Trim pieces

Today I mainly worked on finishing the trim pieces for the windows with shellac. Each piece needs three coats with steel wool in between. After the last coat, you buff it with a cloth. My contractor clued me in that the best buffer is old denim.

C and I will be taking advantage of the 4 day weekend, so no house work until Wednesday. See you then!

A quiet day

Today the contractor wasn't in, so I mainly straighted up the house and returned some flooring we're not going to use. Believe it or not, it does actually help to straighten up. Things get so disorganized with nowhere to put anything, so it's good to just reset everything to it's correct place periodically.

A SINK today!!!!!

Today was a monumental day in the remodling! We got a sink! A real, working sink with hot and cold water and a drain! For the first time in over a month, I brushed my teeth standing up and not leaning over the bathtub! One good thing about the remodeling process is that it lets you appreciate each luxury as you get it!

Here is a shot of the sink. I'll post a better picture when the medicine cabinet and sidesplash are in. I'm really relieved to see that I like all my choices and that they all work together.


Unfortunately, our front lawn is the neighborhood dumping ground. I think people think that since it looks terrible anyway, what's a little more mess? Here is the second shopping cart left out front since we moved in 5 weeks ago.

Towel cubby for bath

Today the general contractor worked on framing the towel cubby for the bathroom. I returned the pieces of trim tile I bought for the bathroom - after I saw the granite shelves installed in the niche, I realized it just wouldn't work. The package containing the bath sink parts arrived, but we didn't have the hoses to connect it to the water supply coming from the wall. Finally, the contractore picked up an air compressor and nail gun kit for me - we had gone to Home Depot to select it, and the nearest one didn't have it in stock. He stopped at another location on his way to my house and picked it up for me. I'll be using this to install all the trim on the baseboard, windows and doors.

Visible progress today!

Today was a good day in remodeling. We got two ceiling fans up, and they are great. They look really good and the breeze is so nice. I really don't like air conditioning, so we're going to have a lot of fans as well as good attic ventilation. We also got lights on switches! Wow, what a luxury. We've been big, hot spotlights on stands that the contractor leaves here. The electrician was trying to finish a lot of his work because he is moving about 6 hours away, and will only be back a few times to finish his jobs up. This is a real bummer because he has been really good.

This picture shows the ubiquitous white construction dust. It is everywhere. When you put pants on and the leg brushes the ground, you have white dust on your pants. We wear sandals in the house all the time. The sandals also help with walking on uneven floors with cords strewn about.



Here is one of the ceiling fans that I am very pleased with. You can see my low-tech "curtains" made from newspaper and duct tape. HGTV wants to do a segment on them - NOT!

More cabinets are going up (there are now 4 here instead of 2).

All the ceinling fixtures in the kitchen are cans which are recessed into the ceiling. It will give the kitchen a nice, open feel. The two that are in the ceiling are spotlights over the sink and cooktop. The hanging one is general lighting. By code, it has to be flourescent, which is making a really ugly light color in the kitchen. Flourescent bulbs save energy.

I took this shot to show the bathroom paint color. The white edges are primer, which is really bright white. The wall color is a greyish white, which looks great with the rest of the bathroom. All the greens in the bathroom have a bit of grey in them (more sage than mint).

Outta here!

The contractor isn't going to be here for two days, so I am running away for a couple of days of sorely needed R&R. See you Monday!

Bathroom progress

I picked up three ceiling fans today. I found a really good deal on small, simple, contemporary fans. I'll post pictures once they are installed. The contractor tiled in the niche in the tub/shower area which will hold shampoo, soap, etc. I really like the idea - it's very contemporary and keeps the clutter in check. I found a really unusual light green granite with flecks of rose, yellow and black. It looks great with the glass tile.

Here is a shot of the granite. The color is off in the photo - it looks a lot more yellowy, pea-soupy than it is. When the bath is done, I'll have C take some better pictures which show the color more accurately.



Here is the bathroom from the door. I like the way the window, the niche and the bump-out for the shower and bath controls are all the same proportions (3 to 1). The missing tiles need to be cut, and I am waiting for a special glass blade to arrive in the mail.

Picked up bathroom tile trim

There was not too much to report today. I'm pretty burned out and haven't been very productive. I did go to the tile store and pick up the bathroom trim tile.

Bathroom tile trim

Today C and I looked at some trim samples for the areas of the bath that are recessed and bumped out. The glass tile we are using doesn't cut well, so the edges need to be hidden with trim. I think we made a decision and I'll order in on Monday.

