Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 28, 2018

three ayes to one nay… sorry, Brad, you lose this round

Hope it’s not a load-bearing wall. ✨

Brad, you have a lesson to learn. Happy wife, happy home.

How old is their house?

In older houses, scrap paper was used for insulation.

Upon occasion, rare comic books have been discovered when walls are torn down. ✨

Why, heck – TJ will be done by lunchtime!

She likes it. That settles that. Now, run along and she’ll let you know if she needs a spider killed or her feet rubbed.

Looks like I sure called this one, huh?

it is telling that the first thing TJ does is go for the sledgehammer. It’s not to move the washer/dryer or the water, air and electrical connections that allow the washer/dryer to work. It’s the sledgehammer. Even on the home renovation shows where they manage to accomplish miracles when the camera is off, they show a little more planning than that.

Ummm…aren’t they renting from Brad’s parents? If so before doing major remodeling shouldn’t they contact the people who own the building? Adding a bed room does increase the value of the house but to move the laundry to the garage involves some significant plumbing changes. That is permits and a bunch of other things. Great idea but you might want to PLAN before taking out walls!

Quoting a famous vulcan: “resistance is futile.” I think u r outnumbered, Bwad. U r going to loose this round. And the next one. And the next…..

Easier to shake a bad cold than to shake TJ. Start realizing that now Bwad.

Shannon is ready to move in permanently.

On this episode of “This Poor Old House”, we’ll see TJ take a swack at the wall and the whole thing caves in. That’s right, Shannon, better pack your stuff and wait outside in the back yard. It’ll be safer out there.

It is strickly a dream for Brad and Toni to have their own place, because at the very least, they will always have Shannon. TJ is just a throw in, because we hardly ever see him anymore.

… And so the long-suffering Luann trufans got snookered again, this time into believing that – just once – the Sunday comic had anything to do with the weekday strip. Or that the whole Brad/Toni-TJ-Shannon farce was going to change.

Just remember, that those juicy foreshadowing hints are always a red herring and lead nowhere. The Evanses evidently think it’s a clever way to subvert literary conventions; kinda the inverse of what writers of crime novels do.

Last year (6/19/2017) TJ was wreaking havoc in the single bathroom and apparently nothing came of it. Now he’s up to his old tricks again of smashing down walls before Brad can stop him. Will Brad grow a pair and grab the sledgehammer from TJ & tell him to get lost? Are weekday B&T actually thinking of buying a house? The Evanses can write anything they want, but I wouldn’t bet on it. (But then, maybe this whole week is a red herring; you never can tell.)

I’m sure that sincere over-thinkers will wonder why Toni thinks it’s a good idea to lose a large closet and move the washer & dryer into a dirty old garage. Or they’ll worry about building permits and load-bearing walls and such. Or will see this whole misadventure as a prelude to Shannon moving in with them. There’s plenty here to speculate about.

Noooo

Trust me, Toni. You don’t want to do laundry in the garage, especially in the southern California summers because garages are not air-conditioned. Put a halt to all nonsense and send TJ on his way to a new home.

Shannon like i’m out of here see ya.

In the first frame, the washer and dryer look like a kids toy, either that or they are in a room a couple steps down. Isn’t there a basement the washer and dryer could go in? And just who has all their stuff in that closet they are going to lose?

I’ve got a bad feeling about this…

Why don’t they call Mr Al Gray,if he can build a guest house for Less and Gunther he can add on an extra bedroom for Shannon

Let’s see. Shannon cannot sleep on the couch. Brad has to give up his bed so Shannon is not alone. But if the house is remodeled to add an extra room, Brad can sleep in his own bed. Did I get that right?

Sorry to see that Toni doesn’t want to let go of TJ yet. Looks like they’re not buying a house anytime soon.

Another proof that TJ is a genius.

It just might be a load bearing wall.

I really, Really, hope, that after Frank warned Old Smiley a few years back, about not doing any alterations to his rental without his expressed permission first, that Frank put that in writing as part of the lease agreement. That SHOULD give him sufficient grounds to give Smiley the Boot.

AFTER all the dirty work has been done….., ;)

And to think that TJ’s scheming mind was going to be underutilized!

