Studly Doright is a resourceful man. In fact, if I hadn’t been inspired to call him Studly Doright I’d have dubbed him “Macgyver” or “Mr. Fixit.”
There were many lean years during which his ingenuity and ability to solve problems of a mechanical nature kept us out of the proverbial poorhouse.
Nowadays we don’t have to rely on Studly’s resourcefulness to keep life flowing smoothly. If something breaks and needs fixing we can call a repairman. If that something cannot be fixed we can replace it. Being poor was exhausting. Those who’ve never been there can’t even fathom the energy it takes just to keep afloat.
However, just because we can afford to hire a repairman doesn’t necessarily mean we will. Yesterday I posted about a water leak that manifested itself as soggy carpet and moldy baseboards in one of our guest bedrooms at Doright Manor. Knowing there was a leak was easy. Finding the source of the leak was a bit trickier, but we finally traced it to the water heater in our garage. We were relieved. A water heater is easy to replace.
When Studly was able to get away from work yesterday afternoon he turned off the water to the house, shut off the electricity to the water heater, and began the process of draining it. The folks who’d built our home had installed a massive 80 gallon water heater, so while we waited for it to drain Studly drove into Tallahassee to purchase a new one.
He’d done his research and learned all about high efficiency water heaters. The only thing he hadn’t foreseen was that the existing water heater was wider than the door of the closet in which it had been installed.
So, here we were on a Friday night with no hot water and no energy remaining to take apart the framing of the door. Did Studly give up? No way.
Of course it’s a temporary fix, but allowed for the taking of showers and a good night’s rest so he can tackle the door frame after golf today. I insisted on the golf–better he hit a ball than a wall.
Could Studly have called a repairman to tackle this whole job? Could he have saved himself a lot of aggravation and labor? Yes and yes. But that’s not how men like Studly get things done.
When it comes to replacing the carpeting and repainting the guest bedroom, though, I’m going to insist on a professional.
Peace, people.
Praying for Eyebrowz 
I’m relieved by the last paragraph 🙂 (Sorry, Studly)
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Ha!!!
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Who would have foreseen that? I wonder if they were building the house around that water heater.
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It has puzzled us, for sure. The couple that built the house own a successful heating and air conditioning business in Tallahassee. They put top of the line appliances everywhere, so the workmanship around this water heater is puzzling.
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A mystery indeed 🙂
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Leslie, loved your comment about being poor, cos have worn the logo-ed t shirt on that BUIT love the better hit a ball than a wall and that is NOT how men like Studly get things done. he will get it done better than the so called professionals who installed everything. Anyway, a great post x
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Thanks, friend!
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Don’t you just love those unforeseen problems? Who would have imagined that the former owners had – apparently – put the water heater in before they framed out the door? The good news is now that you have a properly-sized and more energy-efficient water heater your energy bills should go done a bit.
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I’m afraid I’m spoiled, though! We always had hot water regardless of how many people were visiting or how many appliances I had running. This morning I didn’t even get through my shower before the water cooled. Sigh.
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I too am lucky enough to have a Studly in residence. Being hard up has it’s advantages in later life. This past week has seen MG (Mostly Grumpy), painting the window frames (not an easy task as every window is a large picture window with multiple squares within). We are one coat down and one to go, on one side of the house only. So still some work to be done. The weekend saw him high pressure washing the area around our pool (an all day job). It looks a picture and we are all set for the summer. Studly is a keeper for sure.
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We are lucky! Or perhaps just really smart in picking out mates!
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Hopefully all resolved. My Moth is the same, but has just recently admitted he is no longer 20! I get professionals in for the big jobs, the large back deck, garage roof etc. Little things he can still do
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My house looks like a tornado has hit it. Furniture from the bedroom is scattered all over the house. Hoping to talk to a painter on Thursday.
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Ok….good luck
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