Celebrations

Lots of things to celebrate this week in addition to finishing the first bathroom remodel. I got my Social Security number at long last and that means I am a certified, numbered real person and with that and my Dept of Homeland Security photo id I was able to renew my NY state driving license, which expired in November. (Living in NY and being dependent on your husband's visa is both demeaning and frustrating; I've been a kept woman and felt like chattel. It does little for one's self-esteem, especially when they take away your driving privileges because your visa has less than six months to run, even though you've been granted an extension for three years). And the number of places I'm asked to show my driving license here? Banks, stores, airports..... it's impossible to exist without one. But enough of the Kafkaesque nightmare that is USCIS, Department of Homeland Security and NYS DMV. I am now legitimate again.

Sadie
The biggest celebration though is that after an entire month Sadie the dog has decided that the Fatboy dog bed isn't so scary and she's taken to sleeping on it at night (after Cassis the cat has made it cosy and warm. I'm still waiting for Polly to pluck up the courage to try her bed out.

Polly
Ooh, and one more huge celebration. I did not know this until two minutes ago but today is NATIONAL GARLIC DAY. I love garlic: roasted, fried, preserved in oil, in Rogan Josh, leg of lamb, sliced in poached sea bass, Skordalia it's all good. I think I will keep the celebration going all weekend long.

Finally, one working bathroom

It's taken months - more than six, in fact since we began the renovation of the boy's bath; it's been even longer since we stopped using this bath because of the leaks through the ceiling below, and in fact, I've probably only showered in there twice in all the time we've lived here because the decor scared me so much. But today I took my first shower in there in at least a year and I have to tell you that it was the best shower I have ever taken.
The previous best shower was at the Manchester Airport Marriott in February, a Hansgrohe with enough water pressure to knock you off your feet (and a Toto toilet, Duravit sinks and faucets, if my memory serves me, very modern) but the Grohe Freelander is fantastic. I emerged not simply clean but revitalised, and that's without trying out the "massage" spray. I cannot wait to get back in there tomorrow morning.
One thing I know I'll do differently in the master remodel, though, is to spring for the thermostatic shower valve. Fiddling around with the temperature while huge jets of icy water shoot at you can be a little strenuous first thing in the morning. Tomorrow, I'll put the shower on, then clean my teeth while it warms up. I know, wasting the earth's resources, but what's a girl to do?

Shower Doors Installed

boys' bath frameless shower doors
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

They look much better in real life, the photos are a tad dark and of course, reflect the flash. The only downside is that I have to wait 24 hours after the installation to use the shower.
Twenty-three hours, thirty minutes and counting.
And just in case anyone has forgotten the horror that was there before:


Smaller, darker and scary...........

Original Style

Saturday was action-packed. We have a lot to do to finish off the bathrooms before we head abroad for a week at the end of the month. I'd planned a day that started with giving an extra coat of paint to the boy's bath ceiling. That has to be done this weekend as the guys are ready to install the frameless shower doors and I don't want anyone wielding a roller in there once those babies go in. Then we have to take the hard top off my Jeep, go pick up the teak shower base and then put the soft top on before it starts raining. We needed to go pick the tiles for the backsplash in the downstairs bathroom and make sure they were in stock or available within four weeks so that bath gets finished before the visitors arrive in late May. Once they start arriving there'll be no more construction, or demolition for that matter, until September.
Then Steven came home last night and broke it to me at dinner (his motto is: always break the bad news to your wife in a public place, and preferably when she's had a drink, that way she won't shout) that he'd invited a colleague over to solve a work problem. That threw the scheduling out a little, especially when I invited colleague and husband to dinner afterwards. And the house was covered in dust and dog hair as usual.
Basically we just hit the ground running this morning. Steven walked the dogs while I showered. We were at the tile store at 9am. and out by 9:50, which was pretty good as they didn't have the tile I'd chosen (discontinued), the second choice was paper backed and I wanted mesh, and the third choice we decided just didn't look right. Finally we settled on this coppery metallic glass mosaic by Original Style. I had to buy a box, but because it was my lucky day I got a huge discount and it wound up being cheaper than the stuff on ebay. Only drawback is that it's shipped from the UK so it'll be "two weeks" before we get it.
After that a quick run to the supermarket and the fishmonger, a dash aound with Glassex and the Dyson and we took the top off the car without damaging ourselves. All done by 1:30. Then some devil made me check out the teak base and despite the large "FRAGILE" label someone had dropped it and scuffed one end pretty badly. So that had to go back, and it will be "two weeks" before the replacement arrives.
Never mind, I got the glue of the shower base with Goo Gone, picked up the dry cleaning, walked and fed the dogs and I still have time to blog before dinner.
The boys' bath ceiling though, that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Moo

