This Girl Just loves sitting in my yard surrounded by dirt

Just a few of the things we gave up because of Plumber mistakes

1. A theater room was lost due to 2' of wall needed for a pipe mistake
2. No hand held sprayer in the guest bath
3. Loss of an upstairs bathroom in the guest House do due pipe misplacement
4. 3 pipe chases for AC and Plumbing non functional
5. Loss of full size tub in guest bath due to misplaced vent pie
6. Leaky roof in garage
7. No Island function for cooking due to downdraft incompletion
8. Little or no hot water on the island, washer, stage and powder room sinks due to under rate water heater attached to these fixtures
9. Loss of glass wall in master bath due to pipe misplacement
10. In ability to put in privacy wall for Master toilet due to misplaced toilet pipes
11. Space lost on 2 walls in kitchen due to pipe mistakes
12 Low function of water pressure on island

And then there are the expenses we incurred trying to redo things to accommodate the mistakes such as rebuilding walls, digging out and redoing drain lines, building additional walls and structures to accommodate pipes misplaced, taking out and redoing drywall where pipes leaked and had to be redone in three places. Removing and replacing sinks improperly hung and plumbed.

We could tear out and redo all the marble on both tubs to get the proper fixtures installed but we will just do without for now.

Needless to say I am still very disturbed about this plumber and it all seems to be continuing. For a while I thought I had found all the problems and now we are just finding more. I will be glad when the last fixture is installed and then we will have the final tally of Plumber Bummers and the final tally of the cost of such nonsense which by the way I fully intend to recover!!!

News Flash!!! More Plumber Problems Just found

And Your Point.....??

As we try to finish the final installation of the plumbing fixtures more problems are coming to light.

1. The toilet pipe in the master bath has been set too close not only to the side wall but also the back wall. It is set at 11'' instead of 13" and the floor either had to be jack hammered out or as I settled for the toilet is now set so close to the wall it is almost impossible to take the lid off. I refused to let them jack hammer my beautiful tile work!!!!

2. The problem with the guest bath shower head and no hot water was caused by the valves being reversed. Hot to cold and cold to hot. When I was turning on the hot it was always cold. I never thought to just turn on the cold. This is the 4th instance of hot and cold being piped or connected reversed. No excuse!

3. The first picture shows the washer / dryer box installed up side down??? No logical reason for them to do this unless it was done on purpose. Just plain sloppy and disrespectful.

My observation is that this plumber is doing this on purpose. But today I found out the the Plumber I hired to fix this stuff had previously employed the person known to me as the current plumbers best plumber was fired from the job because of those same stupid mistakes he has made all over our home.

Just some pictures to document the problems

Before--Just a tangled mess of wires

After-- Neat, water tight -No Open holes in wall - All in conduit

Wat-Er Friends For........

All this for a Sprinkle a DAY ???

Sometime at or about 9:30 AM, Saturday June 21 "The first day of Summer", appropriately, an assortment of funny looking people in all sizes and manner of human appointment arrived on Stormy Lane just inside the Town limits of MENTAL BEACH.

They brought with them a curious assortment of strange and colorful things. What, I wondered... did any of this have to do with a simple sprinkler system that just tinkles on the lawn a few times a week.? So began the Syrkus of events... One by one they came...

1 Big guy in a black truck with a little midget following him around while a large beige dog kept watch on his truck

1 round guy with a BIG motorized shovel followed by a pony tailed blond woman that followed the shovel wherever it went talking constantly .

1 Dizzy Blonde and her imaginary Dutch helper that she kept calling orders to but he never quite heard them.

Of course I was there to stupid - vise the entire session .
I was needed to keep inventory of all materials so nothing would be lost or stolen.

One by one the following assortment of items found their way out of the various vehicles and onto the soon to be lawn but for now just dirt!

They had with them ....

Things with wires coming out of them

1 thing with a blue handle to turn off a well

7 round black boxes with green tops that had holes in the middle and lids that fell off ( unless you tried to take them off then they stuck)

The 7 black boxes with green tops go over the top of the things with wires coming out of their heads.

