I have been putting off blogging about this because even thinking about it makes me angry, and I didn't want to write a long, boring rant. So instead I thought I'd post about it obliquely, by reporting conversations I had yesterday.
***
"Aren't you coming to lunch, Styley?"
"Must go home. Put buckets. Let person in."
"Are you okay?"
"Three hours sleep. On sofa. Must go. Roof repairman coming."
"You always have roof repairmen coming!"
"Because our roof always fucking leaks. Every time it rains."
***
Roof guy: "I've fixed the problem, mate. For now. But yous have to understand that all it'll take is another big storm. This building is a bloody nightmare."
Me: "But we can't live in a place that's going to leave our bed underwater whenever it rains!"
Roof guy: "Well I can't do nothing."
Me: "No, you can't just do nothing. You have to fix it! Oh... that wasn't you agreeing with me, was it? That was Grammar."
***
"Hi, this is StyleyGeek. I'm calling because your repairman left an hour ago claiming to have fixed our roof.
[...]
"Well, it would have been 'lucky he got finished before this next storm broke', if his 'repairs' had actually solved the problem... Uh-huh, the same place. Water pouring from the light fitting above the bed. The new plaster is also developing a damp spot again.
[...]
"Yes, I do understand that you can't go up on the roof during a storm. But when can you come back and fix things? Monday? Right. You'll find us sleeping on the sofa in the lounge."
***
Weekend_Viking: "I know some people in the Queensland Mafia.* I could arrange for a concrete overcoat for your landlord."
Me: "Our landlord isn't the problem here. It's the person who designed the building who needs a concrete overcoat. Or maybe the roof repair guy..."
Geekman: "Or maybe your friends could give the roof a concrete overcoat and solve our problem."
Weekend_Viking: "Hee hee. Just say the word and your house could be swimming with the fishes."
Geekman: "It already is swimming with the fishes. It's fucking underwater! Even the possums in the attic are evolving gills."
***
Finally, a conversation with two people who have been pushing us to move house ever since this saga began (two years ago).
Me: "So even though it makes me cry just thinking about it, we've started looking for a new apartment."
Friend #1: "You know, sometimes you have to make sacrifices if you want to live in a good location. You won't find anything else as close to the university as you are now."
Friend #2: "The rental market's pretty bad, anyway. You're lucky to have the place you do. You'd better be prepared to pay way more than you do right now."**
Friend #1: "Yeah, or move out to the suburbs. And the roof in the new place will probably leak too."
Friend #2: "He's right. I don't know anyone whose roof doesn't leak. But it's only a problem when it rains. Can't you just put up with it?"
***
_________* Queensland has a mafia?
** I should note that we already pay well above the average rent for a two bedroom place in this city.
4 Comments:
Um, had you thought of moving the bed?
You haven't seen our bedroom, have you?
Approximately half a metre clearance on either side of the bed :) And the leak is coming right through the light fixture in the centre of the room.
We could swap the bedrooms over so that our current bedroom becomes the study and the other one the bedroom, but that would mean the computer and the books would then be in the wetter room, which wouldn't do them all that much good.
Plus, the carpet in the study is always soggy after rain since there is another leak through the wall from the balcony. If we put the bed in the study it would end up standing on wet carpet.
Oh jeez, I am so sorry. What about just getting soem plastic tarp and sleeping under it :) Or moving the bed to the living room? I've always wanted to do that because my living room is bigger and has great windows. It would be super odd to walk in the front door of a home you know is not a studio, though, and see a bed.
That would be odd :) Also, our fridge makes scary noises at night and the lounge is open plan through to the kitchen (it's kept us awake the last few nights while we are sleeping in the lounge). So not really an option.
I think we really are going to have to move. But I looked at the listings the last couple of days and the guys I talked to on Friday are right: there is NOTHING in our area for the rent we are paying -- it's all gone up in the last six months or so. So maybe we should be counting our blessings. At least given the leak issues, the landlord would never be able to put the rent up!
Talk to me! (You know you want to!)