Our living nightmare!
I was going to write a pleasant post about having our central heating installed, but I haven’t been able to pull out even one, remotely humourous, part in this four day, living nightmare!
With every door and window in the house wide open all day, every day, with rain and wind blowing through the house, we were feeling colder as the days progressed. No kitchen and no water. Three men using our toilet all day without flushing, meant that I crossed my legs until evening. I couldn’t even think about the ‘quivering legs and holding my breath’ syndrome. The thought of the fermenting liquid in the toilet was enough to keep me out of that room.
Carpets and floor boards pulled up in every room, and men continuously calling out “Have you got a towel?” Grabbing it from us and catching thick, black liquid, that resembled crude oil, and poured from every pipe and radiator they removed. At the end of the four days we had run out of towels. Every hand towel we owned, and we owned a lot, fit for the rubbish bin! Black stains all over the house. Some on our carpets, some on our walls and some, thankfully, on the floorboards.
Here you can see just a few of our hand towels – stuffed in a saucepan! Not one that we use for cooking, but they didn’t know that.
Shunting the cats around the house to a ’safe’ room, along with beds, a litter tray, food and water, just to be told “Sorry, I need to get in that room now – just for a few minutes” Out they all come again, then back in there again – and so it went. It wasn’t helped by the fact that they did not like cats, and thought it clever to make remarks like “If it was left to me I’d let them out to take their chances with the foxes” and other similar remarks.
This had been the longest four days ever. We had the dirtiest, most untidy workmen I have ever experienced, who didn’t clear up or even put their tools away before leaving for the night. This was in every room in the house, not just one.
The photo below shows the tidiest room in the house – only because this is where we had to stay all day!
We still have a lot of cleaning up to do, carpets to lay back down, painting, tiling and even wallpapering, where they removed old radiators. We have a lovely, new central heating system, that actually works. Was it worth it?……………..I suppose so, but only because we won’t freeze to death in the winter again.
Stumble it!
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Daisy | 10 July 2008 at 23:30
Oh my goodness, what a disaster! Thank goodness it’s all done now. Those men sound very dirty and mean.
Babs (Beetle) | 10 July 2008 at 23:34
Wow! Daisy, that was the quickest comment ever!
Sandie | 10 July 2008 at 23:44
Never mind, it’s all finished now, and at least you have time to write the blog, so things must be looking up!
Kathy | 11 July 2008 at 0:27
I would be beside myself, too. It’s upsetting to have work people tearing up your house, but the hardest for me would be the “no water” and toilet situations. I’m so, so happy this is mostly over. Good luck with getting your house back in order. It will be so worth it the first time you have to crank up the heat next winter!
Jay | 11 July 2008 at 1:10
I hate, loathe and detest having workmen in. If they’re like yours, they get a very mean and moody householder to deal with, and I never, ever use them again. I’ve apparently had strong men quailing in – well, if not fear, deepest apprehension, of my anger. One just quietly disappeared in the middle of a job! LOL!
Seriously, that is not good enough. I don’t understand how men think it’s OK to behave in this way in someone’s house! Bah!
Sorry you have had that to deal with. I hope the new system is worth it!
And if they’d been mean to my dogs, they’d have been out, finished or not.
Drowsey Monkey | 11 July 2008 at 1:42
Oh dear! That does sound totally frustrating.
On a positive note, I love your couch, lol. You’re so brave to have a white one!
Babs (Beetle) | 11 July 2008 at 2:02
Sandie: Yes we are at least clean and tidy downstairs now.
Kathy: The toilet and no water was the worst part for us, regarding our comfort.
Jay: We did have a ‘talk’ with them and gained their respect in the end. It didn’t make them any cleaner. though they did buy us a fish & chip lunch.
Babs (Beetle) | 11 July 2008 at 3:24
Drowsey: It’s not actually white. It’s a fawn colour. Must have been the sunlight making it look lighter. Still needs a lot of cleaning :O)
Laura | 11 July 2008 at 5:35
I hope you talk to the company about the abuse to your home and belongings. A company should send their workers out equipped for the job. They should not be using every towel you own to clean up and then abandon you with a house stained and marked up. Maybe they can’t fix the floors and walls but they could have used more care not to make damage from their own dirt and they could have cleaned up what they could. I don’t know how they could leave there without flushing toilets after using them all day. Here in Toronto they have a new campaign about not flushing unless it’s #2. That’s too gross for me. Good luck with the cleaning up. Hope the company gives you something for their messy and ignorant workmen.
