All Master Bath surfaces ready for finishing!

Well, maybe not the biggest news to post, but all surfaces (sheetrock and tile backer) for the upstairs bathroom walls and floor are now done, ready for the next step of taping and filling to their finished state. Almost all surfaces are new. The ceiling (except over the tub) and small portions of two walls are original. The toilet flange was marginal for height (had considered adding a 1/4-in backer board layer on top of the 1/2-in already installed). I did a test install, to see if that was needed, and it wasn't, which saved some work. Our new Toto toilet uses an unusual (to me at least) way of mounting. It uses an 'adapter' that mounts to the floor and the floor flange, and then the toilet mounts to that. My test install was installing the adapter, to make sure it would seat on the floor (layed loose tile down) and seal properly with a wax ring. Oh, my, the details!

Don

Coming Together

Don has been putting in full days on the bathroom and things are finally coming together. For the last week he has been installing sheet rock, green board and making a new set of shelves cut into the wall. He has also been making the cupboard that was already there deeper. The cupboard was built before towels were as big and fluffy as they are today. It’s a lot of work for an extra couple of inches!

Almost done with tile backer and sheet rock

Don's do-it-your-self shelf extender system

Sami has had her mind deep into a project totally unrelated to the remodel - writing a history of the Library Cottage.  Once in a while she gets to help lift something heavy or hold on to something while Don gets a screw started. Sami’s feeling a little guilty, but then seldom does an interesting project like the history come along.

Sami did lay out all of the decorative tile on the living room floor the other day to make a plan about which tile goes were. She hasn’t been a total slackard. (Guess who wrote this one)

Back At It - Slowly

There were lots of interruptions in the remodel this summer. We spent much of August and some of September at our “other house,” Spindrift (the Library Cottage). We worked while we were there. Sami served as the general contractor and Don repaired old, worn out bits and pieces. Sami also got a good start on writing the history of the Cottage.. fantastically fascinating.

Refinishing the front screen door at Spindrift

When we were home the garden demanded all of Sami’s attention, canning tomatoes, beans and ketchup and pulling three million weeds!

Now we are slowing moving back into our own remodel. Don systematically finished the installation of the first twelve windows.

Lots of steps

Don is sitting on his home-made window installation seat

All of the fixtures and tile for the upstairs bathroom are finally on hand, so we are moving ahead to put that room back together.

Tiles and fabric awaiting installation

Dare we say that the bathroom will be finished by Christmas. We hope so!

New bath tub installed!

Don here... This is almost old news now, as the new Kohler cast iron bath tub and Toto tub/shower valves and controls were installed almost two weeks ago, but we've 'been on the road'. As promised, I / we decided to leave this part of the work to the professionals.

The new tub and plumbing were installed by Crouchley Plumbing (recommended by someone in Sami's book group, and I give Crouchley a 'thumbs up'). It took three of them to get the tub up the stairs (on an appliance-type hand cart), but only two to move it in to the bath room and position (I helped a little). I had layed plywood on the oak floors down and upstairs for protection. It took the rest of the day for two of them to hook up the drain and faucet plumbing, partially because of doing it so that we can later modify it where it goes through the wall below, when we get to the kitchen remodel phase. They ended up pumbing the cold and hot supply all the way to the basement (easy because of the suspended ceiling down there), but we cut a number of other access holes where needed in the main floor wall where the plumbing is.

No progress has been made since getting it installed, as we have been full-tilt on our other 'remodeling' project...the library cottage in Manzanita. It is being re-sided and we are spending a good part of three weeks over there during that project, to monitor the work and to get other significant projects done while the place is renter-free. I'm back in Portland for several days (work, guitar lesson, Oliver-sitting), but return for the weekend (to bring Sami back to Portland and to tweak a couple of projects I worked on there. We then return to Manzanita one more week later for an extended weekend. Whew!

Well, here are several pics of this latest step in our master bath. By the way, all the major special items (fixtures, accessories, lighting, tile, etc.) are now all on hand, so we should be able to rev up when we get back from the beach cottage.

We've gone 'PEX'.



'The foot in the kitchen ceiling' (below the upstairs bathroom).



One of the two plumbers hard at work.

The job is done!!

Just so no one thinks we are using being at the coast as an excuse to be lax on our remodeling project, here's a couple of pics of what developed as the siding guys started to reshingle the front porch of the cottage. A lot of rot and improper prior framing and flashing resulted in the porch floor being at the end of its life. We studied the findings and developed a game plan with the workers for reframing the floor. We aren't doing the work over there, but we are actively involved with the process. Sometimes it a bit of a nail-biter, as both cost and timing are critical.

Cheers!

The Beginning of the Beginning

Don has completely demoed the upstairs bathroom, including digging out the rotted wood in the subfloor and replacing it. It is all ready to be put back together.

Six years ago we fell in love with some ceramic tile that we found in a little store in Seattle imported from Tonala, Mexico. We bought eight tiles, figuring they could some how be used in our remodel. As it turned out, our entire bathroom design has revolved around those eight tiles. It has not been easy because they are not a standard size or thickness. We visited many, many tile shops and web sites to find other tiles that compliment the bird tiles and fit our budget. Plus, our plan now calls for twenty more bird tiles. So this Tuesday I will take the train up to Seattle to pick out the additional tiles while Don stays home accepting delivery of our new tub, sink and toilet. I guess you could say we are finally at the start of putting something back together! The beginning of the beginning.

water-damaged and rotted wood replaced

Don with his "multi-function tool," Sami wields a hammer

 The fabric on the left in this picture, will be framed and hung on the bathroom wall. It is a piece of embroidered Chinese silk, which we think it is pretty with the fanciful bird and nature motif of the Mexican tile.

China and Mexico

The Command Center

Our refrigerator door serves as the Scripter Remodel Command Center. Right now it includes sketches we have made of our upstairs bathroom design (yea - we finally have one!), an insulation upgrade diagram, and an upstairs floor plan showing what walls will be removed to add wiring and insulation. There is a detailed step-by-step to-do list for the bathroom, and a more general to-do list for the entire upstairs. These help us to not forget some vital step in the remodel process, and they help us remember decisions made. There is a floor plan of the main floor remodel, to help us remember our ultimate goal, and a table Don made about the window installation, to help him keep track of all of the steps he goes through to permanently install each window. Many hours and a lot of thinking has gone into creating those little lists and diagrams.

About once a week we get out a yellow marker and mark off things that have been accomplished. It is easy to think about the huge list of things left to be done and ignore what we have accomplished. Seeing all the little yellow marks makes us realize that progress is being made.

Do real contractors have a refrigerator door?

Why cats don't like remodeling

Don again. OK...this is a little out of date, but here is a picture of Simon (the cat) being somewhat perturbed about the attic insulating part of our remodel that, from his point of view, is invading HIS space.