Dreaming about demo

The blog has been quiet because we really didn't know if we were going to do the bathroom or not. Then we found mold and decided there was no time like RIGHT NOW.

We started with a quick call to Shelly to turn our random thoughts into a cohesive look and she delivered! Now we have tile and an inspiration for the room.

The photo above shows the basket-weave tile for the shower, white subway tiles for the walls with a black pencil line next to the tile chair rail, and marble on the floor in the main area.

By moving some walls and shifting all the plumbing, we'll be able to have a 84" vanity with 2 sinks. We will be starting demo in the next few weeks. I can't wait!

Dreaming about tile

We're trying not to let this bathroom be the thread that unravels the sweater of improvement projects in the house, which is why we haven't started it yet.

But I've been busy pinning pictures of bathrooms on Pinterest. Which is nice, because when I look at all the pictures together I see the common themes.
I love a carerra marble bathroom:

Source: housebeautiful.com via Jessie on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Jessie on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Jessie on Pinterest

I like white tile to not appear fussy, but streamlined with a little accent like a pencil stripe in black or gray:

Source: diywithadd.com via Jessie on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Jessie on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Jessie on Pinterest

A curbless shower makes the room feel bigger.

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Jessie on Pinterest

Source: veinteriordesign.com via Jessie on Pinterest

So, that's as far as I've gotten with the bathroom planning, just looking at pictures, but no real decisions.

Bathroom Plans

It may be quiet on the blog, but we've been talking plenty about house projects. Specifically, a new master bathroom.

The current layout is cramped, as seen here:

The big room to the right is the master bedroom. We're concerned about the room on the left, the closet and bathroom area. The top of that hall, leads toward the Beechnuts rooms.

The master bathroom has a single sink and a dark gray fiberglass shower. Its complete with crumbling linoleum flooring.

We both have closets, which look large from this angle. But when you look at it from the side:

The door in the middle (above) is the door to the bathroom. From this angle, you can see the low ceilings that are making the space feel cramped.

Here's the first layout we like for the bathroom:

We'd remove the closet to the left, which currently houses my shoes, and add a double vanity. Then we'd add some drawers and hanging space in the closet areas, while widening the closet hall.

Here's a different layout, which shifts the whole bathroom around:

This layout makes the toilet more private and we still have a double-vanity. I know anytime you move the plumbing, its more expensive, but we're keeping an open mind just to explore all the options.

What do you think?

Summer tasks wrap-up

At the beginning of the summer, we made a list. We kept adding to it. And we did knock a number of items off the list.

Here's the list, crossing off the tasks that were completed:

Pull carpet off front stairs
Repaint stairs (interior)
Repaint lower half of DR
Paint front hall + upstairs hall
Refinish front hall window
Powerwash front walk
Put #s on front walk stairs
Fix kitchen porch - wash, paint, new stairs
New light in front hall and front porch
Paint Beechnut#2's room
Paint Master BR Hall
fix hole in downstairs Bathroom
Paint exterior trim
Prune Cherry tree
Get rid of toddler climber in the back yard
Get rid of old patio table and chairs
Call to get kitchen sink fixed
Get rid of treadmill
Get gutters on the kitchen porch
Fix gutter on back of house
Paint screened porch exterior wall
Paint trim of deck
get rid of old maple stump
Call Bartlett tree service
Motorcycle sold/plates returned
Replace playroom light switch
new outlets in Beechnut#2's room

Snowtober

We were lucky with this early Nor'easter. Only about 4-5 inches of snow.

We didn't lose power and had very few branches down.

The Beechnuts were hoping for sledding, but settled for hanging the Halloween decorations instead.

We added a guillitone this year,

I think the decorations look extra creepy against the snow.

Tree concerns

The Beech tree hasn't been looking very good this year.  Our friends and neighbors have commented on its sparse appearance. We've noticed lots of dead branches. So we called an arborist. He confirmed its not doing so well.
It turns out Beech trees do not do well in a drought. And we've had a dry summer. So we started watering and they came out to prune it.

Keep your fingers crossed. It would be a shame if we killed a 200 year old beech tree in just 7 short years of owning it.

Porch progress

 The floor is on.

The columns are up. The landing feels huge without a railing. We're contemplating keeping it this way, it feels more welcoming and less cramped.
We still need to finish the concrete pad in front of the stairs and put the pavers back in place. We also need to add some trim to the columns to make them pretty. But its getting there!