Yep, that's right, 69.1. Swim got canceled. Which means that the last 2 half iron distance races I have done have had canceled swims. It seems that people who would like to do an *entire* half iron-distance triathlon may want to avoid the races that I'm signed up for...
I wasn't planning on doing the whole race anyway- I was signed up as part of a relay team. I was the swimmer/biker, and fellow GNOTri-er Jescica was the runner. She called me from transition race morning as I was on my way there to tell me there was no swim. In Myrtle Beach last year, they canceled the swim due to high e. coli counts in the water. Sunday at Lake Pontchartrain was a different story. A front had come through 2 days prior, and ever since Friday the winds had been ridiculous. I train up there all the time and I know that there's always going to be some wind at the lakefront, but this past weekend it was pretty bad. And it was a northerly wind, which is the worst for swimming conditions since we're on the south shore of a huge-ass lake.
When I got to transition, I went over to check out the lake. The chop was definitely not the highest I've seen, but it was coming FAST, and HARD. I even spotted some rip currents running parallel to the shore. It looked borderline swimmable, but it wouldn't have been pretty. The buzz around transition, though, was that the swim wasn't canceled because of the swimmers but rather because they couldn't get the support boats out there. Apparently they weren't even able to set the buoys. No support craft = no safety for swimmers = no swim. Makes sense to me. It was a bummer, but the right call.
Over at the relay rack, Jescica and I were readjusting and discussing our plan. Everyone was pretty good natured about the cancellation, probably in part because I was at the relay rack and most of the others there were only doing the bike leg anyway. I ran into my hairstylist, which is not as odd as it sounds since he is a cyclist himself and was there to support his friend, who is also the owner of the salon where he works and who was racked two bikes over from me. He asked me how my new haircut was working out - he recently cut my hair reeeally short, Halle-Berry-style - and I told him it's been great!
In Myrtle Beach, the way they started us was we all got corralled into an area right by swim out, with no shoes or bike helmets, as if we'd just gotten out of the water. They let one person go every 5 seconds in totally random order. When it was your turn, you ran to transition to put on your bike gear. So we still had T1 times. On Sunday, they had us all pack into transition, get all our gear and bikes ready and file out of transition two by two (Noah's Ark style, as one person put it). So we skipped the swim and T1 and just started off on the bike. They also had us maintain our wave order, but it was random within the waves.
Relays were the very last wave to go off, and somehow when we lined up I ended up at the back of our wave. This means I was approximately the 3rd to last person to start in the whole damn race! I thought to myself, "I sure hope I'm faster than at least SOME of the people in front of me, because I do not want to be the last bike out on the course!" It was about 8:30 AM when I finally got going.
The bike ride.... hmm what can I say. A 20-knot wind out of the east on a primarily east-west out and back single loop made for some fun times out there. It was a hammerfest the whole way out just to keep moving in a forward direction. When I could finally see the turnaround way up the road, I was literally counting pedal strokes just to make it to the cones. One, two, one, two, just make it there, one, two... Then of course the tailwind on the way back was not as satisfying as I would've liked, but isn't that always the case? As you can tell, riding flats into a headwind is not one of my strong suits. Which is frustrating, because more often than not it's what we get down here.
I've ridden that exact course once a week for about 3 years and I can honestly say this was easily in the top 5 toughest ever out there as far as windy conditions. Around mile 10-15 or so, on top of one of the highway bridges, a gust of wind was so strong that it actually blew one of my contact lenses out of my eye. So I did the rest of the bike ride with one eye. I was kind of sweating it that I might lose the other one - my prescription in the missing-lens eye is -7.0 and in the other eye is -8.0 - so there would be no way I could go on if I lost both. There were a few close calls but thankfully it didn't happen.
Rolling back into transition, I was thrilled to hand the chip over to Jescica and let her take over! The relay transition was actually pretty cool. I ran in and racked my bike like normal, then ran over to the relay pen next to run-out where all the runners were waiting. A friend standing at bike-in had waved over to Jescica when he saw me roll in, so she was ready and waiting for me. I ran up in my socks, since I had to run all the way across a huge transition and figured I could do that faster in socks than in bike shoes. She grabbed the chip strap off of my leg, slapped it on hers, and off she went.
After a quick trip home to get a new contact lens, we went to meet Jescica at the finish line, collect my Relay medal (it's the same medal but it says Relay instead of Finisher, which is pretty cool), and enjoy the post race festivities. The festivities, that is, not the food- seriously, in one of the very best food cities IN THE WORLD, the best you can do for post-race food is fruit, pizza, and Wal-Mart soda?? That is embarrassing. I was embarrassed for my city and felt like I should apologize to all the out of towners. At least the free beer was plentiful. They'd have had a riot on their hands from the locals if they'd tried to put any kind of limits on THAT.
