Still Breathing

Today was supposed to be a good day as Matt arrived to look at our shower.  As Rick and I both suspected, however, the news we got from Matt was not good. Remember that I said that I was not holding my breath that today would go well? As the title says, I am still breathing.

Mike had suggested a plumber, but we have learned that when he first put in the drain, he did it incorrectly.  We did not know that until later today, but that solidified the decision that we ultimately made.  Matt looked at the install job and agreed that it was very poorly done.  He showed us that if he were to just add the layer of new tile on top of the old, the tile would actually be above (rather than even with) the top of the drain. Not good.  Matt said that we had two choices: we could try to find a floor tile that was half as thick as the original tile, or we could have him rip out the bottom tier of tile, the floor tile, the threshold, and the front tile so that a plumber could come back in to reconfigure the drain.

After Matt left, we called Mike and learned that he had just received some very bad news from his doctor.  He was on the way to the hospital for further tests.  He said that he was (understandably) upset, and that now was not the time to talk to him.  He told us that he will get back to us.  Famous last words, but we understand his emotions and will give him a couple of days.

Neither of us were thrilled with the idea of the tile going over the already-laid tile in the first place, and when Matt told us that the simple "fix" Mike had planned for us would not work, we were further dismayed.  The more that we thought about it, the more the idea of doing a patch-fix really did not appeal to us.

However, we headed for the tile company to see if we could find a thinner tile that might just work. We have been working with a great guy at the tile shop called Keith. When we got there,  he gave us some suggestions as to alternative tile; unfortunately, the samples that we would have borrowed were waiting to be picked up for another job, so we left empty-handed. I was not sure that a new, thinner tile would work, and later on the idea of staying with the original tile was even more appealing.

 Since it was near lunch time, we stopped at an area Steak 'N Shake.  The bad day just got worse. Rick ordered a burger with no mustard and no onion.  We waited forever to be served, and when our food came, his burger was spread with mustard.  He called the waitress and she took it back.  A few minutes later she came back with his new burger, but this one was lying on a layer of onions.  "Nope," said Rick.  "No onions."  The waitress again took the burger back.  Almost immediately she returned with a freshly made, correct burger, but sheesh!  Three tries before the cook could get a simple burger order right?  The day was not getting any better.

As we left the restaurant, we heard a high-pitched screech.  %$&#!  My Pod occluded and the insulin I was supposed to get to cover my lunch was not being delivered.  I had no insulin with me, so instead of going onward, we returned home so I could put on a new Pod.  I do not have Pods that occlude very often, but I have to admit that today was NOT the day for that to occur.  I was in no mood for more hassles.

Out we went again to see if we could find any suitable tile samples at Floor Decor.  That, too, was a bust.  Sigh.

On our way home, Rick stopped at a local plumber to ask about the drain and what they would charge to redo it.  As he explained to the plumber what the first plumber had done, the man was appalled. He said that what we have under our shower floor right now is illegal because the original plumber botched the job, leaving an opening for backed-up water to flow under the slab on which our house rests.

OK.  That cinched it. We have no choice.  Even though Mike does not want Matt to rip up the shower, that is what must happen.  We will have to pay another plumber probably $600 to get the drain installed correctly, and the timing of all of this will be a nightmare.  We cannot call Mike right now to coordinate anything, but the removal of the tile must start with Matt.  Then we need to get the plumber in to redo the drain, then Matt has to come back in to finish the job.

We are both just sick about this.  We will have to pay for another box of wall tiles to go around the bottom of the shower walls, along with a new pan and backer-board since replacing all of that is our decision.  We are hoping that Mike will still agree to send in Matt to do the work.  He already bought the tile for the floor, and if we can get a good plumber and Matt to work together, the original tile that we picked out should work fine.

This was supposed to be an easy job.  We did the initial hard work of destructing the old shower and building up the new walls.  Then we were supposed to be able to relax, let the professionals come in, and in a week's time, have a new, beautiful shower.  That was 12 weeks ago.  Now we will be lucky if we have a new shower in place by the time we leave for Wisconsin in May.

That being said,  I doubt we will be able to pour a concrete slab for the shed.  We would have loved to do that so it would have had the summer to cure, but funds were short to begin with, and they certainly will not cover both a shower and a slab.  Damn!  We will end up with a shower that will cost us almost as much as a total bathroom rehab all because the original plumber did not know what he was doing.  This definitely has not been a good day.