Bathroom Renovation pt. 3 (conclusion)

OK, so its practically done. We have some finishing work (a few tiles, some caulking) and a few small items still to purchase (like the toothbrush holder, etc) but for the most part, its done. And not a moment too soon. My folks are coming down in a few weeks for the first time in about a year, so we wanted to have it done for when they got here. And so, without further ado:












Lots of blood, sweat, tears, recriminations, finger pointing, blame laying and all that, but it's so worth it. I was trying to go for a modern hotel/spa look.
So, what do you think?

What do you think of the bathroom reno?
	Looks fantastic! Great job!
	Its an improvement, but not my style.
	Are you blind? That's some serious ugly going on there
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So frustrated I could cry

And no, oddly enough, its not TTC related.
We had to replace the shut-off valves under the sink, because they were too small for the lines from the faucet. Kinda bizarre, I thought that shit was standard, but no. So, we cannot finish the bathroom until that is done.
We had to turn off the main water line, and remove the old valves. Now, the new valves won't install properly. I don't get compression ring connections, I don't get how they work, so I can't help Rich. And he is getting frustrated as hell too, and no surprise there. He has been to the Depot about 4 times today. He's been trying to hook this up for ever.
I just want the goddamn thing done so we can put our house back in order. Its KILLING me.
If I ever write about wanting to do major renos again, please remind me how much misery this bathroom reno has gotten me.
F*ck.

This the reno that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends

I wish that we had undertaken this reno about 3 weeks from now, since that is when I will be in the thick of my 2ww. While the PMS combined with home improvement might have been enough to make me actually murder my husband, it sure would have killed the 2WW. The past 3 days have gone by in a blink.
Every time I think that we have overcome a huge challenge, another one comes around the bend. It's making me crazy.

• First, I thought, we'll never have the walls smooth enough to paint. Let me tell you, my standard dropped from "perfectly smooth" to "old house with character semi-smooth." Kinda like, venetian plaster, ya know?
• Then, I thought, this paint will never cover completely. And I hate to paint. Trimming in sucks (perfection level plummeted there too). But, Debbie Travis' paint ($27 a gallon at Canadian Tire) actually kinda covers like a dream. It's quality shit.
• Then I thought, this tile is never going to stick to the linoleum. Yes, we tiled over linoleum. But, so far, it's sure-as-stuck but good.
• Then, I thought, this grout is never going to go in (see post re: grout) but it did, and it looks good. Still have to wipe the haze of the tiles, but that will come.
• Then came the installation of the vanity. We had to measure and drill so many holes to first accommodate the drain pipe, and then the water supply lines. It was like a puzzle being fit together. I could see David Bowie laughing at me in the corner. [UPDATE: Perhaps the Labyrinth reference only makes sense to me. The thing is, getting this stuff done was like a series of challenges/puzzles/mazes that we had to work our way through, kinda like all the hoops that Jennifer Connelly had to jump through in Labyrinth, as David Bowie watched over her progress. At least I think thats how the movie went down] This resulted in the walls being barked quite viciously. Good thing I haven't even put away the paint yet.

And now, we install the sink top, and then the toilet. I am afeared that there isn't enough clearance between the edge of the bowl, and the edge of the vanity. This will prove to be another significant challenge, to be sure. At least Bowie has a pleasant Englishman's laugh...

Bathroom Renovation pt. 2

OK, this is it. This weekend is it. We have 4 days wide open, and we need to get this shit done. Here are some shots of the before. That wallpaper goes all the way to the ceiling. As in, ON the ceiling. This is the before we even moved in:



















We have some big plans for this space. Actually, not really. My style is pretty understated, and not too flashy. Not to mention, we plan on selling one day, and need it to be kinda neutral.
Check back here on Tuesday for updated shots. It might not be completely done (ie, staged) but the majority of it should be done. Walls painted, floor installed, toiled in, vanity installed, light fixtures installed. All that jazz.

I will be very disappointed in us if we don't get it done.

I think this is the sink cabinet we are going to go with at the moment (we changed our minds since the last bathroom reno post), but this other one is an option too.
















What do you think? I like the color of the darker on better, but I don't like that it has cut outs instead of handles. Its a tough decision.

Bathroom Renovation

So, when we bought this place about 3 years ago, our first priority was the kitchen. It was a freakin disaster. It was in the kind of shape that I imagine Mama Texas-Chainsaw- Massacre's kitchen was in. Not in the streaked- with-the-blood-of- innocents kind of disaster, just really badly maintained. I mean, she couldn't keep an immaculate modern appointed kitchen when she was busy helping her homicidal family kill the oversexed teenagers that wandered in their vicinity. Her priorities were skewed, if you ask me. At any rate, the kitchen took almost a year to finish completely. And to be honest, there is still some finishing that needs to be done. But, I have curtains up in there, decorative crap on top of the shelves, under-cabinet lighting, its not bad.
What you see here is the after, but I think (I hope) you already knew that. For my first home renovation, I am pretty darned happy with the way that it all turned out. And, for anyone thats ever wondered what the f*cking point of a blog is, well, it just got me to clean up my kitchen. It had to be clean for the after shots. So, Kitchen is done-ish. We've moved on to the bathroom now, in case you'd forgotten since we moved passed the title of this post.

After we did the kitchen, I told myself that any more majo renos would be done by a contractor. But, here we are 2 years and a bit later, and we are tackling the bathroom. Our original plan was to rip it all out to the studs and start over. Since we've decided to move though, we've scaled back the plan. We have a hideous mauve sink and tub. We can't really easily replace the tub, so we are going to have to drop what I think is way too much money to get bathfitters in here to cover it. Once that's done though, it really won't be that tough to do the rest. We've already taken out the toilet and the vanity. Rich is, at this very moment, sanding the walls and readying them for plastering. We have to cover them with drywall compound so they can be smooth again. They were covered in tiles. We only left tiles around the tub. They are a weird oyster color, so I won't find anything to match them, but I think I have worked out a new color scheme that should work. More on that later. Gotta love the mauve eh? The wall paper used to be a busy flowered pattern of mauve flowers on a white background. The ceiling was papered. Why... So, this is the before. And I'll be sure to post the Afters Later.

What do you think of the proposed color scheme? Thats the actual vanity we plan to buy.