A sort of day off....

C's parents came up for a visit and to see the house today. It was really fun to show it to them because they saw it in the truly before form - even earlier than the before pictures here. Believe it or not it was even worse. We've made a lot of progress so far. I think they can really see the potential now. It was fun to have someone to bounce ideas off of.

I also borrowed some heavy duty tools from C's dad. I have some tools myself, but I needed some additional ones for demolition and was hoping not to buy things I'd probably use only once. C and I did some measuring of rooms, and taped off some room layouts to see how the furniture would work. It's a great technique I learned by watching Kenneth Brown on the HGTV show Redesign. He used spray paint to show the layout of a room. For example in a kitchen, he would spray paint the floor to show where the island, sink, stove, refrigerator, etc are. We used painter's blue tape so it would come off easily. It's a simple, but incredibly effective technique. It allows you to walk into the room and around the furniture the way you would in reality. We found that our bed will work better against the north wall rather than the east. We found that a big bathtub in the same place as the present bathtub will block the door from opening fully. So, it was a worthwhile exercise.

We have been having problems figuring out the bathroom layout. There are so many factors to consider. There are clearances in around each item in the bathroom, door opening, plumbing, towel bar locations, window issues, etc, etc, etc. I think we found an optimal layout though. We have a few non-negotiables in the bathroom - a big bathtub is one, and complying to code is another. We also wanted to make sure that if we are required by code to widen the door we can. It's only 2 feet wide, and we may have to make it wider. After going through our taping exercise today, we really eliminated all the options for where the tub can go except the back wall. We also decided to get just a single sink vanity, which I think was truly the keystone that made the plan come together. There just wasn't enough room to have a big tub and double sinks. We went out to eat afterwards, and I think I sketched the perfect plan on my placemat. I'm off to go put it in my design software to see if it will work.

I had planned on relaxing tonight, but now that I'm on to something, I just have to pursue it. If I can solve the great bathroom mystery, I will be a happy woman. It will also help in dealing with contractors, which if I hope to start soon.

Tomorrow's tasks - meet another plumber at 8:00, back to the permit office, then on the phone for a construction dumpster and porta-potty.