Plan B Forum

The waste pipe connecting the bathrooms to the cesspool is broken.
It runs under the house extension. And under the patio.
I am f@$%ed.
There is company that can pull a new pipe through the path where the old pipe runs that pulverizes the old pipe in the process. They want $10K for that and another $6k for two new cesspools (main pool and an overflow). My current cesspools are construced with cinderblocks and are about 50 years old. A disaster waiting to happen.

Two other cesspool companies have come in with prices from $5k to $7k where they will rip out the old waste water plumbing in the basement, run new plumbing closer to the ceiling (the plumbing now is about 4feet from the floor), run the waste line through the extension crawl space then go down under the patio. Those prices include new cesspools.
But they have to rip up part of the cement patio and tear out the back stoop. Niether of which they fix when done.
Seems I will be a carpenter (building a new stoop) and mason (fixing the ripped up portion of the patio) this summer once the cesspool work is done.

Did I mention that I have to open up part of my chain link fence (and rip out a post) so the trucks and backhoe can get into my yard?
I think I will replace that portion of the fence with a big gate.

Could be worse. At least the break in the line is not so great that the waste water doesn't make it to the cesspool (it does but slowly) so showers and bodily functions can still go on. Just have to give time in between so as not to get backed up.


Oh well.

It's only money

and work

and pain (from the work)

Maybe the son will be back from working in Vancouver then he can help.

Oh, did I mention I need my driveway paved also?
No?
My driveway needs to be paved.

I was sorry almost instantly after opening this thread.

I love my 103-year old Craftsman, but I've already felt the pain of unexpected repairs, and I'm working on several necessary updates to the house, plus I need a new furnace ($4-5k) and a pellet stove insert (@ $3k) if I'm going to keep the place warm this coming winter . . .

My solution is that I'm turning the place into a boarding house. Come June 1st I'll have 3 new housemates: one graduate student here for a summer internship, one middle-aged woman here for a 6 month Forest Service contract, and one mid-20s recent college graduate here for a new job with the Bureau of Reclamation - he'll hopefully stay on long term.

In the three months that I'll have triple occupancy, I'll earn the money for my new furnace. The long-term housemate will buy me a pellet stove and other cosmetic upgrades.

And it won't be so quiet around here, and I'll have something to bitch about. Roomies!

bigskygal wrote:
I love my 103-year old Craftsman,

Christ on a bike, that's a bit old to still be working, isn't it? Poor sod.

O-n-W

I went through the same sort of problems a few years back, and had to get it al sorted by email from the other side of the world, so luckily I didn't have to put up with the inconvenience.

Inconvenience! LOL!!

At least it isn't incontinence.

yeah, incontinence and a plugged drain pipe are a bad combo....

Got some prices from some people. Not going with the lowest priced guy, going with the guy I felt confident in.
Belly barometer gave him a thumbs up.
No ripping up of the patio, he's says he can run the pipe out to the ide of the house and put new pools there. Only problem is that I can't sell that lot seperately. I have two lots and now my cesspool will be on the other lot. I was not planning on selling the lot seperately anyway.
Comes in at about $6k with no ripping up the patio nor back stoop.
Now to schedule.

Just got bummer news from my wife.
Her aunt has not been doing well (an understatement) and the cousins are pulling the plug tonight.
Have a nice weekend.

Commiserations to the family mate

Condolences to your wife and you, oldr!

Her aunt hung on for about 24hours. She rests in peace now. Wake on tuesday, funeral on wednesday.
Thanks everyone.

New Cesspool and overflow installed. 8'dia x 4'tall main and 8'dia x 8'tall overflow. All new plumbing in the basement is installed with a few things needing to be finished up today. Toilets/showers were closed at 10am and back in operation at 5pm.
Old cesspools pumped out, collapsed and filled in.

The guys digging up the yard did a fantastic job of cleaning up the dirt, to the point of brooming the excess dirt out of the grass. The only dirt areas are where they dug. Plus the guys even went and racked out/evened the grass/dirt where the backhoe tracks were from the new holes to the old cesspools where he filled them in.
Gave the two guys a generous tip.
And it's amazing how they knew exactly how much dirt to haul away leaving the exact amount to fill in around the new cesspools plus enough to fill in the old cesspools.

Plumbers are back this afternoon to finish up some little things they need to do. (told my wife to generously tip the plumbers also)
Overall I give all involved an A+
Total cost was a little less than $6k.

One of lifes little pleasures, a working crapper.

One of the old collapsed cesspools has settled a bit. The backhoe operator said if that happened to give them a call and they will come and put more dirt in. It's not that much and I have some dirt that would fill it up. I'll give it another week and see if settles any more.

Get a text from my wife saying her car didn't start right this morning. I call her back (takes me hours to do a text) and she says the car was "slow" starting the last couple of days and she meant to tell me yesterday or the day before. Car is 6 years old so I am figuring a new battery is in order. I told her when she walks up to the car, don't press the btton to unlock the doors, just walk up and see if any interior lights are on. Maybe she just hit a switch and battery is draining because of htat. But I doubt it, most newer cars turn off all lights after a while regardless of switch positions. Gone are the days when batteries gave weeks of slower and slower starts before giving out. Now you get a few and then it's done.

Guess I'll be buying/installing a new battery when I get home.