As I write this, Ellis Denning and their subcontractors are up on the roof, tearing up various sections. They flooded the roof to simulate what Mother Nature has been doing on her own the past few months. At least three separate leaks have been discovered affecting our two units, and temporary caulking has been done. The plan is to attempt permanent patches on Monday, then to flood it again and see if the fix is indeed a lasting one.
I write this for a couple of reasons. First, I’m trying to be fair to Ellis Denning. It’s not as if they are completely ignoring our requests. But this issue is obviously a major one, so you’d expect a certain degree of responsiveness. On the other hand, they haven’t been always easy to get answers from on other lesser but still important issues that affect our livability. There have been no signs of “goodwill” beyond what they absolutely must do to avoid massive repercussions.
There are some there who genuinely seem to care; there are others who seem to care, but whose actions often belie that; then there are others who just flat out say inappropriate and untrue things. (On a somewhat perverse level, it’s that last category that you can almost respect more: At least it seems more in line with what our reality has been.)
But the other reason I write this is to show how their seeming inability to “get things right” the first time has made our lives hell since we moved in nearly four months ago, and over the course of the last two years of the purchase and construction process.
As you see from the photo, the recent ceiling damage has gotten worse from the testing Ellis Denningdid today. I have no doubt that they will repair it, eventually, along with all the drywall they had to rip out upstairs.
However, they claim to have fixed this problem once already. (They said it was a clogged drain — we have a “green roof.”) The multiple repair attempts, gaffes and subsequent remediation are what are driving us nuts.
Quick digression: The very day we moved in, we smelled a gas leak. Washington Gas was brought out in the middle of the night, but their equipment (and their own noses) didn’t register anything. Still, the smell persisted. A day or two later, we noticed a lot of torn-out drywall near where the smell had been the worst (in the eighth-floor hallway near the trash chute), and then the smell went away.
Soon afterward, we again began smelling gas, this time coming from Christopher’s unit. Again, more late-night visits from Washington Gas. The technician who came out said it was the oven connection to the gasline; he said whoever had connected it (after some floor repairs I will discuss below) had no idea what he or she was doing.
More calls to Ellis Denning, and more repair appointments. Their “licensed plumber,” they assured us, would address it and connect it properly.
Well, there were two more gas leaksat that very same source before it was finally “fixed.” Washington Gas’s advice during a gasleak is to vacate the area. Where were we supposed to live? In the middle of 13th Street?
The issue of these repairs is a bigger problem than it should be because we no longer allow them to conduct any work on our units if we’re not here. Here’s why:
You see, our (upgraded) hardwood floors were badly damaged before we even moved in — either because they were installed too soon, because they were inadequately protected when appliances and so forth were being brought in, or some combination thereof.
Christopher’s floors had to be replaced almost entirely. (In the process, of course, many of his expensive appliances were damaged and also required repair — yet another round of intrusion. Interesting cycle, isn’t it? Screw up the floors because of the appliances, then screw up the appliances because of the floors.)
Only about one-quarter of my floors had to be replaced. I was not home at the time the subcontractors were here. Within the next day or two, I realized that my new iPod Touch had vanished. Now, I’m the last person alive to accuse someone of theft — I like to see the good in people, so I assume must be my own mistake or oversight — but it’s hard to draw any other conclusion in this case. Ellis Denning at first showed an interest in addressing the disappearance of my iPod, but that came to a quick halt around the same time they started copying lawyers on my emails. If I were an attorney, I’d probably advise people not to entertain any talk of culpability, either.
So the position I have now been put in is to take time off work each and every time they have to do tests and repairs. Before today on the water issue alone, there have been multiple inspections, and the aforementioned ripping-out of drywall. Then there was today’s testing. Then on Monday there will be more testing and, one would hope, repairs. Then I will need to take at least a few hours on each of at least two different days to be here when the drywall and ceiling are repaired — one day for the installation itself, then another day for painting after the seam-patching “mud” has dried.
I’m glad my employers seem to like me as much as they do.
We have lived here almost four months now, and our units still aren’t what most people would consider “livable.” We can’t unpack because we constantly have to move things around to accommodate the workers. And what sucks most, in some respects, is that we can’t even entertain guests yet because we’re embarrassed about the current state of what was supposed to be our “urban paradise.”
Our originally projected move-in date was mid- to late-summer 2007. It was slightly tolerable (only slightly) when it slipped to February 2008 because I figured that would give us plenty of time to get settled in and enjoy a nice summer with each other and with our friends, perhaps watching sunsets on the rooftop terrace with a nice cocktail.
Instead, we still live amongst boxes, scattered belongings, water leaks and no small amount of agita about what might be coming next.