Once again, logic and common sense are booted out the door in the LuAnniverse! My incredulity has been stretched beyond elastic limits… sigh.

Brad isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He bickers with his wife (thinking of the comic of them in bed recently) and he doesn’t talk to her about things like this. He seems like an angry guy.

Have Brad and Toni told TJ they’re looking for a house to buy and he’s going to have to find somewhere else to live?

TJ better not give the hammer to Brad.

TJ and Toni will eventually ride off into the sunset. They’re so simpatico.

Permits? We don’t need no steenking permits! We know Al Gray!

Oh Good Grief! Not this again!

I gotta hope Brad (or Frank, if Brad can’t) can reign in TJ. This is doomed to fail! But the definitely have to do something. Toni likes the idea and, more importantly, Shannon loves the idea! That should be rather telling. Shannon must not like life with her father if she’s so gung ho to live with Brad/Toni. I’m not sure why Toni likes it though. Perhaps a “real estate” upgrade is not in her “big picture” view yet. But we know that Sunday’s strip put it there so we’ll see what happens in the next two days. But it seems as though she wants Shannon to stay with her. Hmmm. Is she counting on TJ to do all the “babysitting?” I sure hope not! :) Then again, no matter the size of the house or how many rooms, looking after Shannon will still be a problem for Brad/Toni. I truly hope they can figure it out.

A 2nd job for Lu, maybe (since she’s so good with kids)???

I see problems ahead, if the garage isn’t insulated and heated; can we say “Busted water hoses in the Winter.”???

I’m glad Sunday’s strip was out of continuity. This couple is acting way too dumb to raise a child. (If Shannon can sleep by herself in a bed in a guest bedroom, then she can sleep by herself in a sleeping bag in the living room unless some reason is offered to the contrary, and none has been.)

Will Brad, Toni, and, or, TJ think to clear this with the DeGroots before they start remodeling. Will someone even think to check to see if TJ’s idea is pratical? Who will pay for the materials, and, who will go and pull the permits, and, pay for the inspections?

Pack TJ’s stuff too,Shannon.

Other than telling the DeGroots – the owners of the house – of their plan, TJ has a good idea. There would be minimal impact to the floor plan and, depending on how Shannon’s ‘room’ is laid out, the space could be converted back into a closet when Jonah gets a clue. Lol!

So TJ is actually Toni’s best friend?

I like Toni’s optimism here, as well as Shannon’s comment in the second panel. I think TJ enjoys doing projects like this.

All they really need to do is buy an air mattress for Shannon to sleep in the living room. Kids love the novelty of sleeping on the floor.

Four’s company.

Wait. She’s a rare visitor….she doesn’t need a room. And to lose your laundry and your closet for the few times she sleeps over? Uh, nope. Or have I missed something? Has she been adopted or has Toni now been given custody?

You know, there’s something “missing” here.

Oh, I Know! The “Catch!” Like What’s “Catch,” Smiley?

There’s no friggin’ way he doing this for NOTHING in return.

Hmmm. It can’t be for their “souls.” Smiley already OWNS those…..,

Toni and I have a lot in common, but in this we differ. I would NEVER relinquish an inside laundry room for any reason, no matter how cute.

8

Yeah! This is bound to be fun! I am especially pleased today that Toni is in favor of the idea.

Well, the second disagreement between Toni and Brad, although this is not settled in bed. Of course it involves Shannon, her niece, and his “play” niece, or niece-in-law (is there such a thing) and his BFF. So poor Brad has his wife disagreeing with his strong negative reaction to TJ (which TJ usually ignore anyway) and TJ’s controlling kindness. Given, based on Sunday’s strip , they are saving money toward a house of their own, how he handles this will be very interesting. Stay tuned!

I am not very interested in whether readers like or dislike TJ. What interests me is the psychological growth details, here. Brad is being reactive, and rather than giving a rational reason why TJ’s plan is bad, he dishonestly describes the idea as crazy. It’s not of course. Toni actually listens to the idea and responds honestly without worrying about who’s in control. Brad has a chance to grow up a little. Finally, this doesn’t mean the marriage is doomed (lol). It would be doomed if Brad actually controlled the outcome (50s dad).

