SHOP PRODUCTS
Houzz Logo Print
siobhan_1

It's a great day....

J C
15 years ago

....to cast a ballot!

If you're a U.S. citizen, get out and VOTE!

Comments (52)

  • ccrdmrbks
    15 years ago

    PA has announced that a little known and usually overlooked "3 minutes to vote" law will be enforced if the lines are too long-they are urging people to be prepared when they enter the booth to vote. No standing there on one leg pondering this year! 80% turnout projected in my county-usually a true-red all the way, but this year very mixed. Should be interesting.
    The contractor is here installing hardwood floors-compressor running, rubber hammering each piece into place, nailgun with its explosion-like eruptions, and occasional calls to me to come out of the office and place a particularly pretty piece (he is an artist with wood) -I'm actually looking forward to a 2 hour wait in line with a book. It will be quieter!

  • frances_md
    15 years ago

    I just voted here in Maryland and missed the long lines that were there earlier this morning. I've become rather obsessed with this election but am looking forward to TV without all the election ads.

  • Related Discussions

    It's all in the cropping!

    Q

    Comments (9)
    clematisintegrifolia, do you see the RV vehicles in the background? And the small podocarpus tree up against the ivy fence that I planted two years ago to block them out? I have an RV view through every arbor- to the north, the northeast, the east, the northwest, and the west. I don't own one so there's no view of one to the south, thank goodness. And no one ever, ever takes them anywhere. Renee
    ...See More

    Herb Days in May

    Q

    Comments (1)
    OOOOps - the number is 417-282-6985. Sorry!
    ...See More

    first adventures in Tennesse gardening

    Q

    Comments (8)
    We moved to Chattanooga in 2008 and lived in an apartment for a year or so until we could have a look around. A year later we found a house in a suburb of Chattanooga named Flintstone, Georgia which is a very close drive to downtown Chattanooga and very affordable housing. By the way, I have also lived in Daphne and Fairhope, Alabama in 1995-1997. We didn't grown things there except on the deck of our apartment in Daphne where we won "Terrace of the Month" - lol. It depends on your yard around here as the area is very diverse with mountains, hills and valleys. Welcome to Tennessee and to Chattanooga!
    ...See More

    Happy Birthday GWTamara

    Q

    Comments (22)
    Hi kids! Wow - you made my day! Thank you for the warm wishes. I had a lovely birthday. My daughter took me to lunch and then for a 'day of beauty'. ;) Celebrated with family on Sunday and shared the day with my fil and niece. Nancy -- when I asked my fil what he wanted for his birthday, he said, 'those venison pasties you made for deer camp'. He just loves them! He's so hard to buy for, so from now on, that's going to be the go-to present. Thanks again, everyone!
    ...See More
  • twobigdogs
    15 years ago

    Already voted... now I just have my fingers crossed.

    PAM

  • martin_z
    15 years ago

    Queues?

    I'm lucky enough in the UK to live less than a minute's walk from the polling station. I have never seen anything I'd call a queue, and I have never taken more than five minutes to vote.

    Are there just not enough polling stations in the US?

    The 1997 election was quite entertaining - my wife and I took our stepdaughters (who were ten, twelve and thirteen) along with us, just to see the democratic process in action. Took us two minutes to vote, as usual. On the short walk back, one of the girls said, in a puzzled tone, "Was that it?"

  • sheriz6
    15 years ago

    I voted this morning and zipped right in, no lines, no waiting, and beautiful weather in Connecticut. One of my neighbors reported quite a line at 6:30 a.m. when the polls opened (he was on his way to work) but by the time I got there it was smooth sailing.

    One of my sisters lives in NC and she was able to vote last week - something I still have a hard time getting my brain around since that's never been an option other than with an absentee ballot here.

  • J C
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Martin, due to the historic nature of this year's election, the turnout is unusually heavy. Also this year's candidates have evoked strong feelings in many, as have the recent events that have so many people worried about their futures. Usually we have a fairly ho-hum attitude towards elections, and the turnout is not great.

