And then it was finished ~ Hallelujah!

Before I begin, let’s venture back into the past to take a peek at the 'before' so that the 'after' can be appreciated just a bit.

Now……..I am happy to report that our Master Bath/Master Bedroom remodel is DONE.  You read that right…it is finally 100% complete!  No more contractors in my home – no more dust – no more trash….just peace and contentment and a finished product that we are ecstatic about.

Looking into the bathroom from bedroom

Bedroom

There were a lot of lessons learned from this project which will help us in future projects.  The most important lesson of all was to have patience - lots and lots of patience.  This was really hard for me because I want instant gratification with most things and when you go through a remodel there is zero instant gratification. Well, I guess if Bath Crashers happens to be doing your bath, then there is an abundance of gratification – plus a really cute host/contractor.  But I digress…..

Going into this we told ourselves to expect the unexpected and if the unexpected doesn’t pop up then all the better.  Thankfully, nothing unexpected popped up during this project. 

We managed to stay under budget, but then we have had a really gross plumbing problem this week not related to this project, so the money that was saved will be going toward that fix.  It’s always something, but I guess that is what makes life more interesting and at times a tad smelly.

I am really glad this is over and we can now sit back and enjoy our new space.

That’s all I really have for now.  I hope you have enjoyed my posts and I thank you for joining us in this adventure.

Listed below with pictures are the items that we purchased for this remodel.  I have noted the manufacture and model number in case you see something you like and would like to research it for your own project.

Vanity Faucets ~ Pfister Sonterra Model #F-WL8-SNPC

Sinks ~ Kohler Vitreous Ladena Model #K-2214-0

Countertop – Caesarstone Quartz 2CM Atlantic Salt

Mirrors ~ Fairmont Shaker Americana in Polar White Model #1512-M24

Vanity ~ American Woodmark Reading in Linen

Cabinet Pulls ~
Hickory Hardware Williamsburg Mushroom Cabinet Knob in Satin Nickel Model #P3053   

Hickory Hardware Williamsburg Handle Cabinet Pull in Satin Nickel Model #P3050

Shower Head ~ Delta 58064 In2ition Multi-Function Shower Head w/ In2ition 2-in-1 Hand Shower Technologies in Chrome

Shower Handle ~ Delta T17097 

Cassidy Monitor 17 Series Dual Function Pressure Balanced Valve Trim Package with Integrated Volume Control

Tile ~ 

Floor – Emser Eurasia Bianco 12X24

Shower Walls – Emser Eurasia Bianco 13X13

Shower floor – Emser Eurasia Bianco 2X4

Band/Shower Box – Eleganza Onix Essence Carrara Grey 1X1

Lights ~ Minka 5722-77

2 Light Bath Chrome 15 ½W X 8 ¼H X 7ext. 100 W Med Base Clear Seeded Glass

Toilet ~ American Standard Champion 4 Max 615584/3186-1285T-020

Bathroom Paint ~ Behr Steam White 750E-1

Towel Holder ~ Gatco 5284 Franciscan Towel Ring in Chrome

Toilet Paper Holder ~ Kohler K-12157-CP Fairfax in Polished Chrome

Exhaust Bath Fan and Nightlight ~ NuTone Model #QTN110LE

Bedroom Paint ~ Behr Ocean Pearl 780-3

Carpet ~ Tigressa H20 Afternoon Excursion in Halo

*Carpet One*

1900 S. Main Street

Grapevine Texas

See Dan Yusz 

817-421-2539 

for the best price and awesome customer service

~ Contractor ~ 

Daniel Elmore

 Kitchen & Bath Concepts

 817-205-9488

Edit 9/29/2020 - We DO NOT recommend this contractor.  His plumbing skills were great, but converting a tub into a shower is not an area of expertise.  Five years later, and we are having to completely redo the shower floor as everything about this portion of the job was done incorrectly.  After calling him to find out what was failing, he said he would come by and take a look, but he never showed up or called to reschedule.

We may not be there yet, but we are closer than yesterday

Day 32 - *sigh*

Well, things are starting to shape up!  The vanity and countertop have been installed, as well as the shower glass and the lighting above the vanity.

The grey paint that looked purple has been repainted with a more acceptable color and everything is starting to really look good and come together in our opinion.

Speaking of the grey/purple paint….I was home when the countertop was being installed just to make sure it was what we had picked out.  After they were finished, my husband and I had the following conversation via text:

I just couldn't resist and got a phone call shortly after I sent my last message.  Apparently, he was on the verge of having a small heart attack.  There was one problem with our order though.  We had ordered 3cm quartz and received 2cm.  Not a huge deal as far as appearances, but there was a price difference.  Luckily, the seller has been awesome to work with and gave us a refund of the difference.

We are really hoping things will be wrapped up by today, but who knows.  The guys doing the work have the strangest hours.  I really think if they just would have put in 8 hours a day, this project would have been done a week ago.  Oh, well.

My next update will be the final reveal, so be sure to check back then.

When colors don't live up to expectations

Don’t you love it when everything is coming together just as you imagined?  I know I do.  Until yesterday.  