Modernemama Moo card
Thirty-three months is an odd date to celebrate but that's how long we've been in this house and roughly how long I've been scribbling my name, address and phone number on scraps of paper. We didn't bother with change of address cards when we moved, we just emailed everyone the details but new acquaintances have been forced to try to decipher my increasingly incomprehensible handwriting.
I was on the point of going to the local Minute Man to order something generic when Flickr started offering Moo cards. These are the cutest little cards with coordinates and digits on the back and your selection of your favourite Flickr photos on the front. I had a lovely time choosing 30 photos to make into 100 calling cards and they were shipped to me (all the way from the UK by Royal Mail) yesterday. They are even more gorgeous than I imagined, great quality, tiny and totally personal.
Now I just have to find those "attractive strangers" Moo suggests I give my contact info to and hand them out.

Modernemama Moo card

It must be spring

Because finally the snow has gone and the ground is soft enough to plant our new mailbox.
The box and its post have been sitting in the garage since January when I was fooled by the unseasonably warm weather into ordering a new modern mailbox. Today it was deemed warm enough to tackle the project. I can say that it was barely warm enough, it's freezing still in New York but things are budding in the yard and at least now the mailbox is by the drive we won't have to wade through 6" floodwater to get the post every time it rains. And even if the front gets flooded, the Da Vinci houseArt mailbox has a handy access hatch at the back too.
Hurrah, another project off the list!

Downstairs bath remodel v3

downstairs bath remodel v3
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

When we went looking for trim tiles this weekend we were struck by the various possibilities, from metal listellos to stone chair rails, all of which would look ok with the new vanity and exisiting tiles. But the one we liked the most was a dark brown glass mosaic by Keraban, which would possibly also be the cheapest option: $18 a square foot or $120 to tile the backsplash. It will also be easier to fit the backsplash as it won't matter if it comes out at 4" or 4'5" high, we can just cut the mosaic to fit. If we bought the listellos we'd have to be much more precise about the measurements or possibly risk ending up with a lot of grout. The only thing that concerns me is the glass mosaic is much thinner than the ceramic tile and I think we might need a thin trim piece where the two meet, just to make it look neater. That, of course, would significantly add to the cost. Decisions, decisions.

Marcellin Dufour '83

Marcellin Dufour '83
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

Yesterday I got a call from the picture framers to say the painting I bought on ebay before Xmas was ready. It's oil on canvas so it had to be stretched, I chose a matte black wood for the frame and it came out beautifully. When I got it home I realised the background colour was very similar to the Benjamin Moore Titanium in the dining room, and it has deep red splotches, the same colour as the curtains. I'd originally bought it for my office but it seemed to want to hang in the dining room so that's where I nailed it. And for once I only had to make one hole in the wall.
It was meant to be.

In Memorium

We are in mourning today.
Last night the cathode ray tube in my ruby iMac G3 emitted a loud bang, the screen went dark and that was effectively that. The iMac was just about the first thing we bought when I arrived in the US at the end of September 2000 and it's been pretty much turned on ever since.
Although we added some extra memory in 2003 we never upgraded to OS X because I knew Ruby didn't have enough power to drive it. As programmers stopped writing for OS 9 Ruby's functionality has been declining. Some web pages looked truncated on her screen, but I didn't care, she opened my email and kept my photos and acted as the server for the wireless system in the house.
And know she's gone it renders my original iPod obsolete too, as it was only compatible with pre-OS X systems. Without Ruby there's going to be a big hole in the middle of my desk but the hole in my heart is bigger.





Ruby Red RIP 2000-2007.

