Recreating a Basement

My old neighbor and new handyman began working on my basement this week. I'm paying him a flat fee for the whole job and my requests were fairly simple. There are two rooms involved...a small rec room and an even smaller sewing/bedroom. One wall in the sewing room needed to be replaced, all ceiling and walls needed to be painted, and he was to replace the existing carpet with laminate flooring.

One of the biggest problems with this fellow is that he works too hard and does much more than he has to. Having said that, he has already removed every wall from the sewing room (which he will replace), removed all ceiling tile (which he will replace), and removed the whole wall between the sewing room and rec room (which he will replace). He has also decided to replace all light fixtures and completely rewire the basement. This is all wonderful for me but it's a prime example of why he'll never be a rich man.

This whole experience is a bitter sweet one for me because I'm thrilled that my basement is being given a face lift but I ache to see this little 130 pound gentleman pour so much energy and finance into a job he should be making a bit of money on. We're both Leo's and battle constantly about what he's doing...I'd be content with my original requests but he's a perfectionist with unlimited ideas.

Dean is a childhood friend of my daughters and, before he started the job, my daughter told me I'd have to hold him back from overdoing. It's too late! Now I'm getting anxious to see the walls and ceilings back in place. I'll keep you posted!