Royal Flush

Okay, while it's perhaps not fit for royalty, we are very happy with our downstairs bathroom remodel. After much trial and tribulation, heartache and hairpulling, we have a working, attractive bathroom again. There are still several little details on the punch list to complete, but given how we roll, they may go unfinished for years!

Bathroom before:

I had tried to freshen the bath up a bit right after buying the house, but it was still an eyesore (that shower curtain is hiding an abundance of ugliness):

And now, for the big reveal!

From the mudroom entrance (the door you see straight ahead is off the guest bedroom, so this bath is like a Jack and Jill of sorts):

Vanity nook (mudroom doorway to the left, linen closet on the right):

Window wall:

Shower view:

Shampoo shelf (I'm OCD enough to want matching, pretty bottles, but frugal enough that these stay until used up!):

Here are the details:

Shower tile: American Olean Monte Carlo 1x2 glass mosaic with Polyblend Oyster Bay non-sanded grout
Tub: Bootz Maui enameled steel extra deep soaking tub
Faucets: Price Pfister brushed nickel; shower is Marielle, vanity is Amherst
Toilet: Danze Orrington
Vanity: St. Paul Madeline 36" chestnut
Flooring: Style Selections 12x24 White Travertine with Blue Hawk Saddle Gray grout

I'm not convinced the shower curtain is the right one. I'm still planning on sewing a custom creation, but this little TJMaxx find fills the spot for the time being. I also am hunting for a better plant stand. Sadly, we couldn't center the toilet under the window because of crazy old house plumbing, so the live plant deceives the eye as well as clears the air! But it deserves a nicer perch, when I can find the right one. You'll notice I also haven't shown any light fixtures. I'm really debating whether to go transitional/contemporary, blingy, or vintage basic with the overhead light and vanity sconce, so the old ones are still in place.

And if anyone knows where to purchase the skinniest trash can imaginable, please let me know. I have just a few inches to the left of the vanity and would love to squeeze in a slim waste receptacle. Otherwise, I'll probably look for a small door mounted version for inside the cabinet.

All in all, it's still only a bathroom. Just a simple tub/shower combo, toilet, and sink. The pictures are pretty, but the real dramatic difference is the function. We have new PEX pipes that won't freeze or corrode. Our water doesn't run red. Our hot water flows quickly and forcefully from the taps. Our toilet flushes the first time very time. Our tub isn't leaking into the wall. Our floor is level and clean. Our sink doesn't cause backaches to use. So if you'd like to come to inspect and appreciate the form and function in person, we're ready for houseguests anytime!

P.S. A big shout out to Christina from Little Victorian for the photo tips! It made a big difference in getting nice shots of all our hard work ;-)

High and Dry

Well, it's rather pointless to strive for completion of the downstairs bathroom, as we have no water! Yes, we were one of the many affected after the polar vortex worked its abnormally cold temperatures in our area. We kept lines dripping at night, but inexplicably yesterday afternoon I suddenly had no water in the house. A little road trip down to our far-flung meter box, shut off valve and regulator revealed a bubbling spring of county water pouring into the pasture yet again (if you're wondering why "again", then you probably haven't had the pleasure of enjoying our first major water saga and its exciting resolution).

That distant water supply is going to be the death of me. Oh, to have a meter and shut off near the house like regular folks! The flood seemed to be coming from the actual utility box, which would be the water authority's responsibility. But when they got there and checked it, they determined it was "on the customers side". I.e., our dime! So I await the plumber yet again. I'm just thankful that I'm in with so many plumbers that I could get someone to come out the very next day in this week of frozen and burst pipes all over the country!

UPDATE: The plumber was able to repair the break the very next day. It was the piece of pipe running right under the meter box, so he thinks it was the weight of the box combined with the freezing and thawing ground that broke the line. We know our main is undersized and thin walled, so maybe come spring we can finally trench in a bigger, sturdier pipe and stop all these breaks!

