After we took our first tour of 3430 and began debating the pros and cons of the house, one of my first comments was something along the lines of: "The bathroom is terrible!"
Remodeling the bathroom has been on our to-do list since we purchased 3430, but so far more urgent tasks have surpassed it on the list. Three years into living here, the bathroom has remained—to our displeasure—untouched and defiantly disgusting.
While we haven't yet splurged for the remodel, there's one aspect of the bathroom that has been consistently rude and crude enough to demand our attention. This would be the toilet, which our best guesses suggest is the original model that came with the house (built in 1965). Due to some kind of faulty suction, the toilet has had a mind of its own since we've lived here—refilling its tank at unpredictable but frequent intervals, always several times an hour.
This toilet has woken me from sleep numerous times and has been a general nuisance. When it began losing power in its flushes this summer, we finally made the decision: It was time for a new toilet.
SK picked out a good one at A-Boy in the Hollywood District, our houseguest Craig helped us get it home, and Meticulous Plumbing did the install.
The result: New toilet bliss. The fill cycle takes 15-20 seconds instead of 60-plus, and instead of noisy outbursts, we get sensational silence. Welcome to the family, new toilet. Where have you been all our lives? TOTAL COST: ~$500
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| The old toilet in its final moments. Almost looks like a nice toilet, right? |
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| Wrong! Fifty-plus years of decay in the tank. Gross. |
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| Plumber Joey gets the toilet out of its station and ready for removal. |
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| I asked Joey if we could do our business right in the hole, but he was not amused. |
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| Our new toilet, right out of the box and ready for action. |
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| And there she is installed—just missing the tank lid. What a welcome addition! |
