This much I know for sure: Home ownership is NOT FOR WUSSES! I've known this for ages, but what I thought was a small leak in my bathroom turned into a beast.
My nephew Haven, who is a plumber, pulled my commode and I bought a new one. All I needed to do was get the floor dry and set the new one in its place. We did that last weekend, but several days afterward, the floor was still wet. Not a lot, but I had a nagging feeling.
After a few more days, I ripped up the commercial tile and the luan (thin plywood between the tile and the subfloor) was soaking wet. It had to come up too.
After ripping that up, I put fans and a portable heater in there to ensure everything was dry as snuff before I put the flooring and the new commode down.
Water seemed to be seeping from under the shower stall and the floor between the bathroom kitchen. I called my nephew yesterday and told him what I found. He said he'd be back this afternoon.
In the kitchen, we had to pull the fridge away from the wall and cut a hole in the sheetrock which was the wall between the kitchen and bathroom. About halfway up the wall where the pipes threaded through support studs, a tiny pinhole sprayed a little stream of water. Less than 10 minutes later the pipe was repaired, but then I had to start the long process of drying out everything that had gotten damp. It will take a few days before I can start putting things back together and putting the floor down in my bathroom.
Even though I was cussing like a sailor for most of the afternoon, I can now see light at the end of the tunnel. By next weekend, I should have my bathroom back in order.
Tonight I feel like I've gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. I'm going to take a hot bath and there's about a 98% chance I'll have a glass of wine sitting on the rim of the tub.
No, home ownership is not for wimps.
My nephew Haven, who is a plumber, pulled my commode and I bought a new one. All I needed to do was get the floor dry and set the new one in its place. We did that last weekend, but several days afterward, the floor was still wet. Not a lot, but I had a nagging feeling.
After a few more days, I ripped up the commercial tile and the luan (thin plywood between the tile and the subfloor) was soaking wet. It had to come up too.
After ripping that up, I put fans and a portable heater in there to ensure everything was dry as snuff before I put the flooring and the new commode down.
Water seemed to be seeping from under the shower stall and the floor between the bathroom kitchen. I called my nephew yesterday and told him what I found. He said he'd be back this afternoon.
In the kitchen, we had to pull the fridge away from the wall and cut a hole in the sheetrock which was the wall between the kitchen and bathroom. About halfway up the wall where the pipes threaded through support studs, a tiny pinhole sprayed a little stream of water. Less than 10 minutes later the pipe was repaired, but then I had to start the long process of drying out everything that had gotten damp. It will take a few days before I can start putting things back together and putting the floor down in my bathroom.
Even though I was cussing like a sailor for most of the afternoon, I can now see light at the end of the tunnel. By next weekend, I should have my bathroom back in order.
Tonight I feel like I've gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. I'm going to take a hot bath and there's about a 98% chance I'll have a glass of wine sitting on the rim of the tub.
No, home ownership is not for wimps.
And tracking down the source of a water problem is sometimes just about impossible.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awful job. I hope this is the end of it.
ReplyDeleteI hate water caused work in the house. Takes so darn long and uses up so much energy to fix - and time !
ReplyDeleteJoy
Depending on how old the water system in your house is, maybe it's time to replace it with a new one. Anyway,if you want your pipes in the kitchen intact,you should be selective as to what goes down to them: no coffee, no greasy sauces, no wine residues, no detergents. To get rid of this stuff I put it in bottles and take it to the wet trash cans outside. The municipality trash trucks should know what to do with it . It's a messy work, but I sleep well knowing that no plumber work will be needed here for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI don't put any of that stuff down my drain either. As I said my nephew and brother-in-law are plumbers and they would chide me unmercifully if I did.
DeleteWe don't have ANY recycle trucks here. I do recycle, but I have to take paper to one place, metal to another, and so on.
Food vegetable food scraps go into my compost bucket and that ends up on our garden.
Finding a solution is easy once you know what the problem is. At least you don't need a new roof. Now that's one big expense. I hope your hot bath got you to relax at last.
ReplyDeleteWe're in a snow blizzard at the moment. I'm back home from the barn safe and sound.
Hugs,
Julia
I heartily agree with you! Home ownership is not for wimps. When I get my house sold and move I am renting and will let someone else take care of things.
ReplyDeleteI am smiling as I finish. Our Government in all its infinite wisdom believed in the American Dream, everyone should own their own home. So folks who had always 'rented' had their homes, but could not keep them up.
ReplyDeleteI was actually old before it hit me that some folk CANNOT be home owners. They need someone to fix stuff, or they let it go until the commode falls thru the floor, in a case like you are talking.
BTW Sorta like the pot and kettle thing, Soldiers talking about sailors language!! hahahahahahahahahaha!
That sucks, dude. I had a cracked pipe not long ago.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Your post reminds me of a comment I once heard: You don't buy a house; houses buy YOU!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of fun Rick! Glad you guys found the source and got it fixed. Home ownership can be a lot of work but it worth it Doncha think?
ReplyDeleteLisa
I know what you mean about home ownership. My daughter's cement front porch caved in recently, and she's had bids from $2900 to $20,000 to fix it!
ReplyDeleteWhen you're in the tub, make sure you don't splash!!
ReplyDeleteI agree owning a home is stressful, not that I have ever owned one, never could afford to do so
ReplyDeleteYou are so right bout owning a home. So many have no clue what it takes and think they can just hire someone and all will be flowers in Chocolate. I'm glad it was all fixed.
ReplyDeleteI'm dealing with a leak right now--hopefully not as extensive as yours was. It sure helps to be handy when you're a homeowner, and that's something I'm not.
ReplyDeleteI have never wanted to own a house unless I got married and he was able to do the repairs... lol... I know it is nice to own but it sometimes feels never ending work to be done xox
ReplyDeleteA cheaper and easier alternative is to renovate your bathroom shower tub by retaining the existing tub and installing a fiberglass insert. best showerheads
ReplyDelete