Decisions...

March 15, 2008
Yet another work day on the bathroom has been completed. Hubby continued working on the insulation and siding while Gary completed the soffit work. Now for the decision about roofing (will the decisions ever end? I am beginning to wonder!) Anyway, because we were unable to match our current shingles exactly we have decided to go with a tin roof on the addition. Since it is a very small section of roof that is not very noticeable from the front of the house we thought that a tin roof would be a good idea. We hope to someday do the rest of the roof in this manner so this section will be done already. As with everything else I believed the only choice to be made was color-wrong again! There must be half a dozen different types of metal roof styles. Luckily hubby made that choice so all I had to do was choose a color. This, believe it or not, was one of the easiest choices. As much as I like the green roof I went with something more in keeping with our current roof, charcoal grey. And so that will be ordered (soon I hope).
On a more expensive note, mom called me from the antique mall today because she found a beautiful old mirror that would work well as a full length mirror in the bathroom. Of course I told her to go ahead and buy it-after all, it’s just money, right?

· Labor payment to Greg-$300
· Large antique mirror-$150

March 16, 2008
Hubby continued to work on the insulation today. He will call the building inspector tomorrow to set up the inspection date. Now, I would very much like to paint the walls over spring break; however, the sheet rock has not even been ordered yet. When I mentioned my plans last week to Gary and hubby about painting over spring break the response was quick and decisive-‘No problem’. Spring break starts this Good Friday and the last word on this subject from Gary was advice to hubby (Saturday) to NOT get the sheet rock until the roofing was done in case of leaks. The roof color was just selected yesterday, it has yet to be ordered, more or less delivered or ready to be installed, but the walls will be up and ready to paint by this Friday? Do these guys even think about what they are saying? I think not!
Beep, Beep, Beep goes the bus!

Progress...

March 1, 2008
Pauly and hubby worked on the bathroom again today. Pauly ran more of the plumbing while hubby worked on the siding. The only thing left at this point is to put up the insulation and then get it inspected so that the interior work can begin.

March 7, 2008
Hubby drove to Pooler, GA today to get the siding.

March 8, 2008
Hubby and Pauly worked for a few hours on the bathroom today. Pauly finished up the plumbing work and tested it-it works. He and hubby also put up some of the insulation. It is my understanding that there were no major injuries although I heard a few crashes.

March 11, 2008
Hubby came home from work and put up more of the insulation. The insulation is almost complete.

March 12, 2008
Gary came out and worked yesterday on the soffits and the dryer vent. He was able to complete one side and will be out tomorrow to do more.
· Paid for Gary’s services: $140
· Siding supplies: $160


March 13, 2008
Gary worked again all day today and completed most of the soffit work. Hubby in turn came home and has most of the front side sided. He sustained a minor injury when he hit his hand with the hammer but nothing of significance. The inspector will be called today and will hopefully pass us tomorrow (Friday) or on Monday.
As for the living room, we now have the cabinet that we purchased sitting in the walkway between it and the dining room. The only thing we need now is a toilet and we will have a full bathroom in the living room! The question now is this-will the bathroom be complete before the rest of the house is filled with bathroom supplies? It makes one wonder, after all, how all of this ‘bathroom stuff’ that is currently stored in the spare bedroom, library, and living room is going to actually fit in the ‘walk-in closet sized’ bathroom. Hmmm…perhaps there will be a yard sale or should I say ‘bath sale’ in our future. I would like to say our ‘near’ future but I dare not show my optimism for fear that it may come back to haunt me!

On and on we go...

February 16, 2008
I arrived home after a week in Alexandria, Va to find that hubby had built the foundation for the platform and filled the hole in the area below the pedestal sink with concrete. Things are a movin’ and a groovin’!

February 17, 2008
After church hubby and Pauly got to work. This was probably the messiest and loudest part of the construction so far as they had to cut concrete for the bathtub plumbing (after all, it’s all about the tub!). Aside from some minor injuries (Pauly banged his hand and a significant asthma attack on hubby’s part) all seemed to go well. However, the dust factor was something of a problem. Never have I ever seen a cloud of dust so thick and so suffocating! This job took over an hour but when the dust finally settled (which took several hours) the plumbing for the tub was complete. Pauly made the statement that we were in the home stretch of completion now. I reminded him that I was a bit skeptical on this subject. I went on to say that I was amazed that on HGTV they finish projects like this in two days to which he responded that not only that but they have commercial breaks as well. (Now mind you, I haven’t been behind the wheel of the bus for over a week). My response was that hubby is always on a commercial break. Hubby responded with a very simple yet profound, ‘beep, beep, beep’.

