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10.19.2009

Gypsy Life, Week 3

We're gypsies. Entering the third week of home abandonment. We're frustrated, feeling all over the place, yada yada yada.

How did we get here? How can replacing bathroom tile take so long?

Well, here you go... So, our toilet was leaking and we had to have the tile replaced, as it was cracked and buckling, due to a mixture of moisture and an uneven floor. We got a quote, decided to move forward after pretending that this was something we could do ourselves.

The tile guy tells me to buy the tile THEN call him. OK, I say, and then call back and book him for Tuesday. When he asks if I have tile, I say "uh-huh." I decide I have to know what is under the tile and ask Matt to start pulling it up. We run to the big chain places and can't find anything we like. This is Sunday Week 1.

We plan to go to Century after work on Monday and walk out with new tile for the next morning. NO. Not possible. You have to order tile, people. So, I call our guy and tell him we need to reschedule. It is a week before he can come back. Enter Week 1 of being away from home. We buy a new toilet in this week, a fancy one to match the sink.

The tile guy came last Tuesday and Wednesday to put in the tile and stopped short of installing the toilet thinking it was too big. He wanted us to look at it first. And WOW he was right. This toilet is huge. Toilets are not one size fits all, it turns out. As we're inspecting the giant toilet in our tiny bathroom, I realize that ummmmm.... The floor is not even. At all. I call the tile guy, he agrees to come over the weekend to look at it. This is Wednesday #2.

So, this gives us a little time to return said huge toilet and get a decent sized one, which saves us some dough. We decide to stay home on Friday and Saturday night and live without a shower, which included wiping down every surface from the construction dust. The basement bathroom toilet works just fine, so we'll survive. I brush my teeth and wash my face in the kitchen sink. The tile guy comes Sunday morning, admits his mistake and starts to rip up everything and start over. He worked all day.

Today is Monday #3. He is coming back tonight to finish and we should be back in tomorrow after I wipe everything down again.

That's it in a nutshell. We're gypsies. And we continue our journeying on Thursday with a long weekend in Portland. Will we actually be back in our house by then? It's anyone's guess.

2 comments:

Marketing Mommy said...

Thanks for the tile tip--didn't realize I might have to ORDER tile for my kitchen backsplash. Guess I should start shopping as soon as I pick my countertop slab.

JLK and JL said...

Don't you just love home improvement!