Downstairs bath remodel

downstairs bath remodel
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

We ordered another wenge vanity from the people who made the one for the boys' bath but this time we went with a Caesarstone countertop in Copper Canyon. It seemed a better fit with the fawn tiles and the white ceramic vessel sink. But I didn't want a splashback so I spent a couple of hours yesterday playing with Appleworks to come up with ideas for a tiled backsplash. This one uses Daltile Modern Dimensions and Urban trims. The alternative below is with Crossville Mosaics, Metals and their Questech trim.



I guess we'll be spending this weekend checking out the trim tiles in the flesh and making sure we can remove the existing vanity without doing any damage to the wall tiles.

Is there rehab for remodelers?

It's like a bad habit we can't break. Actually, if I'm honest I have the habit, Steven just supports it.
The boys' bath wasn't even half-way done before I started on the girls' bath. This was completely crazy because the master bath shower has been out of commission for months (possibly over a year, I can't bring myself to check). The logical thing to do, and let me say also the plan when we first making "to do" list, was to remodel the master, then move on to the boys' bath. It's funny how easy it was to talk ourselves out of this plan and into Plan B: boys' bath, then master. The reasoning was we knew exactly what we wanted in the boys' bath but couldn't agree on anything for the master. We also told ourselves the boys' bath would be practice for the master, we'd get all the mistakes out of the way in a bath that was less important.
Well, that was a specious argument. In reality we knew the challenges and problems would be totally different; I just wanted to get rid of those crazed tiles. Somehow, though as the ugly tiles came off I realised I could not live with the avocado in the girls' bath. Once again, logic dictates that you wait until the first bath is done before you rip up the second. But I have a habit, so it had to be done.
Now the boys' bath is beautiful but it isn't finished yet: no shower doors, no hardware and the girl's bath doesn't have a working basin - won't have for at least two weeks- so why would I undertake the downstairs bath remodel at this time?
Because I have a serious problem, that's why. I have a habit and it's controlling me.

Bathroom Renovations Part Three

De-laminated Vanity Door
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

I took my eye off the downstairs bathroom and this is what happened. It got jealous. I guess everyone using the one bath while the others are being renovated has taken its toll on it.
It seems that faucet that we didn't think was leaking too badly back on Thanksgiving weekend was, in fact, silently dripping hot water onto the vanity door. The plywood has swelled up beautifully to the point I could no longer miss it when I walked in the door. The fact that I was also standing in a pool of water was a bit of a hint.
I turned off the hot water under the sink but the damage has been done. Tony the custom vanity guy is coming to measure for the countertop on the girls' bath vanity next week so I guess I'll ask him to make another floating vanity for this bath while he's about it. After all we already have the ceramic vessel sink and pillar faucet we decided not to use upstairs so the cost won't be as great as it might be.
The dilemma is whether I can do a partial update in this room. I love the original floor and the wall tiles are sand coloured hexagons in great shape. I think if we get rid of the fawn beige toilet and replace it with a white one and pick the right countertop we could get away with it. It would have a more beachy feel, which, as this is the bath people use when they come in from the beach or the pool, would be appropriate.
We'll see.

Bathroom Fixtures

Bathroom Fixtures
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

They are in, they function and they shine.
The Toto Nexus maple seat is so warm and it's a soft close model so no-one can slam the seat down. Hurrah.
The vessel sink doesn't splash because it's huge and because the faucet has a water restrainer in it. It delivers just enough water in a steady stream to wash hands or face or clean your teeth. And what about that Tenso faucet? Form and function in one.
The Grohe Freehander shower kicks ass. So much water, sparkly, clean water that you definitely need shower doors. The shower door guys measured today and promise that in another two to three weeks I can try it out. I can't wait.
Oh and the best. As the plumbers were leaving they called me and told me they had totally changed their minds about the shower. It isn't a fancy-pants piece of chichiness. It is a beautifully designed triumph of engineering and they'd be happy to put one in their own bathrooms! This is true plumber praise.

Plumbing the fixtures

The plumber is here now, and for once he was thrilled by the tiles and vanity and the vessel sink. He thought the guys who cut the countertops did a perfect job, the Ronbow vessel sink is the best quality he's installed. He only ruined it by saying "Where's the fancy shower head you want me to install?". Oh well, I really shouldn't be seeking plumber-validation anyway.

