Essay Part 2

Bear brings a piece of suitable plywood into the house from the garage for the moldy floor. He draws the holes he needs to cut for the pipes and asks me to hold the plywood as he cuts the holes with the sawzall. Have you ever held something while it's being sawzalled? Let me tell you, it stinks. It felt like I was trying to hold a jackhammer by the tip. It takes about fifteen minutes to get the holes cut out and the plywood down. Bear puts the old faucet onto the pipes (minus the vanity) so he can check that there are no leaks.

boy, is there ever a leak!

Apparently while cutting the old vanity bottom away from the pipes, he knicked the cold water pipe with the sawzall. Water starts spraying all over the place, most of it landing on the freshly-dried subfloor. The plywood is wet now, too. Bear turns the water back off due to my screaming, and surveys the damage. No help for it, we will have to go back to Home Depot for some new pipes. We're tired and cranky, and I haven't showered since Friday night. Bear thinks if he turns on only the hot water, I can at least shower. He goes down stairs to turn on the hot, forgetting he has taken the old faucet back off the pipes, leaving open ends on both. I stare in horror as hot water geysers out of the hot water pipe and all over the floor. It takes two or three seconds to realize there's a bucket nearby. I scream even louder for him to turn the water back off. He does, but then turns it right back on again. Nearly hysterical because my bucket is almost full, I screech, stomp, holler and generally cause a ruckus until he hears me from the basement and shuts the water off for good. We decide we will both have to call in sick on Monday to get the project finished. One good thing does come from this - I now have water to use the toilet. Ahhh, sweet relief!

Monday's trip to Home Depot was for two flex pipes, two shutt-off connector valves, and some asprin. Total cost: $25.

The pipes go in well and everything is looking good - no more leaks in the pipes and the vanity slides in smoothly. There is still one more problem - the drain pipes don't match up. I question if this is a big problem, because the drain works, it's just under a bit of pressure. Bear calls his uncle that lives near by, who promises to come look at it Tuesday night. A new piece of flex pipe for the drain (total cost: $5), and we have a new sink.

It's beautiful, and looks terrific. But damn, what a pain in the ass!