Just in time...

for Memorial Day! I got my small porch planters done with clearance annuals and US flags actually made in America (love Lowes!).

And we got the bunting UV treated and hung back up for summer:

We'll leave a light on for you...

The garden tour inspired me to finally install our low voltage landscape lights. After discovering how incredibly easy it is, I am rather embarrassed to admit that I bought the lights on clearance three years ago for the last house! And yet somehow never got around to putting them in. Oh well, that just means they were practically free now (in my very warped accounting sense ;-).

They must have been discontinuing them because LED lights now are brighter and warmer in their color temperature. But light is light, and I'm not going to be picky about brightening up the dark. I still need to splice the cord to lengthen and adjust the spotlights washing the porch railing, and I'm thinking about adding some solar lights up on the gable dormer. But it gives a nice welcome at twilight. And the appearance of a runway, since our sidewalk still goes to nowhere! Here's to hoping you achieve lift-off before you reach the end.

Hang 'em High

With the purchase of a few random cabinets on Craigslist, three coats of paint, and more measuring, finagling, discussion, and planning than you would think necessary, we finally have some storage in the mudroom.

Mudroom last July

My CL cabinets before

Mudroom now, in progress

I'll eventually build two custom narrow cubbies to fill out the upper run and trim the cabinets to the ceiling, but that is a project for another day! So is the meticulous painting of the multi-pane glass door that goes on that center cabinet. Please use your imagination and pretend you can see into the cabinet. Oh wait; you can!

The mudroom was simply the back porch in another life, before being closed in. The concrete floor, therefore, was thoughtfully designed to shed water with a very definite pitch towards the rear. Great for floods, but not so good for interior design. I will soon replace the large white bottom cabinet with a narrow drawer base at the end run, topping the whole length with a countertop to form a large work surface and desk area. But said drawer base will have to be jacked up a bit, in order to form a level line with the upper cabinets.

My Habi Restore find, a 15" drawer base, mid sanding and prepping.

We'll be hitching that puppy more than two inches off the floor to achieve parallel with the new counter. So with that in mind, we had to hang the uppers higher than normal to maintain a decent distance between countertop and cabinets. At 5'2", I already have to stretch on tippy toe for the third shelf; now I think I'll just resign that space for Jeff's things. When I told Jeff that, he asked what things were his!

House Lights

I'm happy to say one more box is out of the shop. I'm even happier to say it's because we finally got the new porch light installed!

I had purchased a matching flush-mount porch ceiling fixture when I bought the lamppost light several months ago. But with all the other work on the house, a little detail like switching out a light fixture was at the bottom of the priority list. But Sunday was a pleasant, sunny day and we felt like being outside (but close enough to the house that we could enjoy the NPR program "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on the radio). So the porch was the perfect work environment.

As with all things old house related, it's never as simple as it seems. The new hanging bracket did not match up with the old junction box, so Jeff had to do some finagling. I scraped errant paint off the sidelight glass while he worked, with the happy surprise when I turned around that he got the task accomplished. We like it so much, we may try to figure out a way to put matching lanterns on the four front posts!

Before and After:

After:

While we worked, we were serenaded by a lovely little song bird in a near by tree. We went to get a closer look, and to our surprise, the bird didn't fly away. We stood directly under the tree and watched and listened to him (or perhaps her) for several minutes. If anyone knows their bird species, I'd love to identify this happy little avian!

Boot Scrapin' Boogie

We have had a mysterious object at the farmhouse under consideration. We first noticed it when we were cleaning years of accumulated leaves and debris off the front steps. It was a black wrought iron piece of barstock twisted around with each end planted firmly in the concrete. We thought perhaps it was the remnant of an old handrail support, but it didn't make any sense. We've seen old black and white photos of the house and there was never anything mounted to the steps.

