Every project that I do requires a Home Depot run. From people I talk with about their DIY efforts, it seems as though I am not the only one consistently caught without the right tool, or missing a piece for a project. I guess that’s why the pros are the pros, and I’m just me.
Taking apart the cabinetry in our kitchen was pretty straightforward. There were lots of screws to take out in order to remove the countertops, and then more screws to remove to take the cabinets off the walls. Once we figured out how everything was attached, we were very efficient in this part of the effort. Taking out screws does not require sophisticated tools or special expertise, though there may have been an incident or two along the way. Nothing we couldn’t handle.
The challenging aspects of the project were removing the lights and appliances that were connected into the electrical, plumbing, and gas systems of the house.
The undercabinet lights were a mystery at first. But I finally figured out how to access the wiring, and from there it was easy. Next was the hood over the cooktop – surprisingly simple. Then the garbage disposal and the sink, which were also smooth sailing. I had installed the dishwasher shortly after we moved in, so taking it out wasn’t any more difficult. The stove was more of a mystery, but once we removed the surrounding cabinets it came out without much of a fight.
I left the gas cooktop for last because it was the most scary – pumping gas into the house would be bad. Fortunately the shut-off valve turned smoothly, and extensive testing assured me that the cooktop was no longer receiving gas. Despite that win, I was most concerned about actually disconnecting the piping. After gathering my wrenches, and checking out the setup, it quickly became clear that my wrenches were not beefy enough to take on the connections. I gave it the old college try, but no luck.
Off to Home Depot for a pipe wrench! And, as everyone knows, when you go to Home Depot you can’t just get one thing and leave. You have to walk around and check out other stuff too – it’s the First Rule of Home Depot. So I found my wrench and started wandering. My next stop was over at the plumbing section to find the connection I was trying to undo. They had one that looked similar in stock, so I looked it over carefully to understand how it worked. Normally I would just buy one, but they cost over $10 and I had to draw the line somewhere. But I did take it off the shelf and seek out a plumbing dude to make sure I had selected the right wrench. He was in high demand, but after waiting my turn he assured me that a pipe wrench would do the job. By this time I felt I had satisfied the First Rule and headed home.
In my haste to disconnect the gas before it was too late to be able to call for emergency help, I forgot to follow the Second Rule of Home Depot. The Second Rule of Home Depot is that you should always buy everything you think you might need, so that you don’t have to return to Home Depot again in the middle of the project. Anything that you don’t end up using can be returned at your convenience. For me, the Second Rule meant that I should have bought two wrenches and probably the example connection as well.
The pipe wrench on its own wasn’t enough. I thought my older wrenches would be sufficient to hold the other smaller piece in place. They weren’t, of course. Back to Home Depot – and this time I followed both rules.