We knew what we had on our plate when we bought the house. The plate, however, turned out to be a deep dish.
The first major obstacle we had to overcome was the water situation. Prior to buying the house, the water had been shut off due to the winterization process. In fact, we never really got to test the water until after we had signed our lives away. It soon became evident that we had water backing up in every sink and bathtub. The toilets flushed OK, no problems there, but we were unable to wash our hands or in any way expect water to flow down the drain.
Another issue was the hookup for the washer and dryer. The previous owners placed the washer and dryer side by side, but a good distance from the utility sink. The waste water from the washer was channeled through a long length of cheap plastic pipe which was hidden behind the drywall. Nearing the sink, it appeared through the wall and then up and over the sink. The placement of the washer was not ideal, and it soon occurred to us that we'd have to either move the sink closer to the washer- or move the washer next to the sink.
The only appliance abandoned by the former tenants was an older dishwasher. Everything else- the refrigerator, the oven, washer, dryer- was gone. I found that a little suspicious, and confirming my belief that the dishwasher was non-functional was the fact that the wood floor surrounding the dishwasher was damp and warped. Somewhere there was a leak, and it was bad enough to where whoever moved out last wanted nothing to do with it. So, we bought a new one and had the old one removed. And then we tested it...before we realized just how much all the pipes in the wall were related to each other.
And then there was the dreaded leaky roof night. 1:45 in the AM and I am awaken by the sound of DRIP. DRIP. DRIP. DRIP. Over and over. It was more like someone tapping a pencil on the back of a pot. That couldn't be good. To make matters worse, I went to check the basement minutes later, and that trip down the stairs was the beginning of a long wet night.
SO- The clogged drains needed to be fixed, and fast. Mark was gracious enough (like always) to come over with his auger and try to remedy the problem. We spent hours trying to clear out the pipes, starting in the kitchen and then working our way through the bathrooms and then the utility sink in the basement. Each time we'd test out the water, there was no progress. It was like the stuff wasn't budging. As a last resort, Mark tried once more in the basement while I was there, and we had Aimee test the water in the sink upstairs. A lot of "No, it's still coming up!!" was heard. Then, when it seemed like all was impossible, we heard the sweet sound of water rushing and gushing through the pipes. It worked!! We ran upstairs and ran all the water in the house and it all went down flawlessly. Never was I so happy about water going down a drain. The likely culprits in this mess were the contractors hired by the bank to "flip" the house- who carelessly dumped grout and all kinds of crap down the drains.
For the washer, we decided that the most practical arrangement meant moving the washer next to the sink, which meant rerouting the piping behind the wall, and ultimately segregating the washer and dryer. Hours were spent removing yards of old copper piping, repiping, and then situating the valves adjacent to the washer's new location next to the sink. All said and done, it was totally worth the hard work, even if the washer and dryer aren't side by side. It was a necessary sacrifice.
When Abt came over to deliver and install our new appliances, the only problem encountered was during the installation of the dishwasher. It is important to remember that this was done before Mark cleared away the drains. We didn't expect the dishwasher to back up during its test run due to the pipe being clogged from the sinks. When the technician fired up the inaugural wash cycle, I noticed water spraying out from behind the dishwasher. Ahhh...crap. Not only was there water, but a burst gasket. It wasn't until Mark rodded out the pipes when we were able to use our new dishwasher.
The Great Overnight Storm of the Summer of '10 (I just made that name up in case you weren't sure) caused a lot of headache for a lot of people, including us, though from what I gather, it was a lot worse for some others. The dripping noise I was alluding to was water dripping from the roof, behind the wall in the bathroom, and onto the top of the ventilation duct, hence the heavy, metallic quality of tone. The water in the basement was merely minor seepage, nothing to cry about...until I decided to open one of the little windows at ground level. In doing so, I discovered that the water had been pouring down the side of the house (courtesy of congested gutters) and pooling at window level. When I shut the window, I totally lost the seal, and the water was coming in fast. All I could do was drive back to the apartment in some of the heaviest rain I've ever seen, pick up an old tube of clear aquarium silicone, come back, and gob the stuff all over the window seam to stop the water from coming in. And it worked, but it could not have been done without Aimee's involvement (standing in place and holding the window in so that it wouldn't pop back in). If I never had to open that window again, so be it, I just wanted a dry basement. I don't even care that it looked sloppy.
The very next day, I was up on my roof for three hours with two pails of black roof patch, in 100 degree weather and with absolute pain in my lower back. At the same time, my father and Mark were working on adding an additional downspout and clearing away dead leaves and debris in the gutters to allow for better water flow. Now, the gutters run fast and clear (for now) and don't leak water over the windows. Again, I cannot express just how thankful I am to have family that can not only help me with repairs, but also teach me so that I can do these things myself the next time they happen (God forbid).
There's more watery stories that I can tell, but it is late and I've got to get to sleep now.
Joe
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