I called a plumber.
Never fear, it's not like my toilet's broken (well, it is, but my dad created a nifty little fix and when it no longer works I'll buy a new toilet). The need for a plumber is purely elective.
The need for a washer and dryer in my apartment is becoming critical. I know, I said that at New Year's, but the fact is that the inconvenience of dragging my laundry to my mom's house every third Sunday is not the only super-obnoxious factor. If my brother is already doing his laundry when I get there, I might end up at Mom's until 11pm. I don't have time to spend hours at my mom's house or even a laundromat during the week. I don't mind hanging out with my folks, but I feel guilty when they want to go to sleep and my mom volunteers to finish up the next day. Half the time I leave half the laundry at their place to dry. In addition, my time at Mom's house on Sundays has lately been limited by the Mad Men and Disney movie groups every single week... Sunday has become the least restful day of the week. One less obligation would be nice (yes, I am obliged to have clean clothes. It's important).
I'm no longer a college student. I pay a mortgage on my own place. I have a full-time job and plenty to do in the evenings. Getting a washer and dryer is the grown-up thing to do.
Heck, if I keep an eye out this weekend, I might even get in on some Labor Day sales.
But first, I need hook-ups installed, and for that, I need a plumber. (Wow, sorry it took so long to return to the point.)
I hate, hate, HATE calling strangers, especially when they're specialists. I fear they'll think I'm some stupid girl who has no business asking about their business. I had a job once where I had to cold-call people all day and it was AWFUL! I loathed that job and was thrilled to move into a profession where e-mail communication is the norm.
The last time the plumber came over -- about two years ago -- he asked me to contact my HOA for blueprints to the building to find out where the pipes are located. He'd come back then to give me an estimate. Well, I contacted the HOA, and they don't have blueprints. So... I sat around for a year.
Finally, this year I started asking my neighbors how their washers/dryers were hooked up. Turns out, they put them in a different closet than the one I planned on using. But I've already extended the closet and added an electrical outlet, so, my dad and I decided to punch a hole in the back to find the pipes ourselves. We didn't cut blindly; it's the opposite wall from the bathroom. I measured the distances and figured out where the pipes to the bathroom fixtures were. Then my dad cut the hole.
That was February. Since then, all I've needed to do was actually call the plumber... oh, and research venting the dryer into a box. (Tangent: the more I learn about venting into a box, the more nervous the idea makes me. But if I don't, I'll have to contact the HOA again. They weren't at all helpful when I first broached the idea of installing hook-ups. I might be able to sneak by with boxed venting, but I'm pretty sure they'd notice if I cut a hole in the roof, and I DON'T want to be liable if something happens to it down the road.)
Today, I bit the bullet and took the plunge (ack! Mixed metaphors!) I called and for a minute I hoped I would get the answering machine. No such luck. The plumber answered. Unfortunately, he didn't give a name, and the number my mom gave me was for a partnership, so I had to ask, "Is this Lynn or Bruce?" "Bruce," he replied.
Then I launched into a long, convoluted explanation of who I am and how they'd been to my place before and said I needed blueprints but the HOA doesn't have any... and then realized that all I needed to say was "Can you come take a second look to help me determine how to proceed with the hook-ups?" It's moments like those, when I become a rambling mess, that make me hate calling specialist/strangers!
Anyway, he said he'd call me to figure out a time to meet next week. I said that's fine and thanked him for his time. We'll see how it goes.
I did it. I'm a grownup and I called someone to help me do something I can't. Feels nice that I did something. Even if I am kind of afraid that I'm not really any closer to actually getting the hook-ups installed.
*Sigh.* Sometimes I wish I'd just paid the extra $3,000 when I bought the place so the previous owner could have done it for me. At the time I didn't think I could afford it -- my mortgage is already plenty high. On the other hand, this is so stressful!!
2 comments:
In the mean time if you need to spread laundry all over the valley to get it done faster, you let me know. You can use my machine in Draper!
Way to go! I hate talking to anyone I don't know. It isn't limited to specialists. I hate talking to random people in the elevator, the checker at the grocery store, and the Great Clips employee who cuts my hair. Consider your phone call a huge triumph!
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