John the Reno Guy

  I've always had a problem talking about John. Not because he is difficult to talk about but because people think I'm bragging.....even when I'm not. And when it comes to house repairs and renos, some of my friends get a little jealous when I speak about the things he is doing. But today I have to give him a shout out. A big one!

  When we took possession of this house eight years ago April 1, we truly thought it was an April Fool's joke. Wallpaper on the ceiling. A kitchen that was vintage 1982 and not in a good way like say a 30-year-old Chanel couture dress! Orange carpet in the basement and four bathrooms all in need of major overhauls. We started improvements from day one. Then the flood happened.

  I'm not going to relive that nightmare. It was a learning process, I'll leave it at that. But what ensued.....the landscaping to ensure drainage and the new weeping tile system....was more disheartening than helpful. What was supposed to "100% fix" the water issue did not. Which brings me to the present day.....

  After much research, John started the french drain a few weeks back. For those of you who don't know, that's basically an indoor weeping tile system. It's a long process in the dead of winter. Between the jackhammering to remove the concrete, digging the trenches, laying the pipe and covering it with gravel, it's a huge undertaking. Now we are almost finished the end stage...concrete.

  All of this work is labor intensive. The bags of gravel and concrete....the ground is too soft to get either large truck into the backyard....are heavy and well a basement means stairs. But he perseveres without comment, just the occasional shake of his head. Try as I might, there is only so much I can do to help but the boys and I did a lot of the "grunt" work as John calls it.

  Today is the final day of concrete. The bathroom is plumbed in and ready to be started. While the cement "sets" he will draw up a design plan for the entire basement and begin wiring, insulating and building walls. I've learned to let him do whatever he thinks best as he hasn't been wrong yet.

  Thank you John! Thank you for working so hard for us. Thank you for showing the boys that hard work really does pay off. Thank you for knowing what we need and for giving us what we want all in the same package. Thank you for consulting me and knowing that what I say and what I mean aren't always the same thing.

  Most importantly....thank you...for saving us tens of thousands of dollars! And then talking about a pool :)

  Ang