Nightmares of Plumbing
A guest blog for the Shining Beautiful Series by Taylor Mason.
It has been two weeks. Two weeks since the ceiling of MIkelle’s bathroom bubbled and burst, like some twisted water park ride gone wrong, spilling gallons upon gallons of water into her room. Mysterious in its origin, we watched helplessly as the HOA contacted plumbers and drywall specialists to inspect the cause. For three days they trooped in and out while staring, talking and evaluating the mess.
For the first week, they told us, we would need to play host to a number of industrial sized fans and dehumidifiers to get rid of the moisture. We were patient at first, though it restricted Mikelle’s movement and took away much needed space from her room. What could we do? Nothing could be fixed until it dried. After the walls and the pipes and the floors had finished more workers arrived. They proceeded to rip out what was left of the ceiling as well as the entire wall behind her toilet. They also removed the vanity, sink, mirror, and all the lighting. Not exactly ideal for Mikelle’s daily life.
After the walls and the pipes and the floors had finished more workers arrived. They proceeded to rip out what was left of the ceiling as well as the entire wall behind her toilet. They also removed the vanity, sink, mirror, and all the lighting. Not exactly ideal for Mikelle’s daily life.
To paint a clear picture, I must first explain that hauling Mikelle in and out of the other bathroom (the one not being repaired) is quite a hassle. It is small and awkward and you can barely shut the door with two of you in there. It is strictly a one person bathroom. It certainly does not have space or equipment to shower Mikelle either. While we were forced to use this bathroom while the workers were here we definitely did not like it one bit. So it went, for two weeks, we would haul the equipment out of Mikelle’s bathroom every time she needed to use it and then put everything back.
After we regained her bathroom and all the equipment was gone we still had some major issues. We still have these issues. There is no light in her bathroom which makes it difficult to see any situation we may need to deal with. It makes showering Mikelle much more difficult too. There is no sink or counter space in her bathroom. Nowhere to wash her glasses or wet a warm cloth to clean her face and hands. Neither is there anywhere to keep toilet paper and such accouterment within reach.
Day after day, our frustration mounts. While we have figured out small solutions, such as putting a stool beside her toilet and a large lamp in the corner, we all wait with severe anticipation for the day we will walk in and it will all be done.
For now, we carry on as best we can. Like we always do. It is most frustrating to Mikelle for whom consistency in the home is very important.
Mikelle asks daily when her bathroom will be done. When will she finally be able to reclaim this space as her own in such a way that suits her needs? Each day we check for emails or calls from the plumbers or the drywall company. Each day with no new information we are more and more disappointed. She asks again but we have no answers and no news from either the HOA, the plumbers, or the drywall guys.
Keep us in your thoughts, dear reader, as we are all at our limit of patience on this project. Fingers crossed we’ll hear something soon and we can finally put this behind us.