Girls' Bath Vanity Top Chosen

ivory coast silestone
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

The silestone samples arrived from e-counters today and it took about oh, three seconds to make a decision. The Green River was much too dark, the Yukon Blanco too light but the Ivory Coast was perfect. The only real choice was whether to go for the slightly glossy finish or "leather", a honed matte look. (The bigger tile is the leather finish). I think either would have been fine, but the glossy is slightly cheaper and I think it will reflect some light, which in that bath with its tiny triangular window, will be a bonus.
Now I can go ahead an order that countertop. One step nearer to finishing the girls' bath.

Odds and Ends

Nothing much going on in the bathroom remodel department; the ceiling in the boys' bath got a coat of primer on Saturday and I've put four coats of stain on the window, touched up the door frame and the stained the piece of molding on the girls' vanity. Luckily, Cabot dark walnut matches the door and the vanity so that's what I used on the window- it makes my life simpler.
I ordered an undermount sink from Toto to match the toilet in the girls' bath but I'm still waiting for the silestone samples I ordered from e-counters before I can finish up the vanity. I think I've chosen a faucet that will match both the round George Kovacs bathroom sconce and the linear Lew's Hardware pull. It's the Stillness faucet by Kohler, sort of modern but not too cool. As it's an 8" center spread and an American brand the plumber should be really happy with me.
Obviously, we are going to miss another deadline this week. There is no way either bath will be operational by the end of March and even though the plumber is coming Friday to hook up the water and put in the toilet in the boys' bath, the shower doors won't be ready for at least two weeks after that. So that puts us past Easter too. Seriously, I'm shooting for Memorial Day.

Eye candy

new vanity, vessel sink, vessel faucet
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

The vanity guys just left after installing the wenge floating vanity and they were so patient with me. I was concerned that the faucet would be bumped by the medicine cabinet doors if we set it at regular height, and they measured it out perfectly. The vanity is set at 28" off the floor with another 1" for the countertop. That's about 3" lower than normal but because we have the vessel sink it doesn't feel low. It turned out to be a very good thing that we placed it lower because the plumbing is low in this bath, and the wastepipe would have been smack on the bottom of the cabinet otherwise. As it is, after the plumber has decided where the sleeve for the P-trap will fit, I have to take the drawer back to have it notched.
I don't feel so bad about mis-measuring the plumbing in the girls' bath now, or about adapting the vanity in there.
But don't you think the vanity's awesome? And as for the faucet and wood-effect glass vessel sink: pure fabulousness.

Girls' bathroom

new vanity girls' bath
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

We did make progress on Friday afternoon. In addition to all the work we did on the boys' bath, we finally got the vanity installed in the girls' bath. We went with the option of notching out the backboard and cutting the middle drawer down by half to accommodate the faucet shut off and it slid into place. A small piece of molding was cut for the left side so we can open the drawers and all the hardware was put on. The vanity is almost the same colour as the door and there is certainly plenty of storage in it.
But as soon as it was in position I knew the whole vessel sink and pillar faucet idea wasn't going to work. The vanity is just too high. While it would work fine for Steven and I as we are both tall, it wouldn't work for shorter adults or children. So we'll get an undermount sink and shorter faucet and we can use the ceramic vessel sink in the downstairs bath. It's annoying but not a huge deal.

Andrew Geller Sketches

andrew geller beach house sketches and plans
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

Or how we met then man who designed our house and came away with two of his beach house sketches.
We had the best time last night. DWR East Hampton hosted a fundraising event for the Pearlroth House with a presentation detailing the efforts to save the building by the filmmaker Jake Gorst who also happens to be the architect's grandson. Andrew Geller himself was there and the highlight for us was talking to him about our house, which I hope he'll come and see soon, just to make sure the renovations we are undertaking meet with his approval!
There was also a raffle and the biggest surprise was that Steven won, not once but twice. He chose these signed sketches by Mr Geller. I suppose etiquette dictates that we should have put one back in the raffle but they look fabulous together and they are going into an Andrew M. Geller house, so in a sense they are going home.
Oh, and I won a bag of swag, too courtesy of Vox, so it was a totally rewarding evening in the Hamptons.

