Water Woes

Remember the bit about my house falling down around my ears?

Yeah. Still falling.

I bought a new microwave. And then it snowed. And it snowed and snowed and snowed. And then my plumbing exploded.

No, it's not burst pipes. Well, maybe it is, but they didn't burst from the cold. For one thing, it's not cold anymore. And this just happened yesterday.

See, yesterday my au pair came to show me the shower in the bathroom she shares with the kids. This is the same shower we've been turning on and off with a screwdriver for the past few months. And yes, that should have been a great big giant red flag. What can I say.

So, she showed me the shower. Water was streaming down the back wall, coming from behind the fixtures. This was way worse than a stripped and leaky faucet. This was massive water damage, and likely inside the walls. Nascent, I hope, but we don't know that yet.

I found a plumber. He came within the hour. He's my new best friend.

He explained to me that I have a heckuva situation on my hands. My tub? The fixtures are on the wrong side. On an internal wall. With an air vent alongside the plumbing. Fella spent an hour trying to figure out an access point. In the end, he figured out that he could rip out the sink and cabinet from my master bath, break through the drywall, fix the plumbing, then put everything back.

Guess how much that's gonna cost. Just guess. I dare you.

'Cause that kind of work? Takes hours. And more than one guy.

So my friend the plumber shut off all the water to my second floor. He's supposed to come back with friends on Monday. That's how long we'll get to live without showers. Good weekend for it - kids are with their dad, I'm out of town with friends, and my patient au pair is being well cared for by some very kind neighbors.

I still don't have lights in my living room. Or a railing on my back deck. There's a great big hole in the roof of my shed. And, oh yeah, an infestation of odorous house ants in my basement. And yes, that totally grosses me out because I am, after all, a girl. And, um, human.

But yay, I'm getting the plumbing fixed. One home repair down. About 37 to go ...