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.