Day 73 - 75 Ode to a Bathroom

I remember waaaayyyy back, about day 5, when one of the construction crew said to me, "It's going to feel like it's taking forever. And then one day, it'll go so fast you won't believe it, it'll be done."

Well, that day has arrived, folks. 75 days into this project and I am well and truly amazed by how far we've come. Not only my own work in the kitchen, but the painting my friends accomplished, the attic renovation, the hardwood floor refinishing and now the main floor bath.

I walked into the house on day 75 and was literally speechless.  ME. Speechless! I know I griped about having to pick out paint, and pick out tile and grout and faucets and lights and blah blah poor me. But I had no idea the impact these things would have on my little 1922 Craftsman. This poor house was soooo run down. It hadn't felt the love in years. I was giving it my all to see it return to it's former glory. So I present to you what I consider to be the crowning glory of my design skills.  Ok, not really, but I DID pick all this shit out.

Before:  Can we just say GROSS. I mean, besides the fact the the previous owners had left personal items in the medicine cabinet. The pipes for the faucets leaked from the wall to the sink (I'm sorry I couldn't save you, sink) hence the white and green buckets underneath it. The shower surround was poorly installed, and had gross icky stuff on it (I honestly refused to go near it and I'm not typically grossed out by much.) Amazingly, the original window and frame had very little damage, making  me question just how often the shower was used. But at any rate, gross is probably an understatement.

And now for the big reveal (I know the floor isn't clean yet, and the tub isn't refinished either, but...who cares, this is freakin' awesome)

I win. I win. I "decorated" something. And it's so good the contractors' office manager brought his girlfriend to the house to see it! This bathroom impressed a MAN! I WIN!

Ok, so, technically, the water still isn't on, I haven't flushed a toilet in the house, EVER. But COME ON. Is this not a thing of beauty? Look at that rain type shower head. IT'S SQUARE! Look at that window! Look and drool over that tile job! With its 2 built in shelves and its rockstar gray grout that draws the eye from the floor. I walked into this bathroom and thought... "holy shit, I want to SHOWER in here... NOW!"

Too bad it's for my eventual guests. I could always just pretend I didn't have any room for them to stay....

*Note... I'm not sold on the color. And it's my fault. I fat fingered the paint code when I wrote the email with the paint colors.  Clearly, attention to detail is crucial with paint colors, or you get robin's egg blue. Not acceptable.

**PS Note... OMG I'm so excited!

***PPS Note...yeah, we're going to fix that horrific white p-trap thingy. Seriously. I am NOT going to have plastic screwing up my chrome design aesthetic (listen to me!!!)

Day 70 - 72 - It's All About the Floors

I have to say, I feel very badly for my Aunt. And if she feels like I sold her a bad deal, I wouldn't blame her. But the day before she arrived, I found out I wasn't able to move into the house as expected. That really put a crimp in my plans. But given that I can do nothing about contractor delays, and she was already on the road, I had to make the most of it.

Knowing that the final coat was going on the floors, and knowing that any imperfection would be because I wasn't diligent on the cleaning of the baseboards, we started (and I use the term "we" loosely) to wipe down all the wood in the house.

Have you seen the pictures of the first floor? Wood is pretty much the theme.

And while we were working, the guys reminded me that the main floor bath needed to be primed. I hate painting wainscoting. I also caulked the seams. I think I earned a little "contractor cred".  Maybe. But honestly, I enjoy working in my house. It's MINE!

And while Roxanne toiled away with the shop vac and Murphy's Oil Soap, and I cussed those little lines in the wainscoting, the guys finished putting in the vanity top in the master bath. Sad moment... I'm not completely sold on the vanity/paint/tile combination. I'm not completely sold on the main floor bathroom paint color, either, but I'm waiting to see the final product. But the vanity...it is pretty cool. I just have to pick out a complementing mirror (read: more shopping).

After we finished up the cleaning/priming etc., we had a day of "rest", packing/sorting the following day.  While we were doing this, the magic was happening at the house. 93 year old oak hardwood floors were being transformed into something new and vibrant. I'm still mad I couldn't move in, but... I get it. So the following day, we went to the house, and in barefeet/footies, we toured the house. I couldn't be more pleased.

Laundry Room

Dining Room/Living Room

Front Bedroom

The floors are the same color, but my camera and the lighting in each room makes things look different. They are basically the most like the laundry room picture (I think).

I could sit and stare at these floors for HOURS.  They did a wonderful job. I decided that I would go with 3 coats of poly for a natural look. The house doesn't have the best natural lighting. Therefore, dark wasn't really an option. They're just so beautiful.

Day 9 - Retail Therapy - Fixtures, Lighting and more...