We also stopped in at the appliance store to check on the washer and dryer. We found a reasonably priced set in silver that will match our appliances. The problem is that it will not be available until at least mid-July. We're not sure what we're going to do.

a really tough day

Today I spent the morning mixing and testing wood putty for the trim I am staining. Fixing the nail holes is a more challenging when the trim is stained and not painted. I tried two puttys, and then I tried various mixes of the two and I think I'm satisfied with a mix I created. I should be ready next week to start the trim.

I got very excited that we were going to have a bathroom sink this weekend. The contractor and I were installing the faucet and handles when I discovered that parts of the drain are missing. I don't know how they got lost - it could have been so many different ways. I purchased a cheap set of fixtures to use while we waited for the good stuff to come in, and I suspect I may have returned some pieces I shouldn't have when I returned it (it was defective). It was a bit a bummer, but I think the factory will ship me replacements. I am slowly learning not to get excited about anything until it is DONE.

I was very tired at night, and ended up falling asleep on the couch in front of the tv. I woke up hearing what sounded like the scratching of little feet in the wall! YUCK!! EW!! GROSS!! When I got up to listen more closely, I saw this on the floor behind the TV:

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/inverts/sten-fus.html

How completely nasty! It looks like a huge ant. It was over 2" long! So I was thinking great, I have critters in the wall and this nasty bug in the house. We've been really lucky so far - as gross as the place was when we took it over there have been no critters till now. It was behind the tv too, so I had about 6" of space to work in. I managed to trap it in a small tupperware, which I then threw into a large tub with a lid. This went into the backyard until C got home. We walked it block away from the house and let it go.

We later learned from a friend we saw on Saturday what this creature was and that it can make the noise I heard. I was happy to know there wasn't something else in the wall. But this was not fun. These bugs are really gross and huge!

The countertop and sink are parked temporarily on the vanity while we wait for the other pieces to come in.


One of the current fixtures in our house is the ever present white construction dust. It is everywhere. When you put your pants on and the leg brushes the ground, it comes up with white streaks. The contractor did some mopping with water, and I couldn't believe what a difference it made.

busy work

The theme for this period of the remodel is that I'm busy all day but don't have anything to show for it. That was today for sure. I did work some more on the window/door/baseboard trim. I am replacing all the trim, so I have been doing some samples to see what I want to finish it with. We're not painting it, so I am trying various stains. I've decided to shellac all the wood. It is a really nice looking finish that is simple to apply. It has been around forever and is non-toxic. I like it because you can still see and feel the wood. I also tried polyurethane, but I found it more difficult to apply and it puts a thicker finish on - it looks more like a layer of plastic over the wood. Polyurethane would be great in something that get touched all the time like a banister.

The electrician came by today to work out a schedule for finishing everything. He is really almost done - he just has to do the plugs, switches and light fixtures. He is coming on May 26 to do most of it. This is great because it is one step closer to finishing, but it also puts pressure on me because I have to buy all the light fixtures by then. He won't be able to do the garage though because all of our stuff is in there as well as the appliances in huge boxes so he can't get to anything.

The one thing I did finish once and for all is the tile in the laundry/mud area of the kitchen. This is my first official home improvement project, and I am very proud of it. The contractor coached me through it and told me that he was very impressed! The electrician said it looked better than the tile he set in his own bathroom! Now that the tile is in, he was able to roughly set two of the three tall pantry cabinets.

Here is my tile:

Grouting and trim

Today I (with the help of the contractor) finished grouting my tile in the kitchen. I also picked up some supplies so I can begin finishing the trim. It's plain pine which I am going to shellac and leave woodtone (no paint). I'm applying the stain to the doors, windows and baseboard. I'm going to try to do a little of each before the contractor leaves so he can give me some pointers.

Not much to report

The contractor was out much of the day, so there wasn't much action. My tile in the kitchen is completely laid and dry, so we did a sample of the grout. Assuming I like it, we'll finish the grouting tomorrow.

Tile is laid!

Today I finished laying the tile in the kitchen - finally! It took 4 partial work days to do it! Once it dries, I need to clean, grout and seal it. The contractor worked on tiling the bathroom. I also spent several hours trying to figure out the shower curtain. We need to enclose the almost the whole tub so water doesn't sit on the tub deck and accumulate. I've been working on finding a "hospital track" that can be installed in the ceiling so there's a really clean, uncluttered look. I was also trying to decide whether to have one long curtain or several short ones. It's more work than it sounds like!

Working on a Saturday

There hasn't been much activity this week because the contractor was on vacation mostly, but he did come in today. He was working on the bathroom walls (the non-tiled part). I worked on my kitchen tiling and got it done except for 5 tiles. I've had back pain since Wednesday, so tiling was not fun today. I was glad it was the last row that will be hidden by cabinets since I didn't do such a good job. I think I hurt myself Tuesday helping the door delivery guy move the doors. It's not serious though!

