It's official! Common Sense is DEAD!

[Ice]

We are currently renovating one floor of the house. The builder wanted to know why I want a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor. And now... you know why. All new bathrooms should have an emergency drain. Makes life so much easier and once you are doing the renovation, you might as well install it.
People don't seem to have any common sense any more. They don't want to tell you that they broke something for fear you will make them pay for it. But somehow don't come to the realization that you might make them pay for it later..

An EXCELLENT idea...thanks. Same in the laundry. I also requested access panels for plumbing and extra shut offs so if work had to be done only the hall affected would be shut off, not the whole building.
.

And has them to use "full port" valves (a handle that turns 90 degrees to shut off the valve. Much quicker. I also like to use "FloodSafe" connectors.
.

Yes, that is what we have. Also, because of leaks the first year, I had all the toilet shut-offs replaced. Good to turn all the shut-offs off and back on (while you have no guests and a plumber nearby) to make sure all are working properly...a real disaster when they don't. I learned this the hard way after one 4th of July with a leak in the laundry!
.

we put in shut offs whenever we do anything - isolation valves on each section ie sink, toilet shower so they can be cut off individually as well as a but valve that does the whole bathroom in one go - means if one thing needs changing ie a tap I can do it quickly and easily without affecting any other rooms,
.

we put in shut offs whenever we do anything - isolation valves on each section ie sink, toilet shower so they can be cut off individually as well as a but valve that does the whole bathroom in one go - means if one thing needs changing ie a tap I can do it quickly and easily without affecting any other rooms,

That is what DH also does and it has come in handy.

 

[white pine]

No, we are not going to bill them for the damage, and we didn't plan to. It is something we (Innkeepers) just do when it comes to these kind of things. But none the less... its VERY frustrating when they don't say anything till their walking out the door.

While making the repairs, we discovered that the toilet bolts had been loosened and the toilet had been 'rocked' or something, anyway, the wax ring also needed replaced! That toilet was just put in 2 years ago! The ring wouldn't have gone bad on its own that quickly! sigh.....

Just found a toilet seal that is silicon with wax...it "gives" but still maintains a tight seal...going to use that on our new baths, and any toilets we have to reseat. Big guests always seem to smash the seals...
.

Just found a toilet seal that is silicon with wax...it "gives" but still maintains a tight seal...going to use that on our new baths, and any toilets we have to reseat. Big guests always seem to smash the seals...

If the TP is an arms length or something then people will rock on the seats to reach it. or doing "other things" with the TP. It is inevitable.
.

I think they rock it trying to get up....I am thinking of installing grab bars near the toilets to help...at least in the new baths. There is a toilet paper holder with a grab bar built in that doesn't look too bad, may use those...

 

[Breakfast Diva]

We are currently renovating one floor of the house. The builder wanted to know why I want a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor. And now... you know why. All new bathrooms should have an emergency drain. Makes life so much easier and once you are doing the renovation, you might as well install it.
People don't seem to have any common sense any more. They don't want to tell you that they broke something for fear you will make them pay for it. But somehow don't come to the realization that you might make them pay for it later..

An EXCELLENT idea...thanks. Same in the laundry. I also requested access panels for plumbing and extra shut offs so if work had to be done only the hall affected would be shut off, not the whole building.
.

And has them to use "full port" valves (a handle that turns 90 degrees to shut off the valve. Much quicker. I also like to use "FloodSafe" connectors.
.

Yes, that is what we have. Also, because of leaks the first year, I had all the toilet shut-offs replaced. Good to turn all the shut-offs off and back on (while you have no guests and a plumber nearby) to make sure all are working properly...a real disaster when they don't. I learned this the hard way after one 4th of July with a leak in the laundry!
.

we put in shut offs whenever we do anything - isolation valves on each section ie sink, toilet shower so they can be cut off individually as well as a but valve that does the whole bathroom in one go - means if one thing needs changing ie a tap I can do it quickly and easily without affecting any other rooms,
.

When we bought our place, there were no shut off valves! 3 separate buildings and when you had to do a plumbing fix in one building, all 3 had to be shut off from the main pump house! There were the shut offs for toilets and sinks, but that's it. Every time we'd have the plumber here to fix anything, we had him putting shut offs. Sure makes like easier!
Often, I'm shaking my head saying "what were they thinking?" It had been a b&b for 12 years before we bought it. Not a lot of common sense.

 

[Sunshine]

What to do with a small fire? Can guest close the door and when they leave tell the owner there is a small and contained fire in the bathroom?
I think you should be accountable to report it!.

What to do with a small fire? Can guest close the door and when they leave tell the owner there is a small and contained fire in the bathroom?
I think you should be accountable to report it!

