Plumbing Is Done

Slowly but surely, things are getting done. Today, the plumbing got put in and we now have a working sink and dishwasher. It didn’t come without its problems however. Since I am in Arizona for work, I had to coordinate with the plumber before I left at the end of last week. The plumber that I am using is a guy that the electrical contractor knows and works with often, and he is a little high strung to say the least.

When I spoke with him, I told him that I would be out of town, but that Kris would be home and she can tell him exactly what needs to be done. I also told him she leaves for work around 7:30 AM. So now he shows up first thing in the morning at 7:00 while Kris is finishing getting ready for work, and proceeds to tell Kris that I never informed him that I wouldn’t be there. Apparently the words “I’ll be out of town” don’t mean the same thing in West Bend. Then Kris goes over the work that needs to be done and he throws a minor tantrum saying that this isn’t what we discussed, and after looking things over, it is going to be way more than he quoted. Of course. And people wonder why plumbers (and other contractors) have bad reputations. But he still agrees to do it, after all, we are in a bind and if we don’t have him do it, then we’ll be waiting another couple of weeks.

Kris then told me that as she was finishing getting ready, she could hear him mumbling and complaining to himself about how he hates the kind of faucet Kris picked and how he wished people would consult with him before choosing fixtures, and how she (Kris) is going to hate it. And about how the sink is too deep, and how he is going to have to move pipes, and cut holes… blah, blah, blah. Oh, and he also had to complain that no one would be there to consult should problems arise. Again, saying I was going to be out of town for the week, and that Kris would be working apparently wasn’t clear enough.

At the end of the day, after all the griping and complaining, he got everything installed, and plumbed. And I have to say that short of the complaining, etc. he did a pretty good job. Although his rate was a little high, I can’t complain about the work. The good thing is that I don’t foresee any other urgent plumbing needs in the immediate future.