This is a perplexing & irritating business, & I hardly know where to begin.

You seem to find no important fault with Garvey’svie’sⒶemendation details—but possibly you may when you come to scan them particularly. This remains to be seen. Use this rule, then: Wherever he makes an overcharge, make him reduce it ; or if he won’t, don’t pay him. I mean, on the work already done.

His estimate for future work seems too large, in 3 particulars—to wit:

Joiners ————— $1000

Masons —————   400

Paint & labor ———  350

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 $1,750

First, audit his work already done, & IF you find it fair, we will pay—where it is t not fair, require him to reduce. Then—

If he will not knock $1000 off the estimate for remaining work, or show you to your entire satisfaction that he is not overestimating, let that remaining work out by contract—Alfred H. Thorp, 31 Union Square, can assist you in this, IF NECESSARY, with specifications. You might ask Mead (who is building Whitmore’s house—&, I think, Chamberlins) to compete.

If you do not call in competitors, but manage to agree with Garvie, (pin Garvie down to a distinct sum in writing.

It doesn’t seem reasonable that there can be $1000 worth of joiner work left, or $400 of mason work, or $350 of paint & labor. As to the latter,—

1. We don’t want the stable painted, unless the constrast with the house will be too strong if it is left unpainted.

2. We don’t want the ombra painted at all, now.—that is, the FLOOR of it—but we do want the rest of it painted now.

I would have put this whole thing under contract in the first place if I had supposed Garvie was so untalented in the matter of estimating.

Now go ahead & do the best you can with this bad business—act fearlessly & with decision.

Mem. If Ahern charges more for black walnut than Garvie does, why don’t you strike the overplusⒶemendation out of his bill?

NowⒶemendation pin Ahern down to a distinct sum (in writing,) for the rest of his work. (But with the understanding that it shan’t bar you from requiring him to madke good any overchargesⒶemendation that may be discovered in the former bill.) The former bill must be reduced in two three respects:

1. Overcharges in such things as walnut.

2. A mile of old pipe unaccounted for—for if he has put a mile of new pipe in, he must have ◊ taken a mile of old pipe out—& if he hasn’t taken out about as much as he put in, he has certainly charged too great a quantity against us.

3. He has charged for the patent closets—they were not to be paid for till after a year’s trial.̭

Get Dr Hooker to go over Ahern’s bill carefully with you & give his opinion—tell him the sum paid & the sum proposed both seem extravagant to me. I was going to write him, but I reckon this will do.

Especially we want to know what that new bill for $290 is made out of—& why $80 for joiner work which has not been done.

Mem. Charley, don’t order soapstones or anything without consulting your aunt Livy—she’s th an order from me, unendorsed by her, ain’t sufficient.

We don’t find fault with the premiums Garvie charges on the wages of his men—that’s all right—also his own salary.

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Yes, we want a new closet in the cellar.

Also, ask Dr Hooker about the trap in the yard; & if it is necessary, put it in. T All along we have considered that very important—but it ought not to a cost a third what Ahern estimates it. Ask Dr Hooker.

I don’t believe Garvie’s new estimate is more than a third or a fourth too large—I want to leave you a good deal of liberty in deciding upon that——but whatever decision is arrived at, have it in writing.

And rush up there right away, else he & the plumber will bankrupt us in the meantime.

I do hope we are nearing the end of this confounded business. We’ll be the laughing stock of Hartford yet, with our kitchen——but it would have been much worse if you hadn’t come in.

I enclose only $500 for Garvie—I want matters settled before I send more.

Hope you can arrange to your satisfaction with G. & A., mainly because we would prefer not to have new workmen in the house if it can be righteously avoided—but turn ou them out promptly if they are intractable.