Another day of "nothing" done

Today the contractor was out again, and so I spent 4 hours online researching bamboo floors. There is just so much to know. After a quick lunch with C, I picked up the last piece of the plumbing order I placed in February (the sink handles for the bath). This is exciting because it means we can have a bathroom sink now!

Later I made one of my three-or-more-per-week trips to Home Depot. I returned the defective facuet, picked up one more finish for the trim and looked at nail guns and air compressors.

Very busy, but got "nothing" done

Today the contractor was out on vacation, so I had a very busy day but nothing got done. I straighted up and took out some of the trash from the large pile in the backyard. I spend a few hours prepping the master bedroom floor for the new flooring. I pulled out nails leftover from the previous flooring and marked all the floor joists (hardwood flooring should be installed perpendicular to the joists.) I also worked on a sample trim piece on which I'm trying different finishes.

Electric service hooked up

Today I went to Ikea and purchased some easy to install bamboo flooring. It has a thin layer of real bamboo, so it is not laminate and can be refinished. That was the good news. The less good news was that by the end of the night C and I decided we didn't like it and so I will have to return it. It's just to flimsy to meet our needs. It's really designed to go into a situation where the floors are in good shape already and finished with something over which you lay the bamboo. I've adjusted to the idea that I will have to find my way through the quagmire of floor installing tools. It's not the actual work of installing the floor that intimidates me, it's figuring out which tools and nails to use. There are staples, nails and special floor cleats. Each one is different and requires a different power tool to install. As with most things house-related, there are a million different conflicting opinions.

One good thing that happened today is that while I was out, the new meter got installed. This is really great news because it is one of the "finishing" steps in the remodel. We are now permanently, properly connected to the electrical power and the threat of losing our power is over. Yay!

Doors delivered today

The contractor was out most of the day, so today's only exicitement is the delivery of doors. We got three new interior doors and a new exterior door for the to-be-built back door.

Another bullet dodged

I was looking forward to a quiet day to get caught up since nobody was going to be here today working. I got a call at 9 am from the electric company saying they were going to move ahead with cutting our power since the city had not forwarded them proof that we had passed the service inspection. We passed this last Wednesday. The lady I've been dealing with at the electric has been pretty cool and true to her word, so I wasn't worried when she said I could call her later after going to the permit office.

I went to the permit office mid-morning and left her a voicemail around noon with the results. It turns out that only the inspector who passed me can forward the proper paperwork to the electric company so I have to go see him early in the morning tomorrow.

Imagine my surprise when the electric company truck pulled up and I was thinking great, they are here to connect the final wiring to the panel. The tech said "I'm here to cut the lights." Fortunately, he was really cool and saw that there is a running meter connected (for which I am paying the bills). I also told him I had passed the inspection and that I had just left a message for the person who gave him the order. He was equally puzzled why they wanted to cut my power and didn't do it. Whew! What a pain that would be. It's already rough enough living here - we'd have to get a hotel room if they cut the power. I was puzzled by the order to - I told the lady I've been dealing with I'd look into it today, and she said okay but had already forwarded the order to the tech at 7:30 a.m. I really hope I can get this straightened out - we are screwed if I can't get is straight soon. We'll either lose power (and who knows what it takes to get that back on) or we'll have to get temporary power (several hundred dollars to put up and then several hundred to take down). They are just being a pain because we put the old meter on the new panel and apparently "you can't do that" even though we are paying the bills and the electrician has never had a problem with this before. It's also difficult dealing with two burocracies that don't know what each other does.

I finished cutting all the curved granite tiles today. I only have two straight cuts to do and then I can lay all the rest of the tiles. Hopefully I'll do that tomorrow and then get them grouted Wednesday. I also made a sample piece out of the window and door trim to try some finishes. We are leaving the wood trim as wood, so I am trying to decide if I should stain, shellac, oil, etc.

Bailing out the bathtub

I wrote the previous entry for today earlier. Tonight, C was taking a bath and the drain malfunctioned. The plumber mentioned that this type of drain was particularly touchy and didn't work well. I asked him if he meant the brand (Kohler) or the type of drain (it has a spring). He was not specific in his answer, so I still don't know. The drain worked right for 1 bath, and then it stayed up (open) but could be pushed down (closed) to take a bath. The problem was we couldn't open it up after C's bath. We ended up bailing all the water out to remove the pressure on the drain and then we were able to open it. It was definitely not fun tackling this late on a Sunday night. We are also not sure what to do - this is the drain that is made to go with our bathtub, so we really want it to work. We are hoping the plumber will fix it without charging us. I think that will be a another fight! We are also hoping that this drain can actually work correctly.

