My column from the November issue of the magazine.
My husband and I purchased a 1920s home a few years ago, and we were both shocked when the inspection report came back with only one red flag – a loose toilet in the half bathroom.
Actually, half bathroom is an overstatement; this house took powder room literally. Anyway, I called our plumber, and he said it should be a quick — and relatively inexpensive — fix.
So we signed the purchase agreement, moved in, and lived with one bathroom for a while. Our previous house only had one bathroom, so I really didn’t think it would be a big deal. It was. The available, yet unusable, half bathroom was like a slap in the face every time we were forced to trudge upstairs, and getting it repaired moved to the very top of our to-do list.
Then we found out that there’s nothing quick or cheap about repairing the galvanized pipe they used in the early 1900s. Instead of simply securing a few loose screws, pipes had to be cut, PVC was introduced and one service call turned into three.
And our few hundred dollar estimate turned into more than $1,000 when all was said and done, but at least we had our second bathroom. In the end, it was well worth the cost.
Based on a recent member poll, it sounds like some of you are experiencing your own toilet issues. Thirteen percent of you had to hire a plumber to fish out items that fell (or were stuffed) into the toilet, including cell phones, toys and jewelry. One member in Sioux Falls, S.D., tells us he’ll never run into this problem though. “The toilet we put in guarantees you can flush three golf balls at one time!”
In the end, everyone has a good toilet story, and in my case, plumbing an old house is a true test of love, which is why I think plumbing is our most requested category year-round. It’s also why we devote an entire issue of the magazine to it.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the third installment of the toilet issue. If you have suggestions for other themed issues throughout the year, be sure to let us know!
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