When Life Hands You Leaks, Make Renovations

Sometimes, the greatest adventures don’t require a plane ticket or a daring hike; sometimes, they unfold right in our own homes, far from anything resembling fun. Welcome to our current life.

The weird pink polka dot phase of the rebuild.

The Leak That Roared

Remember that tiny shower leak we found before Milton decided to crash Florida? Well, surprise! Not so tiny anymore.

The leak was inside the wall. Easy access? Nope. We thought, "Hey, we might as well replace the fixtures while we’re at it!" So, in came the tile guy, who bravely removed a vertical strip of tile for the plumbers to work their magic, promising to return and make everything pretty again.

Except he accidentally cut through the shower pan liner—the very thing that keeps our downstairs neighbors from getting their own indoor pool. Didn’t notice, didn’t mention it, and disappeared. The plumbers took one look and noped right out.

The moment the saga began -- the infamous cut through the shower pan liner.

Thus began our epic shower remodel.

First stop: Orlando, for tile. Thanks to some designer heroes at Floor & Decor, we found the perfect match to our existing color scheme. And even had fun doing it!

Bathroom turned construction zone.

The Pink Box of Hope

Then the real adventure kicked in. The glass doors came off, the shower was transformed into a sad little cave, then the tile team arrived to turn my bathroom into a bizarre pink box of hope. Everything seemed perfect… until it wasn’t.

The new tiles, beautiful as they looked, were tragically 1/8 inch too thick. Meaning... drum roll please... the glass doors no longer fit. Ugh. Things just went from bad to worse.

Cue the glass guy. Turns out, you can’t trim tempered glass. Need a new door? Sure—just a week or two (or three—but who’s counting?). ME!

Precision in progress: our tile guys working their magic on the new shower.

The Hot and Cold Conundrum

Desperation struck, and I made a late-night Amazon order for a budget shower curtain. At midnight on Friday, we finally climbed into our new shower, ready for this very costly nightmare to be over.

But Houston, we had yet another problem. The water was either scalding or arctic— no middle ground. We fiddled with the fancy fixture for 15 minutes before surrendering and firing off a plea to the plumbers for mercy. Back to the guest bath we trudged, dejected.

Now here we are Monday afternoon. The superhero plumbing team arrived and fixed us all up in mere minutes. Apparently, some cartridge had been installed upside down. Who knew? Certainly not us!

Victory at Last!

And today, oh glorious day, we finally got to use the shower for real—with actual running water! Could life get any better?

Shower goals achieved - just ignore the cheesy shower curtain!

In the grand scheme of things, our shower saga was really just a minor inconvenience. It’s not a third world problem by any stretch—we’re lucky enough to have a roof over our heads and another shower to fall back on. But sometimes, it's these everyday hurdles that remind us how fortunate we are. From a minor leak to a full-blown remodel, we’ve gained not just plumbing skills, but a newfound appreciation for the things we often take for granted. And hey, if you can’t laugh at a midnight water crisis, you're missing out.

Cheers! And stay tuned for our next adventure—hopefully one that doesn’t involve mold, hurricanes, or unplanned renovations!

Michelle Eidam is an adventure writer with a passion for exploring mountains, trails, breweries, and everything in between.