I shouldn't be surprised that there are honest people out there, people who's primary goal in life is NOT to screw someone else, but I am. Surprised, that it.

We met with one of the framers last night, one of the two we're considering. [And the one DH is going to go with, if he has his way with anything...] Now I know that it's totally coincidental that the framer, A, is Polish. But he is. And he's not a native to this country. And the way he does business is the way everyone should do business.

According to DH, the quality of his work is outstanding. DH saw it at a house in Passaic Park that A was building. He's not afraid to travel; he's done work in Seaside Heights, upper NY State, and will most likely be doing it in H, NJ, as well. He quoted us a price in April. We've made a few changes, minor ones for sure, but still there were changes. And a perfect opportunity for him to up the price a little bit, even a couple hundred dollars. He and his partner stood there in our dining room last night and didn't raise their price, even though there were changes and adjustments to the plans. They could have taken advantage and said, "Yes, it's a small change, but instead of $8260, it's $8480." He could have made some dollars for his time stopping by the house and talking with us. But he didn't. He stood by his initial estimate. It's a small thing, but I'm amazed.

Mom came for dinner last night, in case we needed her Polish translating skills. We didn't. She liked him, too, for as much as we spoke with him. (This reminds me of the plumber we met with - I said he had "honest eyes.") These guys seem really honest and hard-working.

This other framer, the one highly recommended by our plumber J, just hasn't called me back. And we want to make a decision. I left him a message yesterday saying we were meeting with his competitor - still no return call. I guess he's a "no go." If he can't return a phone call, how can I really, deep down inside, believe he'll show up for work every day?? J said he did wonderful work and he was a stickler for perfection, but so far, I'm a bit disappointed...