Jescica and I stayed around for the awards ceremony, since we couldn't tell from the printouts if we'd actually won anything. The relays were all jumbled together with male, female, and mixed teams. Turns out we were either 4th or 5th out of female relays by my estimation (they never did split out the results so I have to guess based on people's names) but they only gave relay awards to the top 3. Age groups got top 5. Oh well!
I was a little disappointed in my time and wished I could've been a little faster, considering the work I've been putting in on the bike. But I did go into the race a little depleted- I got super, super sick on the previous Saturday night and couldn't really eat anything until about Wednesday. And, looking at my power numbers, I averaged a much higher wattage than I ever have on any of my training rides. So it looks like the effort was there, even though the time was affected by the weather conditions. So I'm cool with it.
I took a photo with Monte at bike check-in, but it's not uploaded yet. There are also one or two pics of me biking courtesy of Gary, Sherpa Spectathlete Extraordinaire. I'll post them later.
What a bummer for all the first-timers that they don't make a 69.1 sticker!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Some Bumps In The Road...
I'm trying to figure out how big of a deal I should make over this:
It's the corner of the kitchen countertop. I can tell that the two pieces of granite probably have the same *name* as far as their color, but they are obviously quite different. The sample he showed me was like the upper portion, with quite a bit of the yellow/gold color. The lower piece has hardly any yellow/gold and is mostly black, white and grey. I know he noticed it as it was going in- there's no way he wouldn't have- so he must just be hoping I won't say anything. So do I tell him to rip it out and redo it? I'm leaning towards yes, but I'm not looking forward to the battle of wills that I'm sure will ensue.
There's a 2nd issue with the granite. He's installing a granite table that's going to be attached to the back wall of the kitchen. It will be supported by one leg in the middle. I saw the leg they're planning on using, and it's a turned table leg with some funky designs on it (was that a bunch of grapes I saw??). In my head, I was thinking it would just be a plain round leg. I don't like turned legs; never have. But according to the contractor, the granite people ONLY have this type of leg. And the local lumber yards aren't open on Saturdays, so I couldn't find what I wanted. They didn't have anything quite right at Home Depot or Lowe's. Should I just use a 4x4? I guess if plain round is good, plain square would be OK too. Then would I paint it trim color, or stain it to match the cabinets? Ooh and the big question about the table- counter height or bar height? I was always picturing it at bar height in my head, but is that a bad idea? I feel hesitant about that for some reason.
Oh, and the medicine cabinet. ARGH! I got a recess-mount, 20x26 frameless beveled-edge cabinet that was very nice. I figured the larger size cabinet would be good, to maximize storage space. But it turns out that it wouldn't fit in the space between the studs. So I went back and ended up with the espresso one that I liked best in the first place (and was 1/4 the cost):
The worry was that it's not the same espresso, but I held it up in the place it would be mounted and it really looks OK, I think. The bathroom is so tiny that you can't back up too much from the vanity to really be able to compare the two. So maybe I can get away with it.
But the new question is this: should I just get a plain mirror for over the sink, and get a mirrorless cabinet to put over the toilet for storage? That idea is suddenly seeming like a better way to go. Do you think the different-espresso issue would be more or less of a big deal for a cabinet like that? I may just have to bring one home and compare the medicine cabinet idea vs the over-toilet-cabinet idea. GAH so much trouble for a silly medicine cabinet!
Here's another issue: windows. Originally, he had put replacement windows in the quote. I wasn't convinced that was really necessary, but I left it in. I figured that if I decided against windows I could use the money to upgrade something else. But as everything started coming together, I realized that I really did want the new windows. I figured he would probably want to install them before all the painting and tiling got done, but before I knew it it was done, so I just let it go and figured he had a plan. But when I talked to him yesterday and he said we were ready to move on to final punchlist items, I thought, "what about the windows??" When I brought it up, he claimed they were never in the quote. Ah, but everything lasts forever on teh internets! So I got out a copy and showed him where new windows were specifically identified. He said he'd take care of it. I wonder how much of the tile, paint and trim he's going to have to redo.
About the punchlist: this is going to be a long list. There are a LOT of little things that are just not quite right. There's paint that's not finished, caulking not done, gaps under the base moulding, gaps behind the granite backsplash, nail holes not covered, the kitchen faucet is loose, there are no doorknobs, the valves under the bathroom sink don't match... and those are just the obvious ones. I'm sure I'll find plenty more when I actually go and LOOK for them. It's a little disconcerting to see that such lax attention to detail is apparently OK for him.
And the TRASH again!!! After the original Trash Fiasco, when I told him EXTREMELY clearly that he and his workers were to haul off their trash themselves and not put ANY trash in my outdoor garbage cans, they were again filled with his construction crap when I got home yesterday! Are you kidding me?? The trash people already warned me about overloading the cans, and that they're not to be used for construction debris. I am VERY irritated about this. Especially because he promised a dumpster, and it has never shown up.
Now for some good news- the shower floor is done! And it looks fabulous!
