The Other Side of A Shattered Sink...
Most of the time being a host for Airbnb and HomeAway is great…but like all things in life…there are rough spots along the way. Hands down, the most challenging day I have had since owning The Morrow House was the day that a guest destroyed our beautiful ceramic farm style sink. Our kitchen is beautiful. In fact it is so beautiful it’s been featured in magazines, so you can imagine the heart break I felt when I arrived at the house one Sunday morning to find our gorgeous sink shattered. However, true to all things in life, this yucky situation ended up being one of my personal shining moments.
After checking out on Sunday morning, my guest sent me a text message letting me know that there was a “crack” in the kitchen sink. I called my dad who is my go-to handy man and told him there may be a chip in the porcelain sink and asked if he would meet me at the house to check it out so he could work his magic. After all, it was Sunday morning at 10:30 and I had a guest arriving Monday at 3:00, so we needed this “crack” fixed as soon as possible.
To say I was shocked would be an understatement when I walked in the kitchen and saw the eight inch hole that was in the bottom of the sink. This was no crack, and my dad would not be able to fill in the chip I had imagined in my mind. This sink was destroyed, and I had 29 hours to find a new sink, the hardware to go with it, a plumber and a person to do some cabinetry work after the installation. Mind you, nothing is open in Waco on a Sunday which is something I love about our city, but it’s not ideal in a moment like this. I don’t know if any of you have a farm style sink, but none of them are standard in size, in fact they are almost all different sizes. So, in this instance I had to find a specific size that would fit in the hole in our Carrera marble countertop to avoid having to get an entirely new countertop. With the help of two amazing local tradesmen, the fantastic folks at Fergusons and a few minor miracles along the way we were able to find the ONE sink in America that would fit in our counter in a warehouse just 20 miles from Waco!
So I am sure you wondering if you are someone who owns a short term rental or is considering owning one, who in the world paid for these repairs (because believe me it wasn’t cheap)! Fortunately, when guests make a reservation on HomeAway they either purchase an insurance policy or put down a deposit. This guest had purchased the insurance and as a result, the insurance paid for a good portion of the damages.
Our new sink isn’t as pretty as our old one, but I like it and it fits well in the kitchen. However what I like when I see the sink, is I am reminded of a moment where I didn’t over react, I focused on the repair and was incredibly blessed by two remarkable men of character who helped me in a moment of need. This is not my typical pattern of behavior in the midst of frustration, in fact I have often battled some fear and anxiousness so to push those two emotions aside and give my attention to the task at hand was a big deal for me. The Morrow House is my first small business enterprise that I run mostly on my own, so this was a moment of real growth and accomplishment for me. After all, that’s what it’s really all about right? We are all intended to be continuously growing and evolving, and this was one of those moments for me!
I share this story, because when you’re considering running a short term rental it is important to understand that rough moments will happen, but your next guests are counting on your space to be perfect for their get away. On many days we only have five hours between when guests check out and the next guest arrives. Most days this is not a problem, however on the rare occasion you will have some challenging moments that require immediate attention. Being local, and ready to make repairs in a quick turnaround is very important on the rare occasion that you have an emergency like our “cracked” sink.
