Upstairs Bathroom Remodel: Combined Posts

2MAR2009 Original Post:

Whew! After 2 months the upstairs bathroom remodel is done. The only thing left to do is to install the shower door (ordered today) and later install a skylight. The transformation is dramatic but like always we have to start with the ugly before pictures. I did ALL the work myself. The only help I had was to carry the toilet upstairs.

Before:
This is the original lovely vanity with it's purplish pink tiles, the classic 80's builder special vanity light and the gold and chrome faucet. The floor was tile with pink hues.
This is the original corner cabinet. The cabinetry is made to be "cowboy" rustic and then rubbed with pink paint to fill in the rough depressions.

Detail of original southwest cabinet texture.

and then there is the 80's gold shower doors for the little fiberglass stall.
The toilet was another cheap builders special.
I even found out that they filled in an insulation gap with newspaper - nice.

By now you might be wondering why I would want to rip all of this fabulousness out - just kidding.

In Progress Work.
I ripped everything out except for the corner cabinet. I completely replaced all the copper pipe in the bathroom and installed new shower and faucet valves. I built a wall for the sink area.
Both ABS and PVC pipe were used for the sewage (who knows why). I also had to fix the electrical junction boxes and add one for the light fixture. I installed new insulation.
The shower area with the backerboard installed. The shower walls and entire bathroom floor were later covered with Schluter Kerdi membrane to form a waterproof barrier. The Schluter Shower System was used for the shower bed and drain.The sink wall.
The AFTER pictures: (I bet you couldn't wait.)

I tiled the walls in rows of different heights to prevent monotony but it also meant I had to do a lot of cutting.
I installed a Kohler Cimarron 1-piece toilet and changed the handle to match the other fixtures.
Jim insisted on having "first pee" to mark his territory.This is the niche on the toilet side of the shower wall. I bought the fossil at the gem & mineral show.
This is the Kichler light fixture. The mirror is made from the door on the old vanity cabinet.
This is the shower stall area.
The shower floor.
The sink wall.
The sink is from Italian manufacturer Catalano and sold in the US by Hastings (model C3-70)[I used a point a shoot camera that probably has a dirty lens and you can see some faint white spots in this picture and the one below of the cabinet and Fringe - These are not features of the bathroom.]

Detail of stack stone.
Corner cabinet refinished. Wood slats on door removed and replaced with solid piece. I added rod pull handles.
Floor and tile to wood floor transition.
All accessories are brushed nickel finish. I installed a towel bar, towel ring, robe hook and toilet paper holder. I also bought towels. I painted the ceiling Behr Classic Taupe and the walls Warm Earth.
Natural stone was used. Travertine for the walls and floor and multicolor stone for the shower floor, inside the niches and the stack stone on the sink wall and front of shower divider ans threshold. Rounded travertine pencil edge was used to cap off the half wall and the baseboards o the painted walls.

The total supply cost came in around $5K ($4994.99 to be exact). My labor was free.

8MAR2009 Update:
I received and installed the shower door for the upstairs bathroom. It is a Kohler Pivot clear glass door from the Purist series.
I added a vertical accent piece to corner of the sink wall and made my own reed diffuser. I also added a brushed SS soap dispenser.

The Cost:
Free Labor
5028.87 fixtures, tile, building materials, accessories

Kitchen Redux

All of a sudden I decided I wanted the kitchen a shade darker (although in the pictures it looks much more orange than it really is) so I repainted on Thursday. While looking at tile Wednesday for the upstairs bathroom remodel I looked at glass tiles for a possible kitchen back splash. I found one that fit my color scheme perfectly (neutral natural organic colors) I bought one sheet to bring home to look at in situ. This resulted in me spending Friday tiling and grouting the kitchen back splash with this glass tile (it took 19 sq. ft.).

Color:
The new color is Cinnamon Brandy (top) and the old color was Iced Tea (bottom).

The Original Move in Before Picture:
After:

View from the IR Lens

This is the view from the germanium IR lens by the front door. Click to Enlarge. (Margy and Fringe are optional in the view.)

Front Door Threshold

The front door threshold was plain concrete that had been painted. I decided to tile with slate. I added a Schluter stainless steel edge guard since this is the door furniture and other heavy things are brought in through and I did not want to risk the tile getting chipped.