I do kind of wish that the grout lines on the lip lined up with the grout lines on the floor, but I'm not overly bothered by that.
The finished product:
I also really like the new front door, I think it's very cute:
The ceiling fan is up in the kitchen:
And I think it goes quite well with the one in the living room:
I had them switch the blades to the darker side. They had originally installed them both with the lighter side down.
The kitchen faucet is on and working!
And today, the vanity finally got installed!
It is so cute! I (stupidly) didn't realize the drain pipe would be so visible, but I guess that can't be avoided. Maybe I can make something to hide it a little bit. Also a bummer that it takes away some of the storage space, but that's probably the case with all vanities to some extent. I still really like it though.
The light fixture is installed too. I like how the squareness matches up with the squareness of the vanity- what do you think?
Oh and as you can see, there's a toilet now too:
And that picture right there ^ shows the entirety of that teeny tiny bathroom!
A shower curtain rod was apparently not included in the work scope, so I may have to mount that myself. I can't stand those screw-into-place ones; they always seem to fall down after a while. So I bought one that screws into the wall. I might be able to get the guys to put it up for me. I thought about doing shower doors but I figured with the shower curtain, you can pull it back to show off the shower tile. I certainly don't want to hide it behind frosted glass! And I don't think that the few hundred I'd spend on a custom, unfrosted shower door is really worth it for the guest house. Oh and lastly, the tininess of the bathroom means that you probably couldn't open the shower door all the way anyway. So, shower curtain it is.
Current assignment: find a suitable table leg. And prepare myself for some difficult conversations (granite, sloppy details, TRASH) that are sure to be coming soon. Blah.
It's the corner of the kitchen countertop. I can tell that the two pieces of granite probably have the same *name* as far as their color, but they are obviously quite different. The sample he showed me was like the upper portion, with quite a bit of the yellow/gold color. The lower piece has hardly any yellow/gold and is mostly black, white and grey. I know he noticed it as it was going in- there's no way he wouldn't have- so he must just be hoping I won't say anything. So do I tell him to rip it out and redo it? I'm leaning towards yes, but I'm not looking forward to the battle of wills that I'm sure will ensue.
There's a 2nd issue with the granite. He's installing a granite table that's going to be attached to the back wall of the kitchen. It will be supported by one leg in the middle. I saw the leg they're planning on using, and it's a turned table leg with some funky designs on it (was that a bunch of grapes I saw??). In my head, I was thinking it would just be a plain round leg. I don't like turned legs; never have. But according to the contractor, the granite people ONLY have this type of leg. And the local lumber yards aren't open on Saturdays, so I couldn't find what I wanted. They didn't have anything quite right at Home Depot or Lowe's. Should I just use a 4x4? I guess if plain round is good, plain square would be OK too. Then would I paint it trim color, or stain it to match the cabinets? Ooh and the big question about the table- counter height or bar height? I was always picturing it at bar height in my head, but is that a bad idea? I feel hesitant about that for some reason.
Oh, and the medicine cabinet. ARGH! I got a recess-mount, 20x26 frameless beveled-edge cabinet that was very nice. I figured the larger size cabinet would be good, to maximize storage space. But it turns out that it wouldn't fit in the space between the studs. So I went back and ended up with the espresso one that I liked best in the first place (and was 1/4 the cost):
The worry was that it's not the same espresso, but I held it up in the place it would be mounted and it really looks OK, I think. The bathroom is so tiny that you can't back up too much from the vanity to really be able to compare the two. So maybe I can get away with it.
But the new question is this: should I just get a plain mirror for over the sink, and get a mirrorless cabinet to put over the toilet for storage? That idea is suddenly seeming like a better way to go. Do you think the different-espresso issue would be more or less of a big deal for a cabinet like that? I may just have to bring one home and compare the medicine cabinet idea vs the over-toilet-cabinet idea. GAH so much trouble for a silly medicine cabinet!
Here's another issue: windows. Originally, he had put replacement windows in the quote. I wasn't convinced that was really necessary, but I left it in. I figured that if I decided against windows I could use the money to upgrade something else. But as everything started coming together, I realized that I really did want the new windows. I figured he would probably want to install them before all the painting and tiling got done, but before I knew it it was done, so I just let it go and figured he had a plan. But when I talked to him yesterday and he said we were ready to move on to final punchlist items, I thought, "what about the windows??" When I brought it up, he claimed they were never in the quote. Ah, but everything lasts forever on teh internets! So I got out a copy and showed him where new windows were specifically identified. He said he'd take care of it. I wonder how much of the tile, paint and trim he's going to have to redo.
About the punchlist: this is going to be a long list. There are a LOT of little things that are just not quite right. There's paint that's not finished, caulking not done, gaps under the base moulding, gaps behind the granite backsplash, nail holes not covered, the kitchen faucet is loose, there are no doorknobs, the valves under the bathroom sink don't match... and those are just the obvious ones. I'm sure I'll find plenty more when I actually go and LOOK for them. It's a little disconcerting to see that such lax attention to detail is apparently OK for him.
