Coffee Blog

Catching up over coffee—COFFEE 2024-36

Writing Sparkle

Would you rather your occupation be a coffee taster who is paid handsomely or the world’s best coffee barista who doesn’t get paid at all? **I’m answering this question because I want to drink the coffee. I don’t think I could reach the level of the best coffee barista if I was drinking the coffee before I served it. So, I would rather be a coffee taster.

Would you rather drink coffee in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory or drink coffee sitting at The Mad Tea Party with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare? **This question is hard because I would like to do both, but since the rules say I have to pick one . . . I would rather drink coffee at The Mad Tea Party; there’s sure to be some laughs.

If we were having coffee, I would begin by sharing with you that a builder scam hijacked our summer holidays. When we arrived at our lot with our RV, we discovered that our house, which was supposed to be under construction, was still at the foundation stage with the in-floor heating coils still exposed. Long story short, after conducting some research and having conversations, we discovered the builder didn’t have the certification to construct homes. We made a bunch of other heartbreaking discoveries, too. Did I mention he has a chunk of our money? Anyway, a new certified builder has since come to our rescue and the house is being built, but the situation with the old builder is still being dealt with.

One question we get asked is, how did we get connected with Elite Custom Builders Ltd.? Sadly, through a reputable source (I don’t believe the source was aware of the scam). The builder had several fancy certifications—not a builder registration, though—and was a real good talker. Anyway, we didn’t do additional research beyond the referral and certifications he had, and we didn’t know that a builder needed to be registered. The other thing that initially put our mind at ease was that he also runs a reputable business providing home inspections, which are services we used more than once for home sales and purchases.

Anyway, all I can say is the pivot has been good. Our new builder is professional and amazing to work with. The house is progressing and we’ve had some wonderful experiences like being sent to the builder’s suppliers to have professional help to pick tile, flooring, cabinets, and cupboards.

If we were having coffee, I would say that is my biggest news and what occupied most of my summer. The kids are back at school and all things autumn are gearing up. Oh, here is the link to a post I wrote called A club-and-ball sport—a call to golfers. It’s for my A & O Cottage website. https://aocottagerentals.wordpress.com/category/activities/

By Shari Marshall – 2024

19 thoughts on “Catching up over coffee—COFFEE 2024-36”

  1. Oh I am so so sorry to hear about the building scam; that must be such a lengthy process to fight but I am glad to hear you have found a reputable builder to take over.

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    1. Thank you, Joanne. It’s been heartbreaking because it should be a fun and memorable experience and this has tarnished it. I’m having to remind myself of the positives that are happening. Anyway, I hope that nobody else falls prey to this builder. We are aware now that there were others before us . . .

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    1. Jennifer, it was so exciting to pick colours. The cabinet lady called the hardware on the cupboards “jewelry” because it’s easy to change when we want to change the kitchen’s appearance; it can be as sparkly or as low-key as we choose. Fun!

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  4. Wow, very sorry about the scam builder! Glad you were able to get it back on track, but I am sure the lingering issues are awful.

    I hope you are enjoying your weekend and that you have a wonderful week ahead!

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    1. In our wildest dreams, this isn’t a problem we thought we would face. Have you seen the movie called “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long? Two phrases from that movie keep popping into my head. “Two weeks.” As in the house will be done in two weeks, but the whispered part of that statement is, “it would take a miracle.” That was where we were at with the scammer. The second phrase is, “The house will be great.” This is the now statement.

      Happy Saturday, Trent.

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  5. I am so very sorry to hear about the building scam, and equally happy that things are going your way now.

    To answer your first would you rather question, I think I would love to be the worlds best barista. That would be so cool! I have actually worked as a barista in my 20’s. I couldn’t;t do the fancy coffee drinks they do nowadays though. I believe I was OK as a barista back then 🙂

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    1. Thank you, Maria.

      You were a barista! That would be fun. I have a friend trained to work at Starbucks making all those fancy coffees. I had never drunk a Starbucks coffee when we met, ordering there seemed intimidating. Anyway, she got me hooked. I have to say that I would enjoy learning some coffee tricks; I use a Keurig. I could host little coffee parties.

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  8. Oh dear!! That’s just awful and I am so sorry about the builder scam! It amazes me that people can sleep at night and do such things, so sad. I am so happy you’ve found a new builder and will pray you can get most if not all your money back. Glad you are on the road to completion! Have a good weekend and week ahead! 💞

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