Here are the facts:
On December 26th, while I was doing laundry, I heard a sound that made my blood run cold. The water in the powder room toilet was gurgling. Not good. Knowing that I shouldn't but feeling compelled to test it, I flushed. Not good. Instead of going down, the water came up. I yelled for Mike and grabbed towels.
There was no denying that we had a problem and it wasn't one that we could fix on our own with a quick trip to Home Depot for a part. We had to find a plumber. Fortunately, we found a capable local plumber who came out the next morning. We discussed all the possible causes for the back-up, all the way from a simple blockage to a worst-case scenario - complete system breakdown which would involve ripping things apart. They started with the approach to the simple cause of the problem - rodded out the toilet, sensed a blockage and got the water flowing again. However we were all a little uneasy about it, and the guy even said that if this doesn't work, when they came back they would have to send a camera through our system to find out what the problem was. Oh - and the cost for three men for one hour of work was $747.
It worked for 4 days.
On New Year's Eve I was doing laundry again, and noticed water creeping across the foyer floor, coming from the powder room. I guess the act of a washing machine draining sends water through the piping at such a high volume, that if you have a problem it's likely to be noticed while you do your laundry! Anyway, the sick feeling came back and we called DMR Plumbing again. Since it was a holiday weekend, they said they'd be out Monday with the camera. We made arrangements to sleep somewhere else for a few days. Went out with our friends for dinner and a movie, as planned, but had no heart left for celebration. We spent the night at Colleen's.
The funny thing about this is, I KNEW we had a problem. For months I have been aware of an occasional, very faint odor of sewer gas. When I would be out on the deck grilling, I thought the propane tank was leaking a little. When I would go into the unfinished area of the basement right where the pipe goes out to the back, I noticed it. I thought the odor emanated from the sump pump. I guess this whole thing happened slowly - first the pipe cracked, then finally it sheared apart.
On Monday, DMR came back and sent a camera through. Result - worst case scenario. The pipe leading from our house into the septic tank had sheared off, broken in two and effluvia was spilling into the earth under our deck. We had to call Julie to mark the gas and electric lines in our back, they had to bring out an excavator, rip the deck apart to get at the pipe, and reconnect it. They couldn't come back till Wednesday. In the meantime, they reconfigured the pvc pipe connections in the basement, because they thought the configuration we had lived with for 26 years was not ideal. In hindsight, I don't know why we let them do this (cost $1,400). But when you are in a situation like this relying on professionals who are telling you stuff while you are under stress, it's hard to make a good decision on the spot. You just want your house back the way it was and when they tell you something isn't ideal and is bound to give you trouble, you cave.
On Wednesday, I kept myself away from the house till noon. They were almost done by the time I got home, thank God. They fixed the pipe, they tested everything and it looks good. But I have a huge area of missing deck, and damage like you wouldn't believe all over the house - the flooring near the powder room is destroyed. The ceiling and carpeting in the basement under the powder room is destroyed. The unfinished area of the basement where they reconfigured the pipes is contaminated. They let sewage rain down without tarping our mechanicals and we're still trying to determine if the water heater needs to be replaced. Third day plumbing cost - $3,500.
We decided to make a claim with State Farm. The plumbing costs are not recoverable, but all of the damage is - and it is going to be very expensive. State Farm is wonderful - they are going to put our house back the way it was - an entire new foyer floor even though only 20% of it was ruined. Same with the basement ceiling & carpeting - because it is a 'continuous surface' - the entire basement is being recarpeted. And the entire upper deck is going to be replanked. Right now they sent in Service Master to sanitize and dry everything out. We have a dozen fans going on two levels to get rid of the moisture. (See photos. By the way, the toilet doesn't usually go there!) Then the reconstruction team will come in and put everything back to rights. As a former life insurance broker, I am observing first hand my own mantra to my agents - the purpose of insurance is not for the insured to profit, but to be made whole. The State Farm adjuster took away my stress, made it clear that he wants to do things the right way, and he wants to make us whole. That's why we all pay for insurance.
The emotional toll:
I've cried a little over this. First, from the fear and frustration of not knowing what the hell was going on with my house. Then from the fear of wondering if they would be able to fix it properly once we knew what was wrong. Today I am petrified that I will do something to cause the new pipe to break. I never thought about it before, but I have tons of laundry to do (all those soaked towels) and I have to sanitize them in hot water. It's winter. What is going to happen when I send that hot water through those new pipes in 30 degree temperature? I guess I've done it before hundreds of times, but now I am THINKING about it! I've spent the last week like a straw in the wind, having abandoned my home. Except for two nights when Mike and I stayed in the same place, he has stayed in the house to take care of Sasha and be closer to his clients, toughing it out with closed drains and using facilities elsewhere. I've been at Colleen's. It feels so good to be back here, feathering my nest again. And yet, the days I spent at Colleen's, with Molly snuggling up to me each morning as I slept in the bed next to hers, were kind of sweet.
So I've been reminding myself of how insignificant my plumbing issue really is. I mean, for a plumbing issue it's pretty major. To literally lose your home for a week does have an affect. But in contemplating the things in life that can cause suffering, this kind of thing would be way down the list. I mentioned to my friend Rosie that a week after our newest grandson Michael was born on November 23rd, he had to be taken down to Children's Memorial Hospital in an ambulance to be checked out by a pediatric neurologist. We weren't sure what the problem was, but my imagination was running wild and I was paralyzed with fear for several hours. I was so concerned that this precious baby would be suffering, concerned for my daughter and son-in-law's emotional well-being, concerned for Molly and Dexter - indeed for the entire family. It turns out Michael is fine. But this kind of event can sure put things into perspective for you - like what is really important in life. For instance, a newborn child getting a chance to live a happy and healthy life in a loving family.
Incorporating myself into that young household brought back so many memories of what my life used to be like - as much as I wanted to go home, I cried when I left. Colleen is so totally immersed in running a house with three babies. I know full well it is exhausting, frustrating work that requires the patience of a saint. Colleen has it. It's so beautiful to see my girls, as they become mothers. They all have such loving and patient instincts - I am SO proud of them for the wonderful mothers they are. But even though I know how physically and emotionally exhausting it is, I also remember how fulfilling it is. Raising kids is what life is all about. Sometimes when you're in the midst of it, you wish away the years. "I wish they could walk." "I wish they could dress themselves." "I can't wait till they start school." "I wish I could get a moment of peace." "I wish they could drive." When Heather went away to college, I was overcome by grief and the words of a song by Suzy Bogguss haunted me - "She's had eighteen years to get ready for this day. She should be past the tears, she cries some anyway.......".
Heather left. Colleen left. Shannon left. Meaghan left. But Mike and I have our beautiful empty nest of a home, albeit with one less working bathroom for now. And soon we'll have brand new flooring, carpeting and ceiling, and new planking on our deck. And life is beautiful.
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