Scream, vent, cuss......plumbing yech!

My 100 year old Victorian has given me another surprise today. The plumbing drains in the downstairs bathroom, which is tied into the plumbing drains from the kitchen, which is tied to my washing machine, is totally clogged. The 70 year old drainpipes are rusted together so you can't open them to route them out, and there are so many curves in the lines that even if they got in them, they can't direct the router to get them clean.

So Monday, I get to have all the drain pipes in the downstairs of my house totally replaced. No dishes, laundry or baths in the meantime. Thank heavens the toilet and upstairs shower stall works.

Grumble...grumble....cuss.....cuss.....scrrreeeeeaaaaammmmmmm!!!

Just another happy homeownership day.....

Yikes! Will the insurance cover it? I sure hope so, it sounds expensive!

Good luck!

Oh boy,
I hope you get your repairs done quickly, and to your satisfaction.

I bet your Victorian home is beautiful.

Originally posted by nighteyes
I bet your Victorian home is beautiful.

Click to expand...

Yep, and I keep repeating that over and over and over with each part of it that I replace! LOL By the time we move, we'll have about every foot of it either repaired, replaced or covered.....oops, the claw-foot bathtub is holding out pretty well (I shouldn't say that and jinx myself).

Not an insurance claim....this one will be about $800.

We live in a 75 year old house. About a month ago, the bathtub (on the 2nd floor) sprung a leak, which of course got the first floor wet. The plumber came and found that the pipes run under the cast iron tub so they would have to cut a hole in the living room ceiling to replace the pipes. So, 4 days later(!) they came and tried to cut a small hole int he ceiling and found that the floor of the bathroom is concrete!!! So, they decided to rip out the cast iron tub instead. But, once they beat the tub to peices and ripped out the walls surrounding the tub, the found that they would have to cut through the concrete anyway. So they get a concrete drill and cut a 6 foot by 2 foot hole in the living room ceiling. We have only one bathroom, so we had to use the john with our feet over a hole down into the living room!!!

Anyway, they replaced the tub, but not the bathroom walls. So we have black plastic sheets stapled to the wall studs so we can shower. They also put a couple of peices of drywall over the hole in the ceiling (did I mention the hole they put in the living room wall?), though it is just a patch, complete with gaps and no paint.

Now, we are waiting to get the tub surround (walls) in the bathroom. I'm getting used to the black plastic and will miss it when its gone. :

Last year the front yard was dug up to replace a leak in the old ceramic water intake pipe, and the year before the yard was dug up to replace the leaking ceramic sewage pipe.

Sigh.....living in an old house is such joy!

ROFLMAO!! Yup....sounds like an old house to me. We were just finishing remodeling the kitchen when the tornado passed by in June. We got the first rains over labor day weekend and found out that the both old brick chimney tops (the fireplaces indoors were removed) now leak.....we had water leaking down the chimney, into the ceiling of the dining room on the first floor. Have a big water patch to repair on that one, but only after we get someone to re-tuckpoint the chimney and replace the flashing. Then the front door doesn't want to open right - the winds tried to push that in and the original 100 year old hinges (which I can't find replacements for) are slightly bent. Oh yeah, and when the garage windows were blown out, it blew one of the main garage doors slightly off track and we are finally getting that repaired (this afternoon if he shows up).

I think I'll go out and take a pic and post it as a reminder of how beautiful it is.

Here she is...we think she turned 100 last year...

Our front door won't latch right, so we have to use a deadbolt which won't open from outside. So, we can only enter through the back door.

I discovered the problem with the door one night when my husband was out of town. I was in a T-shirt and panties at 11:00 p.m. when I remembered that I never got the day's mail. The mailbox is on the front of the house. It was dark, so I figured that I would just step out and grab the mail quickly, so no need to put on any pants. BIG mistake!!! The door shut and the latch jammed. I had already put the keyless bolt down on the back door because I was getting ready for bed. So, I couldn't get in through the back of the house. So there I am in my underwear and bare feet standing in my front yard trying to figure out how to get in my house. I ended up using my shoulder to bang the door open, breaking the door frame where the latch caught. So now the door won't stay shut without the bolt!

Oh....we had some nasty storms this summer too (the closest tornado was about 30 miles north), which, like you made the old chimney leak. We found this out when my husband woke up with plaster and rain on his face.

I think I must have done something very bad in my previous life to have deserved buying a money pit like this!

Oh! I love your house -- especially the porch! It is beautiful. I'll try to remember to bring in a picture of my money pit tomorrow.

