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Saturday, October 24, 2015

The light at the end of a very long tunnel

Day 18 – yes we are still at it

Well, it’s not done yet, but I do see an end to the madness we have embarked on…maybe….yeah, not so much.  I don’t know if it’s just me, but this remodels seems to be taking forever.  I feel like the tortoise in the race – trying to keep optimistic and continue trucking on knowing the finish line is there…somewhere.

The good news is our mirrors FINALLY arrived…YAY!  No news on the lights though…BOO.  This week the focus was on tiling the shower/floors and tape and bedding of the sheetrock.  I have been told that things will really start to speed up next week – at this point, I’m not holding my breath.





Throughout this process, I began to question if this is really something we should have done, but now that everything is starting to fall into place, I am feeling better having done so – I just wish things would speed up somewhat.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Reflecting on unseen mirrors and a light that never comes


When two people with different tastes come together to remodel, say a bathroom, choosing the right elements for the space can be a challenge.  So when these two people finally agree on something it’s somewhat of a hallelujah moment. 

Sometimes, the elements aren’t available locally, so thankfully we have the internet and a credit card.  One-click and your product comes to you (sometimes in just two days!!).  God, how I love technology! 

In this whole process though we have discovered that there is strife in the shipping world which has caused a HUGE delay in shipping our lights and mirrors.  As of today, we really have no idea when these items will arrive.  It could be next week, it could be next month.  Our mirrors are sitting on a port in some huge shipping container in California just waiting to be sent to our seller in New York.  Once it gets to New York, they will be shipped to our home in Texas.  Our lights are sitting in the same port until they are shipped to the company that distributes them and after they receive them and do their ‘quality control check’ they will ship them to our local store for pickup.

I completely understand the union workers need to improve on things or the demand of higher pay, but regardless this is very frustrating to us as consumers and I am sure to the sellers as well. 

In the meantime, the hubby and I are trying to find alternate lighting just in case, which means we can’t decide on anything...again, and we are back to square one.  My husband admits he is a light snob, and I am really urging him to think outside the box.  When we finally find some that we like, they are showing as backordered until November.  We haven’t even began to look for different mirrors.  It took us months to agree on the ones we picked out so the desire to go down that road is small.


So, two very small details in the grand scheme of things, but never the less frustrating and now we are waiting for a “light that never comes" and reflect on unseen mirrors.


Wednesday, October 14, 2015

And then there was a wall….finally






Day 9 and we finally have a wall separating the bathroom from the bedroom.  YAY!!!!   Words can't even explain how happy I was to see this when I arrived home.





The cement was poured for the shower and the shampoo box inserted. 





And last but not least, the pony wall is in place.  My hubby thought it would be nice to visualize sitting on the ‘throne’.  He’s so cute!



All in all we were happy with the progress that was done today.  It’s starting to shape up and look like a bathroom!!!

The Snow Cone Conundrum

How does a dog eat a snow cone?

And most importantly of all, how do two dogs share one snow cone?

It's quite simple really - it’s all in the angle.


Our dogs have become obsessed with snow cones.  Specifically Birthday Cake with Cream snow cones.  They wait patiently as we finish what we want, then it’s game on!  The most awesome part of it all is that they share without fighting!  How awesome it that?   Two fur friends sharing.  It’s too bad that more humans can’t do that.


Monday, October 12, 2015

Patience grasshopper, patience

Day 7 – The saga continues

The theme for the day – Patience grasshopper, patience



Even though I stayed home today due to a holiday, I tried really hard not to sneak a peek in the room to see what was happening.  Let me tell you – it was HARD!!    I did get to use a ramset hammer this morning!  That was kind of fun – loud - but fun.  Other than that I just read and played with the furkids all day letting the anticipation build.  Unfortunately, the reveal this evening was somewhat of a letdown and all that anticipation fizzled out.

There was some sheetrock put up today, but it will be taken down as the contractor is not happy with it – and truth be known, neither are we.  His helper is somewhat new and sadly, it shows.  I guess he has to start somewhere, I just don’t like being the guinea pig in this stage of his life.  Other than that, some framing and electrical was done.  So, not a lot was accomplished – again.

We are getting concerned about the mirrors that we ordered.  We called the company twice today and were promised a call back twice and guess what?  No call and no answer on when the mirrors will be shipped.

That’s all I have today folks.  I am trying really hard to work on the patience factor.  Hopefully, by the end of this project I will have it mastered.  It’s highly doubtful, but one can hope, huh?


