demo update

one day and a one-man crew at a time, our bathroom is becoming a semi-usable laundry space. and even still i have to pick pieces of drywall out of the washer before i put a load in. 

these are some photo updates, thanks to my wonderful camera phone

the wall that once separated the bathroom from the linen closet

a close-up of the giant cast-iron pipe in that once-wall that i suppose is going to cause a pretty big lack of options in our space planning

the once-was closet and stack of re-usable wood trim

header above the bathroom doorway, which should be coming down in order to create a more open space. at least, that's what i think is going on so far. i think the plan has changed 10 times, and will continue to change when we uncover things like gigantic unmovable pipes. even if the placement of everything stays exactly where it is, at least it will be getting a facelift!

and in other news, i claimed this beauty (one of a pair of beautiful white marble table lamps) on our last shipment of lamps when it came in at work. i can see them across the showroom from my "desk." even though i got them for a ridiculously low price, i'm waiting for a fat paycheck to bring them home. aren't they great?! perfect for my white/gray/navy bedroom

the new normal

four years ago i moved to pensacola. since then my life has been a constant series of adjustments. at first i hated this place, but now i've adjusted. now it is my home. i'm rooting for the underdog. 

to a certain degree there are many choices we can take that determine our outcome in life, but in the grand scheme of things, we are not even near to being in total control. as proverbs states: a man can plan his course, but the Lord directs his steps. i realize this pretty frequently, perhaps more than most, and at this point i've realized that it's better not to fight it and just adjust. to some it may come across as apathy, but really, i'd just like to avoid anymore worrying than i already do. there's no need to worry about where i'll end up, or when i'm supposed to have kids. God will figure it out. and eventually i'll say "ok, you win. let's see where this adventure takes me."

i'm always discovering my new normal. this is my new normal:

-being a florida resident

-marriage. and all the stuff no one ever told you about it

-a partially demolished master bath

-wondering what in the world my degree means, or if it means anything at all

-retail work schedule

-weekday afternoons at the beach (under a big hat, and usually with a coverup on unless i'm taking a dip because i'm pale and i detest putting on sunscreen)

-working with a bunch of women that are my mom's age...and loving it

-not knowing what my paycheck will be

-(due to the above) days when i am thankful to have a landlord who will hold our rent check for a few days

-the "i wasn't even drunk last night" hangover

-thinking the auburn (or insert football team here) cheerleaders look like babies

-friends with babies. so, so many babies

-being at least 3-6 hours from your family

-realizing that 3-6 hours is a lot further than you thought

whatever it is, or whatever normal looks like for you, it's never what we thought it would be, is it? normal is constantly being redefined. and i'm ok with that. 

what is your new normal?

tiny setback

earlier, when i said the master bath was an early addition, i didn't know how early "early" was. but now i know it was a really early addition. because there are cast iron pipes below this bad boy. meaning the toilet must stay where it is, unless we want to embark on a big nasty (and much costlier) renovation.

back to the drawing boards...

the plan

this is what our bathroom should look like when all is said and done. or something close to this. 

the washer/dryer is staying where it is, along with the wall that separates it slightly from the rest of the space. i really had to use my noggin on this space planning. it's a tough space. 

this was such a successful plan because it gives us plenty of room to move around, a nice big shower, and it doesn't compromise my closet space, which is being moved to the other side of the washer/dryer. in fact, my closet is actually bigger (yay!). nothing will be blocked from natural light, so it will definitely feel less cave-like.

i'm excited! there's still more demo to be done, finishes to be selected, etc. but we're making progress.

an excerpt

i kept a journal through my semester in italy. sometimes i see my journal and flip to a random page and re-live the adventures of that day. i am so glad they made us journal. if it weren't for that book, some of the things i would never have remembered. here is one out of an entry that i read today, from 5 june 2007:

we got back on the bus just in time to miss a downpour. the rain in italy is like nothing else. you look out toward the mountains and you can locate the storm and see the rain coming down in blankets, sometimes so thick you can barely see what's behind it. and the contrast of the dark blue-gray against the golden and green fields makes make want to lay in a field and just stare up until it pours, watching the sheets of water slowly and gracefully move my way. what a great bus ride back!


dark gray-blue against golds and greens....if it weren't for that passage, i never would have remembered what summer rains look like in italy. that book is such a treasure.

remodel phase one: the demo

so we live in an old house. a rental. after months of realty let-downs, we found this charmer in south east hill, a few blocks from the bay (read back a few entries and you'll catch up). i am in love with it. we've always known that we wanted to buy an old house, and that when that time came, we'd be doing some remodels. but never did we think it would happen so soon. 

side note: when i say "we" i really mean "me" because if i had no say in the matter we'd already be in some new construction boresville house. but since i do have a say i pretty much don't settle for anything newer than 75 years old. i want something that's seen things, survived hurricanes, and has character. i want a house with a story. and this one is approaching 100 years, if it was built around the same time as our next door neighbors' bungalow. i'd say it's got a few stories.

our master bath was an add-on, and judging by the floors, probably an old add-on. it's awkward and small and plain. we knew there was some sort of small leak around the shower, but as renters we decided not to worry about it too much. well. that was until the day my high-heel punched through the vinyl tile all the way until it hit subfloor. the hubs sent a message to our landlord, and told him he'd be investigating. yesterday i get this picture in a text that said "oh and the master bath is inoperable for a while." 

 

"investigating" was an understatement. upon showing this to the landlord they came to the decision that the whole area needed an overhaul. needless to say i'm both excited and anxious. excited for pretty and new. anxious because my clothes are crammed in the guest closet and strewn on it's bed, my shoe collection is in a pile on it's floor, and because who knows if we'll discover deeper issues.

join us, won't you? i've always wanted to have a remodeling blog. be careful what you wish for folks. that's all i'm saying. 

so since i have no "before" pics, i had to improvise with what was left after today's sheet rock tear down. bear with me. because i also took these on my phone.

there are no doors that separate the space from our bedroom. we have curtains. when you walk through the curtains you walk into the laundry "area." to the left are some large windows and to the right is a linen closet, as shown.

 across from the linen closet is what used to be my closet. the shelves are knocked out and the left wall is now nothing but studs, exposing the plumbing wall to the shower. that spot below the mirror is where the sink was.

here's a front-on shot of the shower. super awesome fiberglass insert with just about enough room to spin around with your arms at your side.

and directly across from the shower is the toilet alcove.

and here's a shot of the scene of the crime. the floor directly in front of the shower. what you're looking at (anthropologically) is vinyl tile, then tar paper, then plywood, then the original wood flooring, then subfloor. we're considering carbon dating.

the whole area (laundry plus closets plus bath) is about 8x10, or 80 square feet, give or take (but probably take). what are the plans? well. knock down some walls. create space for a larger shower by eliminating one closet, making it more user-firendly, and tiling the floor and shower. i'm hoping to see something period appropriate, but it's not my money. although my landlord does have good taste, so i think it will look nice, whatever the outcome. 

i'm working up some floor plans to show him so we can come up with something really efficient. there are also plans to remove the layers of cat hair from the exhaust fan (previous owners--i do not have a cat). 

so here we go. no turning back now! stay tuned for more.