Saturday, January 2, 2010

Guest Bathroom Reno - Day 63

When I was a little girl, I was certain I wanted to be a plumber when I grew up.

I kid you not. My fascination with unclogging drains started at a very young age...



From year to year, my passion for plumbing intensified.

I took my little "Plastic Fantastic" with me everywhere I went...



At age five I single-handedly modified a toy sink into one that had a fully functional faucet...



And by the time I was 18, I was installing garbage disposals all over town...



HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

:-D

I had ya goin' for a minute there didn't I?

The following video showcases my actual plumbing skills
And Kevin's too, for that matter.
Neither of us has ever even thought about what goes on under a sink.

(Note: If you're a plumber, you can just go ahead and sign off right now. Unless, of course, you'd rather just point at the screen and laugh as we demonstrate our rookie maneuvers. It's your call.)



And there ya have it!

So what if we prematurely celebrated as water flooded our floor!
So what if we went through a roll of paper towels soaking it up!
So what if we sprang four, count 'em, four leaks throughout the process!
So what if we had to make a couple extra trips to the store to buy the proper tools!
So what if our dog thinks we're crazy!
It works!
It really, really works!

Take it from me- I've turned it on every fifteen minutes just to make sure.

;-)

Layla

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Next step: Skirting the farm table!


59 comments:

tipsygirl said...

Congratulations!! The bathroom is awesome and look at all you've learned. The next one will be a snap ;-)
Happy New Year and happy new bathroom!

Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating said...

I just did my very first plumbing job on my little condo. I rerouted the plumbing underneath my kitchen sink from my old two-basin sink to my new, much deeper, single-basin sink. AND I installed a garbage disposal! And I did it all by myself. I was so proud.

I can relate to what you said...the first day, I also went in there about once every 10 minutes or so, turned on the water, and stared at the pipes underneath just to be sure they weren't going to burst and spew water everywhere. So far, so good!

Doesn't it feel great to tackle these projects yourself and feel that sense of accomplishment? I love it!

YoYo said...

The first rule of plumbing at our house is: Expect to make at least four trips to the store to get all the parts you forgot. Happens every time.

We put in our new kitchen sink two months ago. We've had a towel under there ever since. There's been a leak we couldn't find. We checked everything we could think of, but it kept leaking. Finally, we tightened one more thing and decided if that didn't work, we'd call a plumber. Two days later, it suddenly stopped leaking.

Gotta love plumbing.

Emily said...

oh my gosh, that video had me crying and my kids laughing hysterically. I think if I let them, they'd sit here all day laughing at Kevin dancing.

Glad it's all fixed and you're ready to move on :)

emily @ remodeling this life

Gail said...

Y'all are soo funny! Made me smile again and again....:) What are your plans for the bathtub...or will it be a shower?

Can't wait to see what comes next!

-Gail

Cassie Bustamante said...

oh this had me laughing! my husband, who bless his heart is not handy in the least, replaced our kitchen faucet. i was SO proud of him..... until i ran the dishwasher and had a little flood in my kitchen. oh well, live and learn!

Vicki/Jake said...

OH HOW FUNNY!!!
You two have the funnest life together...thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Love the pictures!

The Bliss Journey said...

Amen, you guys did it.......Yeah.....
You don't even want to know all the plumbing disasters that we've had, OH, it's not pretty. When I hear that we've got a problem and that it involves water, I run....... as far away as possible.
Enjoy your new bath, it looks great and you guys make me giggle.
Kathleen

Jessica @ Simply A Farmer's Wife said...

Congrats! What an amazing transformation! You two seriously make DIYs look fun and you both are so entertaining. I absolutely love the videos. I have to admit I was laughing so hard I was crying when y'all turned the water off and yet it was still coming out.

Glad it's all worked out and you have water!

Paula Barin said...

Way to go! I can certainly relate to leaky plumbing. You guys are awesome.... congratulations on persevering and not calling a costly plumber.

Megandvd@Beauty in the Attempt said...

I know the pains of plumbing! When a friend and I put the kitchen sink back in after redoing the countertops...oy! I was so worried for a month that the faucet would go bad. Same is true when I reconnected the toilet. Whoever thought flushing would be such a tense and then joyous experience. Cheers to you both!

Cheers~
e

Dan & Heather said...

