When it rains, it pours.

It did literally pour a couple weeks ago, for about three days straight. On the second day, Erik and I began hearing that characteristic, wet "plick" that drives every homeowner to the brink of insanity. Our first thought was that the pipe to the bathroom sink had started leaking again (after mysteriously stopping in early March). Nope. Was it the kitchen faucet? Not that, either. Had we installed the new shower head incorrectly? Still no. (Is it horribly disheartening how many semi-broken things we had to check off of our list for possible leaks? Yes.)

Then we realized [I am clenching my teeth even as I type this, 15 days later] that the drips [you're seriously not going to believe this] were coming. from. the. ceiling. As in: the dining room ceiling, which had just been replaced. And which was now supposed to be safely tucked away under a BRAND NEW ROOF. Not only that, but the water was also dripping down the side of our newly-plastered dining room wall. We checked the nursery window box and our suspicions were confirmed: the water was somehow getting in through the dormer, just as it had before the roof was replaced.

Here is the e-mail I sent to our contractor on 3/15 (and cc'ed our consultant, since he needs to start earning his pay on this one):

Hi Jim and Marcella,

Two major problems:
1) Our roof is leaking in the same place it used to – in the dining room ceiling and down the wall. It appears that this problem is originating on the side of the left dormer window because there was NO FLASHING INSTALLED against the siding. We are also sorely disappointed with the overuse of caulk on the roof and that the shingles are already curling at the edges of the roof. Simply put: it looks like crap and functions like crap.
2) The electrical heavy-up was not done to code. The box is missing four screws (only held to the wall by two) and there is a #10 wire going to a 40A breaker. Either the breaker needs to be downgraded to a 30A, or the wire needs to be upgraded to #8.
We need immediate assistance on both of these issues.

We require paperwork on the following items:
- Furnace (warranty promised by Marcella)
- Roof (warranty promised by Marcella)
- Copy of permit for electrical heavy-up

Thank you,
Amy

And here is what she wrote back:
i will have the roof over there asap. i will also get the electrician in to check the panel. both of these item will be addressed immediately. the gutter will be instaslled on wednesday but we will look at the roof before they are installed. i will be there tomorrow to investigated

Then we heard nothing from her for a week. On 3/22, she came by to install the gutters (nope, not the flashing - why would she do that?!). And brought with her a copy of the permit for the electrical heavy-up. Guess what date she applied for it? 3/17, two days after I'd requested it... and about two MONTHS after the work had been done.

Even though the flashing has yet to be installed, replacing the wall in the dining room (the ceiling wasn't damaged enough to require repair) helped us win one other small battle. You see, our very stupid contractor had decided to skirt building code and 203k requirements and originally put up the wall without any insulation. After not seeing any insulation laying around the house (and believe me: all the construction materials and tools are just laying around our house waiting to be used), I called her out on this in mid-Feb. She insisted that she herself had dropped off the insulation and that it had been put in. Well, Erik just so happened to be home when the workers were re-replacing the wall and guess what? No insulation. It's since been properly installed.

And the moral of the story is: NEVER hire Ionita "Marcella" Rutherford.