    There was a long line at my polling station, but it moved very quickly thanks to the volunteers. Hats off to those who donate their time and energy to this pretty thankless job!

  • lemonhead101
    15 years ago

    I voted two weeks ago since we have early voting. I have heard that there will be long lines since they are predicting many first-time voters this year. I changed my whole citizenship so I could vote so I never miss the chance. It really bugs me when I hear people say that they don't vote because it doesn't make any difference. They are so wrong.

    Fingers crossed for my candidate.

  • veronicae
    15 years ago

    My son voted early in CT, and had a line of about 30 minutes.
    I was looking forward to the reading in line thing. My husband and I both brought books - nope. My husband was the only one in line ahead of me. We were numbers 247 and 248. We usually go at 5ish and the numbers are in the 400's. so at 10, I don't see today's numbers as all that indicative of high voting in our Westchester NY area. However, our state has long been conceded to one candidate - so there may still be some apathy here.
    My son told me that one of his wife's workmates, an almost 30ish person, has never voted. Yet is always vocal about people who are in charge. My son says someday he's going to tell him that if he can't care enough to vote, he needs to keep his mouth shut. That only by voting does one earn the privilege to complain.
    The weather here has been beautiful, sunny and 60's but is now clouding over. I don't know how that will affect the later voting.

    Martin...after this long arduous 4 year election debacle - I wish we had your system. Dissolve, short campaign, and then vote. These 4 years have been really painful. And one ex-candidate is already talking today as if she is already reving up for 2012. If they start again tomorrow I may become your neighbor. Great Britain does need pediatric nurses, right?

  • georgia_peach
    15 years ago

    I would have been late for work if I had voted this morning, so I guess I'll brave the lines when I get off work this afternoon. My husband is working from home and watching the kids. He stepped out (with the kids) at 10 AM this morning to vote and said there were no lines (I think most people who didn't vote early will do it before or after work). Sounds like they have plenty of polling booths set up where we cast our vote, so I'm hoping the line won't be unreasonable (the bigger issue will be whether I can find a place to park). I completed the sample ballot online and printed it so all I have to do when I vote is look at who I selected (the online version that was published by our local paper included all the supporting detail on the candidates and issues). We have 37 items on our local ballot.

    It's a nice, sunny Fall day here, as we're really just now entering peak leaf turning season.

  • veer
    15 years ago

    As Martin says, voting in the UK is am amazingly quick and painless operation.
    A couple of weeks before an election each person registered on the 'Electoral Role' receives a card with a number stamped on it. Virtually everyone over the age of 18 years (excluding members of the House of Lords, prisoners and 'lunatics') is eligible to vote.
    On election day you pop to your local Polling Station, ours used to be the village C of E school but is now the village hall. You hand the card to the official, if you have forgotten it just tell them your name, they cross you off a list and hand you a piece of paper with the names of the candidates on it. There are usually no more than three or four names to choose from, unless a 'famous' politician is standing then several 'way-out' parties might put a candidate forward (eg The Monster Raving Loony Party).
    You go to a wobbly booth which contains a pencil stub with which you make your X. You then place the slip of paper in a very battered tin box.
    Simple . . . what are all the other 'items' you have to vote for in the US?

  • J C
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    In addition to voting for a new president, we vote for senators (each state sends two to Washington D.C., for a total of 100) and state representatives (the number varies). We also vote for a variety of local positions, such as judges, district attorneys, school boards, and many others. Generally there is also a "proposition" or a "question" that involves changing local or state laws. For instance, my ballot contained three "questions." They involved outlawing dog racing in my state, Massachusetts; decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana (less than an ounce would be a fine instead of a felony); and doing away with our state income tax. Then there were a couple of local issues. In our state founded by Puritans, we still have "blue laws." We voted to allow our local grocery to sell beer and wine as long as we also purchase food (no, I'm not kidding about this. I wish I was.)

