Bead Board is Happening and a Mystery

Day 10

I was gone pretty much all day yesterday (I will not tell you where I was as that may incriminate me), so I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and found the bead board up and ready to go.  Yeah.  Unfortunately, the plumbers will have to move a pipe down a little in order for the vanity/sink to go in, but they will be here on Tuesday anyway.  This just means a lot of work for our guy from Bettendorf Home Repair that day if he intends to finish up.

You can still sort of see Nemo if you squint just right.

Love me some bead board!

The currently topless vanity (hey!  this is a family joint).  The plumbers will have to move a pipe a bit down the wall so that it can be connected properly.

Now for the mystery part.  While I was in the Batcave yesterday, I heard one of the kitties making a loud noise.  I couldn't see what they were doing, but figured it was simply a super noisy litter box break since said stinky box is currently in the upstairs bathroom.  Yeah.  That wasn't quite it.

This is the picture of a very cool ornament that I made using book paper, watercolor and polyfill.  Note that it isn't even finished.  No hanging ribbon yet.

And this is now the back of said ornament explaining the noise that I heard.  I wish I knew who had done this so I could scold them in a proper manner.

A better view for you to see the actual kitty damage done to my masterpiece.  There will be no effort at repair.  And yes, that is Olympic Swimming on my TV.  You can take the swim kids away from the mom, but you can't take the swim love away!

Two More Days Left!

Day 9

Well, we are coming down to it now.  The tile work is complete and we are going to be ready for the walls, fixtures and final plumbing on Monday and Tuesday.  Projection for the work to be complete is Tuesday.  Keep your fingers crossed.  We are having overnight company on Wednesday, so a working bathroom on the first floor would be a plus, don't you think?

I couldn't be more pleased with the tile and grout.  Believe me when I say that a lot of work and effort went into all of those pieces.  The floor went very quickly and looks completely amazing.  I love that it is shiny.  But then, I am into shiny things.

The big hole in the wall was the built in medicine cabinet that will be rebuilt using some bead board.  And wait until you see the mirror that will go above the sink.  Oh my word!

Update:  The spots on my pics are not my dirty lense.  Heavy sigh.  Luckily, my husband and Swim Girl are smarter than the average bears and they purchased the super duper warranty from Best Buy.  My reputation for destruction proceeds me.  I will put up with the marks and turn my baby in when I return from my next travel adventure.  I will miss my little girl.  Luckily, I have a great little p/s Panasonic with a Leica lense here at the house.  I was going to offer it to Computer Boy to use in AK, but not any more.  I cannot go without a camera for that long.

Look at that.  All ready for my new comfort height toilet.  Yeehaw.

Originally the guy doing all of this hard work was going to lay the decorative tile right above the shelf, but I convinced him that it would look way cool above it a couple of inches.  He agreed to it and after much discussion
and drawing on the walls, we came up with a plan.  

All grout, all the time

Oh no.  There is a big hole in my wall.  

The cute little testers.  I will use the rejects in some art work.

I am not sure if this translates well, but I chose White Sapphire.  It really looks nice with the glass
tiles and the linens.

This will be the toothpaste/toothbrush container.  I painted the lid red, but the jar is still wet so...
You can't see it, but I did a bit of an ombre effect with the paint by adding more white to the yellow as I painted
up the glass.  According to the directions on this paint (Martha Stewart from Michael's) it will take 21 days to cure.  I guess we will use the counter until then.  I may do something similar for the lotion and soap.  I will see what I can find in New York and go from there.  I can get jars with lids/dispensers from Etsy so I may make my own.

A Grouting We Will Go

We have a floor and grout!  The day was spent setting the floor tiles (!) and grouting the shower.  I was in love with the shower before, but now it really looks cool.  The glass tiles really pop with that white grout.

We were also able to pick three cards with colors for the walls.  They would all be good, but our brilliant Project Manager from Bettendorf Home Repair suggested that I go get the sample bottles and test them out on the wall!  You see, this is why he makes the big bucks.  I had completely forgotten that they make those.  I ran out yesterday evening and got them, so we shall see.  I must pick paint today.  Wish me luck.

I heard from Computer Boy and he is amenable to visiting the Restoration Hardware near him on Broadway.  Knowing that we also have to do some shopping at the REI store in Soho for clothing for his trip to visit Alaska Girl, he had an interesting reply: (I have reproduced this exactly as written)

"ok but thats it.  one more store and this turns into a spree"

A challenge.  I love it.

I know.  I need to clean my lens cover.  Actually, the whole camera is filthy with the dust from the Canyon.
I will be sending it in after I get back from the East Coast.

