When DIY goes horribly wrong.

My husband and I are ardent DIYers. If we can do a job well for less, then we do it. But sometimes you just have to hand the reins (and your cash) over to a professional.

Last week we lost electricity in a zone of our house and we had an electrician out today to assess the situation. Our wiring is ancient.  But old wiring is just old wiring, and can be replaced. No, our problem stems from the intervening projects the former owner undertook in his 50 years here, most of which have our pro completely baffled. The former owner (and for the sake of graciousness I’ll refer to him only as Bob) was in no uncertain terms cheap. Bob had an unquenchable thirst for money-saving DIY home improvement and in the past 6 years we’ve had to rectify all manner of “Bob specials.” So last week the electricity went out in several rooms and today we discover our electrical system poses more fire risk than some of the pajamas I wore as a child. The electrician (a senior with years of experience and an unsullied reputation) just left after confiding he’s never encountered anything like this before. He laughingly said, “Don’t call us – we’ll call you.” I’m slightly afraid he won’t come back. And I’m left wondering what is this going to cost..??!

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