Cracked or Broken

So, our fiberglass shower floor cracked. No, we weren't in there together, you silly people. It's a shower stall that when we were designing the bathroom, they referred to it as a "coffin shower". Probably not the best marketing tool ever. So two people in the shower is not going to happen.

The floor cracked, it's about a four inch crack. Upon further inspection, there was a smaller crack next to the drain. Nice. Perfect.

Kevin said that he thought he could fix it himself. He has limited experience with fiberglass, however he is super-diligent about keeping the house in good condition. "I'll send Dad over to take a look at it." he says.

"Um, does he have to right this very second?" I ask.

"Why?" he asked.

OF COURSE the shower needed to be scrubbed. Usually I wash it every other weekend but I was lazy and had skipped it. My pride wouldn't allow me to say "Sure, have your dad check it out."

So, bless him, Kevin told his dad that they would look at it over the weekend, giving me a chance to scrub it clean. Unfortunately, it would be cleaner if I could get into the doggone thing and really scrub it but I have to choose my battles.

Wow, I'm really off topic here.

WIKI-HOW explained how to fix the cracks in what I perceived as a mocking tone. "It's so EASY, just follow the steps." Fortunately, I don't believe everything I read on the internet.

It turned into the chicken or the egg debate. Why did it crack? If it was just regular wear & tear or an accident such as dropping something then the crack can be repaired. If it cracked due to deterioration or lack of support, the it has to be done professionally. If the floor needs repaired, then the whole shower piece has to come out and if you take the whole thing out then you might as well replace it versus repairing it. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We decided to make sure it was a good idea to check into having it professionally repaired before dis-assembling the shower stall and doing it ourselves. Trying to find someone to fix the fiberglass is a challenge. What is it with people not returning phone calls?



Finally, we spoke to a contractor who is located an hour away. Their bid was $200 to look at it and possibly repair it. But most likely, it was going to be closer to $800. Yeah. No. I'd rather just use the common folk bathroom forever.

Kevin phoned someone else then phoned someone else. Three days later we finally got a return phone call. "Sure, I can. How about Tuesday?"
"How much, do you think?" Kevin asked.
"Oh, I'm between jobs now so it will be....*dramatic pause*...$200."

Not great, right before a trip, but not unattainable.

This morning I scrubbed the bathroom, removed the rugs, and made sure the house was spiffy in happy anticipation of his arrival.

I went to work & promptly forgot about the shower. About an hour later, Kevin phoned. "Yeah, he can't do it."

Ah sh*t.

The whole thing needs replacing. We're looking at $800 - $1,000 if we have the contractor do it.

Back to square one. We have to find the exact same shower stall to replace it so we're not stuck with major renovations in a four-year-old house. Warranty, you ask? Yeah, missed it by about six months.

Guess we're not using the master bath for awhile. Could be worse, it could be the old house that had only one bathroom. But it's still a bummer.