SO... I HAVE AN ANSWER!!! Of course they didn't report it!! Here is proof of their character!!
I g oo gled his name and address.. He was arrested last month for 3rd degree assault and 1st degree child endangerment. Posted a $15,000 bond and was released.

 

[Silverspoon]

What to do with a small fire? Can guest close the door and when they leave tell the owner there is a small and contained fire in the bathroom?
I think you should be accountable to report it!.

What to do with a small fire? Can guest close the door and when they leave tell the owner there is a small and contained fire in the bathroom?
I think you should be accountable to report it!

SO... I HAVE AN ANSWER!!! Of course they didn't report it!! Here is proof of their character!!
I g oo gled his name and address.. He was arrested last month for 3rd degree assault and 1st degree child endangerment. Posted a $15,000 bond and was released.

.

OMG....lock the doors!!! Wait...it's too late!

 

[Joey Camb]

We are currently renovating one floor of the house. The builder wanted to know why I want a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor. And now... you know why. All new bathrooms should have an emergency drain. Makes life so much easier and once you are doing the renovation, you might as well install it.
People don't seem to have any common sense any more. They don't want to tell you that they broke something for fear you will make them pay for it. But somehow don't come to the realization that you might make them pay for it later..

An EXCELLENT idea...thanks. Same in the laundry. I also requested access panels for plumbing and extra shut offs so if work had to be done only the hall affected would be shut off, not the whole building.
.

And has them to use "full port" valves (a handle that turns 90 degrees to shut off the valve. Much quicker. I also like to use "FloodSafe" connectors.
.

Yes, that is what we have. Also, because of leaks the first year, I had all the toilet shut-offs replaced. Good to turn all the shut-offs off and back on (while you have no guests and a plumber nearby) to make sure all are working properly...a real disaster when they don't. I learned this the hard way after one 4th of July with a leak in the laundry!
.

we put in shut offs whenever we do anything - isolation valves on each section ie sink, toilet shower so they can be cut off individually as well as a but valve that does the whole bathroom in one go - means if one thing needs changing ie a tap I can do it quickly and easily without affecting any other rooms,
.

When we bought our place, there were no shut off valves! 3 separate buildings and when you had to do a plumbing fix in one building, all 3 had to be shut off from the main pump house! There were the shut offs for toilets and sinks, but that's it. Every time we'd have the plumber here to fix anything, we had him putting shut offs. Sure makes like easier!
Often, I'm shaking my head saying "what were they thinking?" It had been a b&b for 12 years before we bought it. Not a lot of common sense.
.

ours was like that- had to drain the whole system and its been a BB here for about 40 years!

 

[gillumhouse]

No, we are not going to bill them for the damage, and we didn't plan to. It is something we (Innkeepers) just do when it comes to these kind of things. But none the less... its VERY frustrating when they don't say anything till their walking out the door.

While making the repairs, we discovered that the toilet bolts had been loosened and the toilet had been 'rocked' or something, anyway, the wax ring also needed replaced! That toilet was just put in 2 years ago! The ring wouldn't have gone bad on its own that quickly! sigh.....

While making the repairs, we discovered that the toilet bolts had been loosened and the toilet had been 'rocked' or something....

Ah, you've had Arkansas-sized guests! I'm convinced that our country's whole system of making things is going to have to be beefed up because of the size of the current crop of citizens. When I was a kid, there was one really fat kid in our whole school system, and of course he was teased something awful (but not by me!). Now there are dozens of kids that big in every class! And they generally stay that big, or bigger, for life.
Seating will need to be made wider and stronger. Elevators will have to have lower the numbers for maximum persons allowed. Most drug dosages are based on an average human adult weight of 70 kg (about 150 pounds) and that's WAY behind the times. Same with airlines. They have always used an "average weight times number of passengers" to calculate takeoff weight of the plane. My pilot friends tell me they are currently raising the averages they use by quite a bit.
So, just as cambs adds shutoffs each time she does a plumbing repair, we should all think of ways to put in heavier duty equipment when we replace something.
.

We were told by a guest how unsafe our outside stairs were to her room. Yes, the rest of the story was she was obese and going up and down the stairs with her obese husband and daughter she was visiting here at college.
They were never built for a stampede. In fact, were not built properly for the wave of the future, as you noted. We are going to have to take them down and rebuild.
Note - correlation to your comment Arks and why we feel this will occur again - this is a room with a KING BED. So if we have overweight guests they will book this room. In other news, it has a shower stall (again prev owners who didn't have clue). We removed the glass doors on it and put up a shower curtain, so at least they won't injure themselves.
But for a circa 1895 home, the furniture of the area was NOT built for larger people. Tall nor wide. People were smaller in those days, and so we cannot have circa 1895 furniture for the most part.
.

I have taken to looking at the weight rating for chairs when I purchase them after having a guest crack a patio chair. Most seem to be rated 250lbs....that USED to be a big person......
.