You have given me hope. LOL I bought all of the pipes and fittings... and we're going to attempt to split off the new plumbing for the dishwasher by ourself and install a sink. Wish me luck!

Brittany@Superwoman said...

Haha, I laughed so hard at this that I had to show my husband!
I had THE SAME EXACT EXPERIENCE that you two did when I had to do my bathroom sink!
They're a pain, aren't they?

WhisperWood Cottage said...

Hilarious! Love the happy dance at the end!

Amy

Funky Junk Interiors said...

Ah yes. Plumbing. The one area you cannot cheat even 1%.

Now, attempt this amazing feat in a travel trailer. It's like working on a barbie doll house where everything is too small for human hands (and body).

I eventually called a pro for that one. :)

Well done, guys! I can understand the celebration aspect of this one!

Donna
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

Dianne said...

Kevin you are the man!!!!! Awesome job you both have done. I cannot wait to see it all complete.

Allison Shops said...

Congrats on having running water!

Tell Kevin an Alabama fan would have gotten it right the first time! ;) Congrats on the game also.

Roll Tide!

The Whispering Creek House said...

Having a skinny issue at my blog could you advise? HAhaa..Im trying to get my stove to "fit it" can you help?

Nori said...

OMGosh! You totally had me going in the beginning. Can you say... gullible?? ;o)

Congratulations on your success!!! The celebration dance was awesome!!! It had me busting out laughing. I'm rejoicing with you in that huge accomplishment!

Erin @ The Impatient Gardener said...

Well the Alleluia chorus had me laughing out loud, but only because I've been there and one that before. I once rented an apartment with no shower, only a tub, and my then-boyfriend built a shower for me. It took all weekend and everything was great. Until Monday morning when I was getting ready for work and the little old lady who lived downstairs knocked on the door and said there was light pouring out of her ceiling fixture. Whoops.

I married him anyway. You can always hire a plumber, but you can't hire a husband.

Congrats on your hard-fought plumbing victory.

Sandy said...

I enjoyed this post so much! The photos of you (Layla) with your little sinks were so cute and that video of you and Kevin was lots of fun. I laughed so hard. My sweet hubby replaced our kitchen faucet and laundry room tub faucet last year. He worked in a tighter space than you did Kevin..on his back which I tried to make more comfortable for him by laying padding down. And we are a lot older than you guys. Keep up the videos! By the way your bathroom looks great.

Teacup Lane (Sandy)

Its So Very Cheri said...

Oh goodness Layla--
The trials and errors of home ownership-you just gotta love it.

Cheri

Pony Girl said...

What a RIOT! I am so glad you guys can have a sense of humor while working on these things. Most couples would be about ready to strangle each other after a day like that! And Kevin's expressions and dancing at the end~ priceless! Thanks for always making me laugh!!

Traci@ Beneath My Heart said...

You guys remind me so much of my husband and I. Seriously. I wish I had documented some of our plumbing horrors. But you guys rock for figuring it out yourselves. That's what we did, and I have to say that my husband is a pretty excellent plumber now. You're gonna love to watch these videos when you are older!
Traci

micah said...

HAHAHA - that was awesome! Especially the dance party at the end :) Way to go!!

Katie said...

I can only imagine the difficulties I would have trying to work with pipes and plumbing. That is so funny- congratulations! Can't wait to see the skirt for the farm table!

Woven and Spun said...

Thanks for helping me start my morning with a belly laugh!
I think it's great that you don't mind sharing your victories along with your challenges - it keeps it real. And you did it all without ever showing a plumbers crack!
Well done!

Anonymous said...

Layla.
this was your funniest post ever.

I haven't read your archives but I can pretty much guarantee that nothing could beat the celebration/defeat reaction with that leak...it had my big ole belly shaking with laughter :)

XO - KB

Cathy said...

ROFL too funny! Love the pictures and loved the video... Once again y'all did an awesome job.

{{Big Hugs}}

Cathy

Country Contemporary said...

Hilarious video - residential plumbing with a soundtrack ranging from Sting to Handel's "Messiah" - only you two could pull that off! And well done on the installation! I admire your ambition (you're far braver than I when it comes to plumbing). Nice work.

Julianna Farmer said...

y'all are funny

Hopeful Housewife said...

So glad you got it working! Thanks for the laughs!

Nancy said...

You guys are too cute! Now come teach me! Nancy from OHIO

Bethany said...

