The Plan

Well the insulation went in,

and the drywall went up.

Shower and linen closet

bathtub and toilet room

Vanity wall

This is how they mud the walls.  Hilarious.

Next is heated flooring.  It's all starting to come together.   We're reusing a cast iron clawfoot tub which was in another bathroom for the master.  We just had it reglazed and it looks amazing.

But, the outside still looks like this.

This will be a fun project in the not so distant future.  I'm going to paint it (not sure which color yet), but the clawfeet are getting a sort of gilded silver look which will mirror the chandelier we're putting in (pictures coming soon).

Here's a look at some of the other things that are going in the bathroom.

Elizabethan Classics clawfoot tub faucet but in satin nickel

Elizabethan Classics exposed shower system

Venatino glass and stone tile from Lowe's

We also have some marble tile going in from The Tile Shop, but the pictures aren't great online. We're doing 5 inch octagon marble tiles on the floor with 2 inch octagons on the shower floor.  I think we're doing an off center running bond pattern on the shower walls with an accent of the Venatino from Lowe's.  

We still need to buy a vanity.  We were thinking about getting a piece of furniture to convert, but as someone suggested to me, maybe that idea is better for a powder room instead of someplace that you're using everyday.  I think we're going to get one made at Lowe's.  

 Before I forget, the tub faucet and exposed shower system were not purchased through the actual company.  We found them for half the price at Overstock Deals which was a huge savings.  When you find something that you like, it really does pay to look around on the web because you can usually find it for a lot cheaper.

That's all for now.  I can't wait to show you my inspiration fabric for the sitting room but it will have to wait.  I've got a throbbing headache and I'm starting to suffer from toasted skin syndrome.  Seriously my laptop feels like it came from the depths of hell.  I have to go dress my wounds.

The Behemoth

Nothing terribly interesting to report.  Hopefully in the next few days the drywall in the bathroom will be done.  I can almost see the tiling in the horizon.  For now, here's what my husband will be working on this weekend.

Welcome to our basement (insert scary music).  When you're down there it feels like something out of "The Amityville Horror" house which, incidentally, is also a dutch colonial.  Anyway, we're getting a Geothermal HVAC so the old "behemoth" boiler's gotta go along with all the other pipes that you see. I don't know if you can truly get an appreciation for the sheer mass of the boiler but if you've ever taken a look at your boiler I promise you this one's bigger.  I think this thing (in it's day since it went kaput about a day after we purchased the house) could heat a hotel.   Seriously, I don't think I'm going to see my husband for days.  We're trying to save money by getting rid of everything ourselves rather than have the company charge us for the removal.  What a drag.  Not for me of course as I'll be sitting in the air conditioned comfort of where we are currently living.  Sorry honey.  See you next week.

More From The Master

Well the drywall is almost all up now except for a couple of walls in the master bathroom.  Still a TREMENDOUS mess everywhere you look and I've been having some "serenity now" moments but all in all I think things are progressing as is normal.  Slowly.  

                                                                                                                  

Entrance to Master Bedroom

Husband's new closet

New pocket doors opening to bedroom (my closet on far wall)

Sitting room with closet left and bedroom

The next thing we're thinking about (in a list of about a million) is the pocket door hardware.  Let me give you some examples of some of the hinges and doorknobs in the rest of the house.

Fancy shmancy right?  I mean knock a little dust off of those puppies and they're gorgeous.  Seriously they're in incredible shape for a 100+ year old home.  I was shocked that they hadn't been painted over a million times like the house we live in now.  Someone never learned to paint inside the lines.  

So now I've been looking online for something similar.  I'm not 100% sure but I think that the ones we have are the Eastlake style which is a sub-style of the Victorian period circa 1837-1901.  They have some really nice reproductions at House of Antique Hardware.   For the real thing you can go to  The Old House Parts Company,  Rejuvenation, or Robinson's Antiques.  All three have a good selection but are on the pricier side.  Of course everything that's labeled "antique" seems to be.  I guess it goes with the territory.

Since I'm about as decisive as I am patient this could be a long process.  I really hate choices.  Can't there just be one or two of everything?   No, instead  I'll have to look at every single hinge and pull on Earth before I can even think about making a decision.  Eventually I'll post pictures of what we decide on.  Until then, don't hold your breath.  

Reality Check

Well the framing for the master bathroom is done as well as the electrical and plumbing.  Hooray!  That means we're closer to the stage that is the most fun for me.  Decor.  My husband could live and breathe all the other stuff which might as well be rocket science to me.  I mean plumbing what?  Electrical who?   I want to get it (not really), but I just can't.  Sorry, too boring

In preparation, I've been reading a lot of design blogs and diligently searching the internet for things that I may one day put in my new home.   I realize I'm jumping the gun a bit since we don't even have drywall up but what can I say?