But life goes on and gets busy and we forgot all about our iron oddity. Until watching an episode of "This Old House" on PBS. We love the show, although Jeff calls it more of a "what's possible" show rather than a "reality remodel" (their budgets must be astronomical, they never live in the house through the renovations, the detail and craftsmanship is beyond the scope of any other crew, etc.). Well, they were wrapping up a whole house restoration project and went to a local handcrafted blacksmith's shop for a few final detail pieces. One was a door knocker; the other was a boot scraper. As soon as Jeff saw what the craftsman was making and how it would be mounted at the front stoop, he said that must be what our mysterious piece was. I saw immediately that he was right!

So now that we have a name for it, here is a picture of our vintage, original, handcrafted boot scraper (that makes it sound much grander than it is, but it's nice to have an explanation for the otherwise random bit of metal sticking up on our steps)!

Moodboard

I don't think I've ever posted my overall plan for the kitchen. Since it's coming together in bits and pieces, it may be hard to grasp the complete scheme. But I do have one! I put together this moodboard to help me plan what elements I want to use and make sure they all play well.

It was a fun little Photoshop exercise, but it also keeps me on track. I can refer back to it when I'm worried that something doesn't fit or if I need to make some changes. For example, I had a little breakdown the other day that the yellow on the cabinets wasn't the right shade. Looking at the overall plan soothed me that it all works together, but I did notice that my moodboard has a lot more white and gray showing and less yellow. So I will take some steps to balance out the quantity of yellow; perhaps painting or papering some interior cabinets gray when I put the glass doors on, etc. But I can make these changes later once I've seen the whole kitchen. Maybe that day will come before I'm too old to enjoy it!

Our Perfect Day

Back when we were dating, Jeff asked me to describe my perfect day. It began with a sunny, pleasant morning walk with my husband from our old historic house out to the barn and pasture of our ten acre mini-farm to feed our menagerie of animals.

That dream was voiced about eleven years ago, and Jeff brought it to my attention yesterday. There we were, working side by side on the front landscaping of our old farmhouse, enjoying the sunshine and the view of the horses grazing. Along came our friendly chickens and DaVinci went to check out the little scene.

It was so like the moment I described all those years ago! Jeff joked that it only took a little over a decade to achieve (and the equines aren't actually ours, of course; oh, yeah, and we only have one acre, not ten)! All the same, it was a great memory to file away and a wonderful example of how God really does give us our hearts' desires.

Bottoms Up

Normally, you would work from the top down. But in our case, the floor is the starting point for the kitchen renovation. Jeff only has another week or two of classes before he is out for winter break, so it's time to ease into the next big project.

I began by easing up the last layer of linoleum on our wood floors. We'd already removed two layers of vinyl and an underlayment of plywood this summer. We left the last layer of glue-down tiles so we would have something fairly tidy and neat for flooring in the meantime. But now it's time to get messy and dirty, so while Jeff was out of town, I began demolition. There is still much scraping to be done before we can sand, but I see peeks of pretty wood underneath!

Breaking News

fWell, we had a leak in the water main, alright. In fact, it was a major break. The previous occupant had used a backhoe to dig down to the line, install a T connection, and run a water line into the middle of the field (presumably for his pumpkin patch business that never came to fruition). So we had a compromised soft spot in the ground with a sloppy plumbing job centered in a pasture that gets mowed with a heavy tractor. All the makings of a major blowout!

You'd think 46,000 gallons would look
like more than just a puddle in the pasture!

And blowout it did, with about three breaks and one disconnect in an 18" span. I'm absolutely amazed that we had any water pressure in the house (though we had noticed a small decreased in flow and chalked it up to old galvanized lines, which get easily occluded). I guess that's a credit to our very clay-based soils here that so much water made it past the break and continued on to the house. But I really wish it had disrupted water flow to our taps; then we would have realized there was a problem before 46,000 gallons of water disappeared into the dirt!

The T connection between the three legs came apart at all three places

All in all, it could have been far worse. Jeff dug up the line with the help of a handyman on our painter's crew and repaired the break with new pipe and couplings. Our friend and neighbor, who owns the pasture through which our water main runs, wanted the spigot out anyway, so now the T connection is gone and we have a simple straight shot to the house. Maybe Jeff should bill him at $125 for the plumbing work so we can pay our water bill!

