06/10/2026
*Big Update/Explainer/Long Post*
We owe a sincere apology to our customers and the native plant community. This past season was not our best customer service for both sales and installations. I take full responsibility for that. I'd also like to explain some of the challenges and how they've been corrected.
We contracted with a well-advertised contractor in the Northern Neck to renovate our bathroom, fix some drywall, and replace linoleum floors with vinyl plank. We initially contracted to start in the summer but needed to delay due to medical complications and pregnancy challenges. We asked if it was okay to delay and we were enthusiastically told no problem. We were contracted for 3.5 months start to finish. Construction started December 15th. We're just now finished (sort of).
Due to the above challenges, Don had to close up his retail store early and clear 2 bedrooms and a bathroom to make way for the renovation. He piled everything he could in the living room. Our contract twice mentioned that dust control and mitigation would be used. We left the house in the contractors hands starting December 15th.
When Don returned to the house in late February/March, the entire kitchen and living room, our baby bed, new stroller, furniture, more or less every interior item we owned was covered in a layer of masonry and drywall dust. Our contractor said he'd have a cleaner come through and handle it. He brought a cleaner for a halfday, on a day he chose, while workers were still working, and they didn't touch any of our living room items.
He also left multiple debris piles outside of our home for weeks/months. Our house is about 50' from a creek that opens directly to the Potomac. We had to ask in March if/when the debris from December and January would be removed.
Within the next 4 weeks we ran into other delays: the contractor didn't file permits and was told by the County to stop working so we rush filed permits. The contractor also didn't turn off the well pump and drain it before the deep freeze so our well pump cracked and had to be replaced - no water.
We were continually told "should be done soon" "in the next week or so" starting in late March. It never came. For that reason, Don was staying in hotels and commuting back and forth from DC during the plant season while his wife tended to their newborn.
We did our best to work around this. Don rented Airbnbs nearby and brought the family down. We installed a separate water line, automatic timer, and sprinkler to try to keep plants alive when Don was away. In early April, workers decided shut off the well pump breaker and disconnected the hose from the sillcock and then disconnected the hose from the sprinkler we had set up to water the plants on a timer. $1,000+ in plants died. Contractor apologized, but offered no fixes. Don came by one night last week, after the contractor said he would be done but never actually told us, and found our thermostat no longer worked - no AC/Fan.
There's a host of other issues that came up, but we are grateful to at least have the cottage/plant HQ at least available for us to sleep in and put back together. Part of the reason we had to wind down the business for the summer was to create the time and space for Don to wipe down, clean, and throw out items covered in 60 year old construction dust. We're trying not to be overzealous, but it's been challenging to imagine bringing a 5 month old home to this. While our contract gives us a warranty for work, it's doubtful we'd use them again so fingers crossed there's no major issues.
Anyways, we're not naming the contractor here publicly because he's already threatened to sue us and put a mechanics lien if we don't pay him on an advanced timetable. No sense in giving him more ammunition. If you're considering a contractor and live in the NNK/Middle Peninsula, we'd be happy to provide information.
The good news is that we have a separate water line dedicated to watering plants and the experience taught us a lot about efficiency! Three Cheers to Summer Growing!
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