A while back we hired a handyman to do some work for us. He put a light in the shower and grounded some outlets. Our house is over 50 yrs old. Anyway, you would think that someone who weighs over 300 lbs would know that getting into an 18" crawl space under the house is not going to work. I was in the other room when his assistant called me. There was this half guy sitting in the opening to the crawl space in the closet! I don't know what came over me. I asked him if he'd taken Lamaz classes when his kids were born and if he remembered any of the relaxation techniques taught in it. You should have seen the look on that guy's face! He was talking about undoing his belt and slipping out of his pants to get out of the hole. I told him I would step out for that one. His assistant said that if he couldn't get out, I'd have to call the fire department to have him sawed out.
I'm happy to say that I didn't have to call the fire department and have my hardwood floors sawed. I don't know how he got out.
BTW, his work was so sloppy. It took me about 4 hours to clean up after this guy. Needless to say, he'll never be asked to do another job for us.
So, have any of you had someone get stuck in your floor or ceiling?
I was getting the Christmas Tree down with my dad a few years ago, and I was bringing down some extra boxes, but my dad thought we were finished and I was back in the house, so he shifted the ladder.
Took a lot of banging on walls to get me out of there...about a hour later!
I had to laugh, lol! Sorry, the thought of someone being stuck under your house...I couldn't resist. Of course had he been hurt I wouldn't laugh and thank god he was fine. Sorry the work was sloppy.
I've not ever got stuck anywhere but when my kids were younger their dad was supposed to be watching them. He had them in the garage with him and somehow the younger one talked the older one into getting into the dryer, lol! All my hubby heard was someone saying help, lol! Thank god they couldn't reach the controls to turn it on.
My dad sent ME under the house to do projects like this, for just this reason! He didn't want to get stuck.
12 year old Amanda was NOT amused at crawling on her stomach, across an entire house of crawl space, in the MUD, to run internet cables. NOT AMUSED. But, no one got stuck.
I had to laugh, lol! Sorry, the thought of someone being stuck under your house...I couldn't resist. Of course had he been hurt I wouldn't laugh and thank god he was fine. Sorry the work was sloppy.
I've not ever got stuck anywhere but when my kids were younger their dad was supposed to be watching them. He had them in the garage with him and somehow the younger one talked the older one into getting into the dryer, lol! All my hubby heard was someone saying help, lol! Thank god they couldn't reach the controls to turn it on.
I've always said that my younger daughter banged her head a little too hard when her sister put her in the dryer. They actually turned it on!
My dad sent ME under the house to do projects like this, for just this reason! He didn't want to get stuck.
12 year old Amanda was NOT amused at crawling on her stomach, across an entire house of crawl space, in the MUD, to run internet cables. NOT AMUSED. But, no one got stuck.
The Internet existed when you were 12? I am soooo old.....
OMG, this is something I really worry about when sending out one of my plumbers out on calls. He is in the 300+ range, about 6' tall and has to contort his body under sinks, into ceilings and other tight spaces. I actually had a customer call me and ask not to send him again, because she said he had to cut too big a hole in the wall to get his hands and arms through, than would an average-sized technician would. I could see her point, but we always do neat drywall patches and leave the premises as we found it. I'm knocking on wood that this will never happen in anyone's home. And I'm really sorry you had such a poor experience with your workmen.
My dog got stuck under the crawl space once... and she wouldn't come out... so the fire department had to come and saw a hole in the floor of our porch so she could jump out that way. She was a 110lb German shepherd... so trying to go in after a dog like that just wasn't happening, lol. I was really young at the time, and I cried because I was afraid the fireman was going to accidently saw through my dog. She was okay though.
MARE that is too funny. I have had to repair many a hole on ceilings where someone has gone into the crawl hole and then stepped off of the studs onto the backside of the sheetrock....putting their leg right through.
When I was a kid we were at my grandmother's, all hanging out in the kitchen, my uncle len (at least 6' 7") was in the attic when he fell through the ceiling, just his legs, right in the middle of everyone.
Another favorite is when my cousin was little he stuck his head in between the banisters of his starway, my aunt/uncle tried to get him out for over an hour before they called the fire department, when they got there -- he popped his head out to say "hi".
LOL! I can just picture him stuck like Winnie the Pooh when he ate too much honey and got stuck in rabbit's hole! Or was it there? Anyway, I know he was stuck.
Twenty-three years ago when we had this house built, dh and I came over every day to make sure it was being built properly. He was upstairs in the attic space because the builders left a window open and it was RAINING! SIGH - anyway, there was only one house on the street and the rest of the area was un-developed. A car came into the driveway and being from St. Louis I thought someone was going to attack us or something - I yelled for Bob to come down and all of a sudden a foot came flying through our living room ceiling! Our house was pretty much finished by this time and had those really cool, but now out of date, cottage cheese ceilings. My dh was SO MAD at me for yelling and it turned out we never did figure out who was in the driveway - I guess they ran when they heard dh yelling and cussing!
Lori
I was five, playing outside in the Florida weather, when I found a nice soft, squishy spot in the grass. It gave a little when you jumped, almost like a gentle trampoline.
Until one day, the soft spot gave, and I found myself standing IN the septic tank!
LOL! I too have a story to tell..when I was a teenager, I went through the floor while standing at the kitchen sink doing a few things. My first thought when I came back to my senses was "somebody better come and get my butt outtta here before all the bugs see me!"
A man got stuck in my floor
I could see her point, but we always do neat drywall patches and leave the premises as we found it. I'm knocking on wood that this will never happen in anyone's home. And I'm really sorry you had such a poor experience with your workmen.
Our house was pretty much finished by this time and had those really cool, but now out of date, cottage cheese ceilings. My dh was SO MAD at me for yelling and it turned out we never did figure out who was in the driveway - I guess they ran when they heard dh yelling and cussing! 