62 U.S. Type flags without the red and white

16 strange things called rotors

1 Shit load of things called POP UPS?

1 Big ass Black pump

1 Pain in the ass timer clock

1 broken transformer plug for the pain in the ass clock

Lots and lots long skinny white pipe

Lots and Lots of fat white not so long pipe

Hundreds of curly plastic things, flat things and t-things made from white plastic that matched the long and not so long white pipe

1 roll of flexible something to fit on the pop ups

1 gray box with lots of wires red, green, blue, lt blue, yellow, brown, black and white

1 very very long kinky brown tube with lots holes in it.

1 white thingy wih multiple sides to get the dirt out of the well

1 white thingy with bumps and poky stuff to mover water in and out of the sprinkler heads and around the yard. This thingy also doubles as a tool to give a shower while the water is spurting out of the pop up

5 gray things and 2 big black things with 2 wires sticking out of the tops

2 big round silver cans of clear liquid stuff

Then.... first the Dizzy blonde walked around and stuck the U.S. flags without the red and white into the ground everywhere. Then.... the round guy with the big ass shovel came by with the pony tailed blonde and dug up lines of dirt and played connect the flags with the ditches.

Then.... the dizzy blonde put the white pipe and white plastic thingies together with the liquid in the silver can and the imaginary Dutch helper came along and put all the dirt back over all the stuff the blonde threw into the round guys holes???

The gray and black things got all their wires tangled together by the dizzy blond as the big guy with the black truck and the midget kept an eye on her progress.

The Dutch man disappeared and the round guy with the talking pony tailed blond took the big ass motorized shovel and drove away leaving me, the dizzy blond and the big guy with the midget to clean up the mess.

Then like magic suddenly everything sank into the ground and water started spurting from the little pop ups and the round black thingsstarted spitting water all over, all the while the pump sang a rumbling tune gurgling and swishing.

As SUN-SET on Stormy lane the big guy with the midget and the watch dog came by and gave me a really nice card thanking me for allowing them to perform on my property. The dizzy blond collapsed and drank a few beers.

The card Read:

The Syrkus has come to Town and because you are so sweet and helpful the following discount will apply

Regular priced Syrkus for the day is ------------$100,000.00
Clown, props and supervisors included

Discount for your extraordinary help----------- 98,000.00

Balance due $2,000.00

Every day now like magic the little gray box turns on my Syrkus in the wee hours of the night and all those little parts magically pop up and perform a beautiful rain dance on my emerald green lawn .


Everyone in Mental Beach Should have their own Syrkus

"WELL WELL WELL " Were Finally Getting" PUMPED" UP

A real SOD Story

Wipe OUT Sprinkler piping

Chaos Ensues While tryimg to instll sprinkler lines

ANOTHER UMBRELLA BITES THE DUST

State of the art Server Room

4 dedicated electrical circuits were pre - wired for this room. Then a high volume AC duct was installed to keep this the coldest room in the house.
All the wires are color coded as to function.
Yellow= video
Lt Grey = Computer , Med Grey= phone
black = cable and air
Blue= IP Phone, fax, extra computer line
Green = Audio
Red= IP Cameras and Security
Then we have Fiber and overhead projector wires below
We will tone out and label ALL wires on both ends.

The front rack is for punch down wiring. The rear rack is for equipment such as routers, audio devices, video devices and computer servers etc.

We used the ZON audio system in every room in the house. Zon allows access to 8 music and audio sources as well as IPOD integration, This system also doubles as a doorbell and intercom/room monitoring system. Every room has individual control of the the audio/intercom/monitoring. Actually in this house you could have 8 different sources of audio playing all at the same time. INTERESTING THOUGHT

HD tv can be streamed to any room as each room has individual control of the video system in that particular room. The video system will integrate cable, satellite and home video with 7 -1 surround sound pre-wired in all rooms. Additional speaker locations are in every room as well as integration with ZON system speakers allowed. Overhead projectors with pull down screens are featured in 3 separate areas in the house, the stage area, library and theater along with the ability to convert the garage to an additional suite/ theater/ rec room in the future

When someone drives up in the driveway it will announce their arrival as well as other alerts.