A lot more money is needed to secure the future of the iconic "kite house". So if anyone reading this feels they can make a tax deductible contribution or any corporations are interested in sponsoring the work please contact The Pearlroth House Foundation.

Save The Pearlroth House Fundraiser

We're just off to DWR in East Hampton for a fundraiser in aid of The Pearlroth House the beach house Andrew Geller designed in 1959 for Arthur and Mitch Pearlroth. Time is running out and a lot of money still needs to be raised so we're going to do our bit. Plans for the evening include a 40 minute documentary about the "kite" house, wine and cheese, and a silent auction to win a Herman Miller chair. It sounds like it will be fun trip.

Lights, please

metro light techlighting.com
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

The tiler was totally in love with the Metro light from Tech Lighting. I hadn't seen it in real life even though the box has been sitting in the spare bedroom for a month, I'd resisted the temptation to peek. When they called me up to see it I was blown away. I'm so glad I didn't have to compromise and go with a satin nickel finish, the polished chrome is much punchier. And I'm even happier we kept the medicine cabinets. They look so much better than they did in the old bath. A little recycling is a good thing and probably saved us $500.

Boy's bath 50% done

shower tiles
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

Maybe even more. All tiling, grouting and caulking has been completed. The shower caddy went in the corner. The old mirrored cabinets went back in and look fantastic and the Tech Metro light is so awesome.
More later

Ferroker floor with Summer Wheat Grout

Ferroker floor with summer wheat grout
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

That's all that got accomplished today. Tomorrow: clean up; install lights and hardware; install medicine cabinets; install vanity in girls' bathroom, install GFCI sockets in girls' bath; patch ceilings and walls; caulk, caulk, caulk.
Then clean all the dust from the last couple of days.
That sounds like a long list for one day, especially a Friday.

At Least Someone is Happy

As Brooklyn Row House pointed out in the comments on Noncompliant Dogs, cats like dog beds.
Not a complete waste of money then.

Grouted

grout eidos ambar and area
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

We have grout on all the walls. The tiler was a little concerned and a wee bit confused because I told him the silver grout was for the walls but when he mixed it it didn't resemble anything silver at all - it's more like a sandy beige.
I don't pick the names, only the colours.
He's gonna have fun with the one for the floor tomorrow: summer wheat. Summer wheat? Toasted barley would be more like it.
As long as it matches the floor tiles I'm happy.

More shopping

Because I was frustrated that the vanity didn't go in yesterday, which meant I couldn't order the countertop for it, I had the "spendies". That's when I have the money, the time and the energy to purchase something and nothing is going to deter me. I could have bought something cheap, like a bar of chocolate, but I didn't think that was going to satisfy my craving - it had to be something bathroom related.
So I threw the dogs in the car and headed off to the fancy fixture place in town where, as luck would have it, the guy who delivered my shower base was just finishing with a customer. He asked if I'd had it installed yet and mentioned how he loved his and the teak insert he'd ordered. Teak insert. That would slay the spendies good and dead. A few questions about the durability and slipperiness of the wood and all my concerns about the slatted base were laid to rest and then the clincher: you don't have to clean the base as often.
Done, sold and sated. I'm much happier now.I can go back to dreaming about non-essentials like this.

Noncompliant Dogs

sadie lounging
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

I was so fed up of the kitchen looking like an animal doss house that I ordered two Fatboy modern dog beds from Design Public. If you clicked the link you will have seen the extremely cute black lab lounging on his red Fatboy bed.
Maybe my dogs didn't like the colours I chose (lime green and brown), although dogs are colour-blind aren't they? Maybe I didn't adjust the stuffing enough for their comfort. But they have flat-out refused to have anything to do with them. I have resorted to putting blankets on top of the beds to entice them, which sort of defeats the purpose but nothing works.
Here is a nice photo showing the dent that Sadie made when she stepped over the dog bed on her way to find a better place to sprawl out and here is Polly ignoring her bed.


Steven suggests I give in and give them their old duvets back but I'm persevering for a while. I want a sleek, modern kitchen with sleek, modern dog beds and I'm not prepared to give up yet.

