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Bathroom improvements can change your life
by Roger Faris
Since I embarked on a bathroom overhaul I've become a favorite, and almost daily customer at my local plumbing supply store. I'm finding it hard to anticipate all of the things that are needed. A professional remodeler couldn't afford to be this disorganized. She would have a truck full of parts and tools. I have a box of nearly useless leftover parts from another bathroom project. My tools are mostly loaned out to other people who are improving their homes, but I'm free from resentment and frustration.
The time line, in this case, is not important. We're not depending on this bathroom for any daily needs. It's a spare, or this would be a domestic crisis. If the work tends to drag on, that's all right. For once, this is a relaxing job, with lots of fringe benefits. My new friends who sell me the parts are nice to talk to, and they're good at answering technical questions. I like working at home. The kids know where to find me. I usually make something good for lunch.
A small room can have big potential. A worthy goal is to transform the bathroom into a safe, convenient, and attractive space. There are innumerable choices to be made regarding fixtures and fittings, materials, color, shape, texture, and lighting. Even something as simple as selecting a safety grab bar requires deciding on a style and finish. Installing all of the pieces presents some tricky challenges. The studs must be accurately located to make secure that grab bar. An electronic stud finder is the miracle tool that can see below the surface and help you avoid extra holes in the wall. I wish I knew how it works.
Even if I didn't like this kind of work, I might be drawn to the prospect of great wealth. I read about a survey in a shelter magazine that shows how certain home improvements have good payback potential. It seems that having your bathroom remodeled can bring back 109% of the original investment. Since I'm providing the labor, and I'm willing to update our bath as many times as needed, I calculate that I'll soon be rich. This is at least as realistic as signing on to a multi-level marketing scheme, and doesn't require that I make phone calls or delude anyone other than myself.
A life-changing aspect of a bath project involves sweat soldering. Behind old walls lurk rusted steel supply pipes. They need to be replaced with copper, and this is the time to do it. What an opportunity! Begin by cutting the copper tubing, cleaning the ends and fittings, applying flux and assembling the pieces. Fasten heat shields to protect nearby combustible surfaces. Place a bucket of water, a spray bottle and fire extinguisher within easy reach. Now you're ready to perform the dramatic feat. A spark from your striker will ignite propane gas from your torch. Aim the tip of the flame at a copper fitting. When the flux begins to boil from the joint, apply lead-free solder to the junction of fitting and pipe on the side opposite the flame. Watch as the metal melts and flows into the microscopic gap. Through capillary action it will even flow uphill. You have participated in magic. After a few hundred repetitions, if the thrill should begin to fade, switch to MAP gas and a turbo torch.
Home improvement pleasure is enhanced with a radio at your side. Jim Morrison singing "Light My Fire" is good for soldering. Interviews, or even commentary, are compatible with setting the wax ring between toilet bowl and closet flange. I like classical music when gluing vinyl floors, or caulking. I don't know how life can get much better.
A further boost to morale is the knowledge that I'm on the path to adventure in some exotic place. Each plumbing part purchased with my credit card earns several "air miles", which can eventually be redeemed for an actual ticket. As I fly away to paradise it may be hard not to tell my fellow passengers about how the top-o-the-line water saver toilet and bevel edge mirrors helped make the trip a reality. I know that my family would prefer that I keep this to myself. I'll promise to try.
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