Main Problem

How does one use 26,000 gallons of water in eight days? By having a major leak in one's water main to the house!

I'm very thankful I checked our water bill before filing it. We have it paid by direct deduct, so the paperwork is just a formality, really. But I try to stay on top of our utility usage. So when I saw the big bill and the 20,000 gallons more than usual on the bill, I thought perhaps it was from the pressure washer the painters used in prep work. But that still seemed like a tremendous amount of water. So I called the painters; no, they had never seen that kind of water bill from a customer before.

Then I called the water company. Yes, the reading was correct. So I took the dog for a walk and went by the meter (which is located all the way across the pasture at the crossroad). As I looked at the gauge, I could see the dial going around. Not the little jiggly one that tells you there is a drip somewhere; the main dial that turns with every 10 gallons of water dispensed! I took a reading, compared it with the previous (very high) bill and realized we had used another 26,000 gallons in just over a week since the last reading. Big problem!

On the way back to the meter and shut-off valve with a pipe wrench, we discovered the large, wet sink hole in the pasture. Tire tracks lead to and away from it, so we have our culprit. With the water off, the standing water has already receded a bit in about an hour, so I'm almost positive we have the right spot. Now I'm waiting on the workmen to come hand dig the line and find the problem. Did you know most plumbers charge $95-$125 an hour?! Anyone want to come help me dig???

Five Dollar Mistakes

Sometimes I feel like I'm penny wise and pound foolish, as the old saying goes. But in the case of house painting, I'm pretty sure that's not the case.

I absolutely love the little paint samples that all the stores sell now. It started with Benjamin Moore a few years ago, and now everyone offers it. For anywhere from $3-$8 you can buy paint samples ranging from 4 oz to 1 quart (and price does not necessary correspond to size)! They will tint them to any stock color, and most will color match competitors brands and do custom colors.

What a great way to test colors! The little chips in the store lighting are never what they seem once you get the gallon home. Somehow beige begins to morph pink, taupe turns purple, gray goes green, yellow yells "schoolbus!", etc., etc., etc.

So, I have been testing exterior colors. Which is a vastly different experience from testing interior colors! Who knew that sun could do such things to shades and tints and hues? Our farmhouse is mostly seen from the west and the south, which means lots of direct, bright light. Light trim colors all look white; medium tones get washed out; deeper colors look like garish Easter eggs. I have a towering stack of tester quarts out in the shop and have been to Sherwin Williams three days straight to pick up various body, trim, and accent attempts.

Oh, well. Better to have a few $5 mistakes hiding in the garage than a $2500 mistake on the sides of the house for the whole world to see!

Three body colors and four trim trials later, we're hopefully narrowing
in on a winner! (You can't see the accents I've been playing around
with down on the first floor; I've run out of room on the dormer!)

Just like me!

While searching for some bungalow-related information, I stumbled upon this image in the prestigious Seattle Times. It shows a bungalow foyer with a light fixture rather similar to my new acquisition!

I love the shapely milk glass shades on this one. I'll keep an eye out for something similar, but it'll be hard to beat the dollar deal I got on my current shades!

Kitchen Pleasures

Jeff fixed a minor problem for me this evening that has been a daily annoyance. I'm glad I have such an understanding husband who really recognizes what goes in to making a kitchen work well!

As I've mentioned before, we are currently without a stove or full size refrigerator as we are planning the major kitchen remodel. I have a mini fridge sitting on a folding card table to hold my daily items, and I trek out to the shop for the deep freeze or larger fridge when needed (55 paces one way to be exact). The mini fridge is in a slightly precarious position wedged in a corner behind the kitchen door. I have to walk from the opposite corner of the kitchen (where my prep spot is), around the little island, half close the kitchen door, pull open the fridge with my right hand, wiggle out my required items with my (non-dominant) left hand, and then re-adjust the kitchen door so it is out of the walkway.

