Bathroom Update via i-phone

So, Studs kept me updated on all the bathroom progress while I was visiting my mom and family by sending me pictures via i-phone.

The first picture he sent was this one of the shower with comments like "what do you think...too bad it's already done".  I can't believe it's finally tiled and grouted.  Oh happy day!!!

Here's a close up of the luscious wood look tile and the grout Studs picked out all on his own.  I was a little concerned, what with him being color blind and all, but he did all right, no?

And finally, the pebble tile on the floor.  Here it is prior to grouting.

I was a little concerned about how obvious each individual tile was.

But after it was grouted, I had no more worries.  I think I'm in love...

Folks, we may have a fully functional bathroom by the end of next week.  Is this real life?  Someone pinch me. 

Quick lil bathroom update.

I just wanted to post the progress made on the bathroom yesterday really quick.  I was beyond excited when I saw that the concrete floor had been poured, because that's means very soon there will be tile on it... and then on top of it a beautful, long-awaited tub.

...and that tile was already going up on the shower walls.  Holy stinkin' cow I think I need a diaper, cause I'm so excited I might lose all bladder control. 

I've never been so happy to have to get up at 7:30a.m. on a quiet, summer morning only to listen to the soothing sounds of a tile saw for the next 9 hours.  It's music to my ears!

In other less exciting news, my cute, little mom took a nasty tumble yesterday and is in the hospital with a subdural hematoma {bleeding on the brain}, so I am off to southern Utah to spend time with her and my family.  I'll be back to post in a few days, hopefully.

Demo Day!

It has taken awhile for Studs and I to start demo-ing the bathroom.  Things have been crazy at work for Studly and he was hoping to be able to just pay someone to come in and finish the bathroom for us.  So we had someone come out and give us a bid for the entire bathroom renovation...demo, plumbing, tile etc.  But when the bid came in at over $7,000 we decided this project was going to be a DIY'er.  

We've tentatively scheduled a completion date for the beginning of April.  Fingers crossed we can do it.  Things could get pretty hairy {and smelly} around here with seven people trying to share one teeny, tiny bathroom.

Here's how everything looked right before we started demo.

 Note the disgusting, dirty grout.  I'm surprised none of us ended up with some sort of flesh in eating bacteria or other skin disease.

Studly took on the demo of the bathtub.

And I took on the demo of the shower and floors.

And the kids took on the role of getting in the way...they are actually kinda helping in this picture...kinda.

Eventually, the novelty of it all wore off and the kids resorted to the other thing they do best...making messes.

Here's what I encountered in the shower...

Lots and lots of mold!

 That's when I decided it was probably time for me to don...

protective gear.  

The jury is still out on what is more toxic...my morning breath or the black mold.  If you ever find yourself wondering how your breath REALLY, TRULY smells, just put on one of these respirators...you'll find out pretty quick.

Turns out my breath and black mold weren't the only dangers in the bathroom.  Tile removal can be quite bloody 

Yes, the wipes are there just for mopping up my bloody messes.

Eventually, I decided to don a pair of work gloves.  DUH!!!  But not until after receiving six, painful cuts all over my fingers.  They hurt even worse the day after.  

Studly continued on with his business of tearing out the tub, whilst I nursed my wounds and wiped up blood spatter.

 Aside from a leaking faucet, we encountered little trouble removing the tub and it's accompanying surround.

 Together, we tackled the job of taking down one of the shower walls.  And by together I mean, Studly ripped out drywall, while I documented progress with the camera.

The idea is to the install glass doors along this entire wall, thus creating a more open feel in the shower space and the entire bathroom as a whole.  It may seem a bit exhibitionist of us, but that's what bathroom doors are for, right? 

By afternoons end, we had successfully removed  a wall and ripped out a shower {except for the floor}

removed all of the disgusting, floor tile, along with it's accompanying disease-laden grout.

and removed a corner, garden tub along with it's accompanying surround.

Here's a reminder of the before.

Not too bad for a days work.  All we have left now is to remove the vanity, shower floor and toilet and we will be ready to start the fun part.

All said and done, we ended up saving ourselves over $1,000 {as per the quote we got} by opting to do the demo ourselves.  It was bloody, frusterating{at some points} and labor intensive, but boy did it feel good at the end of the day knowing how much we were able to accomplish and save.  

Sweat equity, or bloody equity in this case...it's a good thing!

Tip Of The Day:  Should you choose to take on a project similar this of demo-ing a space in your house, be sure to call someone and have a dumpster delivered PRIOR to starting, or your garage may end up looking like this.

It's the first thing on my to-do list tomorrow.