The system can fully integrate with any security system and can do things like turn on all lights, music , tv etc when there is a breach . The cameras will be pan tilt and zoom cameras that alert on movement and can send an email or phone alerts to any computer or phone along with pictures of the reason it for the trigger. The cameras can be accessed remotely and can work on remote commands from any computer anywhere in the world.

And as you can see there is plenty of room for expansion or upgrading and in todays world where everything changes momentarily this is a must have option.


More to come as we build the system.





Good wired management is a must.

See colored Block here

www.columbusglassblock.com/products-designer-and-color.aspx?gclid=CPjXtISQ8JMCFQUpgAodd2T0WQ

Some Photo Updates

Some ideas for the stair railing. How about colored glass block in various sizes and colors to match the fixture. Framed out in cypress to math the molding? Using the same pattern in the fixture. The Handrail would be black wrought iron!

Open letter to the Plumber

Today I received an email from the plumber trying to explain away all his mistakes "JUST THE FEW I HAVE COMPLAIN ABOUT RECENTLY NOT THE ENTIRE LIST" PLUS HE TOOK 8 WEEKS TO ANSWER THE COMPLAINTS !!! and then he ends making veiled threats. My answers are simple .

Plumbers statements in black

1. Why would I give the plumber who made the problem in the first place the opportunity come back and try it again?

2. The Plumber obviously doesn't have a clue to what is going on by his statement about work being done under his license and permit.!!! Someone who doesn't know whose permit he is working under should not be allowed to work at all.




Guest bath toilet: The toilet is set by height given by contractor
before the flange is set, if this height changes, they make spacers or we
are asked to come and change it. Please note that if you paid someone
$250.00 to make a change that was under warranty through our company, this
was unnecessary and also voids our warranty.

Answer: The contractor did specify the toilet was to be set up 2 1/8" so why did the Plumber affix it permanently to the concrete floor? Void the warranty? What warranty if the work is wrong? My question , why was it not done correctly the first time? Why is it that most everything the plumber has done was done wrong the first time but I am required (demanded) to get the same plumber back to do it again correctly so I can maintain the Warranty?


3. Gas Heater: If the gas regulator was for natural gas then our supplier
has made a mistake, but again, a simple problem to correct. If you would
have contacted me, we could have changed out the regulator at no cost of
course and corrected the issue. Please note that if you had another company
re-pipe or change our work, it voids our warranty.

Blaming this on on the supplier. The supplier only sends the materials you specified. What about you taking responsibility for your inability to get the job done correct the first time. Natural gas vs propane installation . Natural gas was NEVER an option. Propane was specified and is quite different in all aspects from natural gas. You knew what was specified when hired to install. Specific cut sheets and details were specified and supplied. If you knew what you were doing or paid attention to what the contractor specified then it would have been done correct in the first place. Not knowing the difference between what is needed for propane vs natural gas just shows incompetence.

It was the gas companies responsibility to make sure all gas equipment they hooked up was correctly installed and working properly before they connected the appliances and turned on the gas. If the gas company had not found the mistake it could have had very significant consequences and they were right to correct it before they finished the final installation of the gas tank and lines. Calling you back was never an option! What guarantee would one have that it would be done correctly considering the past experience.

Your statement that you would "change out the regulator" is reason enough to justify the gas company to repair your work. If you knew what you were doing you would never have made this statement.


4. Wood Spacers under Toilet: This is a common practice to space the
toilet flange to adjust to the height of the sub-floor and tile. Note: By
removing these, the toilet will be back pitched or possibly could break a
fitting in the ceiling. I have several pictures in my files that show this
practice on many homes.

Give me a break! So what you did was correct? and the result was a leaky ceiling? If it had been installed correctly the first time the toilet would not pitch back and would not leak. It is installed correctly now. Again this is another excuse to justify your mistake.