    I got to the polls just before opening, and was surprised to see at least six of my neighbors already in line. After a short wait (5 minutes) I gave my street name to the poll worker - she found my name and gave me a ballot. The ballot was two sided with medium large print. I went to a booth and blacked in circles for my choices. Then I gave it to another poll worker, who crossed off my name. I placed the ballot in an electronic device which sucks in the ballot, not unlike a money changer. If there is an error, the device spits out the ballot, and the voter can correct it. Fortunately, this was a rare occurrence. My ballot disappeared with a small whir. The poll worker gave me a sticker and said, "Thank you for voting! Have a nice day."

    The entire process took about 12 minutes. This is the first time I have ever waited at all to vote - usually I walk right up, receive the ballot, mark it and go on my way. I talked with a few of my neighbors and they all said they got up especially to vote first thing, to make sure they got it done. That is very, very unusual behavior, believe me!

  • carolyn_ky
    15 years ago

    My husband got up at 5:00 am, got to the polls 15 minutes before opening (5:45 am), and had to wait in a fairly long line. I went about 10:30, and there were four people ahead of me in my alphabetical line. We vote at an elementary school, and there are three different stations according to street address, each broken into two lines alphabetically by last name. It moved quickly.

    We had two-sided ballots, also. We have a big U.S. Senate contest (our Senator was majority leader before last year and is now minority leader), and we had everything else from state level through judges and down to Metro Council member. I'm afraid I took over any three-minute allowance. I don't believe we have ever had such a restriction.

  • ginny12
    15 years ago

    Martin, I think we have enough polling stations but we also have 300 million people (ok, not all old enough to vote). That means lots of poll workers required, voting machines, etc. In a major election, there can be a wait in some areas. I had to wait about two minutes today, a record as there is usually no wait in my town.

    And as Siobhan just pointed out, there are many candidates and questions to vote on. Like Siobhan, I live in the People's Republic...uh...I mean Massachusetts. (Small joke, don't panic.) Senators have a six-year term and in any election, only one seat will be in contention. Representatives to Congress in Washington have a two-year term. State offices vary in each state.

    But there are lots of county offices as well as state and federal. I voted today, for example, for Registrar of Probate, among other things.

    And we have three questions on the ballot: eliminating the state income tax, legalizing small amounts of marijuana, eliminating dog racing. Each of those questions is a lot more complicated than might seem evident at a glance.

  • pam53
    15 years ago

    beautiful unseasonably warm day here in western NY-my husband and I voted when he got home from work-about 5p.m. There was a steady stream of voters but no line. We still use the old lever voting machines here-someone said this will be the last time. we always cancel each other's vote out as did my 2 daughters voting in the state of Maryland today.

  • vickitg
    15 years ago

    I vote by mail, but this year my husband and I hand-delivered our ballots ... just to be sure they got counted. I think final numbers will show that a record number of people voted. I know we had millions of new voters registered during the campaign.

    It's so great to see Americans so passionate about this election.

    In California, where I live, we had 12 propositions on the ballot, including one that would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage.

  • Kath
    15 years ago

    In Australia, voting is compulsory. You turn up at a polling station, get your name crossed off, get given one (depending on whether it is only for one house, which is usually only for a by-election) or two voting papers, go to a booth made of cardboard with a pencil in it, and cast your vote. I have never waited more than a few moments, and have a choice of at least 10 places, probably more. Voting is always preferential, so you have to number all the candidates. There was recently a by-election in my federal seat, and there were 11 candidates, so 1-11 required. Voting for the upper house is amazing - you can just put a '1' by your favoured party, in which case your vote is cast in a predetermined way set by that party, or you label EVERY box - last election that was about 60!!

  • bookmom41
    15 years ago

    I vote in Maryland. Yesterday, I used the new and controversial "no-paper-trail" electronic voting machine. I got a plastic card, like a credit card, presumably encoded in some way, shoved it into the card reader on the machine, used a touch screen to make my choices, hit enter and the plastic card was returned to me and given back to the poll workers. Since we all know paper votes are are so much more accurate, I hear MD will scrap these new machines in favor of a different kind of electronic voting machine which does leave a paper trail.

