Please Don't Be Super Expensive...

Yesterday afternoon, we met Contractor Steve from Columbia Craftsmen Construction at our hopeful location.  Contractor Steve didn't just bring himself, he brought an entire brigade of men driving white panel vans with trailers of tools attached to each one.  They were all completely delightful and 100% tolerable of our demands to "do it however, just make it pretty." I should back up and say that the current space is being used as storage for the landlord.  So, the windows are blacked out and 996 square feet of our 1,050 is covered with boxes.  Add in that it was pouring down rain and the visibility inside the space was pretty terrible (apparently no one puts flashlights in those tool trailers).  From best I understand, there were multiples of several types of sub-contractors there to bid out the work.  So, imagine like two electricians, two heating and air people, two concrete people, two drywall people...and the two of us.  And really, since we had no information to share except "Industrial Chic, please!", just cut us out of your visual image.

In an amazingly short amount of time, the pairs of workers headed out into the rain to their panel vans to "figure up" some numbers for Contractor Steve by Friday.  Turns out Contractor Steve was holding out on the best for last because he picks up one of the 18,000 boxes in there and pulls out our plans!  We immediately squealed and ran out into the light for many pics:

I ADORE this picture.  First of all, we were excited and you can tell it.  Second of all, I didn't expect the plans to be so fancy and so I was completely surprised and that hardly ever happens.  I was picturing old-school blueprints...not this very cool "book" with our name on it.  Well played, James Van Hooser of TVP Architects, well played.  Any time you can get Jeanne to willingly run outside and pose for a picture without first checking her lipstick is the ultimate seal of approval.

So then we actually looked at the plans.  James had already put in counter space and sinks and all the things the City of Columbia will require for approval, so we had discussions about where we need 220 outlets and how much extra Contractor Steve would charge to cover the walls in reclaimed wood (this may have been where Contractor Steve got off the bus of liking us).

So now we just wait for numbers.  I honestly couldn't guess what that number will be.  I tried to wheedle it out of Contractor Steve but he wasn't even willing to guesstimate.  So, I'm adding a picture of Contractor Steve.  Let us all will our collective Internet mindpower to send him vibes of things along the lines "PLEASE DON'T BE SUPER EXPENSIVE" and "PLEASE DON'T BE SUPER EXPENSIVE" and oh, "PLEASE DON'T BE SUPER EXPENSIVE"...

Sorry in advance, Contractor Steve, if you feel like 4,000+ readers are bending your brain waves.  I just don't want this scenario:

Speaking of dollars...Kickstarter is active for THREE more days.  I'm just choosing to not blog obsessively about it today.  But we would love to actually be able to use our fancy architect plans in our 100 contractor tricked out space, so we need pledges if possible:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1576929042/bring-back-peggy-jeans?ref=live.  Otherwise, those guys will have driven out their panel vans in a rainstorm and listened to us fight about stacked stone vs. flagstone for no good reason at all.