PHONE today!!!

Today C got the landline phone up and running. Previously, I had to go outside and plug the phone into the phone box outside and stand by the trashcans to use the phone. No more of that! It works great.

I lost one shoe of my only decent pair today. It took about 10 minutes to find it. This is one part that is getting a bit tiresome. I'm normally a very organized person, so I find it annoying when anything gets lost. It's just really challenging right now because there is no place to put anything.

BATHS today!!!

Today we actually got to have baths in our new bathtub! The tub was set yesterday, but in order to make is stable when you step into it, a small bed of concrete was put under it. The concrete needed 24 hours to dry, so we were able to bathe this afternoon! What a treat (and a convenience) to be able to bathe at home and not at the local swim center. One of the plumber's guys came by this morning to connect the drain and the temperature control, so we could even fill the tub and have hot water! One nice thing about this remodel is being able to appreciate each small feature as we get it.

I worked a bit more on the tiling today. I have 5 tiles with very difficult curve cuts to make. I managed to get 2 cut today. The contractor won't be in on Monday, so I hope to get the last few cut and all the remaining tiles laid on Monday. Then we can grout on Tuesday, seal them later in the week and be ready to install cabinetry and the washer/dryer after that. Yay! It will be so nice to have a place to put food. One of the difficult things about our situation is that there is no place to put anything right now. We have to be extra careful to put everything back where it came from or they will get lost.

We also spent about two hours digging through the garage for a few items we can't seem to find. We looked through all the boxes and came up with nothing. Ugh. This was not fun - it was dirty and hot. We really hope to get a bit more room to spread out soon. Our master bedroom is ready, but I have to put in the floor (bamboo hardwood flooring) and the closet organization system before it is really ours.

Plumbing today

Today was an exciting day, but it didn't start that way. The plumber was supposed to be here at 8 am, and when I called at 9 he said he'd be arriving in half an hour. He got there at 10, called the main guy I've been dealing with (the owner of the company) who has been really difficult. 5 minutes later he ran off saying the owner would be by to "look at things" in half an hour. Ugh! 10 minutes later, the owner called and asked what we were doing today. It was everything I could do to keep the sarcasm and annoyance out of my voice when I repeated the list again to him. He had been to the house 3 times to go over what we were doing and I went over it on the phone on Tuesday. How many times can you need to hear something? I then tried to pin him down to actually doing the work today and not just looking at it. He said, in his typically wiggly way, "We can work something out."

He ended up getting there about 11, and actually did some of the work. This was after much hand-holding and cajoling by me and by the general contractor. The end result is that we have running water in the bathtub! There's no drain yet, so we can't actually bathe, but at least we have water. Also, the tub is set in cement so we can't actually walk in it until tomorrow. There is also no temperature control yet, so it's only cold. But the important thing is that it is installed! The plumber is sending one of his guys our tomorrow to connect the temperature control and the drain, so C and I can have real baths at home tomorrow! Yay!

One small drama - the bathroom sink kit I purchased yesterday is defective and leaks. The plumbers had to disassemble it and I'll have to return it. Fortunately, the problem was discovered just a few hours after it was installed, so the adhesive on the sink and counter had not set yet.

Here is the tub with the faucet sitting in the hallway waiting to be installed.




This is a tub of cement that will go under the tub so it doesn't wobble when you step in it.



Here is the cement in the tub opening just before the tub got set.



Here is how the bathroom looked at the end of the day. I really like it so far. I love the faucet. The water comes out in a strong straight column with no spread. It's really contemporary and cool looking.

Runnning around today

Today was a mad frantic rush to get ready for the plumber. The general contractor has been working long days to make sure we are ready so C and I can have a real bathroom by the weekend. My bathroom sink handles are still not in (ordered February 9th!) so I went to Home Depot to buy substitute handles to use in the meantime. Not so fast! The handles are easy to come by, but then you have to buy the stem and various other odds and ends to go with it, and then all the pieces have to work together with the faucet. The stem is the hard piece of pipe that runs the hot water to the hot handle and cold water to the cold handle. Using the handles, you adjust how much hot and cold you want and then the mixed water comes out of the faucet. The problem is that there are at least 50 different stems to choose from, and almost no way for a layman like me to tell which stem, nuts, bolts, etc. go with each handle and if the whole assembly will work with the faucet. So I ended up buying a whole kit consisting of a faucet and two handles. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend for a temporary fix, but at least we will have a sink tomorrow. After two calls to the contractor from the plumbing aisle and talking to two employees of Home Depot, I was pretty sure I had what I needed.

After a quick shower at the swim club (my last I hope) I met a friend for dinner and a much needed break.