Scratch & Dent

We finally upgraded to a side-by-side refrigerator that would fit perfectly in the space between our cabinets. But when it was delivered, it turned out that the right side couldn’t open all the way because of a projecting dividing wall. “No problemo,” I said, and I fetched my reciprocating saw to shorten the wall a bit. Well, the saw teeth caught the drywall corner bead and the saw blade jumped—right into the top corner of the new fridge, scratching the heck out of the paint. At this point, the fridge had been in our house for less than 30 minutes, and yes, my wife had suggested that I move it out of harm’s way before I started to cut. Undeterred, I finished cutting the wall, where I made the grim discovery of a PVC vent pipe. The rest of the afternoon was spent in a 2-ft.-high crawl space under the house, relocating the vent. It gave me a good opportunity to think about how I had managed to get myself into both a kitchen remodel and the doghouse all over a new refrigerator.