Bathroom renovation start to finish....
March was a great month. The weather continued to be lovely and our spirits were so high, we decided to rip out the old bathroom and install a whole new one. The journey was to be filled with challenges, breakdowns and breakthroughs. Who knew gibing was so rewarding, Gib stopping so satisfying, pulling down old walls, so exhilaration, tiling, well? this was the biggest challenge at the beginning, but the absolute best outcome by far.
Let's go on the journey to the bathroom!
The initial challenge was.... do we or don't we rip the wall down where the toilet was. We knew by taking this away would open up the room, but it would also mean leaving a few gaps in the roof where the frame was built in to. After a few days deliberating we decided to go for it...It was awesome once we got into the destruction mode, down came the door, down came the door frame, off came the Gib and voila!! an open plan bathroom with a whole lot more space...
Getting ready to pull the wall down
Painting the roof
Phase 1 - Out with the old by the demolition duo. The plumber established the pipes for the bath, sink and toilet. We then started to re build the place through initially re gibing and sealing them all the walls we had just pulled down, we then painting the walls and ceiling (this took 3 coats by the way...gggrrr!) and then we has to get ready to tackle the floor.
Phase 2 - If you've ever tackled the game of tiling, be sure to have a few extra bob in the account...geeez! the tiles were by far the cheapest part of the whole floor job. A wee thin waterproof membrane, the size of a single bed sheet was $60, and we needed 4 of them, the membrane paint was not far behind this cost, then the adhesive, the grout, the sealant and finally, the edging silicone.Once we recovered from the cost, the actual doing of the task was just magic.
Yes, we did have a few wee bumps at the beginning. I, as usual thought I knew everything, and Brooke gently reminded me that just because I had tiled my Mums kitchen wall 20 years ago, this does not make me an expert. She was right.
Eventually we were on a roll and it actually started to look pretty awesome.
Waterproof membrane in place
Tiling begins
4 hours later...it's all over
Phase 3. This was such a rewarding time when the canvas was now prepared and we could at last install all of the furnishings we had gathered over the months for this day. I must say, it is very pleasing to know that all of the fittings we installed were reclaimed and that this old house was gaining some old friends who may even have been in a home just like ours many years ago.
The pedestal sink sits nicely under the window
Old bath (made in Glasgow)
settles into her wee corner
Looking out towards the dresser,
checking in on an old friend
Old crates mounted on wall
Footprints.... (click link)A quote for the heart . This is my favourite poem and one that always reminds me how important it is to be very thankful for what you have in life and especially to those special people in your life who may just be quietly helping you along without you realising it.
See you next time.
