Bathroom Demolition: LEAKAGE!

After finding water in the wall below the master bath Mark immediately called the contractor (after turning off the water to the house, of course). Within 10 minutes, a superindendant was on site, and within 15 minutes of his arrival, a plumber was here. They were able to locate the leak fairly quickly and cap it to prevent any additional damage. Here's the bad news:





The good news is that our contractor has liability insurance and will cover all the cost of the repairs which he estimates to be around $10,000...most of which will cover replacing the wood floors. It looks like a very small spot, but since mom installed them 2ish years ago, they have discontinued this style of parquet...sooo, they're now going to have to replace the entire hall, dining room, living room and Ashley's room, which is a VERY large amount of wood flooring. We're pretty bummed about having to rip up the floors that mom worked so hard on, but we're also trying to look on the bright side. Our old water line was weak, and according to the plumber, could have broke on its own anytime now. I can't imagine having to foot this bill right now! We are so, so fortunate!

Bathroom: Demolition, Day 1

One day late, but finally, the bathroom remodel has begun! Before we let the workers attack, we had to get some fun in first. What could be more entertaining than watching a couple of kids draw on the walls and carpet...watching them hammer walls out, that's what!






And finally, it's all GONE!!! We have a looong way to go, but we're on our way!





We interupt this post *literally* for a bit of a problem. As I'm uploading pictures Mark informs me that we have a BIG problem. Looks like something happened during the demolition and water has been leaking in to the wall below the shower for the past 24 hours. The wall is dripping, paint is sagging, parquet floors are buckling...and there's still the basement that we can't even see because it's filled to the brim with my brothers stuff. Big problems. Huge problems.

I will update as this progresses.

New Toilet!

Another update on the bathroom remodel that I forgot to mention. A new potty! It does seem a little silly to be excited about a new toilet, but once again, I'm not sure if it's the thrill of a deal or the actual toilet itself. So here she is, the Toto Carrollton. Mark is excited about the flushing action (25 golf balls...not sure why that's necessary, but you know boys and their toys..??), I'm loving the skirted sides and soft closing seat, but even more so, the price tag. List price: $582.00, display markdown at Apex: $230.00. Savings: $352.00.

Savings to date: $1,392

Jacuzzi anyone?

Well, today Mark and I made our first big purchase for the bathroom remodel and I am beyond excited. I still haven't decided if I'm more excited about the sweet whirlpool tub, or the amazing deal we scored. Anyway, Mark and I decided on a corner tub, and had a budget of $1000.00. We wanted jets, and room for two. We had one picked out at Lowes for $999.99, but today I found an excellent deal for a brand new Jacuzzi tub on Craigslist. After doing some research on it, we discovered what an amazing deal we had stumbled upon. This is a Jacuzzi Cappella tub retails at a whopping $2,189 starting price. (Although I did find it on bizrate for $1,600). So here's the tub we picked up today: Stock image



Oh, did I mention the price??? This puppy was on Craigslist for a whopping $700, and Mark ended up talking him down to $650. And it's NEW!

Ashley's surprise room makeover

Mark and I decided to take full advantage of the kids being gone all week and we completely redid Ashley's room. Our house was built in the 80's, so there's a LOT of dark wood in the house. While we really do appreciate the quality of all the wood work, we really wanted to brighten up Ashley's room a little. We put a LOT of time in to this project. We painted all the baseboards, trim, window frame, cabinetry, her desk, drawers and three of the four doors in her room. (Yes, she has FOUR doors in her room!!) We replaced her old mini blinds with new plantation blinds, we spray painted her brass hardware black, added new white shelves to her cabinetry, painted her walls a light greenish color...(half price oops rack!), Mark replaced all of her outlets and light switches with brand new white covers and outlets, and we've ordered a very large piece of glass to cover the entire 9 foot length of her built-in desk, and a new desk chair. She has a new comforter, pillows, curtains, and butterfly chair. Oh, and I can't forget her new 17" widescreen monitor, compliments of Nana. These pictures are awful, and I didn't think to take them until I'd already began painting the bookshelf. The bedding is the "Gold" set from the MTV Cribs Collection. You can't see the detail in the picture, but it's very cute with subtle patterns and the curtains behind her bed are a sheer zebra print tied with the matching pink ribbons. These pictures really don't do the room justice, the colors are totally off, but you can get the general idea.




Before:


After:


Before



After: