My new swimming pool...of sorts

[trinamick]

So it's been raining for three frelling days now, and my world has been dark and cloudy for much too long. We needed the rain, but the cold crummy weather is a bit ridiculous. Since I am not a person who reacts well to lack of sunlight, I have had zero ambition. As I was laying on my couch Tuesday night, I kept hearing a 'plink, plink' sound coming from my utility room (an added on enclosed porch of sorts). When I went to investigate, I discovered that the entire seam when the porch was added on was leaking brown disgusting water. Now this has been an ongoing trial for some time now, with me whining to my landlord every time it rains. Old Man River proceeds to get up on the roof, tinker around for awhile, and announce that all is fixed. The next time it rains, the process starts all over again. He is so afraid of spending a dime that he keeps trying to do it himself. Not so much with the helpful. Anyhoo, I called once again and complained, and yesterday he left a note at my house that he was going to get it fixed once and for all.

This morning when I got up, I found that not only are there about ten different leaks along the seam that are running a steady stream of brown water into the numerous buckets sitting everywhere, but now the doorframe is leaking in several spots. The water is pooling on the lowest part of the floor, right next to the litter box. Not only is the moisture making the entire back porch smell like nasty kitty litter, but Meeko is practically having to swim across to get to his private bathroom. Then he tracks dirty brown water AND clumps of cat litter all over the god blessed house. Plus, I had to place one bucket in a rather precarious position in order to catch the water. Yeah, well, it got a tad full overnight and tipped over. Nice, huh? At what point when the mice are doing backstrokes and the cat is hauling out his raft should I insist on something more being done? I realize that he can't exactly fix it while it's still raining, but c'mon now! Should I just put on my swimsuit and pretend I'm at the beach? You know, a concrete beach where they have kitty litter instead of sand. No, that's not a washer and dryer pounding against the wall, that's just the sound of the surf.

[trinamick]

An update: A piece of ceiling just fell down. My cat really does have a raft now. I think he's looking for his water wings.

[eta_carinae]

Oh dear. I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you can put something over the area that is connecting the room to the rest of the house? Like a tarp or something to help keep the rain from coming in the seam? I don't know what to tell you. Sometimes getting landlords to fix stuff is like pulling teeth.

[fermicat]

Sandbags?

[trinamick]

He's so old, and he has several places he rents out. He tries to be good about fixing things, but I think it's just too much for him now. I wish he would sell me the house, but no luck so far. I'm a little curious about the brown water, though. Knowing my luck, my house is full of asbestos, and it's soaking it up on its way. :shrug:

[mgraylorn]

I'd document how bad it all is with pictures. You can show him these pictures, or get him over to observe, while it is raining, how bad it is.

It may also be time to investigate renter's rights in your town. Hopefully you can find a website. In such situations in Ohio, I believe a tennant sends a registered letter to the landlord with the complaint. The landlord has so many days to fix the problem. If it isn't fixed in a timely manner, the tennant can put the rent in a special account, and refuse to pay the landlord.

Again, check your legal situation before you do anything like withholding payment.

[trinamick]

Well, I work in a lawyer's office, so I should be able to look it up somewhere! :D I know that he's not being lazy, but just the same I get tired of my dryer floating by while I'm trying to watch TV. It's very distracting. Spend a dime, Father Time! You can't take it with ya, and your kids'll just spend it on booze and whores!

[BrowderChick]

He needs to hire out someone to do the work for him. :hug:

[eta_carinae]

I'm a little curious about the brown water, though. Knowing my luck, my house is full of asbestos, and it's soaking it up on its way. :shrug:

Well, if it's asbestos (which I kinda doubt) you're in luck! It's only harmful when inhaled. Just don't let it dry out :P

[trinamick]

:hug: Yeah, I'm gonna feel pretty guilty if he falls off the roof and ends up a quadriplegic.

"What happened to you?"
"Well, that spoiled brat Katrina kept whining about her #*%!$# leak, so I went up there in the middle of a Nebraska hurricane, and the roof was wet..."
"Boy, it's too bad about you having to be on a feeding tube for the rest of your days."
Yeah, but at least her roof doesn't leak now."

*Singin' in the rain, I'm singin' in the rain...* :tunes:

[trinamick]

Well, if it's asbestos (which I kinda doubt) you're in luck! It's only harmful when inhaled. Just don't let it dry out :P

:lol I might be better off wetting it down with kerosene. :P

[Lord Loser]

Waitaminute... you're getting rain and complaining? :g2f: ...some people's children...

[AgentSun]

At what point when the mice are doing backstrokes and the cat is hauling out his raft should I insist on something more being done?

horrible situation you are in, i know, and sympathize. but this bit right there gave me a very funny mental image, and i'd like to thank you for that. hehehehehehe mice doing backstrokes.

i think what you really have to do is submit to the fact that the guy just needs to hire someone to do things for him, and to do them well. he is an old man, but that should not be a factor in your decision to confront him with the situation. it's DANGEROUS to have a piece of ceiling fall off. it's very dangerous for the foundation of the building, as well as for the people inside it.

