9 months and counting....

And so it continues. The longest bathroom renovation on record, I believe. At least it is the longest in a house where humans live. I teeter on insanity and the disbelief that it will ever be done-- or that I will actually live long enough to see it actually completed, much less get to take a shower or brush my teeth in it. The tile guy started on May 18; he was supposed to be done in less than a week. Actually, he only "stopped" by on May 18. Apparently, the tile wasn't in and he had to wait for them to unload a truck to get it. So, he came the next day to work... but, alas, still no tile. However, he was kept busy scraping old paint off the molding that was going up around the windows and doors and then spent the next few days reinstalling all of it. I can't complain about that too much, I should have known that needed to be installed first. The next week, week #2, was spent waiting on more tile. Apparently not enough of the right tile was ordered and when the the additional tile came in, it was the wrong color (off-white vs. white= big difference). However, some tile did make it onto the walls. Week three involved laying the radiant heat flooring and then pouring a floor leveling compound that raised the height of the floor (pre-tile) to about an inch and a half ABOVE the concrete board. Considering that the concrete board was already sitting on the same level of finished wood flooring we were going to utilize in the hallway outside the bathroom, this inch and half was a huge shock and concern. The bathroom door will have to be cut down and we have somewhat of a "step" up into the bathroom. After a minor meltdown (stress and time taking their toll), the tile guy explained that he had to raise the middle of the floor up (the b/w field tile) to meet the height of the thicker granite for the border (nevermind that I had never actually wanted granite-- I had asked for black marble, but I was definitely not going to make a case for that now). So... once the concrete leveling compound dried, George (the tile guy) could now lay the tile. Doh! Not so quick! His saw was not working and so he had to cut the tile by hand-- thus ensuing more labor and more time. After cutting most of the tile, he laid it out on the floor and placed the black granite around it (as you'll see in the pictures). He spent most of last week laying the black granite (with a huge amount of mastic underneath)around the border of the room. However, that is where we stop-- right at the finish line. Week 5... has slowed to a halt. Apparently, all that is left is adhering the field tile (tile in the middle of the room) to the floor and grouting it (once it is dried)-- but it has been nearly a week since they have done any work here. I'd like to say "Calgon, take me away"... but since I need a bathroom for that, I can't even make those kinds of statements.  


Anyway, here are some pictures for you to see. I'm sure it looks like a lot of progress, but remember, you aren't living through it and it has been over NINE MONTHS! I'm just hoping we will be in before 10-- or at least soon after. We still have to order the marble countertop, get the plumbing hooked up and have the tub reglazed and about 10 other random things (paint, finish cabinet, etc., etc.).... like I said... I'm hoping to enjoy it before I die.

Bathroom Renovation

It has been awhile since our last post and we are now in the midst of a bathroom renovation.

Just to fill you in on the details; the pre-existing condition was arranged so that there was a closet just outside the bathroom and a small "hallway" that led to the bathroom door. The interior (as you'll see) had been "updated" from the original Victorian decor to a rather psychedelic '70's style. The original layout included only a bathtub (aside from the toilet and sink). So, we previously didn't rely on this bathroom to bathe.
The fact that we weren't used to using this bathroom for everyday activities has helped us to get through the renovation process with a little less pain. Still, we are very anxious to get it done.

The new bathroom design has included taking out the closet and original bathroom wall (adjacent to closet) and expanding it by about 3 feet. While this is not a huge addition, it does allow us to change the circulation and give more space to the bathroom without losing any in the back hallway. We also had a wall put in behind the tub to run plumbing for a shower and also had the plumbing roughed in for the attic. This will allow us to have another bathroom in the attic once/if we get that space finished. The electric has been installed and now we are waiting on dry wall and tile to finish up the job (not to mention re-installing the toilet and the sink). Check back for updates.