I've been so bummed that everything has slowed to a crawl that I forgot to post the final (I hope) reason I hate the plumber: Part of the sewer pipe had to be redone because he laid it out straight instead of on an incline. Just glad our contractor called him on it.
We had a set back here at Casa de Shithole.The plan was to pour a "sister" foundation just inside the shitty existing foundation and bolt the two together. (See existing shitty foundation, crumbling at the left.)Well, at about three in the morning on Rob's 40th birthday, the existing foundation gave up the ghost and caved into the trench that had been dug for the sister foundation. Those bars peeking out under the siding in the second picture were the cage for the new f
oundation. They had already been drilled into the new foundation.Our contractor was uncomfortable with us staying in the house in this condition, so we moved out for a few days while he raced to get everything stabilized. More on that in my next post!
Yep. That's Rob digging up our Engelmann. And with a real shovel, not the ridiculous trowel he used to plant it.We have a ghetto chain link fence we need to replace (more on that in a future post) and the new fence is going to be set two feet further back than the current one. Our contractor thought the tree was too close to where the new fence will be.In keeping with the Wicca aura of this planting experience, Rob did the replant on Halloween.
This is what Rob rigged in the bathroom for light since the overheads are temperamental and outlets are at a premium.After the house was broken into, we had this guy on a timer so the placed looked lived in. Talk about a high tech security system.
We have knob and tube electricity, which I had never even heard of until the inspector told us ours needs to be replaced. The outlets work fine -- what few there are. Our living room has two; the bedroom one. I can imagine the electrician in 1909 telling the owners they were being extravagant putting two outlets in the living room because, honestly, back then what were you going to plug in?
The overhead lights, on the other hand, work when they feel like it. Again, what few overhead lights there are; the previous owners graciously removed the living room and dining room fixtures when they moved out.Rob decided to hang Christmas lights to keep us from stumbling around in the dark. They work quite well and make the place feel cozy. It's been a while since we've had incandescent bulbs; the light is much warmer than with compact fluorescents.Of course, now that Rob has come up with an alternative light source, our ceiling fixtures have started working again. Even so, the Christmas lights are staying.
While we were in escrow, we learned the house couldn't be sold because it didn't have a heat source -- a pretty significant problem in Southern California in July. Because it was a short sale, the owner refused to do any work on the property. The listing agent had a heater installed, but we didn't have any say on where it went. It now cuts up the only wall in our living room that would hold a book shelf, and the contractor's sloppy work left the floors the mess they were in my previous post. Sigh. And to think we're just going to rip the damn thing out at the first opportunity.
I've been so bummed that everything has slowed to a crawl that I forgot to post the final (I hope) reason I hate the plumber: Part of the sewer pipe had to be redone because he laid it out straight instead of on an incline. 
We had a set back here at Casa de Shithole.
oundation. They had already been drilled into the new foundation.
Yep. That's Rob digging up our Engelmann. And with a real shovel, not the ridiculous trowel he used to plant it.
This is what Rob rigged in the bathroom for light since the overheads are temperamental and outlets are at a premium.
We have knob and tube electricity, which I had never even heard of until the inspector told us ours needs to be replaced. The outlets work fine -- what few there are. Our living room has two; the bedroom one. I can imagine the electrician in 1909 telling the owners they were being extravagant putting two outlets in the living room because, honestly, back then what were you going to plug in?
While we were in escrow, we learned the house couldn't be sold because it didn't have a heat source -- a pretty significant problem in Southern California in July. Because it was a short sale, the owner refused to do any work on the property. The listing agent had a heater installed, but we didn't have any say on where it went. It now cuts up the only wall in our living room that would hold a book shelf, and the contractor's sloppy work left the floors the mess they were in my previous post. Sigh. And to think we're just going to rip the damn thing out at the first opportunity.