    Before going to bed last night, I think I heard voter turnout was at around 80% in this election which is incredibly high. It is wonderful to know the "people have spoken" since so often, apathy reigns. Other issues MD'ers voted on were whether or not to bring slot machine gambling to MD as a source of revenue for education and if there should be a change to the MD state constitution to allow early voting; both passed.

  • annpan
    15 years ago

    I got back home for lunch here in Australia and caught both the gracious conceding speech and the victorious one and thought that they were so moving. It was a mark of how special this election was that 3 of our 5 TV stations were covering it and one pre-empted their advertised program to continue the broadcast!
    As Astrokath mentioned, we have compulsory voting so you in America have done your country proud with the high turn-out. It was wonderful to watch. Good luck!

  • ccrdmrbks
    15 years ago

    I voted at 10:30 a.m. and waited about 30 minutes-we have a high senior citizen population as our polling place encompasses two retirement centers, and they all came mid-morning to vote! They were fired up! Forget the youth vote turnout-we broke records with the "goldens". So things went a little slower than usual.
    Our ballot was short this time-President, 1 seat in Congress, a couple state offices and two referendums-one to allocate a chunk of money to improve sewer and water across the state (passed) and one to restructure county government (failed).
    We had 12 paper and pen stations, 3 electronic w/paper trail. I always vote electronically. I miss the old lever machines-paper and pen seems to be going backwards.

  • georgia_peach
    15 years ago

    I voted at 4:50 PM last night and did not wait in line. It was almost too easy.

  • dido1
    15 years ago

    This was a terribly important election not just for the USA, but for the world. It has had a great deal of coverage in the UK over the last few weeks and even at local level here - and I mean really local, like our local pub - people have been arguing and expressing opinions across the bar. Unprecedented.

    And as for the voting turnout, I think the RP turnout on this thread has been equally high: people who have fallen off posting for some time (like myself - pressure of work) have turned out to give their experiences of the moment. I wish you would all give your State, though, so that we over here in UK can place you immediately. Had a really good look at a map of USA yesterday, but didn't take it all in, as ever. Same for you, if you looked at a map of UK, I suppose, to place the counties - on a very much smaller scale.

    Best to you all across the pond.

    Dido

  • woodnymph2_gw
    15 years ago

    Hello, Dido, thanks for your commentary. I completely agree: this was an historic election in our nation and for the entire world. Voter turn-out was unprecedented. For the record, I live in the Commonwealth of Virginia, founded in 1604. For the first time in many, many years, the Democratic party won in our state.

    Ah, but I wish I might have eaves-dropped on those pub conversations....

  • veer
    15 years ago

    Well, there must be some happy, if tired, bunnies in the US today.
    I imagine the plane seats will soon be filled with returning BBC/ITV reporters. Mary, a batch of them were hunkered down in Culpepper VA.
    Lots of cartoons in the papers here for the last few days, from the Sunday Times, Telegraph, Times all on a similar theme of 'An election in America? They kept very quiet about that!" ;-)

    And thank you all for explaining your different 'systems'.

  • lemonhead101
    15 years ago

    Well, here in West Texas in the "reddest town in the reddest state", voter turnout was great. There were long lines at the student gym (where I work out) and for most of them it must have been their first time to vote. How exciting for them!

    My voting experience was with the electronic voting machines. You check in with your driver's license, get given a numerical code, go to a machine that looks like a very early computer, and enter your code. Then the ballot form pops up on the screen, and then you use a wheel to scroll to your choices and press a button to select your candidate. It's quick and easy and accurate (I hope).

    I went to a "watch party" last night to watch the returns come in state by state - what a learning experience and one I will not forget. Plus the acceptance speech was very moving - as was the concession speech. I was impressed with how both candidates handled the moment.

  • woodnymph2_gw
    15 years ago

    At my voting precinct, we were using the paper ballots, filled in with a dark pencil, the oval next to your choice. Then, the paper is fed into a machine. On the news yesterday I heard about the problems with these machines getting jammed, which slowed the process down for many.