Measure twice, cut once

not enough room
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

We installed the girls' bath vanity this afternoon, at least we attempted to. I swear I measured this space at least five times: length, height, width, every which way. I measured the plumbing also, but only once and obviously NOT correctly. I need an extra two inches on the left. Bugger.










So far I have come up with two solutions:
1) Notch out the back of the cabinet three inches; remove middle drawer, cut 6" off back and bottom of middle drawer, glue and clamp back shortened front to back piece.
2) Move the water pipe right 2.5"
I knew we had to move the vanity over an inch and put in a filler so we could open the drawers but I never thought it would be 2" short.
Damn imperial tape measure! Metric is so much more precise. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Heavy Glass

That's what we have ordered for the boys' bath shower. I thought that all glass was "heavy" but it seems also to be the technical term for the glass used to make the frameless shower doors. We ended up going local and chose clear glass with polished chrome handles from The Shower Door in Huntington. They were the only people to demonstrate the special hinge that stops the door from swinging out too vigorously, which is very important in this household of really clumsy people. I was worried that someone might push the door too hard coming out of the shower and smash it on the wall. Now I can breathe easier.
Although it's ordered they can't take precise measurements until we have grouted and the grout has cured for 48 hours. So realistically it will be Monday at the earliest before the order is processed and then it will be "two weeks", which I take to mean four weeks to manufacture the doors. I was assured because ours is simple- just two pieces of glass, really - it should only be two weeks. But I was also told that the vanity would take 10 days to make and that was back in January, many, many "ten days" ago.

Toto Toilet @ Prime, Huntington, NY

Toto Toilet @ Prime, Huntington, NY
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

We went for brunch at Prime Restaurant in Huntington, NY. The decor is gorgeous, warm woods, cool marble, blazing fireplaces and a killer view over Huntington Harbor. But the best surprise was the restroom. Not only do they have motion sensor swan-neck vessel faucets, but they also have my Toto Nexus toilet. And yes, I did lift the lid off the tank and it was installed with the Toto G-max fill valve. I shall be telling the plumber this next time I see him.

Floor Tiles Are In

boys' bath floor in
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

Just a little update. The floor is in. Hurrah. I worried it would be too dark but it's perfect. It echoes the tones in the redwood floor , the great room ceiling and those umbrella stand lamps.
The tiler did say that I was challenging him when he saw the 24"x17" Porcelanosa Ferroker floor tiles, and I have to say that I do not know how he managed to hold them and make the cuts necessary to go around the toilet wastepipe. Even carrying them upstairs was a challenge. Those babies are heavy.
On Monday he will finish the wall tiling, then grout and then the glass door guy can come and measure. He has me a little worried though; he isn't sure how they are going to drill through the wall tiles to hang the doors because the Area tiles are so hard. That doesn't bode well for the towel bar and robe hook either.
What kind of drill cuts through really hard tiles, anyone? Diamond, do you think? We went through this with Pete the Floor Guy and the redwood floor. He had to go buy a whole new blade for his saw. I guess this will be the same. I'm off to research drill bits.

Spoiler Alert-injured toe pic below (fuzzy)

Yep, I managed not to hurt myself at all doing the demolition on the boys' bath, not with the flying shards of tile, not even carrying the heavy stuff out to the curb. Then we farmed out the trade work, plumbing, electrical and tiling so I couldn't injure myself there could I? Well, I suppose I could have dropped a 24"x17" Ferroker floor tile on my foot while appreciating its beautiful bronze and pewter tones but, no, I managed to photograph it without crushing anything vital (or breaking the tile) so kudos to me.
Yesterday evening, though, I was excitedly running upstairs to see what the tiler had done during the day, when I failed to leave enough clearance between my toes and the baby gate we use to keep the dogs out of the tiler's way. It hurt like hell and this morning it is a pretty shade of purple. Can't bend it either.
Worst is, I can't brag that I did it engaged in a house renovation project. It was just a clumsy moment. Bah.

Tiling 3/4 done

Just a quick update on the boys' bath. Tiling is about three-quarters complete. It's so pretty and light that I more relaxed already.
As you come up the stairs you can see the light flooding out of the room and then the trees reflected on the tiles. That's so cool and an unexpected bonus. Such a difference from the previous "crazy bat cave" theme we had going on before.

