. Be glad you stuck to what you wanted. We have a once-expensive white faux marble linoleum floor which shows EVERYTHING. Needless to say it is something that was here when we moved in.
Like you, I LOVE my old kitchen. I just want the cabinets refinished, new pulls, a new counter, tiled floor... :)
This sounds like the episode of Seinfeld when the mechanic falls so in love with Jerry's car, he ends up kidnapping it. Beware of opinionated tile guy breaking into your house and doing the white tile anyway...or kidnapping your stove...
Shauna, that is HILARIOUS!
Love the stove, K!
Your stories totally encouraged me. This type of salesman is everywhere!! It's why we end up with pants we look fat in, huh? LOL
The reason granite is so cheap here, I found out, is China. They are cutting it there now and shipping it over so you're paying $2 hour. We're not doing that, we have a local guy cutting it, but I felt badly hearing that.
Oh I got a new sink yesterday (my old one was peach brown) that was a BIGGIE! : )
My only reason for wanting a stone or tile countertop is so I can plop a hot pan right on it and not worry about melting the counter.
I used to cook a lot, but by now (yeah, I'm a baby boomer) I don't. We either graze or go out. So why would I need a 100K kitchen? No one ever sees it. I'm either typing away on my laptop or checking email. Sheesh, I need a life.
We all need a life, Ane. We're writers and it gets really easy to get more hermity. I have been making dates with my girlfriends and walking and doing lunch -- that's important!!
I find I do have more of an issue with my edit button when it's been a while since I've seen friends. I so need my delete key!
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