Pressure is on! We made big steps forward today - the drawers came in from Pier 1!!! So glad we didn't get the floor model, the brand new set looks really great and fits the space perfectly. No doubt, we are going to have to be smart with our space in the bathroom but it feels so much more open without the monstrosity of a cabinet that we had in there before - bleh. The drawers being in means good news for the Parent family - the guest bed is back (ok, except for Flick's 52 shirts to iron but those are portable). It feels so good to not have the bathroom belongings strewn about the guest bedroom. Oh, man, SO great!
So the toilet is caulked, sink is good to go, we have some face plates on the light switches/plugs, and Flick filled all the finishing nail holes in the wainscoting...our big guy on the to-do list for tomorrow is the caulking of the bathtub. We are ready to get some straight silicone on that beast - it will be good to take a shower at home again :) So, slightly on topic, I Googled some combination of words involving "silicone", "caulk", and "bathtub" last week and pulled up a nice little article entitled:
"Bathtub caulk butt jobs land N.J. women in hospital"
Talk about a teaser - I couldn't help but open the link. This brief little ditty was about a group of women in Jersey who were having silicone injections into their tushes for a little "lift". Turns out, the shady "Drs" they were going to for this relatively uncommon procedure (go-figure) was injecting the equivalent of silicone bathtub caulk into their bums. As my sister would so eloquently put it...GROSS.
Anywho, hope you enjoy the latest photos - we need to get some Art on the walls in there to really tie this thing together - the wainscoting and door trim is an ongoing project at this point but we need to watch ourselves - we are at the point where the bathroom is (almost, darn shower) fully useable and it is really easy to just kick back and get on with our summer. We will prevail though and wrap it up - I think that our motivator to finish will be throwing a little bbq/pool party/get-together to celebrate the end of the project!
Mich
Monday, June 14, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Chair rails and mirrors
Good "visual" progress today :) We have the main walls fully wainscoted! Though we took a step back in the shower/tub area we made big progress with the rest of the space. Flick has mustered up some impressive carpentry skills and did a great job "coping" the chair rail corners so they fit together nicely (I did a great job of holding the work light and supervising). In other news, I taped around the base of the toilet so that is also ready to be caulked (enter pat-on-the-back for B and Mich). Looking good in there!
The big unknown at this point is the storage drawers we bought over the weekend. We took a nice little Sunday drive in the Bronco down to Pier 1 in Broomfield and bought a set of drawers is going to be great in the space. Unfortunately, the store didn't have any in stock other than what was on the floor and they were slightly banged up. We made the executive decision to order a brand new one which SHOULD be coming in on Friday - if not it will come in next Friday which would be highly problematic (the Parents are coming to town) and I will likely spend the weekend finding a Pier 1 with a good one in stock.
As a little side-story, only a few of you have actually met the '69 Bronco in person but she is a real beaut. Big, blue, rusty, gassy, and pretty fun to drive in :) On the way home, her age got the better of her and she stopped running near the top of a hill on CO-93 heading into Boulder. Hmmmm. We popped the hood (or wrestled it open; it may or may not weight 300lbs) and made sure nothing was leaking/smoking/on fire then pushed her up the hill a little ways so that she was in a nice big dirt shoulder. The gas gauge on the Bronco doesn't work and it gets about 1.4 miles to the gallon so we decided to try and put a little more gas in her enormous tank. We didn't get 4 yards from our car with the iconic red fuel receptacle when a mom and her 2 girls on the way to the new Crocs outlet store stopped and picked us up. She brought us to the gas station, back to the Bronco, waited for us to test out the gas theory, and when that didn't work, drove us home. There are some really fantastic people in the world and she is one of them.
About 20 minutes after we got home we got a text from our friends Dan and Cindy asking us if our Bronco had broken down on CO-93 :) I guess when you have a Bronco like ours (see description in previous paragraph), it is easy to identify out on the road (or shoulder). Dan and Cindy have TONS of fun tools/toys (one of those being a tow rope) and a sweet truck which they graciously offered up as a means to get the Bronco home. That makes 3 fantastic people in one day! We are pretty lucky.
To wrap up a long story, the Bronco is "back in the stable" and I am sure all of our neighbors are really glad to see that she is home. Next project on the to-do list...get the Bronco back running. Just in case you were wondering, we don't really ever sit around.
Mich
The big unknown at this point is the storage drawers we bought over the weekend. We took a nice little Sunday drive in the Bronco down to Pier 1 in Broomfield and bought a set of drawers is going to be great in the space. Unfortunately, the store didn't have any in stock other than what was on the floor and they were slightly banged up. We made the executive decision to order a brand new one which SHOULD be coming in on Friday - if not it will come in next Friday which would be highly problematic (the Parents are coming to town) and I will likely spend the weekend finding a Pier 1 with a good one in stock.