February 25, 2008
It was something of a slow weekend for the bathroom work. Hubby was out of town and Pauly had another job on Saturday. Despite its sitting in the middle of the living room floor the tub is actually being utilized as a toy box, or should I say ‘tub box’, for the cat and dog toys. It works very well for this as the dogs won’t jump into the tub to get the cat toys (show me a dog that willingly jumps into a bathtub!) or the dog toys that are in need of some repair before being played with again. Of course, Kramer has no problem jumping into the tub and pulling out his cat toys. He’s pretty good at it. He jumps onto the edge of the tub and surveys all of the toys below before swooping down, grabbing one, and taking it outside of the tub for play. He can actually walk around on the edge of the tub while he spies the toys within.
Last night I decided to sit in the tub and read. I stuffed a few pillows and a blanket in there, curled up with a glass of wine, and began reading. Kramer seemed quite interested in this. Obviously I had removed all of the toys from the tub before I climbed in. It’s really a very comfortable place to read-even without the water. Anyway, I noticed Kramer’s fascination with my being in the tub so I grabbed his fishing pole toy and began to whirl it around the outside base of the tub. He thought this was great fun and began to run around the tub at full speed chasing the fish at the end of the pole. So if you can picture it, I am in the tub with a glass of wine, a book, and a fish-on-the-pole cat toy while the cat is running in circles full speed around the tub chasing it. Now you’ve got the idea! Other than that there is not much else to report. The shingles and siding are still not here (so much for the ‘it only takes a day to get it’). One would think that white vinyl siding would be pretty straightforward but apparently not. There are different grades of white and different fake wood textures. Nothing is simple, not even white vinyl siding. And so I suppose the hold-up in the siding delivery is that they are trying to match the siding exactly.

February 29, 2008
Well there is no sign of the siding or shingles that were ordered and there are more excuses for this delay than there are bubbles in a bathtub so hubby has started shopping at a home improvement store for these things. In addition, we are looking for a quiet fan vent for the bathroom. Hubby had to special order the new dryer vent to fit under the eaves of the addition which arrived a couple of days ago.
On a lighter note, Joan’s daughter is selling things for a fundraiser at school. I paged through the catalogs looking for something inexpensive and found a darling ceramic claw foot tub that held bath oils and such. I figured it would look cute sitting in the bathroom. Then I decided that perhaps we should start a poll to see which would happen first, the completion of the bathroom or the arrival of the ceramic bathtub. Hmmm. I bet I know the answer…beep, beep, beep goes the bus.

An en'lightening' experience and new discoveries!

February 6, 2008
Hubby spoke with our friend (an electrician) about the wiring for the bathroom. He will be out Thursday to look at the layout. Now I have to decide where all of the fixtures will go. We will be adding some switches and outlets too. Also, hubby finally ordered the shingles and the siding on Tuesday.

Yay!

February 7, 2008
Our electrician came to look at the bathroom to see how to wire it. After some discussion it was decided that the chandelier would hang in the center of the old bathroom section, sconces would be on each side of the mirror over the sink, and the other two sconces would be on either side of the center window in the new addition. The outlet in the main section will be moved and a double switch and two outlets will be added to the new section. He is supposed to come out tomorrow to do all of the wiring.
On Monday night Gary offered to help hubby with the siding and shingles which was greatly appreciated. With all of this help we are bound to get this project going!

February 8, 2008
Friday afternoon our electrician came to the house to wire the bathroom for electrical sockets, light switches, and the sconces. He worked hard and got much accomplished including cleaning up the work area when he was done. This amazed me as it was cleaner than when he arrived! He will be out tomorrow to finish most of the job.

