Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Surprise! Guess What's Behind that Wall!

As my dear sister-in-law, Maria, knows, remodeling is Fun! Fun! Fun! I used to envy all my brothers and sisters and the collective wisdom they have in tackling their remodeling their projects themselves, but I am now even more aware of how completely out of our depth Doug and I are when it comes to this. I didn't even buy the right fan light/dimmer switch today!

But our project is coming along. . . . and I'm hoping (desperately) to be up and running by Thanksgiving.

But my first . . . hesitation. . . was when I saw a splash of the color of the paint I picked out. And no matter how I tried to spin it, I knew I could not live with bright cherry red walls in the kitchen. Bright cherry red would probably be a SIREN call to all the Cedar Waxwings in North America, making them crash through my windows and eat my interior walls! I tried getting some brown paint added to the paint. . . and then decided that I should just cut my losses and buy new paint. Not a big problem, once I got beyond the indecision. . .



The bigger problem was discovered by the contractor. Take a look to the left of our oven, toward the floor. . .



. . . and NO that is not a Nikon lens scandalously, wantonly, lying around among the dust and construction! I'd never!

That's plumbing stuff. Pipes. Kind of like the big honker of a pipe in the wall, just above it, discovered by the contractor to be--well--cracked! As in, leaking. In the wall, between the kitchen and the bathroom.

See! I actually DO know some construction stuff! I know leaking pipes in the wall are bad. So is the resulting mold. . .

And another thing that's bad is how all the plumbing and pulling-out-the-cabinets banging around reveals the problem with the electrical connection and knocks out the lighting in the bathroom, so now you have to wash your dishes in the dark in the bathroom.

But first, we tried flipping some circuit switches. Because that's what you always do when the lights/power goes out; you go down to the laundry room and flip switches. And the lights come back on and all is good.

Except, of course, instead, our crazed flipping of switches just blew out our internet router. Which for us, is NOT simple and easy to repair, and left me going through Serious Blogger Withdrawal.

*sigh* But now I'm reconnected to the internet, have new paint on the wall, have new pipes in the wall. . . . but a lot of dark in the bathroom.

And that dimmer switch? Seems I didn't remember that the switch that turns on the fan is really NOT also connected to the light switch. Oh. . . and the light doesn't dim, either. . . . And eventually after searching the parking lot at LumberMart, I found the receipt (which fell out of the car)for Lowes to return that ridiculously expensive switch.

9 comments:

Esther said...

Oh Angela, I have a headache for you! I LOL'd at your Nikon lens comment, because seriously, that is what I first thought when I saw the pipes! :) I'm glad you at least have some humor out of this not so fun situation. I hope it gets fixed pronto so you don't have any more blogger withdrawls!

Maria said...

Angela, Angela, Angela . . . I feel like a heartless schadenfreude for laughing out loud at your post! You know I feel your pain! I really, really do! As for color, I know I'm missing the color gene. I can never make up my mind. I have finally hit on the perfect color solution and it has stood me well for over ten years now: I make my friend Julie pick them out. I do have veto power, but she has such good taste and can read me so well, that I've learned to trust her implicitly. So you think you'll be done by Thanksgiving, huh? Leave yourself some mental wiggle room, just in case . . .

Krystle said...

Oh how I feel your pain! I'm remodeling myself. Leaking pipes is awful, and electrical is a huge fear of mine *sigh*. And paint? My living room is just a smidge more neon than sunny yellow, but I can't bring myself to repaint lol!

Yolanda said...

Aahhhh the joys of remodeling. Just keep repeating that it will all be worth it in the end!

Jeanne said...

Leave it to you to share your story in true Angela style. Of course you are going to have issues remodeling because weird and wacky things just "happen" to you guys! At least it was found out, right?

Giggled at the lens comment myself.

Good luck and keep up that sense of humor!

Reds said...

Oh boy - good luck with all of that!! Renovations can cause really big headaches!

Beverly said...

I know you will be super happy when all this is done but what excellent blog material it provides :) Just for future knowledge, Lowes is awesome about taking things back without the receipt, dh has done it on more than a few occasions. I could picture you in the LumberMart parking lot!

Margaret said...

Remodeling projects give me a headache, too! I thought I was going to go crazy last year when we renovated the bathroom. I say "we" but we really hired someone to do it. But still. Living with the dust, the noise, the obnoxious music of the contractor.....Good luck to you! I'm sure you'll be so relieved when it's all done!

Joanne said...

We always say you have to make a mess before you can make it better. Easier to say than live with--lol. I feel your pain, we've btdt and it is NO fun. I will cross fingers that you get it all fixed before thanksgiving!