The annual swarm

The clocks have sprung forward and the temperature is nearly 60F so it must be spring, right? I wasn't convinced because I like to go by the equinox but when I looked out of my bathroom window this morning I noticed this beauty. At the moment it's only tiny so we will need to get rid of it pronto.
Every year it's the same, they build 'em, we knock 'em down. A kind of renewal of the earth ritual, involving sacifice and slaughter. These guys are getting craftier. The first year they were in the weeping juniper, which is a good 15' from the house and easy to spray and remove. Last year they were under the garage overhang - a quick bang with a stick into a waiting sack and they were gone. This time we are going to have to get on a ladder, on Saturday when the temperature is set to plummet 30 degrees to below freezing and we may be blanketed by a late snowstorm too.
I'm looking forward to it. Let battle commence.

Bathroom Tile

Boys' bath tile
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

Real progress was made yesterday. The tiler was concerned it wasn't going fast enough, but he had to straighten the wall before he started and work out a pattern for the window to solve the pesky problem of possible future water leaks form the shower. So I was really happy he got a whole wall done.
I was going for a totally clean look with the glossy 12" tiles but I actually like this. The wall behind the vanity and toilet will be tiled with the mosaic and the other walls with the large field tile. It just adds another accent. I love it when we have a happy solution to a problem. I love it more when we can discuss it rationally and come to an agreement that suits us both.
I finally found out why the plumber installed a generic fill valve in the new Toto toilet rather than Toto's patented G-max system. He says the G-max is an inferior copy of this $10 Korky fill valve and he'll install the Toto one in the next toilet if I want because he'll be happy to get a call to repair it when it breaks down in two years' time.
If he'd told me that at the time, I could have decided whether to try it or trust him but he didn't, nor did he tell me he was ignoring my precise instruction to install the shower base as we'd discussed because he knew better. Working with the plumber is stressful because he doesn't communicate and he complains about everything from the choice of fixtures to the placement of the pipes. Mostly he complains that I'm European and haven't chosen Kohler or American Standard fixtures. Hmm, I'm not about to apologise for either the land of my birth or my taste. But at least he doesn't make fun of my accent like one guy we had (very temporarily) working for us.
Enough rant, I love my tiles, I can't wait for it to be finished so I can see the total effect.

Framed

framed house plans
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

The real remodelers do actual framing, lite remodelers get the plans framed.
Well, at least people will be able to orient themselves before they go off exploring the house.
This was Steven's birthday present. Happy Birthday honey.

Challenges

If you live in a twelve-sided house, one of your walls is going to be off, probably by a lot. That's a given, and today we found out which one. Of course it's the boys' bathroom wall, the one that you see as you come up the landing. And the bigger the tile the more obvious it will be. And that window in the middle is going to complicate things too. I'm beginning to understand why the original owners went for a busy broken pattern - it's much easy to hide the flaws that way.
The tiler is attempting to mitigate the problem right now, which involves a lot of "oh, c'mon" and "gee whizz", both of which he apologised for. If I were tiling that wall it would be more like "@#!&" and "%~/*". In fact just thinking about it makes my language more creative. And I'm resisting the temptation to run upstairs every five minutes to see how he's getting along, which is also very stressful. I've got a serious case of remodeler's remorse. Right now I can't remember why we started this remodel, the old tiles looked fine didn't they?
At least we've come up with a creative solution for the window frame, involving the accent tile. I think it's going to look ok, of course I hope it will look fabulous, but I'll settle for straight and tasteful.

The new window, same as the old window

bath window exterior
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

But without the fogging, with low argon, and fully operable. An open window over the shower, it's going to be a huge novelty. We only have to work out a tiny design dilemma, to wit: how to finish the tiles neatly around it. I'm leaning towards a small trim abutting the tiles rather than the 2" piece by that was there before. Small is usually better. If a bullnose had been available, I might have been persuaded to go with that but luckily, because I hate bullnoses, Porcelanosa doesn't have anything that will match the tiles.
The new window, like all the replacements in the house is by Marvin.

