Building Systems: a lesson in professional methodology

4-4-2011 The hot water heater was taken out and thrown into the back yard.

5-22-2011 Hot water returned to the house.

I don't often pat my wife on the back... I'm usually too busy patting myself on the back through veiled self deprecation in a public forum... But credit is due because she stuck it out through 7 weeks of hot water-less days during the last two months. And didn't really seem to complain. To review, we've gone from this:

to this:

I can't tell you anything about it... actually that's not true, I can tell you everything about it because sat transfixed infront of the instruction manual with the installer for about an hour and a half but believe me it is boring and long winded. The important bit is that it's both the heating system and the hot water system and it works. However, to get here we had to do this:

That fancy new gas line that was run sort of didn't work so the nice new slab has had some tasteful modification. Installing something without testing it is the benchmark of my home improvement methodology but I really thought the plumber would have known better. And while on the subject of "measure twice, take lunch and then start another project" we have this little bit of electrical wizardry to match:

If a picture tell a thousand words than this one is indeed a novella of subcontracting half-assery. While pulling the largest electrical line i've ever seen from the front to the back of the house it seems two or three failed attempts led to holes in the floor and the wall. I like to think it began with the small hole in the floor and ended with a frustrated sawzalling of everything in sight. I'm sure there is an easy fix for that. It appears they were equally delicate at the other end as well:

I can only take from this some solace in that we are all in fact one clumsy step away from burning the house down be it done through professional or DIY.