the saga of the half bathroom...

So when you first decide to do your own home renovations yourself you tend to have very high/unrealistic expectations. Like me, for example... I thought we would achieve all our goals and have a fully completed living space after about 2 months. Well folks, I learned the hard way that (just like design) everything takes about 3 times longer than you originally anticipate. or expect Especially when you have jobs and lives and continual distractions in your life. But it's ok... I've resolved myself to the initial shock of living in a 'construction zone' and I've finally come to grips with having a room specifically designated for power tools, paint and wood. =)

Step by step we're getting closer and seeing the improvements is both fun and encouraging. Especially when you can get things done.

The half bathroom project however is a prime example of my unrealistic ideas of how long it takes to do something (and not just do something but do it right and do it well). I posted a blog about a year and a half ago about the tiling work we did ourselves. It was a tough job but we had a lot of fun doing it and we learned a lot. After that point I struggled for a long time with the design of the bathroom and specifically the little corner niche that could be a great storage space. I didn't quite have the right understanding of how we could utilize it to the fullest. I spent a long time trying to design the right solution for this space in my head. I also debated about how much time, money and energy to put into a half bathroom that not a lot of people are going to see (because it's techincally inside our bedroom). So, all of this combined with the fact that we hardly EVER have time for projects of this magnitude anymore plus just wanting to get it done... led us to hire the wonderful David P from Prime Renovation! So, yeah, we sold out and had someone do it for us! ...I know... I know.

But... I do not regret it! David is great and completely understood my vision. He even took a sketchup model that I created for the niche and completely recreated the real version - but better than I imagined! So, after all of that hemming and hawing, and nearly 2 years later... our little bity bathroom is done! ...I still need to get a large mirror for the wall and a couple other odds and ends, but phew, it's such a relief to have such a big project completed. Thank you David P!!!

Here's some before and after photos along with the sketchup model I created to figure out the built-in storage and mini marble countertop...

washers & dryers

The tale of the washer/dryer closet goes back to last spring and summer. When we first bought this condo it came with a stackable washer/dryer however we knew up front that it was broken. It was old and pre-historic and had crazy buttons all over it for mysterious washing settings I never even knew existed.

My brother graciously offered to help us fix it at the time so we wouldnt have to buy a new one - YAY! However, after he got it working and we began to use it regularly we discovered the dryer was staining our clothes - BOO! After a while of this we decided it was time to move on to a new washer/dryer that actually did what it was supposed to - clean clothes - rather than the opposite - dirty and ruin everything.

Once it came time to purchase the new washer/dryer we decided to completely fix up the W/D closet as well. After removing the old appliance we discovered that the sneaky tilers that had installed the tile floor must have completed the tile grouting AFTER the washer/dryer was installed - there was a large area under where the washer/dryer sat without grout at all - nice - very quality work.

Justin & his Dad took on the job of re-grouting and sealing all the tile, patching & sanding the drywall, fixing the dryer exhaust vents/outlets, installing new baseboard, installing beautiful new french doors, and painting the interior of the closet. Then we spent a significant amount of time shopping around for a new washer/dryer (that would fit such a tiny closet space). We finally landed on a Whirlpool Duet Stackable unit. The day they delivered/installed it, we were on pins & needles waiting to see if it would fit in the closet - it DID end up fitting (with about 1/2" to spare - yikes!) Anyway, the whole project probably took about 2-3 months. Justin was a champion and stuck it out without me - at the time I was crazy busy with work and had absolutely no focus for house projects. I'm so lucky to have him!

Here's some photos of the lovely closet transformation... it's so nice to have reliably clean clothes again!