And the TRASH again!!! After the original Trash Fiasco, when I told him EXTREMELY clearly that he and his workers were to haul off their trash themselves and not put ANY trash in my outdoor garbage cans, they were again filled with his construction crap when I got home yesterday! Are you kidding me?? The trash people already warned me about overloading the cans, and that they're not to be used for construction debris. I am VERY irritated about this. Especially because he promised a dumpster, and it has never shown up.
Now for some good news- the shower floor is done! And it looks fabulous!
I do kind of wish that the grout lines on the lip lined up with the grout lines on the floor, but I'm not overly bothered by that.
The finished product:
I also really like the new front door, I think it's very cute:
The ceiling fan is up in the kitchen:
And I think it goes quite well with the one in the living room:
I had them switch the blades to the darker side. They had originally installed them both with the lighter side down.
The kitchen faucet is on and working!
And today, the vanity finally got installed!
It is so cute! I (stupidly) didn't realize the drain pipe would be so visible, but I guess that can't be avoided. Maybe I can make something to hide it a little bit. Also a bummer that it takes away some of the storage space, but that's probably the case with all vanities to some extent. I still really like it though.
The light fixture is installed too. I like how the squareness matches up with the squareness of the vanity- what do you think?
Oh and as you can see, there's a toilet now too:
And that picture right there ^ shows the entirety of that teeny tiny bathroom!
A shower curtain rod was apparently not included in the work scope, so I may have to mount that myself. I can't stand those screw-into-place ones; they always seem to fall down after a while. So I bought one that screws into the wall. I might be able to get the guys to put it up for me. I thought about doing shower doors but I figured with the shower curtain, you can pull it back to show off the shower tile. I certainly don't want to hide it behind frosted glass! And I don't think that the few hundred I'd spend on a custom, unfrosted shower door is really worth it for the guest house. Oh and lastly, the tininess of the bathroom means that you probably couldn't open the shower door all the way anyway. So, shower curtain it is.
Current assignment: find a suitable table leg. And prepare myself for some difficult conversations (granite, sloppy details, TRASH) that are sure to be coming soon. Blah.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Somebody Pinch Me!
The two most-anticipated jobs were done yesterday- the granite people installed the countertops, and Eddy tiled the shower. I hurried home from work, eager to see how both had turned out. The shower had until now been only a figment of my imagination, and the last time I saw the granite countertop sample was weeks ago.
After talking over the design with Eddy & Walter the night before, I felt a lot more comfortable that it was going to look how I wanted it. But it was still a pretty big deal for me to be able to let go, to let it happen without me being there supervising or calling and checking in every five minutes. I really trust Eddy and Walter and the quality of their work, and that definitely helps. I would also like to think that I'm learning to let go of my normal tendency (compulsion?) to Supervise, Monitor and Control. I realized this when I couldn't remember whether I had told them I wanted the center accent tile to be oriented diamond or square. I thought to myself, "well, I trust their judgement and I'm sure it will look fine either way." This may not sound like a big deal, but trust me- for me it is! I knew that things would probably come up that required them to make judgement calls or possibly alter the plan a little bit, and I trusted that they'd do a good job.
Well guess what- THEY DID!! And then some!!
I am so BEYOND thrilled with the shower! It's one of those rare instances where the reality turns out just as good as the picture in your head, if not better! Everything is perfectly lined up: the corners of the diamond with the stripe around the middle, the stripe with the soap niche, the top of the diamond with the window, the diamond centered on the wall. One thing I didn't have in my drawing was the row of small tiles around the top of the shower- Eddy must have thought of that himself. I think it's a great idea and looks fabulous. Also in my design, I had the niche reversed- with the small tiles lining the back and the larger tiles cut to line the indented sides. I guess Eddy must have thought that putting the small tiles lining the indented part would make it match more with the window recess, and plus the stripe hits right at the lower edge of the niche so keeping the same tiles there would make it flow better. I think he's right on the money with both of those ideas.
I was already thrilled, but there was even more to discover! I tore myself away from gazing at the shower and walked into the kitchen, where I was greeted with this:
Holy Transformation! How on earth does that tiny kitchen look BIGGER with all those cabinets in it? And how did they manage to even fit all those cabinets in that tiny kitchen, let alone make it look good? And the granite color is perfect! It blends with both the richer, more gold-toned tile in the kitchen and with the lighter tile in the rest of the house, just like I hoped it would.
I talked with Zoltan this morning about the rest of the jobs that are left. There really aren't many- I can't believe it's almost done!
There's a little more granite to install in the kitchen. They're putting in a granite table, sticking out from the wall, with a round pedestal support. This is the spot where it's going, and you can see the slab leaning against the wall:
That reminds me... I have to tell him whether I want table height or bar height. For some reason, I always pictured bar height in my head. What do you think- would that work?
