Have you ever watched the classic holiday movie, Christmas Vacation, and wondered just how much it cost to repair the house after all of the chaos that ensued? Well, wonder no more! Let’s break down the costs of repairing the Griswold family home.
First and foremost, we have to consider the damage caused by Clark Griswold’s infamous “exterior illumination” display. The electrical overload caused a city-wide blackout and destroyed the entire neighborhood’s power grid.
While it’s unclear exactly how much this would cost to repair, we can assume it wasn’t cheap. The replacement of transformers, cables, and other equipment would certainly add up.
Next up is the structural damage caused by Uncle Lewis’ cigar. As he lit up his cigar inside of the Griswold family home, he accidentally set fire to a Christmas tree which then ignited curtains and ultimately led to a fiery explosion that destroyed a large portion of the house.
According to HomeAdvisor, repairing fire damage can cost anywhere from $800-$8,000 per room depending on the severity of the damage. Considering that multiple rooms were affected in this scenario and that there was also likely smoke damage throughout the entire house, we can estimate that repairs cost well over $50,000.
Moving on to another costly repair – Eddie Johnson’s RV sewage dump. As if things weren’t already bad enough for Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation, Eddie decided to empty his RV sewage tank into a storm drain outside of the house.
This resulted in an explosion-like eruption of raw sewage that spewed all over their neighbor’s home. Not only did this cause significant property damage but it also resulted in legal fees and fines for Clark. We can only imagine how much this cleanup cost!
Last but not least are all of the small damages throughout the movie – broken windows from Aunt Bethany throwing her cat through them or when Cousin Eddie accidentally shot out a window with his revolver. While these may seem small in comparison to the other damages, they still add up and contribute to the overall cost of repairs.
In conclusion, it’s safe to say that the cost of repairing the Griswold family home after their disastrous Christmas vacation was astronomical. Between structural damage from fire, electrical damage from Clark’s lights, and property damage from Eddie’s sewage dump, we can estimate that the total cost of repairs was well into six figures. It’s no wonder Clark needed that Christmas bonus!