It's been three months since I twisted Shakespeare’s words, and this problem has nearly driven me insane duing that time. Since my last blog post on the subject (this is the master bathroom toilet drain, in case you forgot), I took a shot at repairing this, failed, hired a plumber, which ended in a bigger disaster, and today I finally rented the jackhammer.
It's much less impressive than you were expecting, huh? Technically it’s a 20 lb. demolition hammer. It was perfect for this job. As a side note, the lady working the tool rental desk at Home Depot said people rent these to remove tile. So, if you ever need to remove tile, this is your secret weapon.
None of my projects ever goes off without a hitch. Only I could get BOTH chisels stuck under the pipe. I got the first one stuck, then got the second one stuck while trying to free the first one. I had to cut the pipe to rescue them.
This is where I am. My test plug is in the pipe and has sealed off the gases (for now). I think that means I get to sleep in my own bed tonight. Sleeping upstairs in a single bed with one to three dogs trying to join me has not helped my sanity.
That rebar speaks to the quality of this house's construction. It's thinner than a pencil.
If you followed my facebook posts, you would know the plumber wanted $1700 for this job, including credit for the $600 I had already paid him, bringing the total to $2300. It took me about 2 hours, including getting the chisels stuck. Of course he was going to glue in the new PVC pieces, which won't take me very long. He wasn’t going to repair the tile, and it was unclear to me if that price included replacing the concrete. I had quit listening to him by that point, but I do know that concrete is currently a whopping $3.35 per 80 lb bag.
I'm experienced now, and I won't make the chisel mistake again, so if you're looking for someone to tear up your foundation to replace a PVC fitting, I'll only charge you $1000. :) I'll even pour the concrete, but you're on your own for the tile.
You better watch your words, if you ever want to sell this house....not that you would move now that your neighbors just got THAT much cooler.
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