For almost two months, I went without a bathroom, having demolished it and then having had to take care of one emergency or another — from electricity (going without for 2 weeks — more on that later) to hot water (none for 2 days that i knew of), from rotting joists to water seepage though the rear brick wall, from a leaking skylight to tardy contractors (seriously, better late than never).
I hunted down the non-standard toilet (with a 10-inch "rough-in" instead of one with the usual 12-inch space between the center of the drain and the wall) I needed (at Brooklyn Plumbing Supply — small, no-nonsense and really, really out of the way joint) and speed-installed it before dinner. It took maybe 20 minutes.
"How many toilets do you own?" my brother, Marco, asked.
"One for each day of the week," I texted back. "If you count the one I threw out."
Then, I rehung and framed the door (swapped with one from the hall closet) so that it swings inward instead of into the narrow hallway and chiseled in the new lock. I'll probably replace the door with one made of solid wood when I have the funds, but it works for now — and it was good practice.
I replaced a few 4-by-4 wall tiles and had hoped to install the sink, but I couldn't find that spare drain tube I had laying around. So instead I used that momentum to demolish the basement's acoustical tile drop ceiling for the plumbers to route new natural gas lines for the conversion from oil heat.
My efforts resulted in my being showered in several pounds of drywall, bits of concrete and other random debris in the ceiling space. In the process, one of several giant flourescent light fixtures — like the type in offices — came loose unexpectedly and swung by its metal (BX) cable before crashing to the floor. Thankfully, it missed me.
Shortly after that point, I called it a night and attempted to make enchiladas.
2 comments:
Priceless: "I called it a night and attempted to make enchiladas."
Holy crap, you're the Indiana Jones of house renovation!
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