Not what I had thought...

There is one truth that has been glaring me in the face lately, as I have embarked upon numerous renovation and design projects for our home over the last year.  Brace yourself:  it is a sad truth, and one that many of you may be avoiding in denial.  Or perhaps you have already realized it, and now you are wallowing in a deep design depression.

And here it is:  completing a project from design concept to final details never happens like it does on tv.  Darn you, HGTV, for making me think that a renovation or design project can be finished in a reasonable amount of time, with minimal mess.  You have real nerve to make me think I can pull it all together, including accessories, and find exactly what I'm looking for from two or three stores in a week and a half.  Of course I don't just blame HGTV - that would be very narrow of me.  I blame all design shows, and I blame my naivety and my unbridled sense of hope.

Kitchen Cupboard Woes

There is one reason, and one reason only that I haven't written in awhile.

I got mad.

As I previously mentioned, I was on vacation for a couple of weeks. I decided that this would be a strategic time to paint my kitchen cupboards, because I calculated the time it should take and it didn't seem like it would take up a lot of my vacation-resting time. It all went down hill from there. Actually, someone we know who paints as his profession had offered earlier in the year to paint them for us, and then he totally bailed on us. In reality, I think it went all down hill from there. 

Final thoughts....

I have a few more thoughts I thought I'd share on the bathroom renovation. We did not end up changing the layout of the bathroom at all, because that would not have made sense in our situation. There definitely was not space to do that. Our goal then was to make the bathroom a place we wanted to be. We left only the tub and the toilet, and everything else was replaced. We were on a budget, and I'm pleased to say that there was minimal costs involved in the project: basically all of the materials. I mean it wasn't free, but I had heard what bathroom renovations can easily cost, and that worried me at first! Lucky for me, Tim is so talented that he was able to do the work himself. And mad props also go out to Jason, who gave us one full day of intense tub surround work. And also we scored a few really great deals with the vanities.

Because we did not have to spend exorbitant amounts of money to accomplish this renovation, I think that we will come out on top when comparing money spent to the value added to the house when we decide to eventually sell. More importantly, we will thoroughly enjoy the bathroom while we are living here.

Hopefully this inspires you too. Now on to my next project... because I am always dreaming of a new project.

Without Further Ado....

Finally! Here are the picture of our bathroom renovation, extraordinaire! At least I think so!

First, let's recall what we were working with: the "before", if you will.

And here are the "afters"! Immediately what you will notice is that the shower doors are gone, replaced with a curved rod and shower curtain, and beautiful new, rich, vanities.

You will also notice that we ("we" meaning Tim) replaced the tired linoleum with a new ceramic tile. It actually looks less brown in real life.

Tim retiled the tub surround with a white 8x12 tile, and re-plumbed the tub so that we could install this beautiful new rain showerhead and single control faucet.

New paint, lighting, mirror, and accessories round out our renovation. It feels like my own little spa! Although I would never turn down a day at the spa, no matter how nice our renovation is!

I am so happy with how the renovation turned out! One room down...

Pulling it all together...

I don't know what it is about renovations, but unless you are preparing for an HGTV episode, it always seems that the last few details can take the longest to accomplish. You can work so hard to get all the main things done, but when it comes to hanging the towel bar or finishing up the trim, all of a sudden time just flickers by. I think part of the reason for this is that the room is in a functional state as you near the end of the reno and the small details get pushed to a level of lesser priority. And sometimes you just are not sure how to finish it off, let's be honest! Design magazines always caution that the hardest part of a renovation or a new room design are the final details and the accessories. I don't doubt that one tiny bit. It's much easier to pick flooring and cabinetry than to sit there and figure out if you should hang mirrors or art work over the couch, what colour and pattern drapery, and if the cushions should match the drapes or pull in an entire new pattern or colour palette. I think the best designers are the ones that can pull those final pieces together with the least amount of stress. In fact, that's probably what makes them designers and everyone else just hopeful decorators.

All that to say, I hope that I will have pictures of the bathroom to post this week!