I have taken to looking at the weight rating for chairs when I purchase them after having a guest crack a patio chair. Most seem to be rated 250lbs....that USED to be a big person......

So, this just leads me to the question - what IS our responsibility as far as accommodating larger guests? I mean, we can't anticipate or plan for every situation. If someone is exceptionally large, are we expected to take special action and make special arrangements for them? For example - We have two hot tubs and if the water is at the correct depth (in order to flow into the filter properly) and two bigger guests get in, they inevitably over-flow the thing!!
.

After having a "wide load" scooch up on the bed and spread the slats and sending the box & mattress to the floor, DH got piano wire and turnbuckles to wire it together so that would never happen again. Since then, we had 2 couples have a movie party with the 4 of the laying in that bed AND I had one couple arrive that if they weighed less than 800 lbs combined, I am Twiggy. The bed held.
When do ing the guest bathrooms (creating one and re-doing the other) we installed a 48 inch shower in the new bathroom and replaced the claw-foot tub in the other with a 60 inch shower. No doors on either one. I just have shower curtains with nylon liners easy in - easy out - easy to clean.

 

[white pine]

No, we are not going to bill them for the damage, and we didn't plan to. It is something we (Innkeepers) just do when it comes to these kind of things. But none the less... its VERY frustrating when they don't say anything till their walking out the door.

While making the repairs, we discovered that the toilet bolts had been loosened and the toilet had been 'rocked' or something, anyway, the wax ring also needed replaced! That toilet was just put in 2 years ago! The ring wouldn't have gone bad on its own that quickly! sigh.....

While making the repairs, we discovered that the toilet bolts had been loosened and the toilet had been 'rocked' or something....

Ah, you've had Arkansas-sized guests! I'm convinced that our country's whole system of making things is going to have to be beefed up because of the size of the current crop of citizens. When I was a kid, there was one really fat kid in our whole school system, and of course he was teased something awful (but not by me!). Now there are dozens of kids that big in every class! And they generally stay that big, or bigger, for life.
Seating will need to be made wider and stronger. Elevators will have to have lower the numbers for maximum persons allowed. Most drug dosages are based on an average human adult weight of 70 kg (about 150 pounds) and that's WAY behind the times. Same with airlines. They have always used an "average weight times number of passengers" to calculate takeoff weight of the plane. My pilot friends tell me they are currently raising the averages they use by quite a bit.
So, just as cambs adds shutoffs each time she does a plumbing repair, we should all think of ways to put in heavier duty equipment when we replace something.
.

We were told by a guest how unsafe our outside stairs were to her room. Yes, the rest of the story was she was obese and going up and down the stairs with her obese husband and daughter she was visiting here at college.
They were never built for a stampede. In fact, were not built properly for the wave of the future, as you noted. We are going to have to take them down and rebuild.
Note - correlation to your comment Arks and why we feel this will occur again - this is a room with a KING BED. So if we have overweight guests they will book this room. In other news, it has a shower stall (again prev owners who didn't have clue). We removed the glass doors on it and put up a shower curtain, so at least they won't injure themselves.
But for a circa 1895 home, the furniture of the area was NOT built for larger people. Tall nor wide. People were smaller in those days, and so we cannot have circa 1895 furniture for the most part.
.

I have taken to looking at the weight rating for chairs when I purchase them after having a guest crack a patio chair. Most seem to be rated 250lbs....that USED to be a big person......
.

I have taken to looking at the weight rating for chairs when I purchase them after having a guest crack a patio chair. Most seem to be rated 250lbs....that USED to be a big person......

So, this just leads me to the question - what IS our responsibility as far as accommodating larger guests? I mean, we can't anticipate or plan for every situation. If someone is exceptionally large, are we expected to take special action and make special arrangements for them? For example - We have two hot tubs and if the water is at the correct depth (in order to flow into the filter properly) and two bigger guests get in, they inevitably over-flow the thing!!
.

After having a "wide load" scooch up on the bed and spread the slats and sending the box & mattress to the floor, DH got piano wire and turnbuckles to wire it together so that would never happen again. Since then, we had 2 couples have a movie party with the 4 of the laying in that bed AND I had one couple arrive that if they weighed less than 800 lbs combined, I am Twiggy. The bed held.
When do ing the guest bathrooms (creating one and re-doing the other) we installed a 48 inch shower in the new bathroom and replaced the claw-foot tub in the other with a 60 inch shower. No doors on either one. I just have shower curtains with nylon liners easy in - easy out - easy to clean.
.

I think that is the idea...where ever possible, particularly when redoing or purchasing something, consider the needs of larger guests. (And less rack and ruin on furnishings) I also look for comfy chairs with arms they can push up off of, easier to get up from...

