Deferred Maintenance Done

Our basement utility sink had gotten really gross.  Even worse, it was cracked and leaking.  I'd fixed it with Frog Tape and other tricks, but then the drain started to leak too.  Often the drains would plug up and then over flow because the washing machine hose drained into the sink too.  The unit was probably thirty years old, but just not something we wanted to spend money on if we didn't have too.  Isn't that the typical story of deferred maintenance?  Hey, at least I could use the water on the floor to mop the basement floor...

We called our usual contracting boys and they came to the rescue.  While we were making a list of supplies for The Big Guy to buy, I noticed a wet spot in the basement ceiling, which I then poked my finger through. What good luck to discover a leaky pipe at the same time you had guys at our house to do plumbing work!  We literally had not noticed this before and might have missed it if I wasn't just idly poking around.

TBG gets our plumbing supplies at cost, which makes it super pathetic that we'd put off this repair.  We had thought about putting in a smaller sink and also a vanity for hand washing, but ultimately know that we won't be able to deal with the basement bathroom for a long time.  He picked out a large utility sink and added on a faucet that has a sprayer.

This will work much  better than the split sink we had before.  I am already loving the sprayer.  Since this is new and better configured, I will be sure to take better care of it.  Previously the pipes, including the faucet, all hung down from the ceiling.  The boys re-routed quite a bit of pipe and really did a nice job setting this up.

We finally  have our washing machine set up to drain directly.  Water still washes up into the sink, but it won't flood or over flow. 

Of course, I fed the boys once they were done.  When it came time to pay up, they only wanted to charge us $100!  That was crazy so we gave them $200.  The whole job took about three hours.  I can only imagine how much it would cost if we called in an outside plumbing company and had to pay retail for the parts.  I'm guessing the supplies and sink came to maybe $150.

It is just so foolish that I put off doing repairs like this when we get such a good deal on the cost of materials and have reliable guys to do the work.  Then again, they are so reliable that sometimes it's hard to get a hold of them.  Luckily, they always make time for us.  And now that the new sink is in, I can actually admit that I enjoy having it!