There's also a little more grouting to do, and the tiling of the bottom of the shower.
I was trying to decide between three options for the shower floor: 1) use the larger main tiles; 2) use the small tiles; or 3) small tiles on the lip of the shower base and around the perimiter of the bottom, and fill the middle with the main tiles. I didn't think Zoltan would go for option 2, because they'd already used so many of the small tiles and they'd have to buy even more of them to do that. I figured if I really wanted them on the bottom, I'd pay for the extra few sheets that we'd need. But when I spoke with him this morning, he said Eddy & Walter were already out buying the extra sheets! Bonus! It turns out that I'm getting a mixture of option 1 and 2. They're doing the bottom with the small tiles and the lip with the main tiles. I was a little upset when I first heard this because I was thinking that the lip would look really great with the small tiles. But I was assured that it looks good with the other tiles, I adjusted the picture in my head a little, and I think I'm cool with it. This is another BIG deal for me- I have always had a very hard time adjusting to Changes To The Plan. Once I get an idea set in my head, any changes to it can feel disastrous. But this time, it was no big deal. So I'm one step further on the road to emotional maturity, and I can't wait to see my finished shower!
Also today, they may be installing the new vanity. I am so glad I found this one, it is totally perfect. Still in the box, but here's the photo on the outside:
And here's the space it has to fit in (where the hammer is laying is where the toilet is going to be):
It's 20.5" wide, which is a little bigger than the old one at 18". In such a tiny space those couple of inches could mean a lot. Cross your fingers that it all fits!
Also as part of my assignment last night, I brought home a shower faucet, a bathroom faucet, and some associated hardware doodads (TP holder, towel bar, etc).
I agonized a bit over these decisions. Not only because I agonize over ALL decisions, but because I was having a hard time balancing saving money vs getting something really nice. On one hand, if I'm going to spend extra money, I'd definitely rather spend more on the main house where I'm actually going to be living rather than in the guest house. But on the other hand, I don't want to take away from the niceness of things I put a lot of thought and effort into, like the countertops and the shower, by putting in cheapy fixtures.
It turned out, though, that I actually rather liked the construction-grade brushed nickel fixtures and hardware. There were faucets that I thought were only marginally better-looking that were $100 more expensive. So I think it's going to end up looking good, and I saved a good bit of money. I know that some of the lower-end brushed nickel finishes are bad with fingerprints and water stains, so I'll just have to wait and see on that.
As I write this, the shower floor is being finished, the granite table is being installed, the ceiling fan is being hung, and they may even be installing the bathroom stuff. The pile of tiles outside the house has gone from this
to this
and by tomorrow, all the major work should be complete and we should be talking about punchlist items. I can't believe it!
Today's assignment: a medicine cabinet. I looked at them at Lowe's and Home Depot yesterday and couldn't find one I liked. Actually I found two espresso-finished ones that I really liked, but they weren't the same espresso as the vanity cabinet. Bah. Then I tried to find one that was an untrimmed plain mirror front, but all of those had molded plastic insides that looked like utter crap. I thought about just putting a mirror instead of a medicine cabinet, but with a bathroom so tiny, it needs all the storage space it can get. I did find one of those over-the-toilet storage pieces, which was great, but it also had an espresso finish that didn't match the vanity. I promised Zoltan I'd have a medicine cabinet by tomorrow, so it looks like I have my work cut out for me today!
After talking over the design with Eddy & Walter the night before, I felt a lot more comfortable that it was going to look how I wanted it. But it was still a pretty big deal for me to be able to let go, to let it happen without me being there supervising or calling and checking in every five minutes. I really trust Eddy and Walter and the quality of their work, and that definitely helps. I would also like to think that I'm learning to let go of my normal tendency (compulsion?) to Supervise, Monitor and Control. I realized this when I couldn't remember whether I had told them I wanted the center accent tile to be oriented diamond or square. I thought to myself, "well, I trust their judgement and I'm sure it will look fine either way." This may not sound like a big deal, but trust me- for me it is! I knew that things would probably come up that required them to make judgement calls or possibly alter the plan a little bit, and I trusted that they'd do a good job.
Well guess what- THEY DID!! And then some!!
I am so BEYOND thrilled with the shower! It's one of those rare instances where the reality turns out just as good as the picture in your head, if not better! Everything is perfectly lined up: the corners of the diamond with the stripe around the middle, the stripe with the soap niche, the top of the diamond with the window, the diamond centered on the wall. One thing I didn't have in my drawing was the row of small tiles around the top of the shower- Eddy must have thought of that himself. I think it's a great idea and looks fabulous. Also in my design, I had the niche reversed- with the small tiles lining the back and the larger tiles cut to line the indented sides. I guess Eddy must have thought that putting the small tiles lining the indented part would make it match more with the window recess, and plus the stripe hits right at the lower edge of the niche so keeping the same tiles there would make it flow better. I think he's right on the money with both of those ideas.
