Catching Up- July Edition

Musical Trunks
We went to the annual turnover sale in the town where we used to live, and my 7 year old was completely taken by this trunk (along with a plastic snowboard!)

 He said it was "like a REAL treasure chest".  At only $5, I couldn't deny him!
It was almost completely black with caked on dirt,
but we scrubbed it up when we got home.

It's definitely rough, but I love the little details like the fancy hardware!

It's now loaded with pirate, astronaut, & superhero costumes.

Meanwhile, my younger son has staked his claim on the trunk that used to be here... he got rather indignant when I said we'd use it down in the back porch to hide shoes away.  So, now I've got to juggle his room around to find a place for it (who am I kidding- I love this!).


Table updated
We had purchased this little table last November at a yard sale for just $1!!!

At the time, I couldn't decide if I should paint it, because the image on the top was kind of charming.
So I lived with it for a while, and found the stains were really getting to me.

A little spray paint- and it's a whole new table!  I was thinking about doing a stencil on top, and might do that in the future.  But for now I like being able to stick a place mat on it and easily swap it out.







It's going to look really cute outside- the weather didn't cooperate this weekend for photos though!

Egg Report
We're now getting 8 eggs a day! 

See the two giant eggs?!?  
We get them several times a week with double yolks inside.  Mike's friend told him it's good luck... we'll take it :)

There was a little issue where one chicken had started laying them in a hidden area above the nesting boxes... one day I heard her clucking in there, looked & found 12 eggs back there  (in the trash they went!!!)  Mike put some chicken wire across the opening where she was getting in, so now we're all set!

Matching Mouldings

The door & window trim in the bathroom didn't match the rest of the house.  I'm sure this is because the bathroom was added at a later date.  We wanted to tie it back in, so started looking around for as close as we could get to this:

rosettes with flowers in the center,
and fluted pieces for the sides & top

Here's what we found... not exact, but pretty close!

It's on the schedule to be completed by 9/2... we'll see!

Lots of progress with tiling over the weekend.  Photos soon!

Related posts:
Before pics
Project Timeline
Bathroom Demo
Bathroom Shopping
Tar paper & Wallboard installation 
Photos of progress- 7/23
Picking the flooring
Photos of progress- 7/27

Bathroom Update- July 27

I wasn't going to post an update until next week, but I'm excited that we're running about 1-2 weeks ahead (that's a first!)

Tile supplies are ready, and we've begun laying out the first part on the floor in the hall.





This weekend we hope to finish up the spackling and start the tiling!  We gave ourselves until 8/12 to get that done, which still might be accurate- since we've never tiled before.

*please excuse the poor photos-
I just snapped a few quick pics with my phone! 

So, here's where the To Do List stands heading into the weekend...


By July 15th:
Purchase wainscoting, drywall & wall board Complete!
Purchase sink/vanity & toilet Complete!
Purchase new light/fan, white outlets & switches Complete!
Run electric from basement to attic (prep for finishing attic rooms) Complete!
Secure pex & wire to inside foyer wall (had run out of brackets) Complete!
Complete PVC caps on old pipes in basement Complete!
Finish stack in the foyer & insulate heating pipes  Complete! 
Complete install of vent pipe in bathroom & attic  Complete! 

By July 22nd:
Purchase shower/tub fixtures, shower curtain rod Complete!
Tar paper & waterproof shower/tub Complete!
Install wall board to shower/tub Complete!
Install new outlets & light switches Complete!
Rip out old vinyl floor   Complete! 
Level joists  Complete!  
Install new sub-floor  Not Needed!
Take down mirror  Complete! 
Install drywall to walls -  Complete! 


By August 5th:
Purchase tile, grout & supplies  Complete!   
Purchase sink fixtures Complete!  
Purchase molding pieces  Complete!  
Tape joints    Complete!  
Spackle & sand- almost done!

By August 12th:
Purchase wood flooring- Ordered!
Borrow tile cutter
Purchase paint & painting supplies 
Install tile around shower/tub
Install shower/tub fixtures

By September 2nd:
Paint wainscoting pieces
Install wood floor
Install door & window molding
Install wainscoting
Install toe moldings

By September 9th:
Paint walls & moldings
Install shower curtain rod
Install new fan/light

By September 23rd:
Purchase Mirror
Install vanity
Install sink & tub fixtures
Install toilet
Install light fixtures
Install face plates

By October 1st:
Install drywall to foyer ceiling & walls
Finishing touches & decorating in bathroom

Related posts:
Before pics
Project Timeline
Bathroom Demo
Bathroom Shopping
Tar paper & Wallboard installation
Photos of progress- 7/23
Picking the flooring

Bathroom Flooring Decision

We decided we wanted wood for the bathroom floor, so did a ton of research on whether this was a "smart" choice- given the moisture factor.  We also went and picked up two samples of our top choices at Lowe's.

On the left is the manufactured wood, on the right is solid hardwood.

There are several issues we had to weigh, here's how they stacked up!

1.Thickness of the new flooring.  

Here's they are placed where the flooring will meet the hall floor-->
We are okay with having a door saddle, but don't want there to be a huge difference in height from the hallway flooring.  Thinner is better.
Winner: Manufactured


2. Durability
Is it going to hold up to splashes of water? (We'll have a bathmat, so hopefully shouldn't be TOO much water!)  
Winner: Manufactured
This one really shocked me!  Apparently, the manufactured handles moisture better, and is less likely to warp than solid wood. Who knew?


3. Longevity 
Will we be able to sand it and re-stain it in the future?  Would be nice!
Winner: Hard Wood
The Manufactured can not be sanded down.


4. Ease of Installation 
We're doing this ourselves.  
Hard wood requires nailing, while the Manufactured is "floating" and just snaps together (I'm sure still easier said than done!)
Winner: Manufactured


5. Cost
The manufactured costs less than the hard wood, and doesn't need any tool rentals.
Winner: Manufactured

So, we're going with the Manufactured! 

Although it doesn't have the longevity, we'll likely decide to go with something completely different in 10 years! 
The ease & price make it the right choice for us this time around.


 It's ordered (ahead of schedule!) and should arrive next week. 

Photos of the Bathroom Progress

I hadn't gotten around to taking photos of everything for Friday's To Do List update, so here are some pics  & details!

We've replaced all of the grungy looking tan outlets/switches with new white ones.
They all worked just fine, but since they'll be right next to the white wainscoting, I wanted them to match.
I forgot to take "before" shots, but here are the afters:

<---I feel like the outlet on the left is upside down.  Clearly doesn't matter, but Mike said he'll flip it for me.  What a great hubby!

This is looking up to the ceiling light/fan. 

We completed the venting. 

It was originally installed to blow right into a beam in the attic floor- no wonder it didn't work!

We still have to install the actual fixture once the spackling is done.

I've spent lots of time scraping the caulking away 
from where the old shower doors were installed.

Putty knife, razor blade, cleaner... little by little it's coming up, but there's still a mark.  Ugh!  More elbow grease needed!

The mirror has come down- happily, we got it out without breaking it!
We also took down the light fixture for now. It's coming back, but we need it out of the way for spackling.

Mike finished the areas that needed to be re-sheetrocked on Friday, and spackling has started (a week ahead of schedule- yay!)  

As for downstairs, the new electrical cable is bundled up with the existing, as are the new Pex lines.  We'll be closing that wall back up soon.

In the family room, we no longer have the stack running all the way down to the floor, but the plumbing had to drop lower than the ceiling to connect to the new stack.
We have a few creative ideas on how to close all this back up, without it being noticeable.