Ana | 11 July 2008 at 10:54
At least all is over now. You’ve got your home back and also finally got the central heating installed! Hopefully your home will be workers free for some time now
(I would have screamed about the towels… this must a man thing, I know another one who is destroying towels that way…)
Gandalf & Grayson | 11 July 2008 at 11:04
Yikes, we would not care for any part of that, except the working heating & ac unit, of course.
Babs (Beetle) | 11 July 2008 at 12:44
Laura: They were the company! They came highly recommended, and aside from all their mess, and our towels, have done an excellent job.
Ana: Yes, I think it was ‘a man thing’ and it’s lovely having it all finally done.
Gandalf & Grayson: We are thrilled with the new system :O)
Christine and FAZ | 11 July 2008 at 13:50
Definition of a builder/central heating plumber: A normal untidy male, allowed to create dirt and mess in someone else’s house where his wife can’t nag him.
Swubird | 11 July 2008 at 16:50
Babs:
What a bad day you had.
Here are few suggestions based on my own experiences.
When workman come to my house, I don’t let them in if they’re wearing dirty, or muddy boots. They have to either lay down a sheet of plastic, or wear booties over their boots. I inform them ahead of time that they may NOT use the restroom. They must be prepared to go someplace else to take care of their needs. Also, they must use all of their own equipment. Nothing is available to them at my home. They may not, for any reason, enter any room except where they need to be working. They may not use the sink for drinking water. Additionally, they my not use our dishes. If they have to eat lunch, they have to eat it outside. Anybody caught swearing will be immediately ejected from my home. These are only some of the restrictions I place on repairman.
By the way, I always talk to the contracting company before I okay the job. In my experience, every company has told me that their employees are not allowed to use your personal bathroom.
I hate to be unreasonable, but I have had several bad experiences in my life, and finally, I was forced to take strong measures.
Great post. I imagine that you will get a lot of comments about people’s horror stories.
Have a better day than yesterday.
Mo | 11 July 2008 at 17:02
As someone who’s had radiators and then also central heating – it’s a good upgrade, but sounds like it was pure hell getting there!
Condo Blues | 11 July 2008 at 19:33
I would contact the company and complain how the workmenn expected you to supply so many handtowels to clean up the workemen’s mess. Asking for one or two towels in an emergency is OK IMHO but after that, they really should have sent someone out to buy some towels for their crew to use for constant clean up.
Dragonstar | 11 July 2008 at 19:53
You’ve been living through a nightmare it seems. I’m glad it’s over now – at least, I hope it’s over!
I’ve been trying to comment on Sky Watch, but the page won’t let me. I wanted to say how much I like the photos, and to thank you for visiting.
LadyBanana | 11 July 2008 at 20:13
What an absolute nightmare!! At least you can now slowly get sorted and back to normal
Babs (Beetle) | 11 July 2008 at 20:21
Christine & Faz: That’s very good :O)
Swubird: We definitely learned a lesson!
Mo: Yes, it’s lovely to know that it’s all sorted.
Condo Blues: They were the company. Nobody to report them to I’m afraid.
Dragonstar: Yes, we are not stressed by it any more :O)
I don’t know what was wrong with my photo blog, but I think it’s ok now.
Babs (Beetle) | 11 July 2008 at 20:24
Lady Banana: Yes we are beginning to relax now, and put it all behind us.
JD at I Do Things | 11 July 2008 at 22:13
“Three men using our toilet all day without flushing”
This maybe one of the worst sentences I’ve ever read.
Oh, Babs! I feel for you. I’m glad it’s over.
Babs (Beetle) | 11 July 2008 at 23:01
JD: So are we glad it’s over ;O)
Drowsey Monkey | 12 July 2008 at 3:03
Heehee … I like your voice! Sounds very proper … or monty python, either way I like it
Like the flower too … I didn’t think about changing colours.
Sarah | 12 July 2008 at 18:09
They sound like awful workmen! It’s a shame you couldn’t ask them to clear off and that you’d get some decent men in!
I really feel for you. At least now you can slowly get things back to normality. We’ve got to remove our boiler from behind the fire and have another installed elsewhere. Wish us luck!
Hugs, Sarah x
Babs (Beetle) | 12 July 2008 at 18:39
Sarah: I’m sure that will go more smoothly than ours ;O)
Liudmila | 13 July 2008 at 18:49
Ohhh!!! I had something like this some days ago too. But the difference is that we have sun all the days. And it means about 40°… Now after I read about your weather there I think that the sun is maybe better in these situations.
maria | 17 July 2008 at 21:53
hi there. wow what an ordeal you had. those men? yuck! glad for you that it’s over.
thanks for stopping by my blog.