February 9, 2008
Electrician arrived early to complete most of the wiring. Now we need to purchase the fan vent so that he can finish up that part. He installed the box for the chandelier where the old fan vent was located. Because there is a large hole in the ceiling we will have to purchase a medallion to cover it. So much for my creative idea to use antique picture frames as the medallions.
On a side note, while the electrician was going up into the attic to work (attic access is in the hallway) he noticed that both of our hallway light fixtures were askew. I explained that hubby had installed those but in his defense they were installed correctly. However, being constantly wacked with ladders or ironing boards tends to make them hang funny (woooosh goes the bus!). He told me that he would come back another day to fix them for me. When hubby got home from Bible study I told him about our electrician friend offering to fix the hall lights. Hubby took it all in good humor and then asked if he could also fix the ceiling fan in the living room. (I’m thinking, ceiling fan? What’s wrong with the ceiling fan?) Hubby proceeded to tell us that he had to ‘rig’ the light fixture part when installing it and when the fan is on high that the light fixture turns with it. Ughhhh!!! At that point, being the new project manager, I fired hubby for all future electrical endeavors and made our friend my new ‘official electrician’. He accepted. OK, enough of the off-task conversations and back to the bathroom.
A short time later Gary and Pauly arrived. All were introduced to each other (our electrician friend introduced himself as ‘Kim’s electrician’) and the work continued. When Pauly first came in I apologized for not having called him during the week. I was glad that hubby had gotten in touch with him to which Pauly responded that no one had called. He just decided to come over and work. This is why I have made him the assistant project manager! Works hard, works fast, and comes without being called-that’s a pretty good resume!
Then there was another decision to be made! The platform layout and shape needed to be decided upon before they could go any further (funny, I thought this was already taken care of but apparently not). After a very lengthy discussion the original plan of building the platform from the new opening of the bathroom was changed to just inside of the new section so that it would blend in better (you kinda have to see it to understand).
I left to go downtown and told Pauly to make sure that hubby and Gary worked hard and that he (Pauly) was in charge.
When I arrived home a few hours later the plumbing for the pedestal sink was complete although some changes were necessary there too. Because of the new platform layout the plumbing would have to run through the ceiling instead of under the platform for the sink which was already completed by the time I arrived home. The header was complete, the room opening finished, and the fan vent re-routed. Not bad for a Saturday! It’s amazing how much work can get done with four men led by a female project manager (heehee)!
While I was out I found a few more things for the bathroom to add to the long list of items piling up around the house:
· Small oriental rug on clearance $12
· Small crystal clock (so that I don’t soak too long) $6.95

Mom and grandma went to the antique mall (you know what’s coming don’t you?) and found a lovely old mirror for over the pedestal sink for $45.

And the price tag rises...

February 2, 2008
Hubby got home from his Bible study and began immediately to work on removing the bathroom wall. As Hubby started removing parts of the wall it gave us the first glimpse of the bathroom as a whole room. I needed to go downtown but hubby asked me to wait until Pauly got there so I could tell him about the new vanity placement. I told him that I didn’t need to be there and for him to ASK Pauly if it would work. I then left to go downtown. When I arrived home a few hours later I was amazed. Not only was the wall completely removed but the toilet and vanity were also gone and Pauly had re-plumbed for the new vanity location. The bathroom looked so spacious and roomy! (Keep in mind that there were no fixtures in there which may have contributed to its roomy appearance). The guys then asked me how far from the new wall opening I wanted the vanity to be placed. As we were discussing this it hit me that the toilet appeared as if it were almost directly across from the vanity (the vanity is 36” wide and 18” deep). I questioned them on this point. With puzzled looks they began to measure. As it turns out there was very little space to walk between the vanity and the toilet. This was fine for little me but anyone bigger would have to turn sideways to walk between the two fixtures. Mind you this wasn’t a minor glitch-this was a full blown dilemma! Hubby said that I was the one that wanted the vanity moved to which I responded that I wanted him to ASK if it would work there. He asked alright but followed it with a ‘she wants it moved over here’. After an hour of discussion as to how to address the situation (and a small tantrum or two on my part) the solutions were evident but not necessarily desirable.
1. Place the vanity in the new locale and walk past it carefully so as not to run into it (and gain no weight or I’d be crawling over the toilet to get to the tub).
2. Turn the toilet to the side and build a half wall behind it to hide the plumbing and place the china cabinet on the other side of the half wall.
2 ¾ . Drink heavily and throw a fit.
3. Put the plumbing and the vanity back in its original location and place the china cabinet across from the toilet.
Number ‘3’ continued to present a problem in that the china cabinet placed across from the toilet would create the same small passageway (yes the china cabinet is somewhat necessary as this is providing additional storage). Another idea was to move the toilet to the old vanity location which would require the cement floor being cut up. Another problem with this idea was that the toilet would be the first image one saw upon entering the bathroom (where this might be acceptable to men it was a less than ideal situation for a woman). By now I was too tired to think, not to mention extremely frustrated. We all decided that after church the next day we would meet at the shop, bring the vanity home, and try arranging things to determine what would work best. I called mom later to get her input about the vanity situation. She wasn’t thrilled with either solution and suggested returning the vanity to its original placement (so much for the new arrangement). This also meant that the china cabinet would probably not be used requiring Darryl to custom build cabinets for storage purposes. And so ends another day in the bathtub saga!

