Better with grout

Progress on Monday night and Tuesday morning (just before my parents left) included grouting both the shower and floor. Like everything else in this project.... it just took a LONG time! Jeff keeps describing this project as one with " just a few more hidden difficulties" around each corner. I guess that's the reality of renovating an older home. Despite this, we are still really happy with how everything has turned out and extremely grateful for the long hours of work my parents put in to make this happen. They were tiling troopers. THANK YOU!!

We now have to wait a bit to seal all of this beautiful grout. Then it's wall patching, paint, reinstalling the toilet, installing the shower faucet and curved curtain rail, adding new baseboard trim, removing the vanity tile and adding a new vanity counter top. And, at some point I need to to purchase something I have never purchased before (for some strange reason)- a shower curtain! I think this list will wait until we get back from vacation. For now, we're just very pleased with how much we've been able to accomplish in the space of a very short (but very busy) week.

Progress.....

Jeff laying the final shower tile

Today was a day of tiling. And tiling. And more tiling! We didn't get to the floor but the shower is done, thanks to these hard working (and very talented) tile guys.

Tomorrow- we tackle the floor tiles and LOTS of grout.

Tile style

The tiling has begun!  After completing prep work (like figuring out how to hang straight lines of tile with completely crooked walls), we started tiling this afternoon. The lesson of the day was: Don't choose subway tile for your first tiling project! While we're very happy with how things look (especially that vertical row of mosaic tile that was an impromptu alternative to cutting very narrow pieces of the subway tile), it has been slow going. Tomorrow is going to be a LONG day but we think we can get it all done... along with the floor. Thankfully, the floor tiles are much larger and will be much less fuss than these ones have been.

Tub trouble

Things are progressing with our bathroom renovation, although slower than we had hoped. After digging concrete, rerouting and extending plumbing, Jeff and my dad faced even more challenges fitting the new tub into the small bathroom. In the end, we had to remove gyproc from two walls as well as the door jam to get the tub perfectly squeezed into it's new home.

There were some frustrating moments but thankfully, all ended well. Tomorrow, the new green e-board backing goes up and then we start putting up tile.

Latest Project

My parents like to help with a project during their visits. It's an endearing, helpful, welcome, appreciated and slightly stressful part of who they are.  Our school/work schedule has been so busy that Jeff and I did not give much thought to what this project would be- I just thought we would unleash my folks and their energy in our garden for a few days and POOF!!!  a manicured, pruned and well-behaved garden would magically appear. That REALLY is what happens when both my and Jeff's parents tackle a project. It really puts us to shame.

During a phone call last week, my dad casually mentioned how much he had enjoyed tiling the bathroom and kitchen in their basement suite. This triggered an idea.... and a project for their visit was hatched.  For a few years, Jeff and I have wanted to add a shower to our basement bathroom (where there was previously only an old metal brown tub) and make this guest bath actually hospitable to guests.

Less than two days after my parents' arrival, the bathroom now looks like this:

Can you believe this is a space where demolition just occurred?!?! Jeff and I are amazed at how both sets of our parents keep such clean renovation spaces.  Jeff and my dad had the old tub, ugly tile and gyproc out of the bathroom before I had a chance to snap a "before" picture. 

Today, my dad cut out the gyproc to the height you see here and added additional framing to support our new soaker tub, future wall of tile and shower.  The plan tomorrow is for my dad and Jeff to fit in the new tub (which will first require hammering out some concrete to move the  drain) and run plumbing up for a brand new 7+ foot shower high enough for every one of our very tall family and friends who might possibly come to visit.  If all goes according to schedule, we'll be tiling by Saturday morning.

Are we crazy? Probably. But we've actually had a fair bit of fun so far. After a year of reading and writing more than I ever thought was possible, it is another nice change of scenery.  

  

Spring Break

After completing my last (and most difficult) course late Sunday night, I am officially now on spring break. My parents arrived yesterday and with them came some sunshiny spring days and the first blooming daffodils. It's a VERY nice change of scenery.

Happy greens

Today is a happy day. It is not raining (for the moment), a pot of soup is simmering on the stove, my thesis concept is right on track for submission on Sunday, and I get to wear green. In celebration of shamrocks, Guinness and certain red haired friends, I offer this nod to the Irish. I really don't think you can watch this without breaking into a smile.

Quiet on the home front

Yes... it has been quiet here. I have been writing, writing and MORE writing, trying to get through the first two topics of my thesis literature review. This requires that I read all academic literature over the past 30 years on each topic and try to come up with an intelligent (huh?) summary of how it all relates to itself (who agrees with who, who built new research and ideas on who, who is completely out to lunch etc. etc. etc.). While the first topic went all right, the second has been about as easy as extracting my toenails with a teaspoon. If that did not paint a visual-enough picture for you... I can honestly say that after 4 18-hour days researching and writing non-stop (except to see our dryer die in a flash of burned-out heating coil and eat Jeff's lovingly prepared meals), I feel something like this:

Thankfully, this too shall pass. In 7 days, to be exact. My thesis concept (of which the the painful lit review is Chapter 2) is due next Sunday.... so let the countdown begin.