[Mazinkaiser]

:hug: Yeah, I'm gonna feel pretty guilty if he falls off the roof and ends up a quadriplegic.

"What happened to you?"
"Well, that spoiled brat Katrina kept whining about her #*%!$# leak, so I went up there in the middle of a Nebraska hurricane, and the roof was wet..."
"Boy, it's too bad about you having to be on a feeding tube for the rest of your days."
Yeah, but at least her roof doesn't leak now."

*Singin' in the rain, I'm singin' in the rain...* :tunes:

:D

sorry, but i found this hysterical. :D

[Kathleen]

I"m currently renting, so I understand your plight, trina...

One of the deals we made with our landlords when we moved in was that if something broke, we had the option of hiring someone to come and fix it. We would pay them, deduct it from our rent payment, and then we would turn in the receipt of payment with the remainder of our rent. The other option was that we could hire them to fix it and then the person who fixed it would take it to our landlord to be paid. Fortunately, for us, we live in an area where the handymen and contractors are fair about their prices. This may be something you want to investigate doing. Then you don't have to worry so much about your older landlord potentially injuring himself when trying for the umpteenth time to fix you leaking roof. The contractors get PAID to take those sorts of chances, and you can call them out while it's still raining to at least do something temporary.

Just my $.02 cents worth

[trinamick]

Waitaminute... you're getting rain and complaining? :g2f: ...some people's children...

Just slow down there! No problem with the rain at all. (Please, God, we want to keep it!) Just a problem with the stuff that looks like it's been running through a crap filter for the last year. I hate cleaning to begin with, and I especially hate cleaning that up.

To date, I have about six ice cream buckets completely full, a whipped topping bowl overflowing, a small kettle nearly full, a mop bucket almost to the brim, and one of those kitty litter buckets (the big ones) nearly half full. That's after dumping them once. However, it's no longer raining!! Finally, a reprieve!! :bounce:

Wow, the ground's still a little hard. Umm...hey, God...about this dry weather we've been having... well, never mind!

[trinamick]

I"m currently renting, so I understand your plight, trina...

One of the deals we made with our landlords when we moved in was that if something broke, we had the option of hiring someone to come and fix it. We would pay them, deduct it from our rent payment, and then we would turn in the receipt of payment with the remainder of our rent. The other option was that we could hire them to fix it and then the person who fixed it would take it to our landlord to be paid. Fortunately, for us, we live in an area where the handymen and contractors are fair about their prices. This may be something you want to investigate doing. Then you don't have to worry so much about your older landlord potentially injuring himself when trying for the umpteenth time to fix you leaking roof. The contractors get PAID to take those sorts of chances, and you can call them out while it's still raining to at least do something temporary.

Just my $.02 cents worth

My bro-in-law is a carpenter, and I have suggested having him fix it several times. Heck, I'd even help if it meant dry floors! But Grandpa Moses keeps saying he'll get it done himself. I think it's a pride thing. He won't be so proud when he's in traction, I'll bet.

[Mazinkaiser]

you're killing me Trin :lol

I'm a renter as well, so I feel your pain.

[Defect9]

I rent a room, and part of the deal for having such insanely low rent (i'm not bragging, and i'm not posting the number either) is that i play techsupport for the whole house, even stuff i dont break. I help out with everything i can, and it gets me my own parking space and everyone in the house loves me.

[trinamick]

Well, I came home this afternoon and my landlord and his son are now on my roof. So much for professional solutions. :shrug: They think that the leak is coming from the chimney, which apparently hasn't had mortar sealing it since the Ming dynasty. They claim that this will fix everything. Of course, to test out their theory, the Mensa students poured buckets of water down the chimney, which then overflowed the buckets in my house. I now have water all over the floor of my utility room, which Meeko has proceeded to walk in to get to the litter box. I now have that tracked all over my washer and dryer, and I'm assuming all over the rest of my house. It reeks of cat litter, dirty water, and stupidity. Gee, I wonder who gets to clean that up??? :rolleyes:

[BrowderChick]

:hug: So what did he say about this now? Is he going to fork it out to get a new roof?

[BrowderChick]

I rent a room, and part of the deal for having such insanely low rent (i'm not bragging, and i'm not posting the number either) is that i play techsupport for the whole house, even stuff i dont break. I help out with everything i can, and it gets me my own parking space and everyone in the house loves me.
Thats because everyone loves you. :hug:

Its cool that you get that kind of a break.

My landlord is currently in Iraq so everything is on hold. His father has taken over collecting rent but forget about anything else. Eric promised in the Spring a new fence down one side of the yard and of course that has not happened and nor will it til he comes home. :dunno: I bought chicken wire to line the fence so that nothing gets in or out but thats not going to survive winter. I dont plan to be here but I really dont know until I see what happens with my Dad. If all goes as planned (pray) I will be out of here before the first of the year.

[trinamick]

:hug: So what did he say about this now? Is he going to fork it out to get a new roof?

No, they put mortar on the chimney and a little tar in a couple of spots and called it good. Of course, they stomped around up there for several hours, but that's all they got accomplished. Maybe when winter comes, I'll have an ice rink in the back porch. :think: