From Broken Pipes to Happily Ever After: Finding love at Cloud Cline (and a Plumber!)
Building your dream home is an adventure, filled with unexpected twists and turns. For me, the journey to Cloud Cline began with a plumbing nightmare – the discovery of ripped-out copper pipes replaced with CPVC. Little did I know, this plumbing fiasco would not only lead to a complete overhaul of the system, but also to the love of my life!
The Hunt for a Plumber
Of all the residential building trades, my least favorite is probably plumbing. Its dirty, stinky and buggy (sometimes even snakey). Kudos to all the plumbers out there! I’m happy to hire you. And hiring a plumber was one of the first tasks that was needed in the house. All of the copper supply lines had long since been ripped out of the house, cashed in and questioningly replaced with CPVC. I solicited quotes and made my selection. Since the house was empty and held nothing of value that could walk away, I just turned over the garage door opener to the plumber so he could get into the house as his schedule allowed.
A Surprise at the Door
Imagine my apprehension when I pulled into the driveway one afternoon to find a strange red pickup truck and the garage door open. The plumber drove a contractor special, i.e., a white paneled van. Thus, I was concerned. My own house had been broken into when I first moved in and I came home to an intruder. Not long before at Cloud Cline, I had found kids parked in the driveway of what they thought was an abandoned house, making out in the back seat. So, I wasn’t sure if this was shenanigans, something more serious, or just the plumber. Reaching for my phone with 911 on the ready, I cautiously approached the house, calling out "Hello?"
A Happy Twist of Fate
To my surprise, out walked a man I had never met before. He was smiling ear-to-ear and his body language was very relaxed. Relaxed like he knew he was supposed to be there, in that place, at that moment. Everything indicated he was not an intruder. Seeing the concern on my face, Vince quickly introduced himself and said that the plumber I hired had sent him to start the project.
We immediately bonded over the plumber’s lack of coordination. Over the next couple of weeks, I made myself available at the house a lot more than I probably would have to knock out small projects and generally engage in conversation with Vince. I found myself drawn to Vince's humor, charm, and handyman skills.
From Disaster to Dream Home
On our “About Us” page, you can see a photo from our first date – NOLA vs Falcons and our wedding years later in the back yard of Cloud Cline. The plumber is still a good friend and over the years, he has helped us with various plumbing updates. Including rerunning all of the sanitary lines buried in concrete slabs out to the city hook in. That really was a hot mess but glad that its taken care of prior to living in the house. All of the concrete cutting was extremely dusty. But, it was also incredibly necessary as tree roots had complete compromised the galvanized pipes. It also allowed us to install a backflow preventor. While the city services are low enough below grade to not be concerned with backups, the bugs remain an issue. Yes, they crawl up through the drain line and scare the crap out of you when your in the shower.
Cloud Cline: More Than Just a House
Cloud Cline may have started as a fixer-upper with plumbing woes, but it transformed into something far greater – a place where I found love, created a life long partnership and embarked on a journey of creating our dream home. This house holds a special place in our hearts, and we're determined to make it the best house on the block!
The Takeaway:
Sometimes, the biggest adventures begin with the most unexpected events. Embrace the journey, and who knows, you might just find love (or a great plumber!) along the way. Stay tuned for more Cloud Cline adventures!
