Upstairs French Doors Removed

I removed the upstairs French doors to open up the space. In a little over 2 years I have never used them and they were just in the way.

Before:
After:

Kitchen Island Bar Lights

The lights for above the kitchen island bar finally came in to replace the track lights. They are Besa pendant lights. The globes are brown tan when turned off and amber when turned on.

Before:

After:

Tadpoles

Picture of some of the red-spotted toads I'm rearing in the fountain. I have to ensure the survival of my toads so I'll have them calling at night.

Fireplace Column Mounted TV

I mounted a Samsung 37" LCD TV on the side of the firplace column that faces the kitchen and recliner sitting area. It is on a cantilever arm mount so it can be pulled out from the wall and turned to face the kitchen or the recliners directly. I built the floating shelf below it to hold a Mac Mini so we can use it as a computer monitor. The black cable danging on the right goes to an external hard drive I attached to the USB port temporarily when I was watching a movie (forgot to remove it before the picture). I can play mpeg 4 movies directly from a USB drive (Pretty cool since I had already converted several movies to MP4 to play on the iPhone). The slideshows off of USB drives are also nice - who needs a tiny digital picture frame now!

(The screen is displaying Jim's Mathematica website stuff from the Mac Mini.)

New Ceiling Light

I replaced the old black and gold ugly light with a new bronze light. The lights shine on the back of the fireplace column and the dining area.
Before:

After:

Exterior Lighting

With the exception of the exterior garage light all of the outside lights were basic light sockets covered with southwest kitsch metal sconces. I wanted more contemporary lights that would take fluorescent bulbs.

Old Exterior Lights:
Front Door & Garage - Random Southwest pattern and a light with tiny bulbs that doesn't really put out any light.

Ramada West & East - Saguaro cactus and sun and the same random southwest design

Sliding Doors: Front & Kitchen - Gamble's quail and jack rabbit with pricky pear cactus

Back Door - lizard and prickly pear cactus

New Exterior Lights:
Garage -

The remaining lights are the same just different sizes. The front door and ramada column lights are larger than the 2 sliding door and back door lights.

The red-spotted toads are back in full force

I love my toads. The red-spotted toads (Bufo punctatus) came out of hibernation about two weeks ago and the males now serenade me at night with their mating calls. They can get very loud. Every once in a while I let the pool chlorine level drop so the eggs will hatch so I can net all the tadpoles to transfer to another container for rearing (It is easier to transfer tadpoles than sticky eggs that get damaged easily). They exert so much energy and time to breed in my pool so I want them to be successful some of the time. Last night I had 8 in my pool and decided to take some pictures. You can hear what they sound like at

http://www.californiaherps.com/frogs/pages/b.punctatus.sounds.html

Pictures from last night:

Chaise Side Table

I bought this monkey pod twist side table/stool for use next to the chaise upstairs.

Storage chaise has arrived

The Natuzzi Storage Chaise has finally arrived. I ordered it the end of November but since I customized the leather (heavy grade Navy) it had to be made to order in Italy (They only stock black and white at the store). I didn't want a bed upstairs (replaces a twin bed) but I still wanted an extra place that someone could sleep. This storage chaise is neat because it lays flat to use as a bed, one end props up in different positions to use as a lounge and the other end lifts up to reveal a huge amount of storage for blankets, sheets and pillows. It is just shy of twin bed size.

Misc.

I hung my crinoid fossil on the wall behind the sectional between the two windows. I had to figure out a very secure way to hang it so it wouldn't fall and break.
I added another house plant. A Dracenea.
I trimmed the palms:
By the pool gate -
By the garage -
I got a Thompson's Yucca for the front to replace the biggest agave I lost to agave weevils:
I planted a different type of iceplant in the pot on the dog gate column. This type is supposed to be pack rat resistant. (ahh Fringe is looking up at it thinking that wasn't there before!)
I'm planning on getting a LCD TV on an articulating wall mount for the side of the fireplace column that can be viewed from the kitchen and recliner area. This is a piece of cardboard cut to size I made to determine the scale. (Static Animal Planet scene provided by me!)

Signs Signs Everywhere There's Signs

I installed a mailbox in the dog yard to hold gloves and bags to pick up poop. I made this sign for the front.

Because boys will be boys and dogs like to drink out of the toilet I made this sign for my toilets.
OK I admit I'm a strange one!

Totem Pole Cacti & Lady Slippers

I dug up the Cassia that was along the pool wall because it was straggly and constantly dropping leaves, flowers or seeds into the pool. Along the pool wall and in the pot by the pool I planted Totem Pole Cacti and Lady Slippers. Once the Cacti get taller it will be a nice composition with the lady slippers.

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