The Drain

12 days to go.

While waiting for the paint to dry I turned my attention to the hallway and the aftermath of that very unfortunate first day of the project when a pipe burst in an area under the floor behind the sink, in a spot almost impossible to get to, flooding the kitchen below with water and sending a clear message to me that disaster could strike at any time if I would be foolish enough to continue with this project.

I had to tear up the wall and the floor to fix the leak, and it's been torn up ever since, covered with cardboard to keep it out of sight and out of mind until now. Now I have three new floor boards in place--just need to stain and finish them.

Next I turned my attention to the tub drain, which I can access from the master bathroom closet.

But for this I very likely needed help from Cheryl, because no matter how hard my brain considered the situation, I could not devise a strategy for getting the drain piece screwed into the pipe under the tub by myself. Had I attempted this before I put in the shower wall, I could have simply reached through the opening with my right hand and held the pipe with my left.

And even with Cheryl's help, there's a possibility that the drain just won't work and I might need to tear a big hole into the kitchen ceiling (or worse). Predictably, in times like this when the project is at a critical point, Willow and her new assistant manager are absent, covering themselves from responsibility in the event of failure.

So, to punish myself, I struggled to do this by myself, with one hand in the very narrow space under the tub. Then I called Cheryl for help. More later...