If you've ever hired a plumber to do anything in your home you know two things; 1.) They are incredibly expensive and 2.) more than likely they'll show you their crack, unintentionally, of course! This summer I witnessed many plumbers cracks as I renovated several homes, and while they were on their backs, lifting toilets, tossing sinks and charging a bundle, I came up with a little idea to save big money. In one home I was faced with the challenge of covering a 14' wide window. The clients were not huge fans of curtains (and neither am I) but the afternoon sun proved to be an unwelcome guest, so curtains were a must. Rod systems to cover that span were either hideously ugly or incredibly expensive (and usually a combination of both). While daydreaming about solutions, my plumber carried out a ten foot span of copper pipe, and just like that I found a solution. I popped into my local Home Depot where I found several finishes and sizes of plumbing pipe and fixtures; from black to copper, I settled on galvanized for a more modern, industrial feel. With measurements in hand, I had the lovely Home Depot employee cut the pipe to size and thread each end (at no extra charge). Once mounted into studs on the wall, the pipe is incredibly strong and sleek looking (photo above is before walls were patched, primed and painted revealing previous owners hack job to the wall with standard curtain rods). The price in the end for a 14' span with all fixtures? $26.95! Now I have enough left over to buy my sweet plumber a belt to keep his pants up!