I was so excited when I came home from work and smelled the most wonderful smell….paint.  Paint means it’s almost over!  I walked into the bedroom and the paint color I picked out looks AWESOME!  Just the perfect touch for our bedroom retreat.  Then dreadfulness and total despair arose as I entered the bathroom.  The color I chose was Gentle Rain and it was supposed to be this nice light cool shade of grey. Once on the walls……no Gentle Rain to be seen.  Nope.  Once this color was applied, a lavender field popped up and totally ruined the effect we were going for.  Needless to say, I am having the guys repaint it.  Choosing another color proved quite the challenge last night as all the grey samples appeared purple next to the tile.  If you haven’t guessed…..I DO NOT want purple in my bathroom.  Not that I have anything against purple, I just don’t want it in my house.  Anyway, after hours and hours of holding up paint samples (yes, I am exaggerating just a bit), we chose a color called Steam White.  Hopefully, this will be THE ONE.  I left the contractor a love note this morning with the new color choice, so hopefully he can hop right on it and cover the hideousness.

Anyway, besides this little snafu, the cabinet should be installed today and the counter top installed tomorrow.  THE END IS NEAR!!

Here are pictures of the tile and the gosh awful paint.  Of course the pictures don't show the true color, but in person....YUK.

 

Here is the picture of the bedroom walls with the paint that turned out just as I expected.

On another note, my husband was working on the ceiling fan and needed some gloves.  The only ones that were handy were mine.

I love a man who can work the pink gloves!

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.

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.

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.

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?

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!

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!

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.

Do you want to play with my balls?

Do You Want To Play With My Balls?

by Cifaldi Brothers, Santiago Elizalde (Illustrator)

He's got big balls, And she's got big balls, But we've got the biggest balls of them all!

Do you want to play with my balls?

I ran across this book recently and thought it was really cute - in a dirty mind sort of way!

But really, this book is strictly for adults.  It would be scandalous if it ended up at your child's schoolbag for show and tell day...just saying.

Enjoy my reading...

* Amazon *

What are we getting ourselves into??

In 1998, my husband and I purchased our first home together.  Built in 1967, our humble home came with its issues and we have slowly but surely repaired and updated as finances permitted.  Three years ago we tackled our first major renovation – the kitchen.  This was indeed a learning experience and extremely exciting as our vision became a reality.  

Since our marriage survived and we did not kill each other during the process, we have decided to take on the master bath and master bedroom.  These two areas have really been challenging in regards on what exactly to do with the space because of the way the space is arranged.  I have always hated this area because it reminds me of an apartment and I have struggled on how to blend the two areas together but somehow make them separate at the same time.  After ‘interviewing’ several contractors and getting their ideas, we finally came up with a solution that will work not only for us, but for our budget as well.

The process of finding the right contractor was interesting to say the least.  The one company I really liked had some really good ideas but their quote was double what we wanted to spend.  Then we had one guy come in who was way under budget, but he smelled so bad, my house reeked several hours after he left.  Plus the fact that he renamed my husband “Buddy” was a major strike against him.  His ideas were insane and cut a lot of corners and although he was the lowest bid, I refused to let him touch my house.  The individual we finally decided on comes with awesome references and his bid was in the middle of all of the others, so now we start the process.  His name is Dan and not only do we like him, our dogs warmed up to him instantly.  Our furbabies have a good meter on judging the good from the bad, so their opinion weighs a lot when deciding who to trust in our home.

The remodel will be extensive as we are tearing out the tub and putting in a shower.  We are also knocking down one wall and putting up another.  Doing this will define the space, separating the bedroom from the bathroom.  We will also be removing the sheet rock from one entire wall that has this horrible painted wall paper on it.  The popcorn ceiling will be removed from both areas and everything repainted.

After compromising on several aspects and finally agreeing on colors, we will begin this journey early October.  I am really excited about the materials we have picked out and can’t wait to see it all come together.  I’m not going to lie though, I am also terrified.  One never knows what may be lurking behind the walls, so I really hope nothing major pops up once those walls come down.

I am going to share our experience here on this blog – the good, the bad, and everything in between.  We have to move out of our master bedroom completely, so my house will be in a complete mess for a while.  This is going to completely put me out of my comfort zone, so I anticipate several Xanax days in my future.  Oh, and to add to the misery, my husband and I will be sharing a bathroom for awhile, so mornings should get real interesting....and intense as we navigate our morning rituals together.

Our vanity arrived yesterday and I really do love it.  I love the shaker style as it is simplistic yet timeless.  We are trying to keep the colors and fixtures somewhat neutral for resell purposes.

We will be topping it with a quartz countertop.  We have not picked out the handles for the vanity yet, so that will be next on my list.

Here are the tile, countertop and paint samples we have chosen for the bathroom.

As I end this post, I really look forward to sharing my remodeling journey with anyone who wishes to join us.  So check back frequently to see what we have done.  The next post will feature some tear-down activities....so much fun!

Oh, and if someone from Bath Crashers just happens to stumble upon this blog – PLEASE SEND HELP!!