Thursday, September 22, 2011

Catching Up....Part 2

I guess I'm on a roll now!! :)

So here I am a little bit later and the plumber fixes my water - there was trash in the lines at the hot water pipe for the tub from the rust. Then the water for both hot and cold didn't work for the washer. Both of those are now fixed. The dryer needed a new plug-in to fit the outlet and still the duct needs to be trimmed so the dryer isn't in front of that door, making it inaccessible. Still, I can use that dryer during these cooler nights, let it vent into the house and it takes the chill off. I make sure the lint filter is clean as a whistle each time to avoid any lint issues. I don't want to do this for much longer though as it's a moist heat, but still I'm thankful for it! The gas logs in the fireplace are broken so they aren't going to be any good as a heat source and the only other thing is a gas heater in the hallway:
(photo taken when i first looked at the house, but the heater still looks the same)

I've not had the gas company out yet to see if this heater is ok to use. My handyman tells me he doesn't think they'll cut the gas on in here for several reasons. So, in feeling sorry for me, he brought me a 4 stack electric heater to use "as long as I need it". He also brought me a new-in-the-box ceiling fan he'd had in his garage for a year. A very, very nice man and I'm thankful for him and all his work on this house. 

So let me take you into one room and show you it's progress to this date (new photos were taken tonight while writing this post, see those at the end of the before):
The bathroom - the walls are mostly up and the floor is down and has the temporary vinyl tiles on it. There's still one spot that the studs are still visible but it's not big. Then the window needs a new piece of trim on the bottom side. The walls still have to be mudded when he's finished in there. Right now, there are some pieces he needs to countersink screws and cut off some excess where the pieces were a little too big. I just take careful baths for now. Eventually the area surrounding the tub will be tiled, the walls will be painted, and there will be a bathroom sink in there, storage above the toilet area, among other things. But it's functional and I'm thankful for that. A reminder of the before photos:
(the very first time I saw the house, I snapped this photo)


(old walls, old tub surround, old moldy caulk)

(a close-up pic of what I actually cleaned off this tub, ugh lol it was a grin and bear it type situation for sure!)

Here's the progress of it:


(before I cleaned it out and finished cleaning the tub)

(the floor during the construction)

(view from the hallway check out that shiny tub!)

(view just inside the door, should have straightened that rug out but kitty likes to play, thus it's never in place right lol !)

(toilet area...though the concrete at the base of it will be removed when I tile it...the floor was built for real tile, not peel and stick (temporary fix) and then the concrete filler will go away. unsightly but necessary)

And, finally the sweetest picture of all...my little Mietta who is happier in this house than I've seen her since her spay surgery. She's what kept me sane when things were bleak. She was too happy for me to be sad for very long :) 

P.S. I'm sooooo proud of my hard work not going to waste on that tub! It could have been a disaster under all that but I held out hope (and over 6 hours of hard scrubbing, scraping, etc) that it'd be lovely and I'm really happy with how it looks now. Notice the shine on the tub, floor and toilet? Well that makes me happy too :) 


4 comments:

  1. That tub is shiny as a new penny!! And I know you want tile (I prefer the look of it too), but from the pics, the peel and stick stuff looks good!! Plus, you can always get a contour rug to go at the base of the toilet to cover up that one area.

    It's looking good and you have worked SOOOO hard!! :) Just think - once the bathroom gets finished, you will have one major thing on your list to check off!! :)

    And I think it's wonderful that you took before pictures. It shows your readers and YOU what you started with and then what you've turned it into. If nothing else, it will remind you 10 years from now, how much WORK and SWEAT and TEARS and MONEY you've put into your home. :)

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  2. I do have the contour rug you were talking about lol it's just still in a box somewhere. Of course both rugs are pink but they'll be fine until I have everything finished and can actually decorate this place. I'm just using what I have that works lol :)

    Thank you sooooo much for the compliments on the bathroom...it's coming along sloooooooowly but surely. Every day something else seems to happen, forward progress but nothing completed much. Still, forward progress.

    And, you are so right! Work and sweat and tears and money. Whew it's been a major undertaking! :) (((hugs))) Mel!!

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  3. I was getting worried I had not heard a word from you - I am so glad you are back on track -

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  4. Thanks Pat! I went through alot during that time frame, and I guess I still am. Maybe I'm just making it look more normal but it's still mass chaos and I stay so tired from all this. I must say, though, at the end of the day it's worth it. :)

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