I had tried to change the fridge door swing, but hit several snags. But tonight, Jeff made it happen! I can't tell you how much better and easier this is! Every time I open the fridge, I smile. This is one upside of hardship: you appreciate little conveniences and niceties so much more!

Lighting it up

It's been an enlightening week, as Jeff said! We got the new dining room chandelier hung and the new (old) foyer fixture up, also. I'm very excited about both, especially since I feel I got a great deal on each of them.

The dining room was in desperate need of an update. It had an old ceiling fan that whirled dust bunnies and cold air down on our food, and glaring lights that threw unattractive shadows into the corners.

You can just make out the bottom of the ceiling fan here

I was really drawn to the lines of the Restoration Hardware "Lander" chandelier, but at over $450, it wasn't a price I wanted to pay.

My inspiration picture

So I was thrilled to find a version at Overstock.com at a third of the cost. It has the strong lines of Arts and Crafts or Mission pieces, with a touch of the more modern Transitional about it. It even mirrors the rectangle shape of the old upright piano in the room and the square fabric shades look just my dining room floor lamps. I love it on the dimmer so I can adjust the lighting and mood throughout the day.

After

Though the farmhouse is very original, all the light fixtures had been replaced (sadly), probably in the 70's if style and dust are any indication! So, where possible, I'm looking for vintage fixtures. I really wanted a focal piece for the foyer, to replace this interesting Mid-Century Modern light (unique, but not right for the era of this house).

Before
(DaVinci wanted to know what what was so photo-worthy out in the hall)

It was such a blessing to find the perfect fixture on my local Craigslist. All I needed were glass shades, which I found for $.99 a piece at the Habitat for Humanity Restore.

After

Shady Deals

The old aluminum blinds all over the house were getting on my nerves. I appreciated that we had some sort of covering for privacy (I've experienced the difficulty of moving into a new house and having to deal with lots of bare windows all at once). But these were dusty, dirty, and dated-looking. I knew something fresh would really update the rooms quickly.

The dining room windows when we were pulling up flooring

One set of living room windows before we moved in

A JCPenney clearance search resulted in just the right thing: bamboo shades in the perfect reddish wood tone to compliment the moldings. It took me part of the morning Friday to get them all hung, and then the new view motivated me that afternoon to remove the torn storm windows and clean the exterior glass. It's like a whole new world out there now! I'm working on curtain rods and drapery, so that will be the next step in the window treatment transformation.

Current view of dining room windows

Living room windows now

I had to smile at Miss Evelyn (the single woman who lived in this farmhouse her whole life). I think I've mentioned before how meticulous she was about saving and labeling items. Well, the blinds were no exception. Each piece of hardware was labeled as to the window to which it belonged, the direction it faced, etc. The header of this blind had the inscription:

Top line reads: S.E. Den window over air conditioner
Bottom line reads: Blinds restrung and new webbing #3 11-3-'82 Wed. - by Mr. "Frank Price Shutter + Blind Co."

(The #3 must refer to the fact that this is the third in a series of three windows, because the windows to the left are labeled #1 and #2). I wonder if this particular Wednesday in November of '82 was when she got the blinds back from Mr. Frank or if he did them all in one day?

And I used to think it was funny that Jeff dated post-it notes and index cards! This is a whole new level of detail!

Picking My Battles

Remodeling is often about prioritizing. What projects, to what extent, in what order. Sometimes (rather, oftentimes) what I thought was going to be simple becomes involved. Or a straightforward objective blossoms into an ever-growing endeavor. But I try to limit those things.

So it was with surprisingly little regret that I reeled in a moment of excitement. I came home last week to find that the workmen had finished up their first day of deconstruction on the laundry room. As I inspected the empty room, now with a few holes here and there, I spied something that made my heart quicken just a bit. Could it be!? I peered closer, and, yes in deed, there is beadboard under my paneled ceiling!