Thursday, October 8, 2015

Welcome to my episode of Hoarders: The Remodel Edition

You know that show that lets you view inside the life of an extreme hoarder?  The one with piles of trash everywhere and their home is in a state of disrepair?

Welcome to my episode of Hoarders:  The Remodel Edition.

Today, I really have no words because I walked into what has to be the most depressing part of this whole process.  Yes, I knew going into this that it was going to be messy, but geez….I did not expect this:



Anyway, today appeared to be devoted to getting the HVAC guy out so he could install another duct/vent up in the attic that will be in the ‘new’ room.  The framing for the closet pocket door was installed and the cement was poured to fill in the hole from yesterday’s drilling.  Also, old light fixtures and plugs were pulled. 


So basically, nothing pretty to report yet.



It was really hard not to be able to stay home – not only to be able to see firsthand what was going on, but I was really worried about our furbabies.  Of course they did fine and survived the ruckus without their momma, but they were on my mind all day.


And on a more grosser point (as if it couldn't get any worse), here is my new artwork for the guest bathroom.  Think they’ll get the hint?


That's all for today folks.  I'm just going to crawl into bed and dream of cleaner, prettier things!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

I feel the Earth move under my feet

I feel the Earth move under my feet,
I feel the walls tumbling down, tumbling down.
I feel my head start to split down the middle
Whenever the jackhammer is around.
(my little poem based on “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King)

Why, hello there!  Welcome back!

Day two of our remodel went splendidly well.  Of course I’m just observing and not actually doing, but from my vantage point it was a good day.

The cast iron tub was taken out and apparently it’s really, really heavy, but the guys made it look super easy as they wheeled it out.  I’m kind of sorry to see it go….kind of….well, not really.

The scary, silent things in the form of termites had already been evicted several years ago, but while they co-existed with us, they really trashed their living quarters under the tub.  They really love concrete and gobbled that shit stuff up like it was chocolate or something.

The mound of dirt is from the termites.

Anyway, with the tub out of the way, the jackhammer came out in order to prep the area for the new shower pan and to move the drain.  Good Lord Almighty, it was LOUD in here this morning.  I swear the floors in the whole house were vibrating under my feet and the walls shaking as the utter destruction was taking place.  Along with all that noise, began the chorus of sheetrock being removed from the wall.  

Jackhammers, saws and hammers make for a lovely melody. 

Area that was jackhammered

Area that was jackhammered

North wall of bedroom

Along with scraping popcorn off the ceiling, this was a very loud and very messy day.

Sadly, I have to go back to work tomorrow in order to help pay for this project and I won’t be able to watch the transformation up close and personal, but I suppose that will make coming home to see what’s new that more exciting.

That’s all for today.  Thanks for stopping by and check back soon for more updates!





Tuesday, October 6, 2015

It’s time to get the remodeling party started! Can I hear a big ol' “Hell, Yeah!!”?


Today was the day.  The day where we start on the path to a brand new master bathroom and revamped master bedroom.  I have been dreading this day somewhat because as you tear things down, you never know what is lurking behind the walls that can quickly break the budget.

No project is complete without the required ‘before’ pictures, so here they are:




I know….pretty sad, uh?


So now for the update…..

Well, I am happy to report that so far (keeping my fingers crossed) there was nothing majorly scary lurking quietly behind the walls so the budget is still on track.  For the most part, day one went fairly smoothly.  Besides the contractor busting a pipe and having to hastily go and shut off the main water valve (which I wonder why this wasn’t done before hand?), we also discovered some previous water damage with a small case of mold.  The mold is not a big deal as we are replacing the sheetrock anyway.  The studs are still sturdy, so this was a major win in my book.

So what was done today, you ask?  All the tile and sheetrock in the old tub/toilet area was removed along with the toilet.  The vanity and mirror are gone and door frame taken out in preparation for a new pocket door for the closet.  Oh, and a wall was taken down.  I consider this a pretty productive day.

On a side note, the contractor's helper apparently likes to go commando.  How do I know this?  Well his baggy pants which were not held on with a belt kept sliding down his ass.  Because of this, I saw way too much butt crack and butt cheeks today.  At least it wasn't hairy...that would have been just gross.

On the agenda tomorrow is the tub removal, scraping the popcorn off of the ceiling and removing the sheetrock off of the north wall of the bedroom.  Once we get past the sheetrock removal, I will be able to breathe a little easier.

Before I go, here are the pictures of today’s progress:




So I guess that is all I have for today.  Check back tomorrow for another update.