As I was telling my friend Jules I recently read an article suggesting places online to shop for various things.  The article suggested a website called 1stdibs so my little fingers typed away expecting to see all kinds of goodies.  I wasn't disappointed in what I saw, but my eyes about popped out of my head when I saw the prices.  It was a reaffirming moment.  I mean there really is a whole world of "things" that are completely unattainable to me.  What?  I mean I always knew this but it was a slap in the face when the prices of said "things" were staring me in the face.  I knew that "things" could be pricey but I never imagined how pricey.  Seriously there are rugs on the website selling for $300,000.  Really?  We are talking about a rug that you stand on, right?  With feet?  Does this rug do something special?  Actually it doesn't really matter, unless it could open a portal to another dimension where I look 10 years younger and don't have vertical wrinkles on my forehead from the way that I sleep. 

So my search continues for pretty AND reasonably priced things for the house.  Unfortunately for me 1st dibs will not be my 1st choice in the hunt.  

Anyway here's some pictures of the new framing (stretch), plumbing (yawn) and electrical (Zzzzz).

Entrance to Master Bath with pocket door

Linen Closet to immediate right

 Shower to the right of the closet

Enclosed Toilet across from shower

Vanity area to the immediate left of entry

 

Cue The Jackhammers

The wood shingle bump out on the left side of the house is not original.  This was added on as a master bathroom.  And when I say that's the bathroom I mean that's the bathroom.  It doesn't extend much beyond what you see.   In truth the existing master bathroom is about 3.5' x 6.5'.  

This is where it is on the inside.  The door on the far left is a tiny closet and the one to the right of it is the entrance to the master bathroom bump out.  The door on the far right is the existing entrance to the room.

Check out the wallpaper.  Fun eh?  It's a damask...FROM HELL!!!

Then came the demo crew and...

(Sorry, these next couple of pictures are a bit blurry.  My husband took them with his lover, the iphone.  Not so amazing now is she?) 

So apparantly they tried and tried and tried to remove the concrete floor with sledgehammers before they realized how thick the floor was.  Enter the jackhammers.  Approximately 22 tons of concrete and plaster were removed from this tiny bathroom.  Are you kidding me?  Once the concrete was removed it turned out that some of the joists that were supposed to be supporting the bump out were a tad defunct.  What a surprise.  So the joints will have to be sistered to add support so that the structure doesn't land on the neighbor's driveway.  Hmm, I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about.   

Until next time...

Bring The Noise

D.E.M.O.L.I.T.I.O.N.  Not for the faint of heart though great for anger management issues.  Don't ask me how I know this.  Anyhoo, demo has begun and it's like a dust (and lead) filled cloud has descended upon the second floor.  One thing I love about the demolition phase of a project is the speed.  It all happens so fast that you think to yourself that perhaps the project really won't take the months that you later realize it will take plus a few.  It's instant gratification.  Then when the dust settles you realize that  everything has to be rewired, replumbed, rebuilt. (Reconsidering?)

The wall between the two front rooms is now down and I have to say that it has made a huge difference.  The light in the room is incredible.  Unfortunately it's going to cost a pretty penny to filter said light.  I know you're not supposed to do pretty before plumbing, but...well I've already started looking for what type of window coverings I'm going to do, you know, just to get an idea of prices.  I hate to sound like a tween but OMG.   Of course it's going to be even more expensive since the windows are not your standard height.  I guess I'd better start saving now so that I can afford them in ten years when the house is done...Ha!

                                         

 BEFORE

AFTER

The New Master Suite

Since the house was designed for a completely different time we've decided that a few tweaks are necessary to make sense for our lifestyle.  The master bedroom and bath are a case in point.  I'm really not sure where the bed went since no wall seems big enough to frame anything more than a twin, maybe.  The bathroom is another concern.  We've lived in historic houses before and are quite familiar with the petite size which is typical of the bathrooms.  However, that being said, we're going to stretch it to the max to try to squeeze every inch we can to get our version of a dream bathroom.  It won't be big.  It will be bigger.  

We decided to leave it to the professionals since we're going to be moving walls so here's the new layout for the master bedroom/sitting room/bathroom:

So we're knocking down the wall between the original master bedroom and the room next to it.  We're going to have pocket doors between the two rooms to make the front room a sitting area to the adjoining new master.  The original bathroom is getting pushed out into the original master to enlarge it.  Demolition here we come!