The Story of the New Faucet

OK, so it takes me forever to finish any story here in this blog these days! So it has been two weeks now (longer?) since we got our new faucet, but I still want to tell you about how we got it, since it is very cool. And kinda frugal and green, too!

So if you remember, we have been without a working bathroom sink for over a year and a half. Any bathroom sink, I should note. There are many reasons why it has taken this long for us to take care of this problem--for the sake of my marriage, I will focus here on the logistical and aesthetic ones. ; ) At first, DH and I could not agree on the bathroom plan, and where to install the new sink--and since the bathroom is so tiny, where the sink would go determined what kind of faucet we would buy (either wall-mount or deck mount). But then, even after we agreed on The Plan (more on that later!) and knew what style of faucet we would need, it was hard to settle on one. We had even decided the finish we wanted, so in theory it should have been easy to find a faucet, given the plethora of faucets available on the world wide web. We wanted something like our kitchen faucet, which we love (made by the awesome Chicago Faucets, but unfortunately they stopped making their residential line just a year or two ago--bummer): a solid brass construction, brushed nickel finish, widespread or single-hole deck mount faucet, preferrably made at least somewhat in America.

We ended up with this:

image from homeportfolio.com

Which is nothing like what we had so clearly decided we wanted. Ain't life great like that?

So here's how it happened. A month ago, after we had finalized The Plan and I was scouring the web one last time, hoping to finalize the faucet decision, I thought how ridiculous it was that I had been looking at faucets for over a year and had never seen one I really liked. There were plenty that were OK looking, but none that met our specifications and fulfilled our desires. Ironically, some of the styles I liked best were from no-name made in China companies, but we had decided to stick with products we believed were well made, from reputable companies. And even those companies typically don't forge their own faucets, just sometimes assemble and plate them here in the US. To get a faucet that is not junk--which, be warned, pretty much ALL the big-box store faucets are--we were going to be spending around $400-600. So when I thought about spending that much money on something that might still be forged in China, and that was style-wise just OK, I was dissatisfied.

Then I stumbled upon the blog of a kitchen designer, and saw THIS faucet, and FELL INSTANTLY IN LOVE:



Oh, yeah, baby! Solid forged construction, single-hole deck mount. Rustic nickel finish that would look amazing with our soapstone counters (like we have in our kitchen). Kinda vintage, kinda steampunk, definitely awesome. Best of all, hand-made right here in California, by Sonoma Forge!

And, when I immediately went to the company website, $1,600.00.

Naturally. Those of you who know me well can attest that I have very expensive tastes. I remember clearly the moment I realized my eye for quality/beauty was a true gift/curse: Mom and I at the Ye Old Renaissance Faire in Larkspur, Colorado when we lived out in the Springs. She was looking at a display of Celtic brooches, asking my opinion. The ones she showed me were all lovely, and in the $30 range. My eyes ranged to a different brooch, which I thought was even more lovely: "How about this one, Mom?" Turned it over, and saw the $90 price tag. That was the moment I realized it was not just coincidence--that this was indicative of something at the core of who I am.

I hope you all realize I am not saying this with a sense of pride, of puffery. No, more like a sigh, a roll of the eyes, and a wry smile. Because it is not easy having expensive tastes.

At least God gave me a mate with possibly even more expensive tastes than mine. For better or for worse.

ANYWAY, I was so bummed that the one faucet I actually liked was, like, a bazillion dollars. In fact, DH and I liked several of the faucets Sonoma Forge makes, but they are all the same price. But then I had a little revelation: Craigslist. I have never used it, but people with gorgeously restored vintage houses featured in This Old House magazine often brag about the amazing house parts they find through it, and at amazing deals. So I looked at the Bay Area Craigslist, and lo and behold, there was a Sonoma Forge faucet listed, although not the one we had wanted. It was the wrong finish, the wrong mounting configuration, the wrong look.

And it was $250.

At that point, I no longer cared if it was the one we had wanted. I liked it. DH liked it. And to spend HALF of what we had planned on spending to get something SO much closer to our desires/values than anything else we had seen in all our searching--we just threw The Old Plan out the window and made The New Plan, which would work around the faucet.

I contacted the guy on Craigslist, and learned the faucet had been installed and used for 2 months before the homeowners decided it did not work with their sink, and so had it taken out and something else installed instead. So that's why this faucet was so cheap--it was used (barely!) and languishing in un-love on the Sonoma Forge back shelves. They are not allowed to sell used faucets. But this guy named Chris just recently started working with them, buying stuff from them at a pittance and listing it on Craigslist.

He also had this:

The one on the left, in the same finish as the faucet. This one brand new in the box, never used. Sonoma Forge sells this exact shower for $4,500.00. Chris was offering it for $1,700.

DH said we should get it. I did not argue. But I did talk those prices down via email with Chris, so that we got BOTH the faucet AND the shower for $1,700. Whaa-hoo!!

And then when we drove up to Petaluma to meet him and get our new faucet/shower, he said he could possibly get other, matching parts we might need (like the sink drainspout) at similarly good deals and mail them to us. So now we have our own, personal pusher for all things Sonoma Forge.

And now you know the rest of the story.