 

[Madeleine]

We had a large guest apparently lean back on the toilet and snap the fitting IN THE WALL. When we went to clean the room (first night of a 2-nighter) we found water all over the floor. DH fixed what he thought was the problem while the guests were out. What we did not know was the broken fitting in the wall. Water dripped all night into the ceiling of the bath downstairs. It also seeped into the flooring in the bathroom upstairs and cracked several tiles (from the floor buckling).
Next day, guests in room downstairs tell us 'there seems to be a water leak...' and the ceiling came down in that bathroom.
DH was sick in bed that day but he got up, removed the ceiling, replaced the broken pipes, refitted a new ceiling and painted the whole mess before the downstairs guests came back in the afternoon.
Did the upstairs guests mention anything to us at all? No. Never said there was a leak (water all over their bathroom floor). Never said a word to us about any of it.

 

[Madeleine]

No, we are not going to bill them for the damage, and we didn't plan to. It is something we (Innkeepers) just do when it comes to these kind of things. But none the less... its VERY frustrating when they don't say anything till their walking out the door.

While making the repairs, we discovered that the toilet bolts had been loosened and the toilet had been 'rocked' or something, anyway, the wax ring also needed replaced! That toilet was just put in 2 years ago! The ring wouldn't have gone bad on its own that quickly! sigh.....

While making the repairs, we discovered that the toilet bolts had been loosened and the toilet had been 'rocked' or something....

Ah, you've had Arkansas-sized guests! I'm convinced that our country's whole system of making things is going to have to be beefed up because of the size of the current crop of citizens. When I was a kid, there was one really fat kid in our whole school system, and of course he was teased something awful (but not by me!). Now there are dozens of kids that big in every class! And they generally stay that big, or bigger, for life.
Seating will need to be made wider and stronger. Elevators will have to have lower the numbers for maximum persons allowed. Most drug dosages are based on an average human adult weight of 70 kg (about 150 pounds) and that's WAY behind the times. Same with airlines. They have always used an "average weight times number of passengers" to calculate takeoff weight of the plane. My pilot friends tell me they are currently raising the averages they use by quite a bit.
So, just as cambs adds shutoffs each time she does a plumbing repair, we should all think of ways to put in heavier duty equipment when we replace something.
.

We were told by a guest how unsafe our outside stairs were to her room. Yes, the rest of the story was she was obese and going up and down the stairs with her obese husband and daughter she was visiting here at college.
They were never built for a stampede. In fact, were not built properly for the wave of the future, as you noted. We are going to have to take them down and rebuild.
Note - correlation to your comment Arks and why we feel this will occur again - this is a room with a KING BED. So if we have overweight guests they will book this room. In other news, it has a shower stall (again prev owners who didn't have clue). We removed the glass doors on it and put up a shower curtain, so at least they won't injure themselves.
But for a circa 1895 home, the furniture of the area was NOT built for larger people. Tall nor wide. People were smaller in those days, and so we cannot have circa 1895 furniture for the most part.
.

I have taken to looking at the weight rating for chairs when I purchase them after having a guest crack a patio chair. Most seem to be rated 250lbs....that USED to be a big person......
.

I have taken to looking at the weight rating for chairs when I purchase them after having a guest crack a patio chair. Most seem to be rated 250lbs....that USED to be a big person......

So, this just leads me to the question - what IS our responsibility as far as accommodating larger guests? I mean, we can't anticipate or plan for every situation. If someone is exceptionally large, are we expected to take special action and make special arrangements for them? For example - We have two hot tubs and if the water is at the correct depth (in order to flow into the filter properly) and two bigger guests get in, they inevitably over-flow the thing!!
.

After having a "wide load" scooch up on the bed and spread the slats and sending the box & mattress to the floor, DH got piano wire and turnbuckles to wire it together so that would never happen again. Since then, we had 2 couples have a movie party with the 4 of the laying in that bed AND I had one couple arrive that if they weighed less than 800 lbs combined, I am Twiggy. The bed held.
When do ing the guest bathrooms (creating one and re-doing the other) we installed a 48 inch shower in the new bathroom and replaced the claw-foot tub in the other with a 60 inch shower. No doors on either one. I just have shower curtains with nylon liners easy in - easy out - easy to clean.
.

I think that is the idea...where ever possible, particularly when redoing or purchasing something, consider the needs of larger guests. (And less rack and ruin on furnishings) I also look for comfy chairs with arms they can push up off of, easier to get up from...
.

I think that is the idea...where ever possible, particularly when redoing or purchasing something, consider the needs of larger guests. (And less rack and ruin on furnishings) I also look for comfy chairs with arms they can push up off of, easier to get up from...

We replaced all of the plastic toilet seats with painted wooden ones. There is no way anyone over 80 lbs can sit on the closed lid to put their clothes on when the toilet seat is plastic.