Wasn't this the day it took 2 people 8 hours to install that toilet? 1 toilet that ultimately leaked and ruined the drywall in the ceiling below? (I remember making the plumber put it in 2 times before he even got it level. ) It did not pitch back just sideways!!!

This was also the day I had to run and purchase parts for a sink that was ultimately installed with crossed water lines. I wonder how one can justify coming to install a fixture without bringing the supplies to do the job. PS: There are several other fixtures that have remained PARTIALLY installed or not properly working. I better not touch them it might void the warranty !

Doesn't matter that they don't work I have a warranty!!

Finally, your statement regarding the upstairs sink connections, I am unsure
of what you are speaking about but am happy to address or correct any
plumbing issues you have.

Again give me a break even a child can see the problem and so did you when you were here trying to fix yet another problem created by improper connections of the water piping causing a problem with no hot water in the up bath. Like you said that day "basic plumbing 101" could have avoided this mistake and this was done by your head plumber. You laughed and stated that that plumber would never live this one down. BUT, I spent two weeks and countless hours on the phone and internet talking with several suppliers to try and find the problem. Taking pictures, emailing information and consulting and all it was was a basic plumbing mistake that even you could not find until bringing a rep from your supplier to the location.

Again. Why would I have you back?
Because even your head plumber doesn't know basic plumbing?
Because I might void the warranty?
And NOW you claim you don't know what the issue is? How convenient for you.

Please note that I have a concern that you are having plumbing work
completed under my Plumbing License and permit and I would ask that this not
happen.

Questions: May I see the permit "YOU" pulled? May I see the documentation that shows this work is being done under "YOUR" license? May I see the contract that specified you are the only plumber that can do work for me?


Since when is someone enjoined from working or choosing who works on THEIR property?


I hope to hear from you by June 16th or I will need to contact the
authorities regarding my concerns about work being done under my license and
permit and I will need to address my loss on the material we are still
holding.

Please call "the authorities" about work on my property. Show me the documentation that your company pulled the permit!! Show me the documentation that your company's license is being misused!
Your own the company and you don't have a clue. That is very disconcerting to say the least!

As for materials you are holding. What Materials? Show me the documentation that authorized you to buy or hold any materials for me !

I have a whole list of materials that we discussed but never authorized to be ordered

As a matter of fact your men installed materials that were never ordered . Installed these materials in spite of the FACT they I had purchased materials to be installed and yet they did not install them.

They also neglected/ forgot/ irresponsibly DID NOT INSTALL several items that were ordered and that cannot now be installed so we have to do without them, even though those materials had been specifically specified by the contractor and documented in cut sheets to you.

And what about the parts I supplied for fixtures that you forgot to bring parts for? I guess I better start making my own list of materials furnished and not reimbursed as well as cost to repair faulty work which now counts in the thousands of dollars!!!$$$$

Also items ordered for one master bath were installed into another bath and those fixtures don't even match. "chrome with brushed nickel as well as shower regular head vs adjustable shower head"

PS. The hot cold handles are backwards on that chrome fixture , But that is okay it matches the crossed water lines on the sink and the toilet that you say will pitch back and break pipes. YEA Now we have a completely dysfunctional bathroom and by the way a grossly under rated water heater that supplies 3 gal / minute. The only problem? it feeds 7 water faucets and one shower head that demand 1.5 gal. min EACH and additionally it supplies a dishwasher and wash machine. ALL that on 3 gal/ per minute. Interesting. BUT IT IS UNDER WARRANTY RIGHT!! YOU AN FIX IT!

So all in all I say.

Why in the world would I allow you to come back onto this site and do any work at all?

Why? Just so you can do some more work incorrectly and I can call you again to repair what you did incorrectly?
That makes a lot of sense!
Just so I can get a warranty?
I say on what? I have a better chance without your warranty.

All your company can do is warrant that the first time they do something guaranteed it will be wrong and have to be redone!!

Thought for the Day

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

--Theodore Roosevelt, University of Paris, 1910