Don't You Just Love It When A Plan Comes Together!

Well the bathroom is finally done.  Even the curtains and the accessories.  Well maybe there are still a few accessories but isn't there always.  We went with earth tones this time. I was able to find curtains we could agree on at Target and they were on clearance they just were not the right size.  No real problem.  I own sharp tools and I know how to sew.  So I remodeled them into what we needed.  Even made a matching shower curtain.

Now I had not intended to cover the door to the shower.  However after Pam did an initial test run she pronounced it too open and suggested a shower for a door.  I am nothing if not cognizant that this was not an idle comment so I designed and made up a shower curtain for the door.  I still achieved my goal of no glass to clean.  It is much easier to throw a shower curtain in the wash every once in a while than deal with all the chemicals needed to keep glass clean.

The new exhaust fans are working well and every thing came together well.  Even had enough material left over to make the cats new beds for the windows.  Of course this had the unexpected effect of now having to finish remodeling some new curtains for the guest room.  Oh well.

Here is the new curtains (and Cat Beds).  You can see the bath mats are similar to the curtains.  Another Target find.

New shower all stocked

Floor is done and drains as designed (Thank God)

Shower entry before Shower Curtain

Toilet Room Curtains

New High Efficiency Koehler Toilet.  If you haven't tried a chair height toilet you need to look into them. Makes a huge difference on old knees.  Never would have thought 2 inches in height would make much difference but it does.  Wouldn't consider ever putting in a regular height toilet again.

Shower Curtain is now in.  Made from a matching curtain and I remodeled a fabric shower curtain liner to fit inside.  A bit like sewing a snake but it turned out well.  I also had to get creative to find a tie back that worked.  The one you see is actually a toilet paper holder but it works and it matches the rest of the hardware.

So this adventure is done. Now I will be working outside for a while.

I will leave you with a picture of my crazy cat.  He can fit in places that our other cat can't.  What you don't see is Smokey leaving the room in disgust when he could not get to blaze under the bookshelf.  Blaze also like to play this game under the ottoman.

More Later

Bruce and Pam

The Progress Continues

I have continued to make headway on the shower project.  The new shower floor is in and has been coated with waterproofing.

The walls have been re-textured and the trim installed.  Everything has received several coats of new paint.  We did change the bathroom color from Antique Heritage Lace to Courtyard Tan.  New color is not as yellow.  Even the ceiling was repainted as I have installed new quieter and more powerful vent fans in the main bath and in the toilet room.  New toilet has also been installed as after we started this project we noticed the old one had cracked.  When I took the old toilet out I discovered it was because the old toilet flange had warped.

So I cut the old flange out and found it had not been correctly installed.  So a trip to Lowes and some work with a chisel and that problem was rectified.  Now is when the interesting part started.  We needed to replace the toilet so Pam and I went off to Lowes.  Now I have always used Kohler toilets when I need to replace and have never had a problem.  However, there was a Jaccuzzi brand with smooth sides that seemed like a good idea and it was 100 dollars less than the Kohler.  So we take one home.  I start unpacking it and find out what is in the box does not match what was on display and it is damaged to boot.  So that one goes back.  It seems they don't have the toilet on display but they have an American Standard that is similar.  So I purchase this one which the 100 dollar savings is now gone as it is actually more than the Kohler I usually buy but it will be easier to clean.  It also weighs a ton.  I go home with it and unpack it and notice it has a factory defect.  So back we go to Lowes again.  Now at this point my patience is wearing thin and so is Pam's so we buy the Kohler.  Long story short no problems it installs like a dream.  Moral of the story is sometimes it is best to stick with a product you know.

But back to the remodel.  Tile floors and grout get cleaned and new hardware is put up all around. Including new light switches (the rocker type) and outlets.  Granite countertops get sealed and caulking is removed and replaced throughout the whole bathroom.

Here you can see the sheet rock is all patched and painted.  Yes I do take that many supplements.

New more powerful Vent Fan

Shower floor has been tiled.

Next step is to put in the lower border tile, finish around the drain then comes the grout and final hardware trim out and this project will be finito.  Its about time.  Then I can start working outside.  Oh Boy!

More Later

Bruce and Pam

More On The Shower Project

It seems I don't work as fast as I used to.  We are now into the third week of my shower project.  The cement wall liner is in.  The waterproofing is in.  A lot of the tile is in. and part of the shower floor is in.  I decided to poor the shower floor near last as that way I would not be dropping mastic on it putting on the tiles and as without the floor it would be easier to keep a level on the tiles.

Here is the shower with cement board in and waterproofed.  I used a product called Redguard.  It goes on pink and dries a pretty dark red. The discoloration around the edges is the seam tape that I used.  I started out with a white fiberglass tape but it would not stick like it was supposed to so I switched to a green fiber glass tape which worked correctly.  The green under the red gives it the different color.

The slots left in the tile is where the corner shelves are going.  One soap dish is still taped up in this picture.  I used Gorilla tape to hold these in place while they dried.  For once a product lived up to its name.  This stuff holds like the dickens.  Why two soap dishes you ask?  We will my old age I have become a soap snob.  I like to keep several types in the shower and rotate them.  My favorites are the new Dial glycerin soaps.  Drives Pam nuts which is probably why I do it.

Here the floor is going in.  I am pouring in several sections as it is easier to get the levels for drainage correct and since we are mixing and carrying this in is buckets it is also easier to manage.  In the top picture you see I have now set the threshold.  Next the area left will be filled in about 2/3 of the way and in the last pour I will set the contours so it will drain correctly.  The floor tile will be the same as the accent bands on the walls.

While my floor is curing the 72 hours necessary before I can set tile I will be repainting the whole bathroom installing the second of the new ceiling vents and trimming out the new sheetrock.  When done only the bathtub, cabinet bases and floor tiles will remain.  Everything else in the bathroom will be redone.

Once Pam and I recover from this project the next big project is to get the carpet replaced in the Master and the Living Room.  With that our inside update will be complete.  We have never lived in a house as long as this one so this is new for us to have to update a home.  September will make 10 years at this address.  The interesting thing is that we bought this house intending to be here only about three or four years.  Just goes to show you never know.

More Later:

Bruce and Pam