OK. I started out last night, fully intending to put in the new kitchen faucet myself. Got everything pulled out from under the sink, cleaned, etc. First realization - I had totally forgotten just how crowded it is under my kitchen sink. Due to what can only be considered laziness, the contractors who built this place crammed some odd things under there - I've got the standard kitchen sink, with faucet. Then there's the line to the dishwasher. Then there's a reverse osmosis that we added on, because we have HARD water out here, and the house has a softener system, which adds salts to get rid of the other stuff. Well, on top of all that (sounds normal, right?) there's the vent for my downdraft on the cooktop. Yep. I have this ridiculous, nearly worthless downdraft thing, because they were too lazy to put in a real hood and have that "clutter up" the view from my island cooktop. Grrrr.

So, I crawl into the tiny space left over from all these various pipes under there, and look at the plumbing and such. Oh poop. All the water pipes and the hose for my pull out sprayer faucet run through the same hole, which is kinda packed tight with all this muck. And it looks like something has leaked. So, put away my tools, and announce that I am calling a plumber.

The plumber has arrived, took one look at the mess, and said it was a good thing I called and that I was right to worry about breaking something in there in the process. He's taking part of the RO system out just so he can work in there. *LOL* Then he checks the water pressure, which is 20 lbs higher than it should be, and lets me know that the pressure regulator for the entire house is broken. So, I've just signed up to be a priority customer, and get the whole place inspected, lock, stock and barrel, so we can get all the works fixed up and not have any more exciting issues, like yet another busted hot water heater. So, we'll fix the drip in the garage sink (which we just shut off the water to years ago), the hot water recirculation pump that's dead, the broken faucet handle in the bathroom, etc. I'd forgotten how many things I'd just put up with around here. *LOL* Now we'll just have an enormous plumbing bill for a while... All because the handle came off the kitchen faucet.


Well, he's got the new faucet in, right? Three tries later with the odd connections... but it's in. And now, it leaks. Yep, it's a bum faucet. Oh, and we have a broken handle on the hot water valve, which he couldn't get a new one for, and the threads are stripped because he had to use the pliers to turn it, and now we have to just replace the whole thing. Words fail, here, folks. Well, not really, but four letter words and phrases involving deities just aren't appropriate. He's taken the faucet back out, which took a little while, and is now finding out if they have a faucet that will work, or if I have to go get a new one NOW.... Ok, no, I don't have to go to the store, they've got one, and it's "only" going to cost $500 to buy it and put it in (on top of what we were supposed to pay to put in the first one). Oy. By the end of today, I will have a HUGE plumbing bill, and a big headache, but, I HOPE, no leaks... Keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't find buckets more to mess with during his inspection of the REST of the house. This could go from a one day experience to a multi-day program of pain...

In the end, here's the list of stuff fixed (or soon to be)
One new kitchen faucet (bummer one will go back to Home Despot)
Two new shutoff valves
One bathroom faucet handle fixed back where it belongs
LOTS of adjusted shut off valves
One set of faucet handles tightened so faucet doesn't leak (garage)
One pressure regulator replaced
One recirculating pump to be replaced

They checked the hot water heater, which is fine *insert sound of cheering here*. The recirc pump working will be another shut off all the water in my house repair, since the guys who put it in didn't think ahead, and plumbed it as if it will never need to be replaced. *insert booing and hissing here*

I swear - if Friedrich and I ever have a house built, I'm going to set up my own little office on the site, come to work with them every blessed day until it is done, and hassle the crap out of everyone who attempts to do things in a shoddy or stupid manner. Plumbing, electrical, etc., should be laid out with something like logic. When I explained to the plumber where our water line comes in from the street, and then is actually tied to the house (on opposite sides of the front of our half acre lot), he just shook his head and hoped we didn't live here long enough to need to replace it... and the lawn... and the driveway... This is just one of the many eccentricities of our abode.