I was already thrilled, but there was even more to discover! I tore myself away from gazing at the shower and walked into the kitchen, where I was greeted with this:
Holy Transformation! How on earth does that tiny kitchen look BIGGER with all those cabinets in it? And how did they manage to even fit all those cabinets in that tiny kitchen, let alone make it look good? And the granite color is perfect! It blends with both the richer, more gold-toned tile in the kitchen and with the lighter tile in the rest of the house, just like I hoped it would.
I talked with Zoltan this morning about the rest of the jobs that are left. There really aren't many- I can't believe it's almost done!
There's a little more granite to install in the kitchen. They're putting in a granite table, sticking out from the wall, with a round pedestal support. This is the spot where it's going, and you can see the slab leaning against the wall:
That reminds me... I have to tell him whether I want table height or bar height. For some reason, I always pictured bar height in my head. What do you think- would that work?
There's also a little more grouting to do, and the tiling of the bottom of the shower.
I was trying to decide between three options for the shower floor: 1) use the larger main tiles; 2) use the small tiles; or 3) small tiles on the lip of the shower base and around the perimiter of the bottom, and fill the middle with the main tiles. I didn't think Zoltan would go for option 2, because they'd already used so many of the small tiles and they'd have to buy even more of them to do that. I figured if I really wanted them on the bottom, I'd pay for the extra few sheets that we'd need. But when I spoke with him this morning, he said Eddy & Walter were already out buying the extra sheets! Bonus! It turns out that I'm getting a mixture of option 1 and 2. They're doing the bottom with the small tiles and the lip with the main tiles. I was a little upset when I first heard this because I was thinking that the lip would look really great with the small tiles. But I was assured that it looks good with the other tiles, I adjusted the picture in my head a little, and I think I'm cool with it. This is another BIG deal for me- I have always had a very hard time adjusting to Changes To The Plan. Once I get an idea set in my head, any changes to it can feel disastrous. But this time, it was no big deal. So I'm one step further on the road to emotional maturity, and I can't wait to see my finished shower!
Also today, they may be installing the new vanity. I am so glad I found this one, it is totally perfect. Still in the box, but here's the photo on the outside:
And here's the space it has to fit in (where the hammer is laying is where the toilet is going to be):
It's 20.5" wide, which is a little bigger than the old one at 18". In such a tiny space those couple of inches could mean a lot. Cross your fingers that it all fits!
Also as part of my assignment last night, I brought home a shower faucet, a bathroom faucet, and some associated hardware doodads (TP holder, towel bar, etc).
I agonized a bit over these decisions. Not only because I agonize over ALL decisions, but because I was having a hard time balancing saving money vs getting something really nice. On one hand, if I'm going to spend extra money, I'd definitely rather spend more on the main house where I'm actually going to be living rather than in the guest house. But on the other hand, I don't want to take away from the niceness of things I put a lot of thought and effort into, like the countertops and the shower, by putting in cheapy fixtures.
It turned out, though, that I actually rather liked the construction-grade brushed nickel fixtures and hardware. There were faucets that I thought were only marginally better-looking that were $100 more expensive. So I think it's going to end up looking good, and I saved a good bit of money. I know that some of the lower-end brushed nickel finishes are bad with fingerprints and water stains, so I'll just have to wait and see on that.
As I write this, the shower floor is being finished, the granite table is being installed, the ceiling fan is being hung, and they may even be installing the bathroom stuff. The pile of tiles outside the house has gone from this
to this
and by tomorrow, all the major work should be complete and we should be talking about punchlist items. I can't believe it!
Today's assignment: a medicine cabinet. I looked at them at Lowe's and Home Depot yesterday and couldn't find one I liked. Actually I found two espresso-finished ones that I really liked, but they weren't the same espresso as the vanity cabinet. Bah. Then I tried to find one that was an untrimmed plain mirror front, but all of those had molded plastic insides that looked like utter crap. I thought about just putting a mirror instead of a medicine cabinet, but with a bathroom so tiny, it needs all the storage space it can get. I did find one of those over-the-toilet storage pieces, which was great, but it also had an espresso finish that didn't match the vanity. I promised Zoltan I'd have a medicine cabinet by tomorrow, so it looks like I have my work cut out for me today!
It's Starting To Look Like A House...
Over the next 2 days, the work continued at a crazy fast pace. Minute by minute, it was getting closer to my vision of the finished product that I have been anticipating for so long.
The tiling in the main living space got finished,
and grouted.
The trim got painted:
See Kai's weave poles over to the right? I tied those poop bags to them so the guys knew not to throw them out when they got rid of all the trash in the yard :)
Trim is back on, looking sharp!
The guys came up with this idea for the threshold to the kitchen, using the leftover scraps from other tiles they had cut. I thought it was a very nice touch and a great surprise!
