THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL
There are good things and bad things in every aspect of life.
Homeownership is no different. My family and I found this out the hard way last week.
We had to relocate to the apartment that we vacated a week earlier or spend the night in a motel for four nights last week because of plumbing issues. The reason we were able to stay in our apartment is because we signed our 60-day notice on July 1, which means we have access to the unit until Aug. 31.
Our tribulations started the morning of July 20. I took a shower and noticed the water wasn’t going down the drain.
Then, I heard water bubbling from the toilet. That was followed by my wife screaming there was water in the bathtub in the kids’ bathroom — luckily, she and all three kids bathed the night before.
We went to church and lunch in Temple before returning to Taylor while my mom took my son to his mother’s house in Madisonville. When we returned, I talked to the agent who sold us our home and he called the builder, who arrived to assess the problem.
The following day, we were told we would have to relocate to a motel or a friend’s or a relative’s house while they performed construction to resolve the
issue. As it turned out, the pipe to our residence was not connected to the city pipeline.
We were told we would be reimbursed while we were out of our residence for expenses such as lodging, food, etc. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to go to City Hall and have the water to our apartment unit turned back on for a week.
We were able to bathe and cook at the apartment, and sleep on air mattresses for three nights — July 21-23 — before my wife talked us into spending the night in a hotel July 24.
Meanwhile, construction to connect our pipeline to the city’s was in progress. While leaving the hotel, we were told the work was complete, and we could return to the house where we could run the water again.
It felt great to return to our residence the morning of July 25, where we could bathe and cook — and drink the water — again. As far as the reimbursement is concerned, the check has been processed and is in the mail — no pun intended.
The best thing about this whole incident is that we don’t have to pay a penny for the work done. That is why the Good Lord invented homeowner’s insurance and warranties.
Praise the Lord for warranties. And praise the Lord for saving us from the homeowner’s blues.
Chlapek is the area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at jason.chlapek@ granitemediapartners. com.