    Another story on the news was from VA Beach, where impatient voters were standing in long lines outside in the pouring rain: the polls did not open at 6 a.m. as was planned because the person in charge had a malfunctioning alarm clock, so overslept!

  • ccrdmrbks
    15 years ago

    Here in PA we were a battleground state as well. As usual, the two large cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, went Democratic. The battle was in the middle of the state, which usually leans Republican. The turnout in Philadelphia was historically high, and overwhelmingly Democrat, as were the surrounding counties. My county ended up going Republican, but by a much smaller margin than normal. That happened in several middle counties, and the PA electoral votes went to Obama. It was interesting to watch. Virginia was so close for so long-that was interesting too.
    I hope that the fact that this election brings such a marked change in the US helps heal some world issues.
    Over the weekend I was in Virginia visiting DD, and we walked past an "early voting" center-the BBC was there interviewing. The whole atmosphere was so celebratory-children, balloons, smiles and music.

  • georgia_peach
    15 years ago

    My login name reveals my state. Rural GA is still mostly Red and Republican or old style southern Democrats (think of Zell Miller). But urban Atlanta is very much a mixture of all ideologies but leans more toward the new progressives and liberal Democrats. We also have a fairly strong movement within the Libertarian party here, too (if you've ever listened to Neal Boortz on the radio, he's from Atlanta). We stayed Red this year, but we'll have a runoff for the Senate seat.

    I'm less concerned with the National election, though. I will be interested in how the School Board elections turn out and how the new Board will function once everything is settled (yes, I live in that troubled county).

  • sarahk_ponygirl
    15 years ago

    Representing Ohio (aka The Heart of It All) where I also voted on the touch screen computer. I was looking forward to the lines they were predicting, but encountered NO line whatsoever, which made me laugh. I was a bit peeved that the machine did not give me the option of a write-in vote for my US representative.

    Sarah

  • martin_z
    15 years ago

    One thing that does puzzle me; here in the UK, the left-leaning party's colour is red, and the right-leaning party is blue. What with communists being known as "reds", this seems consistent.

    But in the US, the Republicans are red and the Democrats are blue. Why?

    Oh - and why we're on the subject - the Republicans are sometimes known as the GOP. What does that mean?

  • ccrdmrbks
    15 years ago

    GOP stands for "Grand Old Party"
    Republicans are elephants, Democrats are donkeys
    As far as left and right-leaning, you would get an argument from both parties about that depending on who you spoke with-both sides have a range from liberal through moderate to conservative. Most famously, up to this point, were the Reagan Democrats. Now we have the Obama Republicans. Many many voters crossed party lines this time.

    I'm not sure about the color thing. As long as I can remember, it has been thus.

  • sheriz6
    15 years ago

    Martin, I don't know how the color choices were determined, but the GOP stands for "Grand Old Party". The attached link explains how the name came to be (scroll to the bottom).

    Here is a link that might be useful: Grand Old Party

  • frances_md
    15 years ago

    The link below is to a Wikipedia article on red and blue states. By the way, has anyone noticed that Wikipedia is much improved these days? Maybe I should say that the parts of it I have been reading lately are much improved.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Red and Blue States

  • woodnymph2_gw
    15 years ago

    Here in VA this was the first time our state went Democratic since the 1960's with L.B. Johnson! A truly historic election.

    georgia, hello. I grew up in Atlanta, which was always quite different from the rest of the state in its culture. Atlanta was amazingly cosmopolitan, even in the fifties and sixties, compared with the mountainous rural areas in the north and the quaint Victorian towns in south GA. My home city is by now quite multi-cultural, I feel sure, as it was already headed that way in the 1970's....

  • ginny12
    15 years ago

    Martin, GOP stands for Grand Old Party. It was founded in response to the coming Civil War, 1861-65, and was the party that freed the slaves. After the war, the Union veterans formed an organization called the GAR, for Grand Army of the Republic, and there was a lot of overlap between the GOP and the GAR. The Republicans were usually considered the liberal party in the 19c.

