Remodeling: A Sociological Experiment

I'm fascinated by the twist and turns that something so seemingly simple can take. You sit down with the contractor, you make all the plans, you cut the first checks, and then you wait.

Modification #1: Eliminate 3 cabinets to accomodate the very large (but very nice) fridge.
Modification #2: Our electrical set up can't support a dishwasher. Hell, it apparently can't support all the stuff we have now. Yip, time to update the fuse box to a breaker box. Wow, that wasn't in our budget! Time to put off the exterior painting.
Modification #3: The fronts on the cabinets are made from pressed wood. How odd since the interior parts are made from hard wood. The new cabinet doors won't hold on pressed wood. The carpenter has to remake the facing out of hard wood. It actually works out better because building from scratch takes less time than rebuilding existing materials to fit new modifications.
Modification #4: The plumbers' pipes were leaking this morning so they came back to take a look. The old pipe was thread bare. New copper pipe installed.
Modification #5: The little section of floor that revealed hardwood was decieving. There appears to be hardwood subflooring but not flooring. Time to reconsider flooring options.
Modification #6: Without hardwood floors the moulding that Jason chose may not match. Time to consider moulding options again.

As I left for work this morning the carpenter was there working away. He was able to get a lot done yesterday, so my hope is that he'll get a lot done today too. Both he and Jason feel that his part of the job will be complete by next week but I'm skeptical. The electricians come later this week (which means 2 days of no electricity). Tomorrow the sink, garbage disposal, and dishwasher drain will be added by the plumber. The dishwasher installer is on standby. I figure those parts will be done by early next week. Once the painter finishes then Jason will do the floor or have it installed. Home Depot has a laminant for kitchens and baths. I'm considering other options as well.