Thursday, June 18, 2009

Who woulda thought bathroom fittings could almost lead to divorce...

Okay, well it wasn't that bad, but while we've managed to get 'a second opinion/quote' on most things, we ran out of time for our bathroom fittings quote...

Low and behold, the husband gets the call today saying we have to confirm our selections... Panic! We only have the one (quite expensive) quote and really wanted to check out some other options - especially as we'd actually seen some 'stuff' (online) that looked a LOT like the other 'stuff', but at a fraction of the price... That said, the quote was still in our 'contingency budget', but you know, if the other stuff looks as good, why wouldn't we at least check it out?

So, the husband and I enter into an 'over-the-phone-at-work discussion' (you know the type! The type where you don't really want to get 'into it' at work, but you really have to, 'cos we need to confirm this stuff... Today!)...

After nattering and firing back/forth some emails with preferences/price variations, the husband gets a bit shirty cos it's all a bit too hard, too 'complicated' as he doesn't want to have to use two different suppliers, run around at the last minute OR moreover, ring our builders' supplier contact to change it... On the other hand, the wife is adamant to check out option b. If they're available, suitable and cheaper, why the hell not? It's not just about price though, because some of the price differences aren't 'that' much, but a) it all adds up and b) some of the products are actually nicer...

So the wife agrees to ring 'option b' supplier to see if they have the 'stuff' in stock, to which she receives a resounding 'yes', followed by a, 'er, we usually do'... A little contradictory, but we should at least have a look at them... Now...

The wife confirms this with the hubby, arranges to pick him up from work post haste and we high-tail it to the 'reputable bathroom fittings supplier' in our sudden 'lunch break'... The husband is visibly unimpressed when the wife pulls up, but the wife is adamant to keep smiling and give this a go. At worst, we can walk away and say, 'nup, we'll just go with the original quote'... At best, we can get some awesome tapware and save some bucks...

So I'm guessing you can guess what happened? Oh yes! 'Twas worth pursuing, even if it was a little rushed/under pressure... and perhaps had we realised we needed to confirm 'today', we may have spent one of our Saturdays doing this at a more leisurely pace...

But alas, most of it was sorted in the one swift visit (a lot swifter than lighting guy!) (shower mixers had to be ordered, and will hopefully be received 'in time' for the plumber's 'roughing in' next Friday - another issue that brought sheer panic to the husband) and we got a few quotes for 'other' things to 'think about'... at least for the next 12 hours...

In analysing the situation 'after the fact' and 'knowing my husband as I think I know him', I think it was more about the urgency of it all that got to him; he's a man that needs to think about these things and process it and was therefore quite happy to let it slide due to the lack of time. Me, on the other hand, thinks, 'if it's too late and we don't have a choice, fine, but if we can still do it, I say do it'...

By the time I got home, the husband had calmed down, was cooking dinner and when I walked in, said (before I said anything at all - I wasn't even going to mention it!): 'Munchkin, I worked it out, you saved us $1500'... Sweeeet! So yes, he'd gone back to work, done the maths, appreciated that it was still 'possible' and I was on side again. Apparently it was worth the effort... Furthermore, he is now keen to go with all the other 'alternatives' we got quotes for today... (He was ready to leave the shop, while I was running round comparing the rest of the quote - ha!) Well, kill me for doing a bit of homework, eh...

I'll spare the details (eg what our toilets, laundry sink, plug holes and other such exciting things look like!) and just post the funky fittings we decided on... And just for an example, maybe you can tell the difference between these basin mixers, but they're pretty similar, huh?! One was $430; the other $199... And when you're ordering a few of 'em... you can guess which ones we went for!















This funky spout (not part of the set above, but again, matches pretty well!) will go in my, I mean, 'our' funky corner bath in the ensuite...
In continuing the chunky, square theme, the shower mixers:

Toilet roll holder/towel rail:
Bath spout in main bathroom:

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