An unexpectedly tense but productive day in homeownership
Today was a tough, yet constructive, day as a homeowner.
I awoke at 8am to a 50-degree house since our furnace had pooped out overnight (again). For a bonus surprise, a pipe in the basement had frozen and was lightly leaking. I quickly filled up some jugs with water, and then turned off the water supply and called the gas company and a plumber.
The furnace technician didn’t arrive until early afternoon, but the fix was very quick. We had air in the line again, and that caused the furnace to lock out. She showed me how to bleed the line so that I could handle it myself next time. The $150 feels expensive for the 15 minutes it took her, but the knowledge is invaluable.
The plumber had a fully booked day (another one never called me back), but shifted some less urgent jobs around to fit me in. He arrived at 6pm and, thankfully, the fix wasn’t too arduous either. We just bypassed the outdoor spigot line with a new section of pipe and will reconnect that in the spring.
The plumber was likewise generous with his knowledge, and I peppered him with questions during the hour it took him to complete the job. I learned helpful bits about our piping system, he helped me label a couple of things in my breaker box, and he shared some advice on dishwasher installation (an upcoming project) and on replacing our wood-burning stove with a propane one. His $400 charge stung more, but again, his expertise made it well worth the cost.
With the timing, I missed out on the Thursday night ice climbing get-together that I typically host for some locals. But the weather was particularly cold and I’m still getting over my sickness… so maybe that was for the best.
While waiting around for the repairs today, I…
- Put up extra coat hooks for my wide variety of outerwear
- Added hooks in the bathroom so my wife’s hair curler and straightener have better spots to live while they cool down than the toilet seat lid
- Installed a ski rack on the wall so our skis and poles won’t fall over in the corner of the entryway
- Took pictures of my Sonos Beam and One SL units to sell, and then got them out of my living room (I’m committing to the HomePod Home Theater setup)
- Cleaned out the kitchen drawers and cabinets (found some real treasures in there 😅)
- And I booked a few upcoming ice climbing trips with clients, which will help pay for the service calls today! 🙌
The day was stressful, but not overwhelmingly so. And I got a lot done — even if they weren’t the projects I had put on my to-do list last night.
The last things to get done tonight will be to go out and grab some dinner for when my wife gets home at 10pm, and then pack up my gear for another big client winter mountaineering excursion tomorrow. This will be our third attempt on this mountain range consisting of four peaks. We’ve gotten three done so far, and tomorrow (🤞) we’ll complete the fourth. That 3:30am wakeup call is going to come mighty quick, though.
I’d better log off and hop to it!