Here We Go Again!

Demolition is something we have become pretty good at.  Given that our master bathroom is 95% done (still need to paint windows, and install a shelf), we decided we could go ahead and start working on our hallway bathroom.

So LD called Deffenbaugh and arranged for a dumpster to be delivered.  This one is half the size of the other.

Before we got started on our demolition, I thought I would capture the beauty of our bathroom.  So without further ado I present to you our bathroom as it was right before we tore it apart.  Peach tiled walls, yellow tub, paperclip tile accent wall, peach tiled floor, and a rust colored vanity with cultured marble yellow countertop.  What were they thinking?  The plastic sheeting over the accent wall was something we had to put up due to tiles popping off when we demolished the master bathroom tub (drywall was pretty much water damaged).

"Paperclip" tile on accent wall (behind plastic sheet).

I am not going to miss bending over this vanity in order to wash my hands.

We started our demo on Saturday and managed to demo the walls and ceiling.

After seeing the 1 inch mortar (almost like poured concrete) underneath the tile in the floor, we decided to leave that for Sunday.

Our neighbor was kind enough to let us borrow his hammer drill and a large crowbar.  In less than two hours all of the floor tile and the mortar bed were in the dumpster.  I suited up and took out all the old insulation from the outer wall and the ceiling (fiberglass makes LD very itchy, so that was a job I had to tackle on my own).

All we had left to remove was our "beautiful" yellow tub.  So last night, our friends Rollin and Jeannette came over to help us remove the tub from that tight space.  It wasn't too bad.  Rollin did most of the heavy lifting.  He practically lifted it up with his little pinky!!  I exaggerate, but it was scary when he lifted it up on its side (the short side so that it was straight up into the air).  We had craft paper on the floor and several pieces of plywood to protect the cork, and used 2 piano dollies to move the thing.  But it's done!!!  It took more planning than the time it actually took to move it.  But we did it safely and the house didn't get hurt either!

RIP Yellow Banana Tub

4/11/55 to 9/20/10

We ordered our new tub, and we're hoping that it will come in by the end of this week.   We need to purchase some can lights, maybe some sconces, and decide on a bathroom sink.  Oh ya, we also need to buy a countertop and a cabinet!  Stay tuned, we are hoping to get this bathroom done much faster than our previous one.

It has been a busy couple of weeks

Our Toto Aquia toilet came in right on schedule, but given the limited space in our tiny bathroom we figured we would wait to install it after the shower glass wall was installed.  Unfortunately, the installer called us a few days before our originally scheduled date to reschedule.  The glass they had received had a huge scratch right down the middle, and he had to send it back.   So Friday they finally installed it.

The tile we ordered for our backsplash arrived pretty quickly, and we installed it in less than a couple of hours on the Friday before Labor Day.

Since we had to delay the demolition work of our hall bathroom, we decided to take a trip to Ikea.  Phoenix needed a new dog house, unfortunately Snoopy was not interested in selling.

The real reason for our trip was to check out their cabinets.  We really liked their Solar Beech line, but they discontinued them!  Unfortunately, their other cabinets wouldn't work for us.  Unless we find something we both like, we might just have to go custom.  It wasn't a total wasted trip, however, we did pick up some items at Ikea and a Saarinen side table top from the Room and Board Outlet.  Phoenix also got to go on her first official long road trip (other than when we first picked her up in Ohio).  While we were there, her big sisters gave her a tour of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

On Labor Day, we spent a couple of hours grouting the backsplash.  And I sealed the grout yesterday.

Although our shower glass got installed last Friday, we had to allow 48 hours for the silicone to cure.

On Saturday LD and Katy commemorated September 11th by spending the afternoon and evening participating on a joint search scenario training (both Canine and Tech Search).

Yesterday, we finally got a chance to install the toilet.  The hardest part of the install was drilling the holes in the slate.  I could not locate the diamond drill bit we had purchased, so after spending nearly an hour looking for it I drove to Home Depot and bought another one.  Once LD managed to tap the screw anchors into the holes, it was relatively easy.

We finally have a fully functioning bathroom, and now we can start with the demo of our hallway bathroom.  Maybe we can get started this weekend.