Summer Projects: Faucet Installation

I like to consider myself relatively handy around the house. I do a decent job of putting together new furniture from IKEA, and in college I once managed to unclog a toilet that my housemates all failed to unclog over a three day period.

So when I came home and discovered that our kitchen sink faucet was no longer working, I thought maybe it was time to step up to the plate and install a new one for my mother. Now, my mother is certainly not incompetent in the do-it-yourself department. My parents actually built their own house in Montana many years ago, and she grew up on a farm so she knows what she's doing. But projects like these aren't exactly fun when you've been doing them for so many years and especially when you spend all day at work.

Behold, the old faucet.

My parents bought this house about 21 years ago, and this faucet came with it. Only God knows how long it was there before. Judging from the connections I had to unscrew I'm going to guess that it's been here since the house was built in the 1950s. Nice. The little spray nozzle thingy hasn't worked in like seven years either, so it was definitely time for a replacement.

So this morning I went down to our local hardware store, purchased some plumber's putty, put on an old shirt, grabbed some old towels, and crawled under the sink.

And I did it! With a very small amount of help from my mother with uninstalling the old faucet (who knew that hammers could be useful for that sort of project?) and very minor help from my brother in testing for leaks, I did it!

The new faucet, in all its shiny, shiny glory.

So I'm very pleased with myself, in case you can't tell. It's my first major household project, and I think I completed it without once uttering a bad word. That is an accomplishment, people.

Oh, and I decided to reward myself with a tasty beer upon the completion of the progress. Mmmm... tastes like accomplishment!