February 3, 2008
By golly I’ve got it!!! Scrap the vanity and install a pedestal sink instead! After all, it’s just money! The vanity was going to provide very little storage once converted to hide plumbing, not to mention it was purchased before the bathroom addition idea came about (remember initially we were just going to re-tile the floor and add the 1950’s Victorian style dresser-converted-to-a-vanity with a new sink but then we found out we could add-on and have a claw foot tub too. Seems like months ago doesn’t it? Oh that’s right-it was months ago!) Yes, I’m drinking caffeine while I write this! This solution seemed the most viable as it solved all of the dilemmas from the previous workday. The pedestal sink would be installed in the new location with plenty of room between it and the toilet, and the china cabinet would be placed to the right of the toilet (where the vanity used to be) providing a lovely first impression when entering the bathroom. I would sell the dresser that was going to be used as the vanity in the shop and recoup our money. Problem solved!

But wait, there’s more.

We went to a home improvement chain store after church to purchase the pedestal sink. Several different styles and sizes of sinks lined the shelves. By now you know me well enough to know that I was drawn to the very expensive Kohler sink ($230). However, I continued looking and found a comparable looking off-name brand sink for a fraction of the cost ($95). I asked the salesman for assistance in purchasing the sink just to be told that almost all of the pedestal sinks were sold out. I was only interested in two of the sinks-the expensive Kohler and the affordable off-name brand. Guess which of the two sinks was sold out? Yup-the bargain priced off-name brand sink! Hmmm. Guess the Kohler it is!

· Kohler sink-$230
· Kohler pedestal base (yes you have to pay extra for the blooming base!)-$100
Oh stop all that gasping! I know it’s a lot of money but it is a very good sink. It is about quality, is it not?

But wait, there’s more.

The faucet we purchased a few years ago (still in the box waiting for hubby to install it in the old vanity-beep, beep, beep-that’s the sound of the bus backing over hubby as I write this) is a one piece unit that worked well for the old vanity and what was going to be the new vanity. Unfortunately pedestal sinks don’t take one piece faucet sets-they need split sets. Ok, not a big problem-we’ll look at the faucets. The first one that I liked was a whopping big $188! Let’s try this again. Next I found a beautiful Victorian style split faucet in the nickel finish (tub fixtures are nickel). The best part was that it was on sale for $98! WooHoo! Finally a bargain! We searched all of the shelves for this faucet but could not find it. We asked the salesman about it and he informed us that not only were they sold out but the faucet was discontinued. The search resumed. Alas, after looking at several faucets (including the special order one that hubby liked for $315) we decided on the $188 faucet that I liked originally. In addition to all of this I needed a new toilet paper dispenser ($24), a new toilet seat ($11.98), and a nickel finished toilet bowl handle ($19.98). Ironically I thought that the whole pedestal sink shopping spree would only cost a couple of hundred dollars (stop laughing-it’s not funny! Well, yeah, I guess it is kinda funny).
We arrived home to find Pauly waiting. He and hubby fitted the last window opening and did some more plumbing work.
On the brighter side, since Pauly started helping us there has been more accomplished on the bathroom in two days then there had been in the past month (Oops there goes that blasted bus again!). Pauly is a work horse and never stopped-he just kept on working. Hubby even seemed to work faster with Pauly there. I should have taken over as project manager months ago! Maybe if I had I would be soaking in a tub by now!
After they had finished for the day Pauly recommended a contractor friend from his church to install the siding and shingles (Hubby was going to do this but at this point I am trying to save some time). Pauly also offered to help hubby with the sheetrock installation and suggested his brother-in-law to do the dry walling. I liked the idea and told him to give my number to his friend so I could get an estimate. I noticed hubby looking at me with concern on his face (or maybe it was fear-you know wanting to say ‘but dear, I can do all of that for free’ but too afraid to see the reaction of the wicked wife/project manager standing before him-not to mention fear of the darn bus that she’s driving). Being the new project manager all decisions are mine and they are final (no negotiating!). I intend to get this project finished and pay whoever is willing to help me (except for hubby-he’s been paying since he married me).
Did I mention that the new pedestal sink is also being stored in the living room since the library and the spare bedroom are full? I guess that means that we currently have a living room/bathroom combo.