Seriously, I am so psyched about the floor.  Skittles enjoyed playing with the spacers.   Bad kitty!

Shower Tile is Complete!

Day 7

Our shower tile is in place and ready for grout!  It took a while, but all of the tile is in except for a couple of tiny pieces that will be added after the floor is done.  There was a slight hiccup as we needed one more glass tile and our Home Depot didn't have any more (naturally).  Well, it was a gorgeous day for a drive anyway!  A trip up the river to a different store yielded the missing tile and all was well.  Please note that the cement board is down and ready to receive the floor.  I believe that Skittles approves!  Oh, and the fan is operational and will actually draw air!  The insulation is in and there is just a little caulking to do on the outside.  Progress is a beautiful thing!

The best news of all?  The linens arrived.  They are going to be perfect.  Of course, I need to order more, but after a quick search on Restoration Hardware's website I found a store very close to Computer Boy near the Brooklyn Bridge, so I have already sent him the link to let him know I want to go.  After all, I am going to REI Soho with him so...

Since I won't be flying home, I will be able to purchase what I need as long as they have it in stock.  Yeah!  It's a long way to go for some bath linens, but what the heck.  I will live dangerously!  Plus, I love that store and I think there may be a storage unit that he would like for his apartment.  

Stay tuned for tomorrow's results.  And then the plan for Friday is paint, bead board and beyond.

Our soon to be amazingly gorgeous shower.  

I love the finish work on the side!

I watched him cut this curved piece.  It is quite a process.

Nearly There

Day 6 brought lots of progress on the shower, fan and ceiling.  We found out early on that the ceiling would have to be redone.  Heavy sigh.  The drywall guys came in today and scraped off the existing texture, applied new mud and then new texture for a more modern look.  I love it and can't wait for it to get some paint.  Right now it is white, but soon it will be the same color as the upper walls.
Our guy from Bettendorf Home Repair was able to keep working outside on the fan venting while the drywall guys were here.  There will be a bit more work to do in the morning and then the fan will be vented!  Yeah.  This is starting to come together.
Late this evening I noticed my home phone was flashing.  Yup, it was the project manager wanting to know about paint.  Oops.  I will have to check and see when that order is coming.

It is a little hard to see the texture of the ceiling on the before picture, but you will get the general idea.

Corner shelves!

Looks so neat and tidy on the outside.  He still has a bit to do to waterproof it all, but I am pleased.

Tiling Away!

After a day off of reno on Friday, it was back to work on Monday.  The objective was to finish up the tiling of the shower.  But, who knew that bull nose tile would be so hard to cut on a 45 degree angle?  Apparently, it is a pretty tricky endeavor.  I know that it took extra time, but I love the result.  Too bad he couldn't just tell me that it couldn't be done.  Maybe I would have gotten that glass block window after all!

Regardless of the time it took, the results speak for themselves.  I don't mind those kind of delays when it means that the work is being done properly.  Love Bettendorf Home Repair!

Here is the culprit.  It's a 17 year old vinyl replacement window that we really wanted replaced with glass block.  However, that was one of the cuts to keep the budget more in line.  Maybe some day.

The 45 degree cuts that took lots of patience and effort.

But look at the results!

I cannot wait to see the tile all finished!  The two lines of glass tile look amazing.  The rectangular openings on the right are where the ceramic shelves will go.  Exciting.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Shower

Hello!  I cannot tell you how excited I am getting.  The tile is going up in our new shower and I love it.  It is 6x8" white subway tile, staggered, with some glass tile accents.  I spent some time with the guy doing the work first thing and we kind of mapped out how it would all go.  There will be two ceramic shelves in the back corner and a towel bar on that back wall.  So cool.  He got quite a bit done and should finish it up on Monday.  I love Bettendorf Home Repair.  They have just been so wonderful with any questions, ideas, etc. that I have put out there.  The only down side was the check I had to write yesterday.  Oh well.  It is payment for work done!  Enjoy the pics.

I love the glass accent tile!

Oh yeah.  Getting there.

Order update:
I never got my email confirmation from Restoration Hardware, so I gave them a call.  My order didn't go through for some reason, even though I got the page that said, "Print this page."  I never print because I always just wait for the email.  I had to re-order over the phone and then pay extra for express delivery because I need that shower curtain so that I can pick paint.  They did, however, manage to email me that they were happy to reactivate my email acct with them.  Hmmm.  Apparently that was the only part of my order that went through.  How odd.

What's That Red Stuff?

