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

More Progress on Shower

Well it has now been a week since I began the renovation of our Master Shower.  Quite a bit of progress has been made.  The carpentry is done.  I finished the plumbing on Thursday.  Due to some unusual choices by the builder the plumbing on this turned out to be a little more involved than I hoped.  But after a trip to Home Depot to confir with a retired plumber there I did get it done.  Maybe not as elegant as I would have liked but it should be stable and moved the plumbing back insde the wall where it needed to be.

I finally got the old shower pan out.

New framing with lower ceiling

Some interesting plumbing the pipe has been moved close enough to the floor for the shower bed to cover it.  Much cussing and discussing involved in this move.  I don't really like to do plumbing and this was a bit like a jig saw puzzle but in the end no leaks and the faucets all work correctly.

The Tile Backer board going in and you can see the can lights are in

And on a lighter note.  Smokey decided he needed a time out recently.  He sat like this facing the wall for quite a while.  We never found out what he was doing penance for.

More Later:

Bruce and Pam

New Year New Projects

Well the new year is underway and so are some new projects.  The first and biggest for the moment is the completion of our Master Bath remodel.  We had put in new counter tops in November.  Now I am tearing out the old shower and replacing it with a new larger shower.  I am also replacing the vent fans in the bathroom.  The builder of course used the cheapest you can find.  I am replacing with new larger and much quieter fans.

Now I seem to have a problem with before pictures.  My problem is that at the start of a project I am so focused on getting the old taken out that I forget to document it.  So here is the shower removed.

There was a void behind the shower that is going to let me make it much larger.  Larger is good as I will now not need glass doors.  Everyone knows that glass is a pain to keep clean in the shower.

I am also dropping the ceiling to I can put lighting in the shower.  I will be pouring a new bed for the shower instead of using a fiberglass pan.  Once I finish the electrical I will be using Hardy Board for my tile backer and moving the plumbing.  We haven't made our final decision on the tile yet and will probably do that after I have all the infrastructure in place.  Luckily I can do all the work myself.  I expect this to take about two weeks.  The I will repaint the bathroom and install the other new vent fan.  End result is that a 6-7 thousand dollar bath renovation should have run us about 2200.  The best part is we will have a new larger shower that should be much easier to keep clean.

On another note we were dog sitting for our Son and Daughter in law last week.  Sophie appropriated our cat Blaze's window seat.

Blaze was not a happy cat. By the third day he had enough of sharing and in an unusual move for a fairly laid back and gentle cat ran Sophie out of his spot.

Finally I found this picture on the net and couldn't resist.  Take a close look at this cat's back

Hope you are having a great week!

More later.

Bruce and Pam

Happy New Year 2012

Well it looks like the new year arrived whether we were ready or not.  Pam and I both slept right through it.  Not night owls to begin with and neither liking large crowds we ushered in the new year as we have most for the last 36 years, at home.

Hopefully the new year finds you all well and happy.  Lets hope 2012 will be a memorable year for all the right reasons.

Bruce and Pam

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Our best wishes for you and your family.

Bruce and Pam

Christmas 2011

All the decorations are done.  I added a snowman and a Mrs Santa to our yard ornaments this year.  Had thought about more but between my knee problems and a cold that just wouldn't go away that is all I got done.

Here is the snowman.

Mr. and Mrs. Santa

Pam does the tree.

Luckily we have had a pretty wet December and we needed it with the drought we have had the last year.  We are scheduled for more on Monday the 19th.  We still need about 18 inches to catch up to normal levels in the lakes.

If you want to check in my my carvings go to www.bruceandpamsspot.blogspot.com

Here is the link to my ETSY shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/brucecurran.  Shop name is Laughing Cat Woodcarving.

The shop is named after my cat Blaze that likes to supervise my work.  Here is  checking on me taking a picture of one of my carvings.  Blaze appears to have a smile stuck on his face and likes to walk around the house meowing for no particular reason.  So Pam and I have decided he is laughing.  Therefore Laughing Cat (weren't you just dying to know?).

Here are a few of the Santas I carved this year getting their finishing touches.

Pam and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a great New Year.

Bruce and Pam