    I did voter registration as a college student in Virginia in 1964, just after the passage of the historic Civil Rights Act, I'm white and was going door to door in a black neighborhood. I thought everyone would be Democrats as Democratic President Johnson had pushed thru the Act and Democrats were more active in the civil rights movement.

    But I knocked on the door of a very elderly black man and we had a nice long chat. He said he was a tried and true Republican and would be voting that way. When I expressed my astonishment, he said the Republicans were the party of Abraham Lincoln and that they had freed the slaves. A moving encounter I will never forget.

  • thyrkas
    15 years ago

    ginny 12 - What a wonderful story! It also explains why generations of voters in areas of the south were Democrats, but very conservative Democrats: they could not identify themselves with a party that had caused such an upheaval to thier lives.

  • annpan
    15 years ago

    My daughter, who runs a coffee shop catering for early risers, was very amused to notice that her 'regulars' who normally nod to each other were engaged in a lively discussion on the outcome of the American election. Bringing people together everywhere in the world!
    Woodnymph, what does 'Victorian' relate to? In the UK it refers to things of the time of Queen Victoria but although she ruled an empire, she was not a queen in America. Does the era name apply?

  • veronicae
    15 years ago

    Annpan - We use Victorian here to apply to architecture, clothing, literature and other arts from the late 1800's. So it also refers to the time during which Victoria reigned. It was a time when many Americans still hadn't discovered an American identity, and latched on to things British which seemed more stylish and important. It was a class thing...a snobbish thing for some people.

    My son owns a large Victorian house, built in the 1880's, in Ohio. The farmer had it built mainly from trees on his own property. It has elegant wood work trim throughout, tall ceilings and windows. Not at all the farm house that one thinks of in Laura Ingalls Wilder type literature. There it stands, in the middle of that flat territory, quite different from many of the other houses in the area. As one drives around, there are more Victorians here and there and the main streets of some of the small towns have them as well. They are beautiful!

  • woodnymph2_gw
    15 years ago

    veronicae, thanks for answering Ann's question so thoroughly. I did not get back to the computer in time. I adore Victorian architecture, particularly what is called "Carpenter Gothic."

  • annpan
    15 years ago

    Veronicae: Thanks for the info. My parents rented a suite of rooms in a Victorian terrace house at the end of WW2. It was originally built for middle class Victorian families but with the housing shortage due to the bombing, was at that time lived in by 3 families. We were lucky to get accommodation even though we shared facilities.
    The house had a bootscraper built into the front wall and bosses with handles by the fireplaces which had been bells for summoning servants!
    Sorry everybody, this is a million miles from the original
    topic.We do seem to drift sometimes but it is usually to discuss food! Were there 'sausage sizzles' at the polling booths? Usually local service groups or 'Parents and Citizens' have them and the proceeds go to charity or to the school where the voting is taking place.

  • veronicae
    15 years ago

    annpan, it is indeed a long journey from beginning to end on this thread...but I like to look at these threads as paying honor to how learned we readers are. Our minds react quickly to facts, and thirst for more knowledge...and there is always someone here with the answer, or the know-how to find it.

  • ccrdmrbks
    15 years ago

    At some polling places there are snacks laid out, but not at most-usually we are in and out so fast it is pointless-this time a cup of tea would have been lovely.
    They have to be careful, though-to avoid the impression of using food to sway votes! Our taverns and bars are closed until after the polls close, so that votes can't be bought with liquor.

  • ginny12
    15 years ago

    No food inside where we vote--I have never heard of that before. But we vote at the high school gym and outside, various groups--the high school band, the Boy Scouts and so on--were selling snacks as a fundraiser. That's the first time I've seen that and it was nice.