Bath Update

The bath is so terribly close to being done it takes everything in me to withhold posting pictures just yet. The tub is done, the floor is done, the painting is done, the vanity is done, the fixtures are done, and the toilet is done. The room is functional again, and everything left to do has been purchased and is anxiously waiting to be installed or added to the room. Tim and I are away this week though at a youth camp, so it will unfortunately have to wait until our return, and so will you!

A Word to the Wise...

One thing that I have learned from our adventures in home renovations thus far is that you need to have a contingency plan.

This advice is two fold: first of all, you need to plan to have an extra percentage over and above your reno budget on standby in case one of the dreaded "what ifs" come to pass. No matter how well you budget, even down to the exact brad nail and ounce of grout, those sneaky little circumstances rear their ugly heads. Suddenly you are re-drywalling a section of the wall, or re-plumbing your tub. I'm not exactly sure the percentage the pros say to have as a contingency over and above your alloted budget, but my advice is to figure that out and don't be surprised when you actually have to pull the proverbial wad of cash out of your back pocket to pay the furnace guy (yes, again, a reference to the great furnace/hot water heater debaucle of '09).

The second part of that advice would be to expect delays. As you head full force into the renos, past the point of no return, keep in mind the ever present reality that it just may take longer than you hoped. Again, no matter how well you plan, right down to the grout-sealing-second, things can suddenly put your scheduled reno on hold, or set you back days (or, heaven forbid, weeks). Funny enough, these setbacks usually work in seamless cooperation with the extra money you are forced to shell out. Not "haha" funny, so much though.

What brings this advice about, you ask? The bath renos are going well, don't get me wrong. But it is costing a bit more than we had planned, and won't be done until later this week. Luckily, we planned for those "surprise" expenses, and we haven't worn out our welcome at my parents. And if they do change the locks on us, it will just be further incentive to get that bathroom done.

Bath Update

So it is Day 7 since we began bath renos, but only Day 5 since we lost complete use of the facility. The tub surround is almost done - the grout needs to be sealed and the edges caulked, but it is all plumbed to perfection and the 8 x 12 tiles we chose are really great! The floor is half done, and I believe that Tim will be working on that tonight. Basically, we have the floor to finish, the walls to paint, and then we can put everything back: the toilet is in the tub and the new vanity is in the garage. They will look (and function!) much better where they belong!

I'm excited to see the finished product, and thankfully I am not too anxious yet. Tim is working really hard, and is doing a great job. I can now help with painting because I'm done my sewing class (more about that later!). Making the trek to my parents' house for showers isn't so bad when its summer time (trust me, I know... we had to do this back in March with the furnace and hot water heater debaucle of '09).

I originally was planning to post pictures of the progress, but now that I reconsider, I don't think I want to ruin the surprise of the finished bathroom, nor do I want to show you disaster that is our upstairs hallway.

Let the Renos Begin!

One of the projects I have anxiously been awaiting the start (and finish) of is our bathroom upstairs. Currently it is our only official bathroom, although we do have a toilet in our laundry room. While in the future our goal is to tastefully transform our laundry room into a laundry / three-piece bath (trust me, I have vision), our present focus is on moving our main bath from merely functional to a pleasant experience, so to speak.

We are looking at a job that fits nicely between total gutting and sprucing the place up. The tub and toilet will stay, but we are planning to retile the tub surround, redo the floor, replace the vanity, mirror, sink and tub faucets, and paint. Not a job for the faint of heart: Tim (with the help of his brother Jason) has taken on the challenge, and they are more than competent!

The work began on Thursday evening, and although much as already been done, there is still lots to do! I hope that this will only take less than a week until its functional again; perhaps a bit longer until its to my exact liking with finishing touches. Until then, we're showering at mum and dad's!

I definitely will post updates and the finished project. And below is a "before" picture, because a transformation isn't quite as wonderful to appreciate if you didn't understand what was there. What is the counter made of, you ask? I don't know, but the former home owners thought it would be a good idea to spray it with a green stone finish. Yes, stone. It's very rough, and not fun to clean!

Don't worry... we changed the toilet seat when we moved in!