Tuesday, March 29, 2011

DONE!! Well for the most part...

We started this project on about Jan 13. I tried to find a match for each the before and after. But on a couple of them I didn't quite get it right. It was hard to remember where I took the pictures - hey I have slept a couple of times since then. So enjoy the show.

Major things we wanted to accomplish and change during this renovation. Put in a shower, double sinks, replace the toilet, and make the bathroom look a bit more up-to-date. The look we were going for is what I call conservative contemporary. We wanted the bathroom to look modern and contemporary but I did not want it to look so modern that it didn't fit with the rest of the plans we have for the house. Personally I think we accomplished the task.

This one we took of the bathroom when we were looking at the house shortly after we closed.


Love that wallpaper.

Now on to the main event!

Vanity/Sink Area


This is the same vanity as before. Joyce and the girls spent quite a bit of time re-finishing it. How great it does look. Nice job ladies.


Linen Cabinet/Mirror




Floor/Bathtub/Wall




Looking back toward the hall




Bathtub




Toilet Area




These cover the major areas that have been highlighted throughout the process. Here are some other images showing extras that we completed.

This image is showing the completed vanity. With all the drawers and doors along with hardware reattached.



This image is showing the tip-out that I made from the false front that was there before.



We thought about cutting the original mirror down and having two mirrors. One for each sink. But after some debate we decided to keep the mirror as is and dress it up a bit with a frame. I also made a small shelf as part of the frame.





You may have noticed that a niche was also built near the toilet. The idea here was to have the paper recessed in to save space. But after it was built and time to place the roll holder in the niche - well it didn't quite work out. So we are still looking for a roll holder that will work that way we envisioned. I also trimmed it out to make it a bit more fancy looking.

Oh one other thing - you can see the switch as well. This switch is for the exhaust fan. Each button is a timer - push the button for the time you want and the fan shuts off automatically. Also check out the switch plate - Meganne's idea. Lucky for her this was the only plate that fit between the tile and the mirror above the sink.



Here is a shot of the new lights and exhaust fan. The fan is fairly quiet - not as quiet as I would have liked but that is okay. It is still better than what we had before - remember the UFO-ish looking thing there before. That was a heat lamp - a major fire hazard in my opinion.



This has been a great project to get us going in the renovation direction. We really didn't have too many problems crop up as expected. We didn't have mold or other major issues. We did have an issue with the water pipe that I tweaked. And believe it or not that was the only time I called someone in to do something.

But I did get a lot of directions from a couple of people. Lorin East helped us with the tub/shower tile by making sure we didn't mess up somewhere. He also gave us help on leveling the concrete slab between the entry way and hallway. We really did appreciate his help. I also had help from Kevin Bussell on the electrical questions. Of course I would like to thank Nikole and Meganne for their help when they were able. School work took priority. And lastly but certainly not least - Joyce. This project pretty much took up the entire office (across the hall from the bathroom) and the bonus room as well as the entry way. The majority of the house was a mess for just about 3 months. But in return she gets new carpet in the living room. Had a little bit of an issue with the self-leveling cement. She was also nice enough to call this project done - for the most part. So I could move onto a project I need to get done in the backyard.

So what is left? The rest of the crown moulding - I ran out of glue with only about 7 feet left. Shelves on the left hand side of the vanity. As well as touch ups here and there. This is just the bathroom. The hallway and entry will have to wait until I get the backyard done. After those two are done then we will start on the bonus room and living room area. It should be a hoot.

Hope you enjoyed watching-by-proxy this renovation. It was sure a fun challenge that taught Joyce and I that we can do these projects and have them turn out pretty well.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Been A While - Hasn't it?

I did not realize that I have not updated this since Feb 21 - my how time flies. But I have been busy. One of the critters in the area was proposed to be listed by the US Fish & Wildlife as an Endangered and Threatened specie. So I have been busy making maps and analyzing data for the managers on that. There is also something else in the works - but that will have to wait for now. I also went to Phoenix during the first week of this month.

So what have we done - oh what have we done?

Well we finished the tiling - with exception of a few pieces by the tub. The tile was also sealed. We also installed this bad boy...



It was insisted that I put this picture in also. It is a shot of the tank - instead of the water filling the tank it fills this bucket type thing. Then when you press the handle down the bucket empties into the bowl.





We also textured the wall by hand. May I suggest something here - don't texture a wall by hand. Go rent a spray gun - I think it will be easier. I intend to when I go to do the hallway, entry, and bonus room. Next, Nikole and Meganne painted the walls.





Meganne and I also installed a shower curtain rod. This wasn't as easy as it sounds as we had to drill through the tile. She also put up her shower curtain.



I also took out the old light and installed new modern looking ones.





And now finally - we get to install the vanity countertop and the sinks..

Here Nikole and Meganne are putting down the thin-set...



After some dry fitting and cutting. We were finally able to get the tile installed.




Today - I installed the sinks. Complete with the faucet (Nikole helped with that also) and plumbing to drain the water. The sinks look really great on this tile. Yes, Meganne I said they look great on the tile. I had my reservations about the tile adding too much texture to the bathroom overall - still do but just a bit.





Ladies and Gentleman - we now have a functional bathroom!! It isn't finished - but it is functional. We have the vanity doors to install, trim work, install towel rods, install baseboard, crown molding, install the mirror (with frame), and much more. So we will be busy with this room for probably another 2 to 3 weekends.

Until next time. Oh almost forgot - I installed better and more lights in the hallway. Now we can see what is in the closet at the end of the hall.




Another shot of the bathroom from the hallway...



Remember what this bathroom looked like before we started? Well here are a couple of pictures in case you didn't...