  • annpan
    15 years ago

    Ginny, did I mislead you? The food is actually cooked on a big portable BBQ outside the polling station. It would be similar to Hot dogs only with a sausage, onion and choice of mustard, BBQ sauce or tomato ketchup, all in a long bread roll. It is quite non-political and a charge is made although the cooks and helpers are volunteers. I have seen a similar set-up run by a service club on Sundays next to the hardware superstore. These 'sausage sizzles' do good business!
    CC: has your hammering ceased yet? I had a craftmen fit in a bath and surrounds once. He was very good but took so long I nearly went crazy. Then I had to use another bathroom for 2 days while the grouting etc. dried out!

  • ginny12
    15 years ago

    Yummy. Annpan, I'm moving to wherever you live. That food would definitely get out the vote.

  • ccrdmrbks
    15 years ago

    He is off for the weekend, but no, he'll be back on Monday-install the new trim and rehang a cupboard. However, starting yesterday, we have a suspicious wet spot on the dining room ceiling (under the master bath and OVER the new floor). The achilles heel of this house is the plumbing. When the house was built, they installed an industrial strength garbage disposal that shook the pipes loose under the sink so we had a flood. The downstairs loo once overflowed for 30 minutes while we were all outside and didn't hear it-we had a basement swimming pool. We had the kitchen ceiling (under the hall bath) down twice last year for two different plumbing issues-the second time, the plumber just redid everything he could see or reach. So I am going to see if I can get the carpenter and the plumber here at the same time to take down some ceiling and see what's up before we put all the furniture back and then have to pack crystal and move it all again. The wedding is in May-think we'll be done?
    Condo anyone?

  • vickitg
    15 years ago

    cc - You don't want a condo ... unless it's all on one floor. When the upstairs unit leak all over your unit, they're supposed to pay, but good luck collecting. And when your unit leaks, even through no negligence of your own, you have to pay. It can be a real pain. We had to spend a couple thousand dollars this year on such repairs.

  • veer
    15 years ago

    cece, the faults and foibles of the British worker make for fascinating conversations from the school gate to the cocktail party.
    Below is a song especially for you from the 'duo' of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann who used to have a very popular cabaret act over here in the late 50's to early sixties.
    Sorry about the 'lego' characters!

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Gasman Cometh

  • veronicae
    15 years ago

    We had the mysterious bathroom leak for many years...to the living room ceiling. We would try to find it...but then it would stop...for many months. All it would need to start up again, however, was for my husband to spackle and paint.

    The bathroom needed remodeling, so we called the plumbers and all...had all the plumbing replaced, BR finished, 6 months later it started up again. My husband, after a couple of more years, pulled all the tiles from the shower area (about 5 yrs after initial redo) and did a master job of retiling, grouting, etc. We then learned that the water pools on the front ledge of the tub...with his grouting it stays there...with the old tub, and with the pi**-poor workmanship of the renovators - it leaked over the edge and under the tile to the ceiling...but dependent on the angle of the shower spray...thus on the users of the shower! Seems to be OK - but I hold my breath.

  • annpan
    15 years ago

    Oh, I've got a leak story too! My rented place had a damp coat cupboard, so I got the owner to send out a plumber but it could not be traced and after several plumbers tried all kinds of things and one had bashed a hole in the wall by swinging his hammer too lustily,I noticed the kitchen floor sagging.
    The whole kitchen and adjacent corridor floor was rotted! So that was removed to reveal a pool of water from a burst pipe! We were offerred a temporary place but stayed put as we could not take the dog there and braved the steam of a giant humidifier and tiptoed over the exposed joints. Finally all was fixed and I got a new improved lot of kitchen cupboards as the old ones were also rotted and scrapped! Took several years though!

  • ccrdmrbks
    15 years ago

    newsflash-the hardwood floor is done....and the bathroom renovation is beginning! Yes folks, the drywall is in bad shape and so he will be replacing some of that....found the leak-will need new tilework above shower stall....I see this leading to new fixtures and new bathroom floor.
    Merry Christmas to me! ho ho ho.

Sponsored
Ed Ball Landscape Architecture
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars30 Reviews
Exquisite Landscape Architecture & Design - “Best of Houzz" Winner