New profile photo

I haven't really calmed down enough about the Toto installation (or the shower base install* for that matter) to blog about it. At the moment I'm alternating between tears, swearing and sang froid, all the signs of grief, I have to note. I am too emotionally invested in this project.
But in the interest of looking at things in a more positive light I have changed the photo on my profile from the original photo I took of the back of the house on the day of the "walk through" April 2004, to one I took last year (2006) with the new paint and stain.

Just to remind myself that some contractors do a bang-on job, and that we have made at least one positive contribution to the renovation of our home.


*it looks like a Bugatti with a Trabi hubcap

Freakin' plumber

is making Jane freak out. This morning I went to take out the trash and I noticed that the Toto G-max fill valve was still in the Toto toilet box. Now that was surprising because the toilet had been flushed three times by the plumber before he left. I ran inside and opened up the tank and there was an ordinary Fieldmaster fill valve inside. Why? Why would anyone take a piece of equipment specifically designed to work with the toilet and replace it with some generic thing?
I rang Toto to see what would happen if we left the Fieldmaster in there and they said it would affect the fill rate and eventually the flow of the toilet. Great. I ordered the Toto is because the G-max has a great reputation and because all the plumbers like them. This plumber told me it was a "good" toilet. So once again why? I'll be asking him to explain and then install it as it was meant to be installed, but only when I've calmed down.

Welcome Toto Nexus

New toilet
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

It's so slim and shiny and clean. Isn't that the prettiest wc you've ever seen?
Okay, the Toto Neorest (tagline:Sophisticated Sensuality) is possibly more impressive but at a retail price between $3200 and $5600 depending on model I'm unlikely to do a proper comparison. Plus, the Neorest has a remote control. Who needs a remote control in the bathroom? The possibilities for losing that thing would be endless and probably quite expensive. And this bathroom is only 5'x8'. The Neorest lid opens as you approach it and flushes as you leave. In a space that small it would be constantly opening, flushing and closing. We'd probably wear it out in a six-month.

More gems from the plumber

One thing the plumber asks that is guaranteed to make modernemama freak out:
"Did you measure this?"
The answer was: I measured it; my husband measured it; two contractors measured it and YOUR DAD measured it.
"Well, I'd better check, it looks big.....hey, what d'you know, it just fits"
Good, now if I could just remember how to breathe again.

Things you are relieved to hear your plumber say:
1) "There's nothing difficult about this, it's just different"
2) "The base went in"
3) "Let's break for lunch"

Do all plumbers moan?

new grohe shower valve
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

Five Things You Don't Want To Hear Your Plumber Say

1) I've never seen one of those before
2) I've never installed one of those before
3) I don't know how we are gonna install that
4) That's too heavy for the wall
5) That drain won't fit

I heard all of those on Friday afternoon. The offending items were: 1,4 the Grohe Freehander and 2,3,5 the mti-whirlpool shower base, both of which had been approved by the plumber's father (also our plumber).
They are coming back on Monday morning to install the toilet in the other bathroom and put in the shower base in this bath. I can't wait.

Bye Bye Green Vanity

bye bye green vanity
Originally uploaded by modernemama.

I'm missing you already. You and your faux marble top (that weighed a ton) and matching Kohler avocado toilet, which, according to the plumber must have weighed 300lbs. They don't make them like that anymore.

Now we just have this little hole in the floor, and a scrap of that wallpaper insert on the vanity on the wall. It must have looked really, truly groovy in 1970.

Custom Copper Shower

The Expo catalogue arrived yesterday and fell open at the bathroom page, and there was something I'd never seen before, never even knew existed: a copper shower.

It spoke to me enough to make me tear up the plans for the master bath and install copper instead. Before I go down that route, though, several things occur to me: Wouldn't the copper get too warm for comfort if you're taking a long hot shower? How do you clean a copper shower? What stops it turning blue? How much would a 48"x36" beauty cost? What would Greg the Plumber say?

A bit of research later and I had the answers to some of my questions, the cost starts just shy of $3000. And there is a no-tarnish option. But...... will it fit in with my cool house? What other fixtures (towel rail, toilet holder etc) and tiles would look right with it?
So many questions. Here are a couple more: Has anyone seen a copper shower in real life? Better still , has anyone got one?