Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Operation: Renovation

Because life isn't crazy enough already, Mr. R&R and I had our bathroom renovated over the last few weeks.  Notice I said had it renovated since neither of us are exactly the handy type.  This project has been scheduled for quite a while, and I knew going in that it was going to make things a little crazy, but I think I seriously underestimated the level of craziness that would be involved.  Fortunately, I really hated the old bathroom, so it was worth two and a half weeks of inconvenience to get rid of this:


Oh yeah...there was gold-flecked tile on every wall, a toilet that the previous owners sawed off to fit the tank under the counter, a vanity cabinet that looked like it was spray painted by a drunk frat guy, light fixtures that my sister once described as "early brothel", and a floor that was so beat up that I couldn't get it clean anymore. It all had to go!


First, and foremost, Mr. R&R and I had two new roommates in our bedroom for the duration of the project since all the pounding/sawing/banging and the dust would not be good for them. 



They moved in on Sunday, September 7th and they were not happy about it.  Many disapproving rabbit looks and much sulking occurred since they don't adapt well to change.  

We also had to relocate all our 'stuff' to the basement bathroom.  While I'm grateful beyond words that I don't have to go to the gym or my mom's to take a shower, I also deeply dislike having to duck down in order to get my head under the shower head - and I'm only 5'4"!  I feel extra sorry for Mr. R&R who can barely stand up straight in that tiny little shower stall.

Anyway, the contractor arrived Monday morning and demolition began.  I worked from home (read: was sequestered in my bedroom with 2 rabbits, 1 laptop, and a mountain of work to plow through).  It turns out that the only time I could really tell that anything was happening downstairs is when they were sledge hammering out some tile and the bathtub.  This made me feel better about having to leave Walter and Spot home alone during most of the rest of the project. (Note: I made arrangements to bring them to work with me on the days that the new tile is installed if they didn't do well with that sound.  It turns out, our bedroom must be pretty sound proof because they slept through most of it.)

By lunch time on Day 1 the old vanity cabinet, toilet, mirror, and a large part of one of the walls was gone - and there was a whole lot of plaster dust in the air.



By the time the contractor and his assistant knocked off for the night, I was amazed.  What had been a  hideous, but functional, bathroom 8 hours earlier was now nothing more than an empty shell - and there was plaster dust EVERYWHERE in the rest of my house!



Over the course of the next week, the new bathroom slowly began to take shape.  It was fun stopping home at random times during the day and coming home at night to see what transformations had occurred.


A glass block window was installed - replacing a regular window that had to be covered at all times to prevent the neighbors from getting a show every time either of us took a shower.


Plumbing was replaced/updated.


A curved bathtub was installed (and mortared in 50 lbs of concrete) and cement board and drywall were added as well.

Both Mr. R&R and I welcomed the weekend.  It gave us a chance to clean up some of the plaster dust mess and spend lots of extra time with our fuzzy little roommates.

Mom and Dad will regret letting me out of my pen!

If anyone needs me, I'll be in my greens

Week 2 brought lots of cosmetic changes.





Tile and the accent row went up and the drywall was textured and painted.

At long last, the vanity cabinet, quartz top, hardware, medicine cabinet, and toilet topper were put in place.  The bathroom was done and we could move out of our "Bathroom in Exile"!



There were a few bumps along the way, the rest of my house required extensive cleaning to get rid of all the plaster dust (that crap coated everything), but it was definitely worth it.  The bathroom is beautiful and the finished product has exceeded every expectation I had!  (Although I'm sure Spot would tell you that it's the worst thing ever since he's not allowed to take up residence behind the toilet for a while!)

Have you ever done any major renovations?  If so, was it worth it in the end?