B.S. or Truth

This blog is a continuance of the installation of a new floor in my bathroom. My last blog left off where I needed to call a plumber because of moisture on the floor and a screw instead of a bolt holding the toilet down. The plumber arrived today, August 6, 2020, and began checking pipes in the crawl space. "There may have been some leakage at one time," he told me and showed me a video of the pipe and where there might have been or could be leaking.  He told me that the large pipe should be replaced and it would cost around $5,000. He must have seen the look of shock on my face and continued with, "Nothing has to be done right now but eventually you should think about replacing that pipe. We need to keep an eye on it."  He suggested putting a meter that would give me a warning if there was ever water in the crawl space. He mentioned that he did not see any moisture in the bathroom and thought that what looked like old water stains could have been the adhesive underneath the original floor.

This made me wonder about the two young men that insisted the floor was wet as they showed me a meter that registered wetness. Were they not telling me the truth?  The plumber also had a meter and it registered zero moisture. That gut feeling that I had been conned by the installers made me wonder if I could ever believe the two installers. Was what they told me true or not? At the time I was told about the moisture, I had wondered if they just wanted to leave at three since it was Friday. Maybe they did not want to continue working and made up the damp floor.

The plumber, at one point when I mentioned it was very hard to trust workers because in order to make money they sometimes lied. He showed me four braided strings hanging from his belt loops. (Tzitzit are four braided tassels and represent four corners, they are visible for everyone to see, and it is to recall or observe the commandments of God!)* He said that he followed the ten commandments and would not lie. I believed him. He showed me pictures of his grandchildren and we chatted about the wonders of being grandparents and I had a feeling I had finally found someone I could trust. (Let's say I wanted to trust him 100 percent and believe him, yet I also know he wants to make money on a job.) I figured I would pay a bit extra as long as I trusted the worker! He had repaired a broken pipe for me in the past and I had liked him then because he was professional, and I believed honest, so I had him return for my current problem. In the back of my mind I think that workers see an older person, a woman, and try to take advantage. I hope not, but putting in a floor in my bathroom is taking more time and money than I thought!

He removed the toilet and placed it in a back bedroom and will return to put it back once the floor
people have finished their job. I called Home Solutions, the contractor for Home Depot, and was told no one could come out until August 20, 2020. I mentioned that the two installers had said, "Once the plumber takes care of the problems we will be right back. You will not have to wait and we will do a good job."  I told the man on the line what the young man had told me and he said he was sorry but all the installers were tied up until the 20th. He did add that if a cancellation came up, he would call me.

I called Home Depot and left an angry message on the phone for Perry. The material for the floor has been in my kitchen for over five weeks.  If I could pickup the heavy material I would return the whole thing and find another company that could do the job!

Today Perry returned my call and I told him since the Coronavirus was keeping me indoors and I was not going any where, I had gotten over my anger and would wait until the floor was finished by Home Depot and what ever contractor they used. He e-mailed me a picture of the molding and I picked the darker color to be put as the finishing touch on my floor. What more can go wrong?
I did say, "Well, maybe I will have a new floor by Christmas!" And his response was, "I know you will have a new floor way before then!"

"Contractors don't go to hell,

they go to purgatory.

Once a week, Satan comes

to visit, waves and 

hollers, 'Guys, don't worry,

you'll be out of here next week.

I promise.' "
Internet Joke

*Information from the Internet.