As a little side-story, only a few of you have actually met the '69 Bronco in person but she is a real beaut. Big, blue, rusty, gassy, and pretty fun to drive in :) On the way home, her age got the better of her and she stopped running near the top of a hill on CO-93 heading into Boulder. Hmmmm. We popped the hood (or wrestled it open; it may or may not weight 300lbs) and made sure nothing was leaking/smoking/on fire then pushed her up the hill a little ways so that she was in a nice big dirt shoulder. The gas gauge on the Bronco doesn't work and it gets about 1.4 miles to the gallon so we decided to try and put a little more gas in her enormous tank. We didn't get 4 yards from our car with the iconic red fuel receptacle when a mom and her 2 girls on the way to the new Crocs outlet store stopped and picked us up. She brought us to the gas station, back to the Bronco, waited for us to test out the gas theory, and when that didn't work, drove us home. There are some really fantastic people in the world and she is one of them.
About 20 minutes after we got home we got a text from our friends Dan and Cindy asking us if our Bronco had broken down on CO-93 :) I guess when you have a Bronco like ours (see description in previous paragraph), it is easy to identify out on the road (or shoulder). Dan and Cindy have TONS of fun tools/toys (one of those being a tow rope) and a sweet truck which they graciously offered up as a means to get the Bronco home. That makes 3 fantastic people in one day! We are pretty lucky.
To wrap up a long story, the Bronco is "back in the stable" and I am sure all of our neighbors are really glad to see that she is home. Next project on the to-do list...get the Bronco back running. Just in case you were wondering, we don't really ever sit around.
Mich
Monday, June 7, 2010
The sprint to the finish
As entertained as you all are by my written word - we will grace you with some new photos tonight :) Trust me, you would not have been all that excited about a picture of one new panel of wainscoting every night. I am sure that my parents are a little nervous about the fact that the last photo still shows a hole in the floor where the toilet should be with their visit being just over a week away.
We are really working hard on getting that sink in. I am doing a good job of updating the blog (and half watching HGTV.."My First Sale") while Flick is working on the details of the sink.
So, to bring a little reality to our reno here, we have decided that we are going to take out the caulk around the tub tomorrow. One corner of the tub where it meets the two walls in the corner is pooling water and the caulk is absorbing it. Not a good scenario...we are going to take out the caulk, let it dry out for a few days (yes, that means showering at work again...crap), then re-caulk with a 100% pure silicone caulk since it will be exposed to more water. Bummer. Hopefully this will do the trick though and then we won't have to worry about it any more!
Mich
We are really working hard on getting that sink in. I am doing a good job of updating the blog (and half watching HGTV.."My First Sale") while Flick is working on the details of the sink.
So, to bring a little reality to our reno here, we have decided that we are going to take out the caulk around the tub tomorrow. One corner of the tub where it meets the two walls in the corner is pooling water and the caulk is absorbing it. Not a good scenario...we are going to take out the caulk, let it dry out for a few days (yes, that means showering at work again...crap), then re-caulk with a 100% pure silicone caulk since it will be exposed to more water. Bummer. Hopefully this will do the trick though and then we won't have to worry about it any more!
Mich
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wainscoting
No pictures to entertain you all with :) We are in the process of installing wainscoting (pronunciation is up for debate on that one, we just alternate between "wayne-scoating" and "wayne-scotting" - wain-scoating is correct I believe). The paneling has really helped us out with that dreadful black waste pipe situation. Now the only visible piece is the cap which is very tolerable.
The sink/vanity is in place and were hoping to have it operating - however, per the usual, we have the wrong water lines so we need to go get those (very important when installing a sink). It is ok though - now that we have the location of the sink I am free to start shopping for the storage furniture...in my head this is the most fun part but we will have to see how long my patience lasts!
It is looking really nice though - we have been showering at home for a week and it is pretty great. We'll get some pictures up soon but we really want to have the sink/fixtures in for a real visual "BAM". I am actually enjoying working on the project more now that we have the toilet and the shower operational. It feels like there is a lot less pressure - though the June 18th deadline is moving in quick! Look for another update on Monday morning after we have the weekend to get things steady moving again!
Mich
The sink/vanity is in place and were hoping to have it operating - however, per the usual, we have the wrong water lines so we need to go get those (very important when installing a sink). It is ok though - now that we have the location of the sink I am free to start shopping for the storage furniture...in my head this is the most fun part but we will have to see how long my patience lasts!
It is looking really nice though - we have been showering at home for a week and it is pretty great. We'll get some pictures up soon but we really want to have the sink/fixtures in for a real visual "BAM". I am actually enjoying working on the project more now that we have the toilet and the shower operational. It feels like there is a lot less pressure - though the June 18th deadline is moving in quick! Look for another update on Monday morning after we have the weekend to get things steady moving again!
Mich
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Steady moving...
I don't want you all to think that we have halted progress on the bathroom here...we are continuing to move forward with the last few critical steps. You will be happy to know (we are happy to know) that we have both toilet and shower back up and running at this point. This morning's shower at home was the best - never take that for granted. You know what else is going to be great? When I get in the shower in 5 min for my second one of the day. Can't get enough of it :)
So the big piece we are working on now is the wainscoting/trim (our attempt at masking the unsightly waste pipe that was put in outside of the frame of the wall...sweet. This finish carpentry business is tough stuff. B is doing a fantastic job of scribing, coping, and finishing things. He is much more patient at it than I would be - and he got a power sander out of the deal so things are looking up :) This part of the project is pretty important to get to look good but is also hard not to rush - all we want is a finished bathroom! That is why we are taking our time and making sure that when we are getting ticked at the pipe, walls which are not totally square, and contractors who did not put in studs at the recommended distance - we just go to bed!
