Bathroom Remodel: Day 4

Friday, Jeff framed up the tub and shower, and added a couple corner seats in the shower as well. We originally planned on "bench" spanning the entire side of one wall, but Jeff got creative and thought up the corner seats to allow us more clearance in the middle. That proved to be an EXCELLENT idea, and now we haven't really lost any shower space by adding the corner seats.

In the last picture you can see where he came out from the wall about a foot to give us some extra room in the shower, which will also give us an area for shelves on the adjacent wall. We might end up using the space for free standing furniture in lieu of built in's. We have a lot of decisions to make!

We've purchased all of the electrical and plumbing fixtures, so all that's left is finding the perfect vanity mirrors.

Bathroom Remodel: Days 2 and 3 along with an update

Two weeks since deomlition, and yes, we're only on day 4 of actual work. So far the water closet has been framed in and the plumber has been here twice and done no actual work. Right now Jeffrey is framing in our tub surround and shower.

As for all the new work that we're having done on the hole in the wall and replacement of our wood floors, we're still where we were 2 weeks ago. The adjustor came out last week and we're waiting to hear what the numbers are so we can start picking out flooring.

Even though I intended on having more free time now that the kids are in school, just the opposite seems to have happened. With being on the PTA Board at both schools, volunteering, and my new workout schedule, I'm completely overcommitted (who me??) and up to my eyeballs in To-Do lists. AND, I haven't even started my job yet! I'm not sure how I'm going to handle everything once I'm working, but hopefully, things will calm down and I'll have more time for whatever else it is I'm forgetting to do. (housework maybe, keeping up with my family and friends???)

The kids are doing great in school, they've already completed their first two weeks and seem to be adjusting to their new schedules well. I talk to Alex's teacher everyday, and have already begun to hear the stories about Alex's silly antics. Fortunately, his teacher and I are very like-minded and she just adores him, and appreciates his sense of humor. Yay! She quickly discovered his ability to read and has him "teaching" two other boys to read. He is so, so proud.

Ashley is working super hard on her daily homework assignments, and I've been so proud of her determination to be neat and organized. Ever since she was a toddler, she's always been extremely particular about making sure things are all in the right place and neatly organized, and it's proven to be a very helpful trait! Everyday, Alex and I walk to meet her afterschool and walk home together. Alex asks about her day, she asks about his, and they are just so sweet to one another again! Summer had it's moments, so I'm so, so thankful that they are back to their old selves again. Distance DOES make the heart grow fonder, that's for sure!

Day 2

DAY 3

Bathroom Remodel: Days 2 and 3 along with an update

Two weeks since deomlition, and yes, we're only on day 4 of actual work. So far the water closet has been framed in and the plumber has been here twice and done no actual work. Right now Jeffrey is framing in our tub surround and shower.

As for all the new work that we're having done on the hole in the wall and replacement of our wood floors, we're still where we were 2 weeks ago. The adjustor came out last week and we're waiting to hear what the numbers are so we can start picking out flooring.

Even though I intended on having more free time now that the kids are in school, just the opposite seems to have happened. With being on the PTA Board at both schools, volunteering, and my new workout schedule, I'm completely overcommitted (who me??) and up to my eyeballs in To-Do lists. AND, I haven't even started my job yet! I'm not sure how I'm going to handle everything once I'm working, but hopefully, things will calm down and I'll have more time for whatever else it is I'm forgetting to do. (housework maybe, keeping up with my family and friends???)

The kids are doing great in school, they've already completed their first two weeks and seem to be adjusting to their new schedules well. I talk to Alex's teacher everyday, and have already begun to hear the stories about Alex's silly antics. Fortunately, his teacher and I are very like-minded and she just adores him, and appreciates his sense of humor. Yay! She quickly discovered his ability to read and has him "teaching" two other boys to read. He is so, so proud.

Ashley is working super hard on her daily homework assignments, and I've been so proud of her determination to be neat and organized. Ever since she was a toddler, she's always been extremely particular about making sure things are all in the right place and neatly organized, and it's proven to be a very helpful trait! Everyday, Alex and I walk to meet her afterschool and walk home together. Alex asks about her day, she asks about his, and they are just so sweet to one another again! Summer had it's moments, so I'm so, so thankful that they are back to their old selves again. Distance DOES make the heart grow fonder, that's for sure!

Day 2

DAY 3

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!