Before:

After: (sorry it was partially in the shadows)

Window Re-Glazing

The downstairs windows were original to the house and the double pane windows were no longer sealed. If you cleaned the windows inside and out there was still a film between the glass. I had the windows re-glazed with Low E double pane glass. You can't really show a picture of nice clean new glass so I just have a picture of the windows before showing the film between the glass that was clearly visible when the sun hit the glass in the mornings and afternoon.

Before:
After:
Not shown but it is a really clear view.

Tequila Worms and The Great Agave Meltdown

I have several very large Agave americana century plants in the front flower bed. I knew they would die one day when they shot up a magnificent flower stalk 25 feet in the air as part of their big bang reproduction. I did not realize their death would come sooner as a result of the Tequila worm in the Great Agave Meltdown. (actually it would be the Mezcal worm)

My agaves were attacked by the agave snout weevil (a beetle, Scyphophorus acupunctatus). The female weevil enters the base of the plant to lay eggs in the spring. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the core of the plant. Bacteria are also introduced which rot the plant. Then the core of the infested agave eventually collapses due the combination of being eaten and rotting away. There really isn't anything you can do to save the plant. In the case of my agaves the two biggest ones and their pups are dead and the other big one in between looks like it will soon follow.

The beetle larvae, or grubs, are the same larvae found in some mezcal (not really tequila) bottles. They also caused the increase in price of tequila when the agave fields in Mexico became infested.

Last picture of the big agaves before I removed them:
Close up of externally visible damage:
Close up of the agave weevil:
Close up of a larva (tequila worm):

Dissecting the fallen agaves was a mini biological smorgasbord. The rotting tissue was filled with weevils and their larvae, flies and fly larvae, staphylinid beetles and their larvae. So if you have a fallen agave go out and dissect it so see the living microcosm. A curved bill thrasher was gladly helping itself to the exposed larvae while I was pulling the plants out.

close up view of candy dish and cypress root

Close up view of the scrapped missile dome candy dish:
Now that is one expensive candy dish!

Close up view of the cypress root (The only thing done to it was to rub it with tung oil.):

Finally Furniture!

I finally have furniture in the living room and dining room. It took a lot of time looking at furniture, multiple trips to stores, waiting a month or more for the furniture. The majority of the furniture came from Contents Interiors and the sectional and Ekornes chairs from Copenhagen.

I have all of my furniture now with one exception, I ordered a Natuzzi storage chaise. I'm not expected to get it until the end of March. I ordered it in a non stocked leather grade and color (navy blue) so they have to make it in Italy, hence the 4 to 5 month wait.

Here is a picture:
This will go upstairs in the"extra room". I didn't want the room set up as an extra bedroom but still wanted an extra sleeping space. The chaise can be used as an adjustable back chaise, a twin bed and it has storage for blankets and sheets. I have looked a long time for a solution to this space and this storage chaise is an excellent solution.

Pictures of the living/dining room:

Dining Area:

The barely discernible pieces of painters tape on the far wall by the stairs outlines a future art project to add color.The pictures are ones I have taken during my travels. I converted the pictures in Photoshop to a color between B&W and sepia. They are not as brown as sepia and not true B&W. I have a professional matt cutter and do my own framing.

The orange color really is not this bright of an orange is just always appears that way in the pictures. It is more of a burnt orange and definitely not as bright.The table top is recycled peroba wood from Brazil. The legs are Mahogony.
The same materials are used in my console table shown below.

They are both from Environment Furniture.
I think I am going to get copper cut into rectangles with rounded corners and a patina finish to use as place matts for the table. They will compliment the copper top bar.

Fireplace Sitting Area:

I made these coffee table cubes with drawers. Originally I wanted three custom made mesquite sloped cubes but the price was ridiculously expensive and would be a 4 to 5 month wait so I decided to make some cubes myself and added the drawers for drink coaster and magazine storage.
The chair to the left is called a grasshopper chair since the legs look like a grasshopper. I really love this chair and it is very comfortable. I love the contemporary pattern and the touch of color is brings. This chair and the dining room table set the whole design of the rest of the room.The console table holds a cypress root from SC that I have had for years and a scrap missile dome candy dish.

Corner Sitting Area:
(Eventually I will install a LCD TV on the fireplace column to be viewed from these recliners, the barstools or from the kitchen.)

These are Ekornes Orion recliners from Norway. I have liked these chairs for many years and always wished I had one. They are amazingly comfortable. These chairs have been around since 1971 and there are people who still sware by their vintage model.

The big plant is a fiddle leaf ficus and on the accent table there is a vase with two bambo sticks. The accent table is made of bronze but it has a darker anodized finish.

The Replogle Trafalgar floor globe has a LED light above it for viewing pleasure.

I installed the hanging light above the recliners.

Miscellaneous:

All of the area rugs are handtufted wool. Fringe is very good about staying off the rugs. (Cazie is a different story)

I have to finish accessorizing. I'll probably look for things at the gem and mineral show the end of January.

I have a large convex germanium lens with a reflective coat by the front door. It is really cool reflecting a fisheye view of the room. On the other side of the door I have a "Margy IR (Infrared) Warhol". I took one picture with the IR camera at work and then made the other three color panels in Photoshop.

Dog house prepared for winter

I finally installed the bolts to hold the door and wood chip retainer for the dog house. I used slide bolts so they are easy to install for winter and remove for the summer. I filled the doghouse with wood chips and placed a very cheap sleeping bag on top. Fringe does not sleep outside at night (instead with me) but she is spoiled. In the winter the tile floor would be cold. I also installed a solar landscape light in the dog yard to illuminate the area in front of her doghouse since it gets dark so early in the winter.

Detail of door installation:

I also made the wood frame for the "Doggy Roy Lichtenstein" Beware Spinone GRRRRR! poster I made for Fringe. The frame has an open slot at the top to easily replace the sign when weathered. I laminated the sign for weather protection.

Dog House with sign:
Closeup of sign (has too many reflections):
Detail of Doggy Lichtenstein Poster:

Fireplace Painting

Turns out I hate this but so Far I haven't taken it down to start over.

The fireplace column is two stories. I was tired of looking at the bare space and wanted to add some color. The space was large and I wanted an inexpensive solution so I decided to paint an abstract triptych. I built the panels. They attach to each other with bolts and hang from two hooks by chain and a snap hooks. I textured the panels with some texture paint I had left over from the guest bedroom project. Bob thinks it is completely ridiculous and stupid, Jim likes it and those at work who have seen pictures seem to like it (or maybe they are just being nice). I sort of like it and it is growing on me. It does it's job of adding needed color. Besides I can always take it down and repaint the panels or make new ones.


Detail of texture:

Baseboards

The previous owners installed wood baseboards themselves. There were some problems with them such as the mitered corners did not line up properly ( I don't think anywhere) and in one corner there was a 1/2 gap with no baseboard ( I assume they ran out of board). Another problem was that they did not use baseboard at all. They used door casing instead (a sad waste of real wood). The room has a cathedral ceiling and diminutive door casing does not cut it. They were also not installed securely and popping off the wall.

I installed slate baseboards. The slate ties in the slate around the fireplace, on the stair risers and around the skylight and window ledges. The slate is 4" high, much better than the small door casing. Another great thing about tile baseboards is it is easier to clean you can mop and bang the vacuum around recklessly ;-) and since the grout seals the bottom of the slate to the tile there are not any hiding places for things. Since their was a gap between the wood baseboards and the tile floor and at places with the textures walls I found lots of spiders behind them. In the corner joining the living room and kitchen I even found a dead mummified mouse.

The worst part of the whole process was cleaning the grout before sealing. There is still some grout dust lingering. I guess it will take several times vacuuming.

Some people may wonder about tile baseboards but they are great and really make a visual difference in a whole room view and everyone who has seem them in person likes them.

Before:

After:

Why haven't there been any posts recently?

Since I have lived here a year and a half and still without any downstairs living room/dining room furniture I decided it was time to get some. Buying nice furniture is a time consuming process. Multiple trips to various stores, decisions to make (which furniture and then choosing the leather and fabric), and when a decision is finally made you have to wait a month or more to get your furniture made after ordering. There were two pieces of custom furniture I considered and would really like but it would have been 4 months on those. I decided I was not going to post any new downstairs furniture pictures until I have my furniture. By the end of this coming week I will have everything that was ordered. I still need to pick out an end table and an accent table. I am waiting on a light fixture as well. I have also started to accessorize by getting frames for some of my photos.