A couple of weeks ago, I broke down and arranged for a plumbing repair… before our bathroom had a break down.

As I’ve written several times before, our main bathroom is in rough shape. For the last year, the tub’s cold water tap has been barely functional.

I’ve cooled Ellie’s bath with jugs of cold water carried from the kitchen. I’ve showered downstairs when I couldn’t adjust the temperature beyond scalding. Usually I resorted to turning the tap on and off with a screwdriver.

I hate the idea of fixing the bathroom when I’m going to renovate it (hopefully, relatively) soon. But the renovation is probably still a year away, and I was concerned the cold water tap wasn’t going to make it.

So I called the plumber.

Fortunately, he’s a plumber who worked with my Dad, and he (a) understood I was looking for a band aid solution not a fix, and (b) he’s a big believer in the friend and family discount.

He arrived with an assortment of parts to see what would work, gave us a new cartridge and a makeshift handle, and ended by saying, “How about you give me $40.” (I gave him $80 happily.)

It’s not pretty, but showers and baths are much more comfortable now, and our bathroom will limp along a little longer.

Anyone else have a makeshift solution at your house? What’s your fix versus renovate philosophy?