I immediately was filled with visions of a darling sun/laundry/mud/entry room with painted brick and charming beadboard. I already have plans for a beadboard ceiling in the adjoining kitchen, so what a perfect transition. But as Jeff and I reasoned together and investigated, we discovered several issues. All the trim would have to come down, all the paneling and batten boards, three sheets cut away, hundreds of tiny brads pulled, original tongue and grove beadboard patched, scraped, and painted, and the trim reinstalled. All to get me back to a functional ceiling like I have now (and this is assuming that there isn't a perfectly good reason why the beadboard is covered, like big rotten areas or something).

While Jeff was at Spokesman Club on Sunday, I had permission to experiment with a small panel. It took me about half an hour to remove an approximately one foot by three foot section due to the tiny-headed two inch brads, only to discover glue on the backside of the panel, and on my beadboard! This was a no-go. Some finish work is expected, but sanding off glue stuck to lead-based paint over my head in a 13 x 20 room is just a bit much, even for a preservationist like me.

So now you're in on our little secret. The beadboard actually looks better in these pictures than in real life, but it will always be there for us (or some future occupant) to uncover and restore down the road if desired. But I have a whole war to wage here, so this battle will not be fought today by me!

Slave Labor

I absolutely promise you I didn't make the girls do this! Jeff and I do feel it is important for children to have jobs and duties around the house, simply by reason of the fact that they live there and are members of the family. So we had my nieces do some light cleaning, daily dish duties, etc.

But I certainly didn't force them to paint outside for hours in the sun and humidity; they volunteered for it! Both girls are very artistic, and I guess the novelty of getting to choose and apply the paints of their choice was a real thrill (at least for the first hour).

I had mentioned that one (of our many three) porch swings needed a coat of paint because it was weathered and a bit rusty. The girls immediately asked if they could do it. So I got out my paint deck and we selected coordinating colors for the frame and swing. After spray coats of primer and paint to the chains, they were ready to let loose on the rest of the swing. You can't tell from a distance, but the wooden bench is a soft cream (SW Antique White) and the frame is a subtle sage green (BM Nantucket Gray); we think it will really look beautiful in the spring when the nearby tulip magnolia tree is in full bloom with showy lavender blossoms! Jeff positioned the swing to look out over the pasture so we can enjoy the view in the meantime.

The birds enjoy it, too. You can just make out a dove sitting
near the top of the swing frame taking in the morning!

Achy breaky hands

Have you ever worked your hands so much that the muscles were actually sore? I now have a much clearer understanding of the intrinsic muscles of the palm and phalanges than I ever received in anatomy and cadaver college courses. I believe I can actually feel them all at the moment ;-).

The reason for my increased knowledge (and pain) is the fact that I've been stripping the last of the linoleum from the concrete floor in the laundry room. Our first big project is waiting at the starting gate! The workmen are coming next week to begin the masonry, plumbing, and electrical work necessary to have a proper laundry room.

The room has, up until now, been a neglected former porch that was closed in. It is on slab, unlike the rest of the house, so changes mean a lot of work! It currently houses the exposed water heater and the dryer, but the washer is in the kitchen. It will all be consolidated into better locations with a furred out wall to hide the water supply, drain, vent, and electrical needs. Then I'll tackle the miscellaneous walls (composed of at least three types of brick and two colors of mortar) with paint and etch and stain the concrete (hopefully). If the subfloor is too subpar for that, I'll do a faux finish.

Either way, I'm really excited to have some major progress coming down the pike! This room has lots of potential (aesthetically and functionally), so I can't wait to uncover it. I just hope it doesn't require much more scraping to get at it!





You can't see the old, odd green linoleum in these photos, but it's probably better that way anyhow. We got up about half of it with a reasonable amount of effort, but the remaining islands of stuck flooring might as well be continents! They are really, really well-adhered. So I'm using a four inch razor blade to scrape up the top rubbery layer in tiny shreds in the hopes of exposing the underneath to noxious chemicals that will persuade it to surrender its grip.