Trip Report - Under the Kitchen Counter

“Here's the reason I didn't do any backpacking over the weekend.”

“That hole looks suspiciously close to the right size for a dishwasher...”

“Yes! The reason for me doing this project is that "they" said they would charge us about $2,000 to do this part of the job. Hopefully I read the spec sheet for the dishwasher correctly....”

“Yah. The plumber I go to also gives me a chance to do whatever damage I need to do to the house to get to the pipes. Saves me $100, usually.”

“$2,000!!!!!!! Holy Yikes!!!! I could do it for $20 and a case of beer!”

“yes WK, but i think he will want to use the sink someday.

j/k”

“I put a dishwasher in my kitchen after a plumber said it could not be done. Don't tell me that something can't be done. I will figure it out.”

“You do ityourselfers are killing our plumbing division.

Think about the economy people....


$2,000 always has a greater impact than $20......

;-)”

“ok so like are you for hire?


hehehe”

“Depends on how far I have to drive.”

“its just a little way aways from you.



PLEASE????????



oh New York.”

“WHOA! I could probably help you out in about 3 years after I finish everything I am working on. Trying to take a house that was built in the 50's, that still looks on the inside like the 60's, into something that looks and works like the 90's.

I had to have a repair guy out today to fix my space age washing machine. Cost $375. That is something I do not know how to fix.”

“Well, the 2,000 bucks was mostly for the carpentry work, not so much the plumbing....

BTW, I did get a new power tool out of the project ("Honey, I really need that jigsaw to do that dishwasher project...."), and I picked up one of those heavy duty plastic Stanley workbenches while I was at it - cool!”

“DoOd! For something like that, ask for a Sawzall!

Jigsaw did work okay though, didn't it?”

“It looks like it will fit right in there.

8)”

“Hey, come fix my sink when you're done!

A question for you plumbers: Why in heck are the holes in the sink drain big enough to let silverware go down?

This is the second time that silverware has become lodged in the pipes under my sink, and I've had to take them apart and fish out the knives, forks and spoons AND the crud that accumulated around them that caused the drain to clog. This time I had to use a bent hanger to pull out a knife I couldn't reach.

Plus the things I unscrewed to get to the silverware broke this time. I bought new ones, but the wrong ones, so I gotta take 'em back. It might help if I knew what they're called. They look galvanized (why? the ones on the other end aren't) and why did they break this time? They're 18 years old.”

“Ah, kitchen projects. How fun! Did you read this thread?

http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread.php?id=21842&age=999

That all got fixed rather quickly, and the cabinets went up without any problems, but it took 3 more weeks to get the sink functioning. Next time I'm just gonna hire someone instead of saving money and asking friends to help. Pain in the a$$.”

“The jigsaw worked great on everything but the studs*. Plus, I wanted one for other stuff, too. For the studs, it was just tough to get an angle for any power tool. At one point, I was able to use my circular saw, although it meant holding it in a backasswards way - I believe my comment to my wife was, "Well, here's to trying to keep all my digits on...." She left the room at that point. Eventually, I discovered that the studs were relatively soft, so chiseling off the amount I needed (after doing some scoring with a saw and/or drilling a few holes in the spot to be chiseled) worked pretty well. I figured maybe I could pay for the dishwasher by calling the media and telling them that I accidentally carved something that resembled the Virgin Mary, then charging admission to come see it!

Twig, I'm no plumber, but your sink drain (assuming it's not a large opening for a garbage disposal) should have some sort of metal crossing over the hole to keep that sort of thing from happening - it would also keep big pieces of food from going down the drain. Maybe you need a new part that fits at the drain hole (note the special plumbers' jargon). And 18 years seems like a reasonable lifetime for under-sink drainpipe parts. Your best bet (long term) is to start going to a small hardware store and get to know the people who work there - they are often the most knowledgeable and helpful.


*Our countertops in our 65-year-old home are of a lesser depth (front to back) than typical - about 22 inches - so a standard sized dishwasher won't fit. Neither will the smaller European models, but they come closer, so you just have to dig into the wall space an inch or so to make it fit. Everybody in our neighborhood who didn't want to totally replace the cabinets has had to do the same thing....”

“Smiley, Yes, I remember that thread! I especially liked the part about the hardwood floor machine riding Aero!!”

“There never was a Cowboy who couldn't be throwed,
And never a Bronc (or floor polisher) who couldn't be rode.”

“Yes Martyb my sink drain has that, I have no garbage disposal. Silverwear still fits through those openings, especially the smaller camping untensils.

Not that it's not a very good suggestion, but I used to dread trips to the small hardware stores. Some dopey guy practically meets you at the door, asks what you want, then goes and gets it for you. I want to wander the aisles, look at the selection, compare prices, make my own decision, even if it's (omigawd) WRONG! LOL...Home Depot is fun, I love to bumble around there, no one bugs me unless I ask.”

“Ah, yes, we have the same kind of guys. Here's what I do: Once I have what I came for, I just tell them, "Well, I have what I need, now I just want to look around for stuff I don't need." Figuring I came there with a fat wallet, they are happy to leave me alone at that point!”

“Great idea! :)”

“Twig, if it is a seperate peice in your sink you can take out the whole drain assembly form the bottom of the sink and replace it with a different one with smaller holes. all you will need is the new part and some plumbers putty.”

“Yes I have considered that. When I take my "wrong" parts back for the right ones, I'm going to look at new drains.
I'm quite pokey when it comes to home repair - I wonder how long it'll be before I do dishes again. :)”

“OK, the project is now almost complete - only some touch up paint, etc. Go here for a few photos from yesterday. [We will see if you can link directly to a specific place in a Webshots slide show. If not, just go here and find your way to the last 3 photos.]”

“LOL, nice job, looks like TT's version of HGTV!”

“Just wait'll I do the paint touch-up!

Next project: cut out holes in the cupboard doors; replace holes with etched glass recovered from old patio enclosure. Film at 11!”

“you forgot the most important item - does it work?”

“Hard to tell - it's so quiet compared to our old one, you can barely hear it!”

“Photos here. There are three before/after photos at the end of the album that may not be there yet. Also, Mr. Hyde makes an appearance in a few of the photos.

This was a really really difficult project, not nearly as easy as the flooring manufacturer would have you believe. Makes me want to grind them up and make flooring material out of them - arrrggghhh!!”

“Meow!”

“Where's the "OC" memorabilia???”

“Ha! If some of those photos were taken at just the right angle, you'd be able to see through the dining room, into the living room, and see the TV on with the OC playing!

Can you really get "OC Memorabilia" yet? Where do I get it?!”

“Well, our little countertop project took a turn for the worse on Saturday. The contractor who we have prepping the counter surfaces to receive the new countertops came back to do some final levelling. When he was adjusting the height of our new, really expensive sink, he broke it - oops! It was just an accident, and he immediately said he would pay for it. Don't think he realized the thing cost about what his total fee was. Well, he can probably order one for a lot less than what we paid for it, since we paid retail, and he can probably just go through a supplier.

Then, in an incident unrelated to the kitchen, I put a clock back up on the living room wall that I had painted earlier in the day. About a half hour later, it came crashing down. Oops!

I think I'll start my own home improvement show - it'll be a comedy!”

“"This Old Demolition Job"?”

“If you don't already watch Monster House, you should. That show definitely takes a comedic turn from time to time.”

“Maybe I could just call it: "CRASH!"”

“Here is a tip for your show. When at all possible, use a chainsaw for all of your cutting.”

“Only a really loud one, right?”

“Now that sping is here my home improvement list is about a mile long.”

“I THINK HE SAID HE CUT THE FILE WRONG!!”