Another meeting with Our Geometra this morning. My Objective... without benefit of a good cappuccino... was to get the builder's estimate down Euro 10,000 from a Total of Euro 25,000. Seems everything in his estimate is very necessary and at a fair price of Euro 25,000. I checked against the III earlier Phases and can... dammit... confirm all the builder's prices are what I PAID in the past.
What's so very necessary? Well, for instance, the Eastern facade and its window arrangements. From right to left...
We will transform a niche into a window of the same dimensions. It will undoubtedly be the largest window of this facade. Hopefully, the builder & I can find sandstone cornices from my odd-lot collection warehoused in the old donkey stall to embellish its exterior dimensions properly. Its partner in the future Salotto has a typical sandstone cornice... the top horizontal stone is sliced-off at a rakish 45 degree angle at each end. Cannot tell you why. Medieval aesthetics, I suppose. All the other windows will have completely squared cornices. Looks odd to me. How about you?
Clear at the other end, at the far left, is a slit of a window, which will be enlarged... modestly larger than its partner window to its immediate left... and treated similarly with an ad hoc sandstone cornice. This just might balance things with the new window down in the Salotto.
Our Geometra & I spent an hour discussing how to deal with the Construction Issues of the new or enlarged windows. What I wanted to avoid was each window would be at its own special height, creating an up-down-up-down effect. By inserting a iron I-beam above the new or enlarged window opening, for instance, needed to bear the wall weight above, each group of two windows will be at the same top level. That is fine with me.
Naturally, I thought it appropriate to consult with Dr. You. He immediately said he wanted ALL THE NICHES TO BE LARGE WINDOWS!!! And, with that, he had added another Euro 1,000!!! When will I learn? I canceled You's request.
The next exercise was... To Stucco or Not To Stucco, that is the Question. Whether it is nobler in the minds... Dr. You said Not to Stucco. We would then SAVE Euro 6,000. Thank God! He did not try to WIN back the Window Request. You said we could live with animaletti = birds & nests, bats & nests, scorpions, LARGE BLACK SPIDERS, ants, and so on and so forth. Our Geometra made a horrible face when I told him this. Then, I got a lecture. I HATE Lectures. The title of this lecture was... Living With Animaletti & Un-hygienic Old Stone. Did the trick. We are To Stucco!!! I will paint all in Our New to-be-named Blue color.
Other totally inconsequential Estimate Issues were dealt with. At the end of our appointment... two hours later!!!... I had managed ONLY to knock-off about Euro 1,000. Our Geometra was entrusted to Go & Tell the builder of our decisions. Actually, Our Geometra goes with A Second Communication...
Finish the damn fireplace!!! Gads.
Our Geometra & I spent an hour discussing how to deal with the Construction Issues of the new or enlarged windows. What I wanted to avoid was each window would be at its own special height, creating an up-down-up-down effect. By inserting a iron I-beam above the new or enlarged window opening, for instance, needed to bear the wall weight above, each group of two windows will be at the same top level. That is fine with me.
Naturally, I thought it appropriate to consult with Dr. You. He immediately said he wanted ALL THE NICHES TO BE LARGE WINDOWS!!! And, with that, he had added another Euro 1,000!!! When will I learn? I canceled You's request.
The next exercise was... To Stucco or Not To Stucco, that is the Question. Whether it is nobler in the minds... Dr. You said Not to Stucco. We would then SAVE Euro 6,000. Thank God! He did not try to WIN back the Window Request. You said we could live with animaletti = birds & nests, bats & nests, scorpions, LARGE BLACK SPIDERS, ants, and so on and so forth. Our Geometra made a horrible face when I told him this. Then, I got a lecture. I HATE Lectures. The title of this lecture was... Living With Animaletti & Un-hygienic Old Stone. Did the trick. We are To Stucco!!! I will paint all in Our New to-be-named Blue color.
Other totally inconsequential Estimate Issues were dealt with. At the end of our appointment... two hours later!!!... I had managed ONLY to knock-off about Euro 1,000. Our Geometra was entrusted to Go & Tell the builder of our decisions. Actually, Our Geometra goes with A Second Communication...
Finish the damn fireplace!!! Gads.
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