While I'm on the subject, I really can't say enough about Eddy and Walter, the two-man Dream Team who have been doing most of the work. They're at my house over 10 hours a day. They always show up on time. And not only are they reliable, they also do excellent work. And fast! Pretty much everything I've posted up until now, except for the structural beam replacement, is their work.
In addition to everything else I already posted, over the last 2 days they also framed the soap niche in the shower,
installed the box for the bathroom vent,
and hung the new closet doors.
The guy who Zoltan (my contractor) used to replace the structural beam was the same guy he used for pouring the new concrete in the shower floor. This was going on at the same time that Eddy & Walter were tiling, painting, grouting, and drywalling.
This whole sequence happened in about a day, starting from this (see the hole in the floor?):
to this:
then this:
then more concrete, et voila- a shower floor.
That same day, 2 days ago, the kitchen cabinets went from here
to here.
Starting to look like a house, right?? The next two jobs were the two that I had been anticipating the most- the kitchen countertops, and the tiling of the shower. I talked to Eddy & Walter the night before they were going to do the shower (which was yesterday). Walter had the picture I had drawn, but it was just a sketch and I found out that he really wasn't clear on exactly what I wanted. It was a good thing I got home from work before they left for the day. We went into the bathroom with the different kinds of tiles, we talked it out, I drew on the walls, and Walter helped explain it to Eddy, who was going to be doing the tiling and who doesn't speak as much English as Walter does. I was very relieved after we talked and I knew that they were clear on my design. I had been worried that they were working so fast, they would tile the shower while I was at work before I had a chance to talk to them about it. I was also happy that Zoltan didn't ask me for more money because of all the small tiles I used in my design. It was a lot more than I think he was anticipating, and those sheets of small tiles aren't cheap. I think after the whole trash fiasco, he figured he owed me one. I agree.
That evening I also brought home that day's assignment- ceiling fans and a bathroom light fixture. My good friend Beverly owns several rental properties and has a lot of experience buying this sort of thing, so she came with me to help out. And given my normal speed of decision making, this was a Very Good thing.
They put the living room fan up the next day (yesterday) but since I don't have a picture of it from the store, here's a sneak peek from when I got home last night:
The kitchen fan isn't up yet. Neither is the bathroom fixture, but here it is in the box:
I headed off to work the next morning with a teeny bit of butterflies, knowing that when I got back home I would have kitchen countertops and I would see my shower tile design in real life for the first time!
I also had a new assignment- come home with a bathroom vanity. Not all that easy of a task, considering the teeny amount of space I have to put one. Most teeny vanities are of the low-grade, 49-bucks variety and I didn't want that. I finally found the perfect one on Home Depot's website. They were in stock at one of the local stores, so off to HD I headed after work. I also wanted to look at faucets, showers, and medicine cabinets. It's all coming together, FAST, and I need to keep up!
The tiling in the main living space got finished,
and grouted.
The trim got painted:
See Kai's weave poles over to the right? I tied those poop bags to them so the guys knew not to throw them out when they got rid of all the trash in the yard :)
Trim is back on, looking sharp!
The guys came up with this idea for the threshold to the kitchen, using the leftover scraps from other tiles they had cut. I thought it was a very nice touch and a great surprise!
While I'm on the subject, I really can't say enough about Eddy and Walter, the two-man Dream Team who have been doing most of the work. They're at my house over 10 hours a day. They always show up on time. And not only are they reliable, they also do excellent work. And fast! Pretty much everything I've posted up until now, except for the structural beam replacement, is their work.
In addition to everything else I already posted, over the last 2 days they also framed the soap niche in the shower,
installed the box for the bathroom vent,
and hung the new closet doors.
The guy who Zoltan (my contractor) used to replace the structural beam was the same guy he used for pouring the new concrete in the shower floor. This was going on at the same time that Eddy & Walter were tiling, painting, grouting, and drywalling.
This whole sequence happened in about a day, starting from this (see the hole in the floor?):
to this:
then this:
then more concrete, et voila- a shower floor.
That same day, 2 days ago, the kitchen cabinets went from here
to here.
Starting to look like a house, right?? The next two jobs were the two that I had been anticipating the most- the kitchen countertops, and the tiling of the shower. I talked to Eddy & Walter the night before they were going to do the shower (which was yesterday). Walter had the picture I had drawn, but it was just a sketch and I found out that he really wasn't clear on exactly what I wanted. It was a good thing I got home from work before they left for the day. We went into the bathroom with the different kinds of tiles, we talked it out, I drew on the walls, and Walter helped explain it to Eddy, who was going to be doing the tiling and who doesn't speak as much English as Walter does. I was very relieved after we talked and I knew that they were clear on my design. I had been worried that they were working so fast, they would tile the shower while I was at work before I had a chance to talk to them about it. I was also happy that Zoltan didn't ask me for more money because of all the small tiles I used in my design. It was a lot more than I think he was anticipating, and those sheets of small tiles aren't cheap. I think after the whole trash fiasco, he figured he owed me one. I agree.
