Running Water!

Thank you, Suresh! Having a sink with running water and a working dishwasher seem like a miracle. Out of habit, I may still walk towards the bathroom sink when I need to fill a water bottle. That is no longer necessary this afternoon. 

   

We found out we needed new kitchen countertop when pulling out the old sink and faucet on April 11th. Since that time there's been a hole, then new quartz countertop, and finally an undermount sink and new faucet. Yet it didn't all get connected to water and sewer until a few hours ago.

Being grateful for the little things in modern life is important.

Waiting and Waiting

Today's Sink Update:

The Home Depot installers were supposed to get us up and running this morning. The subcontractor however was not a certified plumber and couldn't do the job because, of course, some changes to the the pipes and connections are needed. I didn't know there was a distinction between sink installers and plumbers!  They knew we had asked not to reinstall our old garburator anyway, so we're not impressed. We spent two hours in the Surrey Home Depot that's across the river. As it stands we're waiting to hear when they will be able to schedule someone who can complete the job. Sigh.

 

Including the Kitchen Sink

We are a large step closer to having a kitchen sink again.

Last month, when installing a new sink and faucet, we discovered that a water leak had wrecked the old laminate. We ordered new counters at the Home Depot in Surrey. Because of a weekend, it took five days for the laser measurement guy to get the dimensions for our little, galley-style kitchen. That was around three weeks ago. 

 

Being without a kitchen sink, or dishwasher has been a hassle.  We've coped and luckily have been away for five of those nights on a trip.  It is now routine to get water from our nearby bathroom.  However, it will be very welcomed when things are back to normal.  Today, the two pieces of quartz counter top were installed. The appointment was for 1:30 pm but they arrived early and had finished by that time. 

We're waiting to see if the original plumbing team will come tomorrow at their rescheduled appointment time in the afternoon. There's a chance they might be able to fit us in after a job today. It really doesn't matter as we've learned to get by and another 12 hours won't really make much of a difference.

Kitchen Counter Template

 

This guy with the cool sunglasses came this morning to measure the countertop area for the installation of the Silestone Quartz. He only had on his glasses while using the laser measurement device. 

His computer was indispensable to his work. He used his laptop to get the measurements for the job, input data about the replacement sink size for the cutout, and place the order for the material. He even used it to produce the final bill for Home Depot and enter my credit card details. 

Now, we have to wait to hear when we can schedule the installation.

Everything Including the ...

If folks stay long enough in one place, they may get a chance to renovate their previous renos. 

In January of 2010, we finally got around to replacing our white laminate countertops. They were original from the buildings' 1990 construction making them at least eight years old when we bought the apartment in 1998.  

We replaced that 20-year-old laminate with a more colorful, but equally cheap laminate. We made the mistake of ordering a style with a backsplash. The original didn't have one, so the installer just butted it against the bottom of the existing tiles. We also reinstalled the same cheap, aluminum sink at that time.

   

Let's fast forward to the present. Only fourteen years have passed.  However, it was past time for a new faucet and we decided to put in a new sink at the same time. The Home Depot installers arrived at 7:00 am today  They were going to replace the old sink and faucet and replumb without a garburator (the term for a garbage disposal in Canada.)

   

Once the old sink was out, we discovered the old faucet had been dripping into the particleboard. It didn't leak enough to drip into the cupboard below, just enough to rot out the fiberboard of the laminate.  We didn't know it was deteriorating.  How interestingly gross!

 

As the contractor said, "This isn't going to work."  Now it has, rather unexpectedly, become time to replace 25 sq feet of kitchen counter..  The old sink is history and we have a rather obvious hole where it had been.  We rushed to the Home Depot this morning and decided to go with Silestone Quartz.  I'd just as soon this be the final time we buy countertop for this apartment.

I hope we can arrange for the installation within a few weeks.  It's not going to be easy living without a kitchen sink!