Bill and Al -- The Guys You Don't Want to Hire

So, we had this funky window in our living room until last September. Sorry, oh visual ones, I can't find a picture of it. Anyway, it was quite unique, with 9 nearly square panels (about 18" squares) and was nearly floor-to-ceiling. As much as I liked the openness of this window, we had only one wall in the living room that wasn't taken up by fireplace or window, so we decided to have the window replaced when we sided the house.

Enter "Bill" (his real name but not exactly his real photo - the eyes are pretty close though -- I found this through googling "hillbilly guy"). He is the window "specialist" for the siding company. Now, granted, this was an unusual job. But after he removed the old window, he began to frame in the lower section of the new wall. PROBLEM WAS, Bill didn't think he needed to leave any allowance for the drywall to be mounted later. Now, even I know that you have to have room for the drywall, but Bill was just sure that his boss had told him to do it this way. Now that I understand better about taking care of myself, what I would do if I could do it over is to say, "Bill, until we get visual contact and approval from either your boss or my dad (a builder), we shall not proceed." Because, well, Bill was wrong. As my dad said, he was a "dumb bunny." Dad and his cohort went to the trouble to fit small panels of drywall between these stupid studs, and nail them specially -- it was a lot of work.

Enter "Al" (also his real name; also not his real picture, but I have no doubt he enjoyed counting all that dough we gave him). Al is a fine plasterer with whom my dad has worked for many years. He does know how to plaster, but he is the messiest worked I have ever seen. He said he could plaster over the messed-up window job, which he did. Let me just say, Bill + Al = Mess. The drywall mud cracked and some of the tape is visible. Plus you can see the stupid studs if you even glance at the wall.







Enter "Siouxsie" (close to her real name). I figured OK, I'm Pioneer Woman, I can fix this. Now, nine months later, here's what I decided. I'm not fixing the drywall mud. I'm not covering up the barely visible tape. I'm not going to try to make it all smooth. I am going to live with it. So, I got out my paint and paintbrush today and painted over the whole mess. And I can't help but think that it's actually in better shape being a mess and being painted than it is being a mess and being a mess.

So, if "Bill" shows up at your door to install your new window, BEWARE. I COULD make all kinds of derogatory, albeit funny, comments about Bill and his intelligence, because he surely seemed like he maybe had done a few too many drugs in his younger days, but I think I will just leave it at this. You don't want Bill to do your work.

And that's all I have to say about that.

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