turned into a $2700 repair. I'm both shocked and not shocked by the cost.
Dad--bless his heart--has never been into home maintenance. When something DOES need fixing, he will attempt to make the repair himself first, using duct tape or caulk or whatever he has around the house. Things have to be in a DIRE state before he will grudgingly concede to calling in a professional.
Nothing has been done to the kitchen sink in, oh, probably 30 years. Dad was under the notion that the pro was going to come in, replace the faucet and leave. Or better yet, maybe replace the faucet handle and leave. But then the pro took a look under the sink. The faucets need replacing. The drain needs replacing. The shut off valves need replacing. The trap isn't even up to current code. All in all, there were at least six pieces that need replacing...in other words, pretty much everything but the basin.
The pro was very kind. He told Dad he'd do whatever Dad wanted; if that meant just replacing the faucet as originally planned, he'd do that. In turn, Dad was very kind. He's getting older and starting to realize that the house he will be leaving me (the siblings get $$$) is...not great. And part of that is because he's been unwilling to do any kind of upkeep over the years. So Dad agreed to everything the pro suggested, a "total refresh" as the pro called it.
I'm not sure we're getting the best deal. Probably Dad should've called a few other places and gotten a few estimates. But a) we've used these guys before and were happy with the service and b) Dad can both afford the cost and would prefer not to put a lot of work into finding someone else. The pro needed to order some of the parts, so we won't have a 100% functional kitchen sink until next Tuesday. We've already put down a sizeable deposit, so I believe there's no turning back now.
I'm just relieved this will be one less thing to worry about in the future. Though if I suddenly found myself with unlimited funds--say, a huge lottery winning or some obscure relative I've never met leaving me millions--MY solution would be to let the local fire department burn the house down as a training exercise and then rebuild from the foundation up.