Kicking up the Cozy Factor

My mantle is finished...finally. I was able to hang Christmas stockings, and "deck the halls"...or mantle rather, in all kinds of holiday festiveness. I know, I know, I should have posted pics of the blessed event, but my house was still in total and complete disarray...which brings me to the why I'm posting today.

After the mantle was done, it occured to me that it might look even better flanked by a set of chunky shelves. Coincidentally, Studly had a nice, sturdy pair collecting dust in his office. I thought they would be perfect. In my mind I was envisioning a built in look, only at a fraction of the cost...or hassle.

So, a few days prior to Christmas, Studs and I decided to lug the beasts into the family room so we could see what they would look like in their potential new home. There was quite a bit of, arguing...err discussion that took place regarding the necessity of "cluttering" up the walls, and "overshadowing" of the mantle, yada yada yada. So, we decided to leave it alone and see how we felt about it after a couple of days. And of course, hubs couldn't deny the fact that the shelves definately added to the ambience of the room {even if it meant giving up all of his storage space}. I didn't say anything to him at the time, but he never reads my blog so I'll say it now...I told ya so. Wanna see how the mantle looks with it's two new friends?

In my opinion, they ought to be painted white to match the mantle, but even still, I really like the way everything is looking. The mantle definately added warmth to the room, but adding the shelves into the mix kicked up the "cozy' factor exponentially in my opinion. And I have to say that I am pretty giddy about having oodles and oodles of shelf space to accessorize. I can hardly wait for the tchotchke hunting to begin.

So, what is the moral of this post? Well first, be careful when trying to take away a man's shelf/storage space. Apparently they get extremely attached. And secondly, if you want to add some coziness to your home... just add shelves.

I've still got several projects to complete before I can call the room finished...painting the walls and shelves to name a few, but I'll be sure to keep posting progress pics for those of you who care. I've also got several other projects in the pipeline that I'd like to get to before next Christmas, so check back soon.

Fireplace Remodel

A few weeks back, just before Thanksgiving, Studly and I started on a new project. It has been very slow going due to the holidays and other unexpected events. But, this past week we were finally able to buckle down and make some progress.

I was able to convince Studly that our house just wasn't a home without a proper mantle above the fireplace {I firmly believe that every home should have a mantle...it's is a women's right to have a mantle for decorting at her will and with the changing season's}. I have waited three years to have a mantle and finally decided to plead my case. And, it appears that Studly bought it {telling him he could get new speakers for the surround sound may have helped seal the deal, but whatevs}.

One would think that adding a mantle to an existing fireplace would be no biggie, right? But one thing I've learned since moving into our money pit is that no job is ever as easy as it seems.

Allow me to show you the before pic of the fireplace...get your barf bag ready.

This is a picture from when we moved in three years ago. Allow me to point out that the fireplace insert is not even centered on the wall. You might also take note of the awesome, lone halogen light above.

The first job was to center the fireplace on the wall {we want to be able to add built in shelves, or even premade shelves on either side eventually. It just wouldn't look right if the walls on either side were different sizes}.

We also soon realized that if we wanted to add a wood surround and mantle to the fireplace, we were going to have to drop the insert down as well...otherwise I'd have to whip out a ladder every time I wanted to change the decorations...or dust it for that matter.

So, that's we did.

We started by removing the drywall.

Then we removed the fireplace insert {this included disconnecting the gas and electrical lines, and detatching it from the exhaust pipes. Admittedly, this was the biggest hassle of the project...at least so far}.

Once the insert was removed we cut out all of the framing that once held the fireplace and built new supports and framing that were centered and lower on the wall. Then we replaced the insert.

Then we replace the drywall and added some tile around the insert.

We chose a neutral, natural stone. I know it's not very innovative, but I am always thinking resale when I do renovations. What I've learned is that the masses prefer something that is good quality {which is why we chose a natural marble tile rather than porcelain or brick} and something that is not too trendy {mosaic tile, colored tile etc.}

The plan is to finish the grouting tonight, so that we can {fingers crossed} begin constructing the wood surround and mantle this weekend. I just might get to hang Christmas socks by the fireplace after all this year. Merry Christmas to me.

Thus far, we have spent just under $200 for all of the materials and tools needed for the project {half of that was just for the tile, which we bought extra off, so it'll probably end up being closer to $175}.

Hopefully, this weekend I'll have pics of the completed project ready to share. Just in case you are curious, here is the inspiration pic for the mantle and surround we are going to make {from scratch...wish us luck}.

Oh, and one more thing, I have procured a butt load of wood pallets for my next big project, but I probably won't start on it until this project is done. I fear that if I did, Studly might say he's running out to Home Depot for supplies and never come home. Stay tuned. It's gonna be flippin' awesome.