A comic series of non-funny events

(LEFT: the newly replaced ceiling)

Have you ever had so many things go so wrong from something that started so simply? That was my week. I did a VERY simple tile job for a neighbor in her upstairs bathroom. It still had carpet in it from the original builder, which as we all know, carpet in a bathroom, can get quite gross. So she decided she wanted basic 6x6 tile in there. Easy enough, right? That's what I thought.

I had to first remove the toilet and take out the carpet. Fine. Next the subbase of cement backerboard went down. No problem. Next, I laid the tile and grouted it with a basic white grout. All good.

Fast forward to a few days later when I get an email from her saying she doesn't like the grout and asking if I can take it out or change it. Pit in my stomach, I calm myself down and decide I can find a solution. I'm a woman afterall, and we are very clever in finding solutions. I found the grout colorant (from the previous post) and she selected a color. All is good, problem solved. Or so I thought.

A few days later, we get a message from her, the toilet is leaking and the water has made its way through the floor and into the kitchen ceiling below and the paint is bubbling up. Yikes! We go over there and replace the old water line to the toilet that had a small pinhole leak from being taken off and replaced. But now, the ceiling is a mess. I'm hoping I can just peel the paint off and drill a few holes to let it dry out, then texture and repaint. But no, it's way too wet. Next step - call a drywall professional. As he opens up the ceiling, we discover there's STILL a leak and it's a bit wetter up there than previously thought. We take the drywall down and dry it out completely, but the leak... Time to replace the valve and put a braided line on. All is good, yes? Well yes - until we turn the water main back on and nothing happens. It had snapped off inside the pipe. I have two people living in this house and looking at me for answers. Now, I have to call a plumber in. He comes out and has to completely replace the main water shut off valve. Then he checks our work upstairs and says all is good. Yeah! Time to close up the ceiling and get this job done. But wait! I go up to caulk around the base of the toilet and notice it's dripping again, NO! We call the plumber out again, and he replaces the entire valve. The washer inside was not filling the gap completely and we needed a new one. Now, with the new shut off valve on the toilet, the new main shut off valve outside and the new ceiling, all that's left to do is paint the ceiling and, oh yeah, color the grout.

Can you believe that such a simple job snowballed to such a crazy turn of events? Lessons learned:

1. Even though you discuss colors and specs with a client, ALWAYS get it in writing. We talked about white grout, but it turns out that's not what she 'really' meant.
2. ALWAYS replace the shut off valves to toilets and sinks when you re-install them, better to spend $8 than the crazy money I just had to spend.
3. Whatever you do, whatever happens - keep your cool and just get it solved. You can freak out about it later. The most important thing is that the job is handled in a professional manner and that all is taken care of to the client's satisfaction.

Tonight may call for a nice glass or two of red wine and a big long chill session. Yikes!