Just when I thought I could get started on cleaning out that damn garage, something else gets in the way. Last night I noticed water dripping under the kitchen sink. Sure enough, there was a leak in the drainage pipe. After doing a number of quick fixes in the past–plus the work that Patrick and I did a few years ago when we put in new fixtures and a new garbage disposer–I decided to bite the bullet and call a plumber today. That decision became even more firm later in the evening when the slop sink drain in the garage (where the washer drains) backed up into the kitchen and we wound up with water pouring out from under the cabinets all over the floor!

The plumber came this morning and cleaned out both the kitchen and garage drains and ripped out all the plumbing under the kitchen sink! It was mostly original to the house and the galvanized fittings had totally corroded over time. We now have brass fittings, pvc pipes, and new hoses and shutoff valves. And nothing leaks!

The only bad part has to do with all the *mold* that he found. He had to knock out the back wall (drywall) as well as ripping up the cabinet floorboard. We’ll need to treat everything with a mold killer, let it dry out thoroughly and then replace the wall and floor. Similar to the work we did in the bathroom, so at least we know how to do it. Only problem will be working in the confined space under the sink…

Had an estimate today on getting the back wall repaired. The insurance claim was denied, so I have to pay for all of it. Anyhow, the first estimate was, to put it bluntly, bullshit! Somewhere between $6,000 to $10,000! This guy wanted $500 just to take down the wooden fence and put it back up again–not replace it with a new fence, just move it out of the way so they could work and then put it back! I’ll be getting a *lot* more estimates before I sign on the dotted line.

Hopefully I’ll be out in the garage all day tomorrow. I *have* to get this done!