AT HOME : Readers share their remodeling horror stories
Posted on Sunday, July 6, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Living/66823/
Remodeling is like childbirth: If people remembered the pain, the world would be full of only children living in houses in their original condition. Moreover, ask those masochistic enough to remodel, and you’ll find these universal truths:
• Something completely unexpected always goes wrong.
• Costs and timelines typically double.
• Almost everyone would do it again.
Why ? Isn’t life hard enough without voluntarily pillaging your home while raising your stress level and draining your bank account ?
Last week I shared one of my remodeling horror stories. This week it’s your turn. I received a slew of terrifying tales from readers replying to my home improvement horror contest. Here are a few best of the worst:
Beneath the seams “ Won’t water get behind that ? ” Susan (who asked me to withhold her last name ) of Syosset, N. Y., asked the workers as they installed sheets of waterproofing on her new room addition. The Tyvec barrier should go up in systematic layers; these guys were tacking it up like a crazy quilt. “ Nah, nah, don’t worry. It will be fine, ” they assured. (We know where this is going. ) Fast forward five weeks: Following a torrential storm, a smell like someone opened a boys’ locker room six months after the season ended wafted up from the basement. Susan plugged her nose and then went in like Indiana Jones. Water had seeped through the walls all right, soaked boxes and bags filled with expensive towels and family photos, and fostered forests of thick, psychedelic mold that looked, she said, like “ connective tissue. ” Hot water and bleach salvaged her Pratesi and Esplama towels, but her photos were history. And the leak ? They added another barrier, and all is well.
The humbling home Fortunately, Peggy James of Fayetteville, lost only her dignity when she and her husband remodeled the kitchen in their old lake house. Trouble started when Peggy made the bathroom sink double as a kitchen sink. The bathroom sink had a quirk: Water from it drained into the shower before draining to the septic system. This was okay for the occasional water from tooth brushing and hand washing, but not for dish duty. Shortly after the couple tore up the kitchen, Peggy’s husband left town for a four-month work assignment. (Naturally. ) Then, a record-breaking freeze hit, hardening the drain pipes. Water backed up in the shower, so when Peggy bathed she stood in seven inches of filthy, frigid water. She eventually figured out she could stand on a plastic milk crate and rise above the adversity — a perfect metaphor for remodeling.
Eight more lives to go
“ Don’t give away the cat, ” pled Debra Lockwood’s daughter. Only after promising not to, did Debra of Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, discover the, uhh, sticky situation her cat, Looie, had created. Debra wanted to glue down the linoleum lifting at the seams on her kitchen floor. Simple enough. She bought a can of linoleum glue, set it on the counter and planned to tackle the project after work. But first Looie lent a paw. He knocked the glue can off the counter, popping the lid. Glue spread like pancake batter over the floor. Whoopee ! He pranced through it and tracked goo all over the furniture, flooring and beds, before the glue congealed into a matted mass. Debra came home to the mess and Looie literally stuck in the basement. Fortunately, the glue was water soluble. Debra took this as a sign to replace the linoleum with ceramic tile, which she wanted anyway. As for Looie, besides losing one of his nine lives, he escaped with only a bath and a haircut.
Remodeling isn’t for the light-hearted, said Reva Kussmaul, a remodel coach and owner of Eye for Detail, in Pasadena, Calif. “ You have to feel the fear, and do it anyway. ” Here’s more of her remodeling advice along with insights from our contest winners:
• Think through what you will have to deal with. “ Even though we wanted a new kitchen, ” said Peggy, “ we should have done the bathroom first and not put up with that weird sink. ” Prioritize, and be realistic about what you can do when you’re both working. “ I can laugh now, but months without a kitchen was a horror. ”
• Follow your gut. Don’t assume “ experts” know what they’re doing. If you suspect something isn’t right, check with your contractor or building inspector. Almost every remodeler who has had problems saw red flags, said Kussmaul. In the waterproofing incident, Susan said she should have followed her hunch, called the manufacturer and e-mailed a photo of the waterproofing installation.
• Expect the domino effect. Projects mushroom. You start out patching a hole in your roof; next you’re replacing the roof and converting the garage into a gym. Relinquish control. Every project has a wild card, like Looie. If you’re a control freak, or require order for sanity, don’t even try.
• Keep your sense of humor. Despite the hassles, 80 percent of homeowners are happy with their remodel, and would do it again, said Kussmaul; 20 percent wouldn’t dream of it. Susan, Peggy and Debra are among the 80 percent and agree that laughter pulled them through. Today, they have a remodeled space they enjoy and free copies of “ The House Always Wins. ” Thanks to all who shared.
Syndicated columnist Marni Jameson is the author of “ The House Always Wins ” (Da Capo ), available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Details at www. marnijameson. com.