Day 3

I had to ask that question.  It is actually a type of rubberized, waterproofing material that they paint on over the special waterproof wall board.  I promise, this is not the color of our new bathroom.  Although...I am tempted!

The shower will be mainly 6 x 8 inch subway tile with two strips of the decorative glass tile.  One row will run below the window and the other in the upper third of the window area.  There will be 2 ceramic corner shelves in the right corner and a towel bar on the back right wall.  The guy doing the work graciously spent some time with me this morning plotting this out so that I would be happy.  Thanks, Bryan.

I finally decided on a shower curtain.  For those of you who don't know, I have been agonizing over this for more than a month.  We need an extra long (72" x 84") and while that is easily acquired in a liner, not so much in the actual curtain.  I had my mind set on a bold print, but nothing struck me that was the correct size.  Everything really cute was too small.  Wait, where have I heard that before...?

While I was in STL,  all of us girls had appointments for our nails.  Since I had to wait for mine, I popped into The Fabric Nosherie in good old Webster Groves.  What an adorable place and the nicest people!  They let me order some fabric swatches for a custom made curtain and after a couple of phone calls and a lot of work on their part, the swatches arrived.  I love the fabrics, but unfortunately, they don't go with the tile.  Silly me, I hadn't thought of that part.  I am really glad the tile arrived so that I could see it all up close.  Uh oh.  Back to square one.  Thank you Shannon and Miriam!  I promise to return!  And anyone in the area, please go see them for your fabric needs.

The decorative glass tile that caused all of the trouble.  There will be two strips of this in the shower.
Note that it is light gray/blue in color.  

The glass tiles with the white subway tile.  The white will cover the rest of the shower to the ceiling.

The floor tile.  It is hard to tell, but it is really a light gray and white marbled tile.  

The fabric swatches.  I had my heart set on the True Turquoise (the big  zigzag), but it just didn't work.  The dark is navy and the other is called Girly Blue.  The navy worked, but I wanted it in the larger zigzag and that wasn't available.  Oh well.  At least I have some cool fabric for some art pieces!  They may yet make it into that bathroom.

As I was agonizing on what to do, I remembered that I had gone to Restoration Hardware while I was in Phoenix.  I had actually seen the towels and colors while I was there and I fell in love with the blue scheme.  I am pretty sure that they are the exact, right color palette.  So, I ordered a plain shower curtain in Shore; and towels and rugs in Shore, Marine and Azure.  We shall see.  I hope that it all goes because I paid a lot of shipping and I really want this to be over.  I will just have to pull in indigo, red and yellow in some artwork for the walls.  Hmmm.

The colors are Shore, Marine and Azure from top to bottom.  The shower curtain is Shore which is the palest of icy blues.  This fits right in with my idea of icy blue wall paint, which is why I was stressing since that hasn't been picked yet!  I sure hope these things come soon as I need to pick that paint.

Well, that's the current progress report.  I have to mention Bettendorf Home Repair and what a great job they have all been doing.  I am so pleased with the work and the way they understand that this is a big deal for us.  Finally, it's paying off to be high maintenance.  HA!

Bathroom Shenanigans

No.  This isn't a dirty post.  It is just my version of our bathroom reno!  I have to say that I am getting excited.  It is currently Day 3 of the process and they unloaded the supplies into our garage.  I love it!  I just can't hardly wait to see it all put together.

I have decided to post a few Before pics, along with Day 1 and Day 2 results.  While it doesn't seem like much has been done, believe me, they have been working!

The paintings of Nemo and Dorie were done by Alaska Girl when she was a junior in high school.  We needed to do something to 'fix' the bathroom and since a reno was not affordable then...we settled for a "Finding Nemo" theme.  I will really miss those two.

BEFORE

We have what is called a 'galley' bathroom, long  and narrow.

Nemo

Dorie

Yucky old cabinet and sink that wasn't even attached to the cabinet.  Notice the cracking floor.  You could sit on the toilet, start the tub and wash your hands all at the same time.  Convenient.  That, unfortunately, won't change.

FYI:  Tub only.  The tub wouldn't drain.  The guy doing the work found a toy fin/flipper in there.  How ironic.

DAY 1

Of course, Pluto has to check it out!

DAY 2

Poor Nemo.  He will soon be partially covered in tile.

This old bucket light will be retrofit with a new one.  Yeah!

This is where that yucky vanity used to be.

Yeah!  New fan light.  I love having two lights and a window in this bathroom.

Shower base.  I wish we could have gone with tile, but you sometimes don't get everything that you would like.  Bummer.