We have the same plumber we have had since 1953. I suspect by now we are dealing with the grandsons of the original plumber.
This spring, when the water was turned back on, the bar sink leaked. We called in our reliable plumber. We were in Virginia at the time. We asked for an estimate. He declined to give one. Too many unknowns. When we arrived in mid-August we pursued the issue. A man, who said he had been working on our pipes for 30 years, in fact had apprenticed on our pipes, came. He said our plumbing was legendary on the island. Everyone else had bit the bullet and upgraded. Our plumbing belonged in a museum, he said with affection. Our leaking copper sink has a wooden box attached underneath. That combined with old lead dissolving pipes means it will take two days or "five to six thousand dollars" to repair. Unless of course they run into something unexpected.
