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Post by Script on Jul 25, 2008 8:40:25 GMT -5
Yesterday I helped my sister with part of the move of the 'marital dwelling' she has shared with her soon-to-be-Ex-husband. We became friendly with the movers over the course of a long trying and tiring day.
I am sharing this story, because I KNOW that many of our members (lurkers, guests, visitors) are afraid to let tradespeople into their messy homes. "What will the plumber [electrician, carpenter, repairperson] think?"
You know what they think? They think it is part of their job. This is the story that the Mover Man told us:
*The Worst move he ever did took 10 whole days to do--crew of three, professionals, bonded, a world-wide company
*A small townhouse, owned by a man who had inherited a lot of stuff
*After 4 (four) Days Mover Man asked for re-assignment because he had already "put in his time".
*The 1st day , the crew worked 11.5 hrs and "did not even make a dent in ONE room".
*Another day, someone worked 7 hrs and never moved from the spot they started in.
Mover Man said twas like a dump truck had unloaded a Gigantic amount into one house.
The moving/packing costs were approximately $30,000.
Yes your house is messy. Yes you are embarrased. BUT the professionals really have SEEN IT ALL.
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Post by anonymoose on Jul 25, 2008 9:54:59 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing that - I've always joked that if I got injured, I'd have to drag myself to the frong yard before calling 911. And I'd have to take a shower first. Oh...wait...I did that on a broken ankle a couple of years ago...but you're right. Most people who have to go to other's homes for work have seen things, and the people who come here can't be the only ones who have mess issues.
As an aside - Holy Cow! $30,000!
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Post by molly on Jul 25, 2008 10:10:28 GMT -5
I worked in home care... honestly, I have seen MUCH worse than the pictures posted on this site (and I was supposed to clean it! ... I couldn't even clean my own house  ). Out of 20 or so clients, at least 6 lived in 3/4 degree. Most were on a level 2. It really is quite common. |
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Post by stressedbythemess on Jul 25, 2008 10:12:27 GMT -5
Script- thank you for posting that. I always fear what maintenance people think even though my house is mostly level 1, a light level 2 in some places. Especially if the level 2 happens to be in the cat/my bathroom at the time.
This actually makes me feel better about it all.
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Post by threeg on Jul 25, 2008 13:55:03 GMT -5
Thanks Script. I'm really not surprised that the mover said that, because I've met a lot of hoarders and squalorees over the years. Some were professional people, some were ministers, some were poor and some well to do.
Messiness and hoarding has no boundaries. I will hazard a guess that on any city street or gated community there are one or more families living in squalor. I personally know four. 3g is me
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Post by houseworkhater on Jul 25, 2008 14:13:59 GMT -5
i'm always surprised that it is as common as it is, since i have always been surrounded by neatniks, especially in my family. thanks for the info!!!
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Post by skitter on Jul 25, 2008 14:30:25 GMT -5
If untidiness is such a widespread problem, I wonder how it is that I know only one other family that seems to have it? It's good to know that there are others out there for support!
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Post by bizzybrain on Jul 26, 2008 8:14:43 GMT -5
yeah, i too am coming to realization that this is really common. i think it's not unlike the problem of being overweight -- evolution has hardwired us to grab and eat whatever goes by, especially if it's high fat/high sugar/high salt -- things that are rare and precious in the natural world. evolution never imagined we'd end up living in a world with a boston chicken next door to a chipotle next door to a mcdonalds. in the same way, i think we're wired to grab and drag home anything that looks remotely useful or potentially valuable. we're wired for a world of scarcity, and living in a world of malls. many many *many* of us are struggling to adust our instincts to the new situation.
hope everyone has a good and productive day today,
<3 bizzy
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Post by shabbychic on Jul 26, 2008 16:51:03 GMT -5
I like the parallel with eating too much because we're programmed to survive scarcity.
My most embarrassing moment of letting a repair person see my home - I got home from work and the one and only toilet was clogged. Of course, with #2. I used the plunger - didn't budge. And I needed to go. My then-landlord was infamous about not treating plumbing emergencies as anything urgent, and I had the money, so I just called a plumber. The house was probably about a 3 due to incontinent dogs and irresponsible owners. And, the commode was full of crap soup.
The plumber finally got there, snaked it out in about five minutes, and charged me $180. He earned every penny, in my opinion. Yuck.
And this is OT but do you know what was stopping up the S-bend? One of those "flushable" personal hygiene wipes.
Shabby Chic
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