If you know me, you know I hate to shop. Unfortunately for me, renovation and shopping go hand in hand. If I had the money, I would have hired a designer/decorator and THEY could do the shopping and make the choices. But I do not, so...I will suffer.

My mom, however, keeps saying how "fun" and "exciting" this process should be for me. I keep pointing out that she could have stayed an extra week or three and finished this task for me. Then she reminds me that I "like weird shit" and our tastes are too different. Except when it comes to Wainscot. We both like that. And square toilets. Weird.

I needed a break from the oppressive heat in the house (I can't turn the air conditioning on until the mold remediation is complete. Which can't come soon enough!) and again, I had read that most renovations are held up by the homeowner not being prepared, or the materials on back order, or something that would, ultimately, be my fault. I wish this to be a blame free reno. So shopping it will be...

Have you ever heard of a woman procrastinating about SHOPPING?!?!

I took the morning to get rid of the old stacked washer/dryer and a few file cabinets and the old hot water heater. And then I tackled the front porch.

Here's a before and after of said porch. It definitely doesn't look an abandoned house any more!

Just enough effort to work up a good sweat and call it a day before noon. I'm looking forward to sitting out here, enjoying my coffee some morning very soon.


And then, because it had to be done. I broke out my list and went shopping. 

I started with granite, mainly because I new where that showroom was located! I went to Mr. Granite and found my choice relatively quickly. I really wanted quartz, but I found a granite in a similar shade/pattern. It's called Black Palmares. I have no idea what that means. Here's the sample: 


It's amazing how many different styles of granite exist. While I didn't find this in the showroom, they have a remnants warehouse/parking lot right around the corner. With the help of Eddie, I found a remnant that would A) fit in my kitchen and B) not break the bank. In fact, I think it'll help the bank. It's black with green and tan/gold-ish flecks. It should be great with "old white" cabinets and dark hardwood floors and my beloved sink.  Or, it'll look like shit, but I'll be able to say that I picked it out all by myself! That's mature, right?!

Next unplanned stop... Ferguson's Bath, Kitchen and Lighting. Talk about being completely overwhelmed. This showroom is spectacular! And huge. I recommend (as does the receptionist as you walk in the door) having an appointment with a sales person if you are ready to purchase/make selections. I got lucky. Originally I just wanted to walk around, browse, take pictures, and write things down, at my own pace.

That actually would have been a really bad idea for someone like me who doesn't have a fricking clue! Luckily, as I was standing there, someone cancelled their appointment and I was paired with Stephanie. She was awesome. Kid you not. We started with my main floor bathroom. Since I knew what I wanted for toilets in the house, that was easy. Then came the sink/vanity. I've chosen a console style pretty close to what would have been original in the house in 1922. Then I had to pick out the faucets, and the shower fixtures and lighting. I had that deer in the headlights look.Poor Stephanie. And trust me, Pinterest does NOT help like I thought it would. Except on the lighting. So here are the winners for the main floor bath vanity and faucets:

I had some ideas for the lighting. But when you see things in real life, they look different. The biggest thing I'm dealing with in this bathroom is the square accents on the vanity/console. In my mind if that is square, it sets the tone for the rest of the items to be square as well. And chrome. I like Chrome. So that's what I'm going with downstairs. As I said, the toilets are both the same, and you can see it here, at this link: A Pretty Toilet

At this point, I'm feeling pretty sure of myself and am ready to move on to the master bathroom. Same toilet, different style vanity, brushed nickel (no chrome) and a walk in shower. Those are my requirements. Easy, right? Again, why do I fool myself?! Here's what I picked for a vanity, faucets and lighting. All of which are subject to change. Repeatedly. I'm crazy in love with this vanity and porcelain sink combo. In my minds eye, the bathroom will be gray and yellow, with a gray floor of some sort. I was thinking the faux woodgrain look. But when I saw it up close, I wasn't in love with it like I thought I would be. I am in love with the Edison Lights. I would turn the fixtures so that the lights were up and down. And have 2 of them. The downside of this is that they only take 40 watt bulbs. So lighting has become a concern for me. These were my initial selections, and I felt reasonably good about my choices. Even though I knew that my tastes were running a little, ahem, higher than my potential budget. We'll see how this works out.

At this point, I'm thinking I'm making incredible headway and I resolutely continue onward. My new quest; a suitable kitchen back splash. All the tiles stores had closed by this point so I decided to head to Home Depot. Where I promptly struck out. I will give major props to the saleslady in that area. Darlene, you were awesome. I hope Home Depot knows they have an awesome employee in Darlene. No kidding. Awesome.

My shopping done, I was officially exhausted and completely over the day.