That's great! Congratulations!!! now can you come and do my house?? jk! Love the ending! Thanks for sharing!

geri said...

Layla.
You were such a "cutie-pa-tootie" little girl.
Love the sink on the floor filled with water. Makes me rememeber my kiddies doing the same.
The New Year is off to a great start. Anytime you don't need a chorus of Row Row Row your boat when you are doing plumbing is a major feat. hehe
Hugs. geri.

cchapman said...

Ya'll need your own reality show, complete with cute doggie sidekick. The background soundtrack is a hoot!

Miss Mustard Seed said...

That is some funny stuff. I have often done happy dances only to realize what I was excited about was not working right. Oh well, that's a part of the "expense" of DIY.

LesleySW said...

My husband & I got a huge kick out of this -- but only because we've been there.

I couldn't video tape my husband when there's a plumbing problem without bleeping the whole thing out!

I'm going to put this on The Design File's Facebook fan page:

http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/The-Design-File/164245479936

Anne said...

LOVED IT!!!!!!! Congratulations and hallelujah it is DONE!!!! So happy for you! You are both adorable! :)

Anonymous said...

Layla & Kevin,

We so enjoyed your video! Great job! The bathroom looks fantastic.

Who cares how many times it took swinging at the ball. You hit a home run!

- Deborah

Kira =] said...

Yay! You have water in the guest bath! and Auburn won on Saturday!! sounds like an awesome start to a new year!!

Amanda said...

This was awesome! Good to know all of us ametuers out here in the real world aren't alone and can achieve a gorgeous room 367 leaks and 4,891 trips to the hardware store later. Or so it feels that way, right? So cute that you go back in to 'check on it'. Happy for you both. Looking forward to the farm table skirt. :)

Anonymous said...

I have to say...I have never had so much fun in someones bathroom before. ((hugs))

Thrifty Decor Chick said...

YAY! I almost got up and did a happy dance for you!!! Almost. It's late. :)

Lena said...

You two are too funny! Good to see you got everything figured out. The bathroom is looking great.

Bekki said...

My children and I loved the video. They asked to see it again, and then asked if they could have a dog like yours. :) This makes me quite thankful my husband knows how to do all that plumbing stuff. Even if he doesn't like to.

Sarah said...

You've made plumbing a little less scary!

DustyLu said...

Awesome. You guys are so funny and creative. Lulu

The Bloom Girls said...

Hello!
Hope you all are planning on attend the Tea and Framing Workshop hosted by Eddie Ross this Saturday in Atlanta. For details please read thebloomgirls.com.

Love your blog have been following for over a year! It's been exciting watching the transformation. Kudos on the 700 Club!

Nola @ The Bloom Girls
Nashville, TN

Darlene - Our Creative Life said...

You should replace that plastic piece with a steel one. They are about $4 at Lowes. The plastic ones break. That is what happen to us in our kitchen while we were away on vacation last summer. We came home to a flooded house, which did almost $20,000 worth of damage. Just a head's up so it doesn't happen to you guys!

Summer said...

Oh, too funny :) So glad you all are humble enough to share your successes and failures :) Yay for working plumbing!

erin said...

Nothing like plumbers crack in your True Religions! Ha! Love your blog. :)

Sarah said...

I know absolutely nothing about plumbing, need to learn!

Unknown said...

Love it!

Kim said...

the dance at the end was HYSTERICAL!!!!! I'm going to watch it again just for the ending!! haha!

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

ohhhh good grief that was ridiculous but looked just like us when we attempt a home improvement project. although we aren't usually laughing, at all, until the end.

hilarious!!

Laura said...

At our house any plumbing project always involves cussing, blood, and leaks! So rule number one is: have lots of towels standing by. They don't stop the cussing, but they staunch the blood and the leaks.
You did a great job. Thanks for sharing.

JacciM said...

YAY YAY YAY!!! So glad it all worked out! :)

Kevin, all I have to say is, you have some serious Vimeo skillz. I think the videos you two put together have become my #1 favorite things about TLC :)

Congrats on running water that's running in all the right places!

~Jacci

dmvoccola said...

That was hilarious as always. My plumber husband was answering yours by saying, "Yes, that will work, it's the washer." We were just laughing our heads off at the victory dance. You two are craaazy! And that's the best compliment ever--that and being clever! ;)