Upstairs Bath Progress

Here is the upstairs bath in an almost finished state.  The small double headed shower will have frame-less glass doors.  The shower threshold is actually black stone and the floor is similar to the downstairs bath.  It was at Andrew's insistence that the subway tile went all the way up to cover the ceiling and it was such a great idea.  This is just a wonderful room to stand in and it is not even finished!  Plus, the acoustics for singing in the shower should be awesome...watch out neighbors.  

And, speaking of neighbors, they will not be getting a free show.  That window will have a reflective covering on the outside and obscure glass on the inside.  The door sitting in the middle will also have obscure glass and will be the actual bathroom door.  It won't swing in and out, but will slide along a barn door rail system for access into the bathroom.  

A Little Bit of Paint Always Helps

Here is an updated photo of the outside of the house.  We painted the shutters and door black and removed the awning over the front porch (and again when I say we, I mean Andrew).  The small awning over the upstairs window will also be removed.  We are discussing what color we may paint the brick foundation.  I vote for charcoal, but Andrew is not sold on it (yet).

Who gets the biggest room in the house?

I do!  The biggest room in this house is actually going to be my new art studio.  And it will have a sink!  Confession time...I don't have a sink now and sometimes I don't wash my brushes - I just leave them in water which is a huge no-no for an artist.  The studio isn't quite done, but here are some progress pictures.

With everything ripped out.

New sheet rock.

Ceiling almost finished.  We opted for spray foam insulation (You'll see it in photos that will be posted later) and canned lights.  We'll put in some full spectrum lights in when I start using the space.  

Almost there.  Ceiling has been painted, we've used a metallic off white paint for all of the downstairs room.  It's now ready for the vinyl flooring we picked to match the hardwoods that run throughout the rest of the downstairs.

Downstairs Bathroom Progress

You have a limited number of days to move into a house you completely gutted.  What is the first room you need to finish?  We're pretty sure its the bathroom.  The downstairs bathroom is not completely finished, but its getting close.  The shower fixtures were ordered this week and we have claw foot tub to move in soon.  This is the second gray paint color we've tried and although it may get covered in another attempt to find the perfect gray for this space, it is starting to grow on us.  Here are some photos from START to "almost" FINISH.

This is the what the bathroom looked like when we bought the house.  The picture is taken from the old entrance that was off the kitchen.   We put two pocket doors on side walls in this picture.  (One where the toilet is sitting and the other directly across from it)

I realize that this picture shows absolutely nothing, but the wall to the left used to be the doorway off of the kitchen.  You can see one of the pocket door openings and through that you can actually see the back door.

We went with a classic subway tile and a light grout.  We purchased the vanity online.  Dark with a white marble top.

Please ignore the refrigerator door and the lamp.  Although the lamp is a hand made piece by local artist Ken Collins and we are super excited to have it.  It won't stay in the bathroom, it will go in the living area.

This picture is taken from the same spot as and is comparable to the second picture in this post.

Meanwhile...Back at the Ranch.

Well we'd messed about a bit at the new house, but nothing so impressive as to make it to the blog.  But then we were contacted by the NC DOT.  It seems they are building a railroad bridge close to the house we live in right now.  After our property was surveyed, sized-up, and staked off, they informed us that they will be purchasing our entire house and property, AND tearing it down!  We certainly don't want to live here, but we hate to see it completely razed.  It was constructed around 1890 as part of a local boarding school and housed a professor Cobb.  It creaks a bit, and if you drop something it may roll to either one side of the house or the other, but it has character and has survived for over 100 years.  Sad to think it won't go to a family who would appreciate all of the hard work put in to remodeling the entire house!  But, on the up-side, since we will have around 75 days to pack up and move out, we have to finish the bungalow ASAP.

Here is a bit of the wrap-around porch on our current house.  Please ignore the cow. (It lives somewhere else now.)

Flush with Excitement!

Hi again!  We are big dual flush toilet supporters and here is a little picture to ponder...

 

 

 

Never heard of a dual flush toilet?  It is exactly what it sounds like.  One flush with minimal water for number one (1 gallon or less), and another flush with more water for number two (around 1 1/2 gallon).  Just push the appropriate button.

 

 

 

 

Environmentally friendlier and economic!  Win Win.

Downstairs Bathroom

Originally, the only access to the downstairs bathroom was through the kitchen.  Ahem.  Not ideal for several obvious reasons.  We sealed up that entrance and Andrew put in two pocket doors.  One in the back hallway and the other off of one of the bedrooms. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These doors are original doors from other parts of the house which we are reusing! 

 

The tile work is also now finished.  Here is a sneak peak inside before it was painted and grouted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went with classic subway tile and a very light shade of grout.  The paint color is a medium to dark grey, but we're not exactly happy with it, so Andrew is going to repaint.  I'll post when we've nailed the color.  Here are some photos we found that helped us opt for gray:

 

 

(oops I didn't get the source for this, but I did find it on www.houzz.com)
 

 

 

 



Traditional Bathroom design by Vancouver Architect Synthesis Design Inc.

 

Traditional Bathroom design by Philadelphia General Contractor Tyler Grace

 

 

Now, I know you are dying to hear about our plans for water conservation and our dual flush toilets, but I am out of time for now, so more on this room later.