This May [2022] I tried to swap out the cartridge for an old leaking Delta bathroom faucet and ended up cracking it. My bathroom is quite original to the house which was built in 1947. The good thing about this is that the house hasn't been "remuddled." One of the bad things is that I don't have any shutoffs under the bathroom sink and the pipes were too big (2.25" outside diameter) for me to buy inexpensive tools and install shutoffs myself.
I have plans to gut-remodel the bathroom soon, but the cracked faucet had to be dealt with first. Because the faucet wouldn't stop running, I was having to turn the water on at the main in the cellar (thank heaven that it's not outside!) for brief periods when I needed to use it. I emailed and called a plumbing company that I'd successfully worked with in the past but received no response. That was very disappointing but I've come across that behavior frequently with tradespeople. I would have appreciated a short email or voicemail that said something like: "Sorry, we're swamped; please reach out to another vendor." I don't know why that's so hard for people to do.
So I went to Portland (Maine) Lowe's and bought the most inexpensive faucet that they had, a single-handle Project Source faucet ($36.91 with tax) because I hope to do the long‑pending bathroom remodel this spring or summer. While checking out, Renee at the register asked me if I wanted to have it installed. I didn't know that Lowe's would install that small a piece of hardware. She gave me the price; I asked if I could think about it. She said yes, go to the customer service desk if you decide you want installation.
The next day I decided yes. I went to Lowe's customer service desk. They were great. Two people helped me. The first employee was Dawn who said the installation request has to be processed at the time of payment for the item. She came up with a simple workaround which was to process a return and resell the faucet to me. I thought that approach was creative and practical.
Because Lowe's was very busy that day, a young male rep (David Grondin) took over. As he was booking the installation, he asked if I wanted to have shutoffs installed as well. I was so thrilled - I had no idea they offered that service. I said YES! I figured that if the old faucet issue was a total disaster requiring major work, the newly installed shutoffs would allow me to run my washer, kitchen sink, dishwasher and shower. Living without well‑working plumbing is like living in the Middle Ages - not fun.
Handy.com coordinates the installation for Lowe's and the tradespeople. They promptly emailed me and texted me with the appointment date and window (12-3PM). They gave me the plumber's contact info. Steve Punski was the plumber. We connected. He came with his assistant Jeremy Henderson in the appointment window as agreed. They were great! It turned out that my water pipes were original to the bathroom, and were made of brass. Because of the larger diameter, the Sharkbite shutoffs would not fit so they had to lay new copper pipe. Deinstalling the old faucet took a lot of patient work by Jeremy in a tight space (my bathroom is 7' x 7'); the vanity is by the entrance to the bathroom which opens onto a tiny vestibule. To get the old faucet fixings off, he had to lay on the floor with his legs extending into the vestibule, onto the large forced‑air metal heating grate. I'm sure it wasn't comfortable but he didn't complain at all.
As I said, the Project Source faucet I bought was the most inexpensive I could find. But it moves smoothly and works well, and the size of it fits the sink well (good scale). I like it even though it will be replaced by a wall‑hung faucet when the bathroom remodel is done. The original downpipe setup including the drain assembly was old and not reusable so Steve went and bought parts. He bought a new one with an electric blue drain. The color is so unexpected; I love looking at it, especially in the morning. The initial cost for the faucet and faucet and shutoff installation was $271.88; there was an $80 charge for extra parts needed. Steve and Jeremy were great and I felt entirely comfortable with them in my house. We chatted a bit during the work and I enjoyed it.
I am very much a DIYer, but this repair was definitely beyond my skillset. I'm very glad that Lowe's offers the installation service through Handy.com. All the Lowe's service desk people were courteous and helpful, including Tiarra who told me that I could post a review for work contracted by Lowe's to Handy.com/Steve Punski's firm. I don't know where I'd be if Renee hadn't made the installation offer - maybe still living in the Middle Ages (UGH) and looking for a plumber. I'm very grateful to Steve and Jeremy for their work. They were great. It's so nice to be back to normal, being able to shower without turning the water main on and off. read more