Just got the garage door fixed and get this! The door spring was out of whack because we had put bricks on one side to raise the door to allow the ferals in and out without letting in the dogs or coyotes. When the tornado winds hit it, it only made it worse.

Note to self: put bricks on both ends of door in the future.....

Sorry for all your house trouble's,my house is only 8 years old.and paid for.

Originally posted by lotsocats
Oh! I love your house -- especially the porch! It is beautiful. I'll try to remember to bring in a picture of my money pit tomorrow.

Click to expand...

Please do! Maybe we can start a money pit thread???

you know what they say,,, BEFORE YOU CUSS CALL US! sorry to hear about your troubles, i hope you get them fixed, btw, your house might be old but it is lovely, i really like the porch.

Your house is very charming. I love old Victorians.

Your story and the others remind me of the movie where the couple buys a house and everything falls apart . . . I'm quite sure it was called the "Money Pit" as mentioned in this thread.

My poor old house (built during WW2) has had its share of issues. . . I made the mistake of installing a water saver toilet. I should have kept the old beast. I'm forever unplugging the stupid thing. Grrrrr.

Then there's the carpenter ants munching overhead (gone now. . . thank God). . . and the bald faced hornets, paper wasps, yellow jackets. . . . why do all these stinging insects have to pick MY house? I'm always battling something.

And now I'm finding cat toys in my furnace vent pipe!
Compliments of Morrell.

If I could just keep up with the painting. . . trimming. . . mowing. . . cleaning. . . . I'd be happy.

I feel so bad for you guys with the plumbing issues. Ouch!

Laurie

The drywall guy came yesterday (Saturday!), so now we have drywall rather than just studs surrounding the bathtub. We had to rip down the black plastic and put up clear plastic to cover the drywall until the "marble" walls are installed. The clear plastic walls look so much nicer than did the black plastic! It surely will become a new decorating technique!

Maggie (of of the cats) is really bummed. She was enjoying climbing behind the black plastic and into the wall space. No matter how many staples we put into the plastic, she always found a way to get into the wall. She would track dirt and grime everywhere, not to mention getting herself in places that were probably dangerous. But, with the drywall, she no longer has access to the inside of the walls!

Tomorrow the drywall guy comes to patch the holes in the living room ceiling and wall. We went to Lowes this weekend to try to find paint that matches the walls. Sigh.....

Originally posted by Momofmany
Yep, and I keep repeating that over and over and over with each part of it that I replace! LOL By the time we move, we'll have about every foot of it either repaired, replaced or covered.....oops, the claw-foot bathtub is holding out pretty well (I shouldn't say that and jinx myself).

Not an insurance claim....this one will be about $800.

Click to expand...

I hate being the devil's advocate here, but as I understand it you are eventually going to sell that gorgeous home? If that is going to be the case the more you fix it up the more money you will get for your home! Something we all like is more money!

Good Luck and if I misinterpreted, I'm sorry!

Originally posted by lotsocats
The drywall guy came yesterday (Saturday!), so now we have drywall rather than just studs surrounding the bathtub. We had to rip down the black plastic and put up clear plastic to cover the drywall until the "marble" walls are installed. The clear plastic walls look so much nicer than did the black plastic! It surely will become a new decorating technique!

Click to expand...

HURRAY!!!! How long do you have to live with the clear plastic? At least it's a more subtle color than "black". LOL about Maggie behind the plastic....they do have a knack for getting into things you don't want them to (and ONLY because you don't want them to).

Skykitty: My company is laying off again and again. My current position runs out at year end, and even though I will most likely retain a job, it will be just that - a job. So I'm assuming that next year we will move once again, providing there are jobs left out there to be had. We're trying to invest in things that will give us a return on investment, but an $800 plumbing job won't pay back. Sigh....when will the economy turn around?

I've added my vents of old homes to this board in the past. Rob and I bought a century old one room schoolhouse last summer. All the windows are original (as you push the window up, the metal weights on each side of the window balance it). So I know exactly what you mean when you said you will have replaced/repaired every square inch of the place!

So far in the last year we have replaced: the roof, the boiler (we're on radiators for heat), all the old knob and tube wiring has been replaced, added new lights in each room, gutted and replaced the washroom, and insulated the place. And that's only the beginning!



We still have to replace the kitchen, add an addition and add a second washroom. At least we have a much smaller old house to worry about! Our pocketbooks wouldn't forgive us otherwise.


Actually we love the size of this place and it's location. We're located on the historical street of this town and there are many old historical homes that are maintained. It's really nice to live with so much history, when just down the block there are major subdivisions with major lack of character! When we went looking for homes, we saw two historical homes we would have purchased but the location was too far.

I'll try to find a picture to post.