That evening I also brought home that day's assignment- ceiling fans and a bathroom light fixture. My good friend Beverly owns several rental properties and has a lot of experience buying this sort of thing, so she came with me to help out. And given my normal speed of decision making, this was a Very Good thing.
They put the living room fan up the next day (yesterday) but since I don't have a picture of it from the store, here's a sneak peek from when I got home last night:
The kitchen fan isn't up yet. Neither is the bathroom fixture, but here it is in the box:
I headed off to work the next morning with a teeny bit of butterflies, knowing that when I got back home I would have kitchen countertops and I would see my shower tile design in real life for the first time!
I also had a new assignment- come home with a bathroom vanity. Not all that easy of a task, considering the teeny amount of space I have to put one. Most teeny vanities are of the low-grade, 49-bucks variety and I didn't want that. I finally found the perfect one on Home Depot's website. They were in stock at one of the local stores, so off to HD I headed after work. I also wanted to look at faucets, showers, and medicine cabinets. It's all coming together, FAST, and I need to keep up!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Tiles! Paint! Cabinets!
Lots has been happening over the last few days! As my elderly next door neighbor, Miss Ella, says, "They sho been makin' a lotta noise back there!"
They finished ripping everything out- floors, bathroom fixtures, kitchen cabinets- just about anything that could be removed, was. Then after the structural beam got fixed and the ceiling got replaced, it was time to get to work on the exciting stuff. Like tiles! The color is "Coral Almond". It was a tough choice between Coral Almond and Coral Beige. The fact that I thought that Coral Almond looked beige-ier and Coral Beige looked almond-ier did not help the decision process. The wall color choice was a little easier. Sam, the decorator, handed me three options and all I had to do was point to one of them. And since it's such a small space, we're using the same paint color throughout. The colors look a lot more bland in the pictures than they do in real life... I think they look great! I'm really happy with my decisions.
New pretty ceiling and new paint!
Some tiles laid and one coat of paint:
One of the only things I kept was the tile in the kitchen. It's in good shape and the color actually goes well with the other tile & the walls.
The kitchen, with old crusty cabinets removed (the tile is covered in drywall dust, so you can't see the real color of it):
The guts of the bathroom wall:
The rest of the bathroom (yes it really is that small):
At the end of that day, my assignment was to pick a grout for them to use the next day. The sample my contractor originally brought was a nice color, but too light. I have NO desire to be cleaning grout in the next, well, EVER- so I knew I needed a darker color.
Which one do you like best?
The top one? Yeah me too!
Also on Grout Day, guess what showed up in my yard? Some lovely new Honey Maple kitchen cabinets!!
Very sturdy and good quality. I was impressed.
Last but not least- guess what that is on the ground over there?
That's my shower! I had a very clear idea in my head of what I wanted the tile in the shower to look like, but I wasn't sure my contractor and I were on the same page. When I saw the special tiles show up in the yard, it was a good sign. It also meant that I better get my design finalized with him QUICKLY because soon it would be too late!
They finished ripping everything out- floors, bathroom fixtures, kitchen cabinets- just about anything that could be removed, was. Then after the structural beam got fixed and the ceiling got replaced, it was time to get to work on the exciting stuff. Like tiles! The color is "Coral Almond". It was a tough choice between Coral Almond and Coral Beige. The fact that I thought that Coral Almond looked beige-ier and Coral Beige looked almond-ier did not help the decision process. The wall color choice was a little easier. Sam, the decorator, handed me three options and all I had to do was point to one of them. And since it's such a small space, we're using the same paint color throughout. The colors look a lot more bland in the pictures than they do in real life... I think they look great! I'm really happy with my decisions.
New pretty ceiling and new paint!
Some tiles laid and one coat of paint:
One of the only things I kept was the tile in the kitchen. It's in good shape and the color actually goes well with the other tile & the walls.
The kitchen, with old crusty cabinets removed (the tile is covered in drywall dust, so you can't see the real color of it):
The guts of the bathroom wall:
The rest of the bathroom (yes it really is that small):
At the end of that day, my assignment was to pick a grout for them to use the next day. The sample my contractor originally brought was a nice color, but too light. I have NO desire to be cleaning grout in the next, well, EVER- so I knew I needed a darker color.
Which one do you like best?
The top one? Yeah me too!
Also on Grout Day, guess what showed up in my yard? Some lovely new Honey Maple kitchen cabinets!!
Very sturdy and good quality. I was impressed.
Last but not least- guess what that is on the ground over there?
That's my shower! I had a very clear idea in my head of what I wanted the tile in the shower to look like, but I wasn't sure my contractor and I were on the same page. When I saw the special tiles show up in the yard, it was a good sign. It also meant that I better get my design finalized with him QUICKLY because soon it would be too late!
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