Beth's Plumbing...Which room would you like to remodel?

I'm sure there's some humor to be found here somewhere, but I haven't found it yet.

First, let me back up a little.  In March of 2006, I broke a pipe under our kitchen sink.  It was a hell-ish experience that resulted in a completely new kitchen at a total cost of over $30,000 (mostly paid for with insurance, thank goodness).  The girls were only 2 & 3 at the time, and the boys were 10 & 12.  If you're interested, you can read all about that experience at the link below:

http://in-the-midst-of-miracles.blogspot.com/2007/03/happy-anniversaryto-our-kitchen.html




Well.....fast forward to May 31st, 2010.  Last night, I was stacking towels under the kids' bathroom vanity, and bumped the cold water pipe.  SNAP!  Instant geyser.  No kidding, by the way.  I bumped the pipe.  We must have the most brittle pipes on the planet, because I hit this one even more lightly than the kitchen one!!


In any case, we got the water shut-off relatively quickly.  And while I'm not proud to say that we're experienced with water damage after the kitchen.....we knew what to do this time and didn't waste any time.  When this amount of water is involved, it has to be handled aggressively!  Our oak bathroom vanity got turned into toothpicks with a crowbar and hanmmer, and hurled out the back door in a hurry.  All the trim boards followed. Sheetrock is like a sponge......and there's only one way to make sure you get it dry.  Black mold is almost instantaneous in this part of the country, and you don't try to "salvage" $500-$1,000 worth of cabinetry to risk ending up with $10,000 worth of more extensive damage.  (Did I mention that we're experienced?) The cold air fans have been blowing non-stop since last night, the carpet is elevated in the adjacent hallway, and everyone is banned from entering that area for the time being.



Of course, while I'm glad Mike was home, Jennica totally "flipped out" while the water was exploding out of the bathroom cabinet.  Having your parents anxiously shouting instructions at each other and rushing around tends to "freak out" the most stable child, much less one with SPD.  She's better today, but still a tad "off".  She's referring to it as "the flood" and talking endlessly about being afraid about not being able to swim well enough.  There is no use reasoning that swimming would not be necessary.  This is her reality.  (Maybe we should consider a Noah's Ark theme in that bathroom from now on?  Nah......)



So.......we're back in the "Land of Plumbing Accidents by Beth."  I'm not Amused. One. Bit. 



We're currently in the "holding pattern" that consumes the dry-out process.  Until we've got everything dry, nothing happens.  This time, we are going to make some different choices regarding the actual plumbing repair, so that we should be able to re-construct a little more quickly than the four months of misery with the kitchen.  Of course, the amount of water was also less and a kitchen remodel is way larger in scope than a bathroom remodel.........but still.



Honestly, the entire house needs to be re-plumbed, but I think that bid out at around $10,000 when we checked the last time, and the insurance wouldn't touch it.  Lovely, huh?  Why couldn't Mike have stacked those towels under there?  GRRRR......