Hope TJ knows not to NOT knock down a supporting beam

♫ You say wah-lah, I say vwah-lah – let’s call the whole thing off! ♫

I’ve heard a few adults say Walla, when they mean Voila! They really don’t know the difference.

If they just move the laundry to the backyard, they can use the garden hose for the water hookup.

..and Toni’s brother should pay for it!

This reminds me of spending endless hours in doctors’ offices and re-hab facilities. They all show some house renovating channel on their TV’s.

Well… as ling as they’ve thought this out very carefully %.

OOooo, I know! Why don’t they see if a neighbor has a spare room, and then build a tunnel leading to that house? sigh They really DO need to get permission to make rennovations to the house first. And TJ should really just move out at this point. ORRRRR, make Shannon sleep on the couch.

__*@SCHRODINGER’S DOG:*_ As a little kid growing up in Pittsburgh, what we had was an old wringer-washer in the basement, and we hung up the sheets, towels and shirts outside. That brings back memories to me, not the least of which is the memory of having to dust off the coal dust before bringing the sheets inside. (The sheets did smell like the outdoors, but that was mostly smoky)

Yeah, back then, Pittsburgh was the ‘smoky city’, just covered in coal dust. Not just from the old ‘still mills’, but from our furnaces. We burned coal at home. And little bro and I would stand next to the coal shoot while it was being delivered, and get covered with black coal dust. Nobody knew about the health issues then (well, probably the big shots at the coal company. But not us peasants.) As my brother spent the last two years fighting very aggressive leukemia that almost killed him, I have to wonder whether there was any connection to those nice childhood memories.

I haven’t been back in a long time, but when I did visit awhile back, lots of the coal dust had been cleaned from some of the old buildings ‘dahntahn’. And, whattya know? Some of those buildings were actually NOT grey…

I’m in favor of not kicking TJ out, but he needs to ask Frank and Nancy before they start on another remodeling project. I believe they were peeved previously when not brought into the loop, i.e. when TJ was remodeling in preparation for Toni to move in.

Does TJ not know that you can’t just plug in a washer/dryer to a regular outlet like you would a new toaster? Relocating them to the garage is gonna take some electrical and plumbing work. Not to mention that you might need to do something about the old water connection currently in the laundry room.

Also, knocking out that wall isn’t gonna create THAT much more space, considering closets and laundry rooms don’t go that deep. Is Shannon’s room really only going to be the area those two spaces covered? Because that’s only roughly 12’x6’ at most. You can barely fit a twin size mattress in that space. Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs was meant to be seen as a bad thing, not an inspiration.

My wife has schemes like TJ. Now she wants to knock out the little bar between our dining room and kitchen. They would enjoy each other.

Shannon already slept in the laundry closet once before, and a lot of demolition happened that time, too.

Electrical, plumbing,drains, traps, concrete patching, insulation, gas lines, ventelation, structural changes. What could go wrong?

I said it before. Miss Toni don’t want that boy to go anywhere. He has his talents.

A crazy what???  Now Brad won’t be able to finish his sentence!

“…And Not A Drywall In The House”

“Screwball, On The Fly”

“Hammer And Fickle”

“Home Reprovement”

“Crazy Like One Of Those Dog-Like Things With The Whiskers”

or

“Razed And Confused” (♬)

Brad is right. Toni, this would be a good time to hold your opinion to yourself. Do not encourage TJ! (Nor Shannon, for that matter.)

No alterations and additions! Get rid of TJ!

The washer and dryer are one the wall facing the garage, as that is where the dryer already vents to.

No new drains or concrete. Still use the drain that will be under Shannon’s headboard.

Just don’t run the washer at night when she’s sleeping there.

I can see it coming,The room is built. Magically, it is bigger than the previous two spaces. Shannon move all her toys in and loves the room.Jonah gets some part or other in a national touring company, possibly with Quill, which will open up the possibilities of new story arcs.Shannon will move in with Brad and Toni.Who will be the baby sitter when Brad and Toni are at work? Rosa, back from Peru? Pru? Crystal?Or, will Brad & Toni request opposite shifts, meaning that someone will always be home with Shannon, but they will hardly ever see one another?

1 word: permits.