The Still at Whiskey Harbour

An interesting weekend January 2014

You would’ve expected, with the careful planning we had given the project, things would have gone smoothly. But the fates augured ill.

As background, you will remember that we have owned the Still for 15 years. The avocado bathroom was due for a change. With careful research, plans were initiated in the late summer. The new tub/shower was delivered in September. It has a low threshold to make a walk-in shower. We had also ordered a new, cedar vanity from Doug Watson in Tobermory. The replacement sink (the expensive one) was returned because a dent showed in the edge and was quite visible. The same complaint was obvious in the second sink we picked up. So, ultimately, we bought a third, cheaper ceramic sink with no dents.

Kenny and I planned to stay over at Catherine’s cottage while we did the work. We thought we might get the work done in 4-5 days just after New Years.

In early December we decided that the first week of January was our best opportunity. Our plan was to go north on Sunday after church. But the polar vortex intervened! Sunday’s weather was bad. Monday’s weather was appalling. On Tuesday morning Bill Muzzy called to say while he had been out clearing driveways his tractor stalled in a snowdrift just outside our driveway. We scanned all we could find about the roads on Wednesday. The highways department said highways were still closed while they removed many vehicles stranded in the storm. So it was not until Thursday morning we could load up the truck and set out. We had lost three working days.

The snow was more than 2 ft. deep and the cottage doors blocked with drifts. Fortunately, Wendall had plowed the driveway after the worst of the storm.

By 9 o’clock that night, Kenny and I had removed the old green bathtub, the shower surround and the old vanity. The green ceiling had a fresh coat of white paint and the green walls were freshly painted a smoke grey. We thought we were on a roll!

Cory had called a couple of hours earlier to say there was no water at Catherine’s cottage. At the Still we had no water because we had disconnected the plumbing. One requires water for many things – not just showers. That raised the question of where we might all eat and sleep.

Things were starting to fall apart. First thing we noticed on removing the bathtub was that the water pipes and the waste pipe from the adjacent laundry equipment stuck out an awfully long way from the wall. The pipes had been concealed under the side of the tub.

I had opined to the plumber before we left that he could rough-in the new shower in an hour or so. Turns out, I got that wrong!

To our amazement, the plumber showed up first thing in the morning. This was a pleasant surprise and a minor victory. Kenny and I dragged the new tub through thigh-deep snow from the bunkie at the back of the property so we could see what was to be done. The new tub had been delivered in early September. Before he left, the plumber remarked that the drain in the new tub was on the wrong side. He was with us for 10 minutes. When we had decided how we were going to resolve that problem we were to let him know. Happily, before he left, he provided one more service – see below. So now we had dropped from the top of the plumber’s list to the very bottom (or the top of his shit list). A week later, his mother-in-law died. So, we were now near the end of January with no firm date established.

While Kenny and the plumber and I gazed dolefully at the new shower, Cory came ambling back down the driveway, on foot. She was not happy. She had left us in Kenny’s truck some five minutes previously headed for Tobermory. The roads were icy, the snowbanks large and the edge of roadway was concealed by snow. The truck had drifted into the ditch 50 yards from our driveway. Before he left, our plumber very kindly pulled the truck out of the ditch. These things happen on the Bruce.

A telephone call to the supplier revealed over the course of the afternoon that we had indeed ordered a shower with a right-hand drain. But the unit delivered had a left-hand drain. The fault was not ours but Kenny remarked we should have checked it when it had arrived.

The simple project was now on hold indefinitely. But Angie said she would let us know as soon as she could talk to the manufacturer to find out when they could provide a replacement unit. Perhaps, a week. Perhaps, three weeks or more.

Did I mention that our dog, Mac, had us up all night? MacDougal is an 85 lbs. chocolate Lab. After arriving at the cottage on Thursday, Mac went for a walk with Catherine. A leash seemed unnecessary at the time. But when Catherine stopped to talk to a neighbor, Mac ambled off by himself. At his return an hour and a half later, his belly was noticeably distended. He was miserable. But Mac waited until about 8:30 to disgorge the contents of his full belly onto the carpet. Suffice it to say that the mess was slimy animal matter and disgusting. He was not done. Through the night, Cory took the first few shifts and I took the last few. Neither of us got much sleep. Hence, that excursion by the truck into the ditch.

Friday had not finished with us. Over at the other cottage, Catherine discovered that the furnace in the basement was not working. We have just been through the longest cold snap in recent memory. Hence, the plumber had suggested that the water lines had frozen. He was proved right. Happily, we thought to call the furnace repair man on Friday afternoon. To our surprise, he arrived at 7 PM and spent an hour trying to get the furnace going. Though he succeeded, the news was less than encouraging. The ignition spark device was not functioning and had been replaced by him. The pilot light was so corroded that very little gas was escaping. It was unlikely to start by itself. Now, he hadn’t seen one of these furnaces in a long time… To order parts would take at least a week. But we might be looking at a new furnace…

The only bright light was that we had heat upstairs. And over at the Still I had managed to turn the water on and we had heat there. But where to sleep? And would Mac last the night without waking us?

Oh yes, did I mention that we had nine windows replaced in the Still during early December? As the new windows were slightly smaller, new wood surround was required. The supplier had manufactured the wood and delivered it in bundles. But we needed to stain and urethane more than 60 pieces of cedar. We also needed to stain and urethane the new vanity.

One final positive event on Friday. Cory and I did get to Tobermory in Kenny’s truck to collect the new Cedar vanity from Doug. The vanity is gorgeous. Back at the Still, we found out that the vanity was also going to be more difficult to install as we needed to reposition the plumbing. The waste pipe and water lines are horizontal and will interfere with the back of the drawers. More modifications required.

Now, midweek the following week, Angie has had many conversations with the manufacturer of the shower. Apparently, when she ordered the unit she described it as having a right-hand drain but she wrote down the codefor a unit with a left-side drain. So the fault was not ours; we would be able to return the one sitting in our Family room. First, they said they did not manufacture this unit with a right hand drain. Then they changed their story to say that they did manufacture them but there were none in stock. Then, they found one in inventory. But unit #2, delivered on Wednesday, had no corner seat. Angie was afraid to call us again with more bad news. At her next call, she reported that they changed their story again to say that they had found her a unit with a right-hand drain and left-hand seat. Delivery promised in two days. I dare not call the plumber until we know the correct unit is in Wiarton.

Kenny’s final remark: well, Mom, this is just like any other bathroom reno.

Only now is the funny side of the events obvious! It may be Spring before this gets done. Now that we are in the third week of March work has resumed, at last.

I take some comfort that on that fateful weekend we had a delicious turkey dinner, the pipes at the Shieling had thawed without a flood and Catherine had made delicious corn bread on Monday. A few sparks in the otherwise dim firmament.