Headed back to Boston for the Holiday weekend. If we make any great strides tomorrow we'll let you know - otherwise, see you next week :)
Mich
So the big piece we are working on now is the wainscoting/trim (our attempt at masking the unsightly waste pipe that was put in outside of the frame of the wall...sweet. This finish carpentry business is tough stuff. B is doing a fantastic job of scribing, coping, and finishing things. He is much more patient at it than I would be - and he got a power sander out of the deal so things are looking up :) This part of the project is pretty important to get to look good but is also hard not to rush - all we want is a finished bathroom! That is why we are taking our time and making sure that when we are getting ticked at the pipe, walls which are not totally square, and contractors who did not put in studs at the recommended distance - we just go to bed!
Headed back to Boston for the Holiday weekend. If we make any great strides tomorrow we'll let you know - otherwise, see you next week :)
Mich
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The weekend without a toilet
Is it Sunday night already? What a weekend - we worked our tails off out here pulling two pretty late nights on Friday and Saturday night. The Colorado weather was in our favor this weekend - 90 degrees with 15% humidity on Saturday (I enjoy following the weather) which helped our paint, floor primer, self-leveling compound, and thinset all dry nicely. As a result, the floor is just about done (we have a few areas to grout tomorrow) and the walls are good to go with lights and fan all installed. Woohoo! We are admittedly proud of how it is coming out - we love the tile.
After our weekly breakfast at the South Walnut Cafe this morning, we spent a few hours at Lowes picking up some wainscoting, trim, and getting our "tricky" tiles cut. I've included a photo of the Jetta loaded up with our finishing materials. I knew we left those ski racks on there year-long for a reason :) We did finally do some socializing this weekend and got out for a drink and a late night dinner of "squirrel meat" on Saturday. In all seriousness, we didn't have dinner until midnight and the late night gyro cart was our only option (darn! Honestly though, we love the gyro cart). This evening we had dinner at a reasonable hour with all 4 of the Hedges sisters which was awesome. We love having friends visit with us out here! Every day we are getting closer to a shower in our own house... :)
Mich
After our weekly breakfast at the South Walnut Cafe this morning, we spent a few hours at Lowes picking up some wainscoting, trim, and getting our "tricky" tiles cut. I've included a photo of the Jetta loaded up with our finishing materials. I knew we left those ski racks on there year-long for a reason :) We did finally do some socializing this weekend and got out for a drink and a late night dinner of "squirrel meat" on Saturday. In all seriousness, we didn't have dinner until midnight and the late night gyro cart was our only option (darn! Honestly though, we love the gyro cart). This evening we had dinner at a reasonable hour with all 4 of the Hedges sisters which was awesome. We love having friends visit with us out here! Every day we are getting closer to a shower in our own house... :)
Mich
Friday, May 21, 2010
Grouted, Primed, wait...is that the toilet?
The fated day has arrived - our toilet is in the living room.
Kudos to the Shanahan Ridge 7 HOA for having a pretty nice little bathroom up at the pool. The next few days are looking pretty decent weather-wise and our home is relatively close to the pool so Flick, Dozer, and I can all go on "bathroom walks" together. Dozer is pumped - "why don't we always do this guys?"
Last night we grouted the shower and finished the joint compound at the drywall/cement board joint. Tonight we got the toilet out and situated in a nice spot in front of the TV. We are always short on seating so it is kind of nice. Then we were able to finish breaking up the tile floor which was previously under the toilet, sanded the aforementioned joint, and primed the walls/ceiling. We really wanted to get the floor leveler down (the solution to the stubborn thinset leftover on the floor from the previous tile) but realized that we need a special primer to put down first. Foiled again!
Keepin on keepin on over here! Having the walls primed makes it feel a lot more finished - can't wait to get that floor down :)
Mich
Kudos to the Shanahan Ridge 7 HOA for having a pretty nice little bathroom up at the pool. The next few days are looking pretty decent weather-wise and our home is relatively close to the pool so Flick, Dozer, and I can all go on "bathroom walks" together. Dozer is pumped - "why don't we always do this guys?"
Last night we grouted the shower and finished the joint compound at the drywall/cement board joint. Tonight we got the toilet out and situated in a nice spot in front of the TV. We are always short on seating so it is kind of nice. Then we were able to finish breaking up the tile floor which was previously under the toilet, sanded the aforementioned joint, and primed the walls/ceiling. We really wanted to get the floor leveler down (the solution to the stubborn thinset leftover on the floor from the previous tile) but realized that we need a special primer to put down first. Foiled again!
Keepin on keepin on over here! Having the walls primed makes it feel a lot more finished - can't wait to get that floor down :)
Mich
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