Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Master Bathroom Remodel Part IV - Major Progress and Major Reward!

Last we chatted in my previous post, I was so happy to share with
you that after months of disappointment and false promises made
by two paid contractors, my husband took over and set me back
on the road to having my master bathroom remodel completed...
And, as you can see, we are still on that happy road!
I arrived home from work last Friday to find the new light fixture for
the shower installed and the back wall and ceiling perfectly aligned! He
rented a wet saw too, so the tiles along the shower floor were cut to fit
perfectly. Although it takes more effort/skill, I chose to have the walls
tiled from the top down to ensure the top tiles would be full. This was
very important to me because with most of the floor hidden behind the
shower wall and the custom vanity and storage cabinet, it matters less
if there are cut tiles around the bottom of the room. Since the eye will
be drawn forward and up by the light fixture, shower head and glass
panel I have planned for the wall, I want perfectly full tiles seen first!
Which is exactly what I have!
I love everything about this!
While I'm not proud of it, I don't mind telling you that I drove everyone
a bit crazy about what color grout to use for my subway tile. It's not an
easy decision to make; especially when you're tiling all the walls in the
bathroom and a portion of the ceiling too! In the hall bathroom, I
chose white grout and I still love it. But the tile in that bathroom is a
beveled subway tile so I didn't want the detail in the bevel to compete
with grout. Let the bevel be the star! However, with this flat subway
tile and especially since I'm using so much of it (2,243 pieces, to be
exact) I felt a little contrast was in order. And, I knew exactly which
grout I wanted to use too. As you know, I am in love with this floor...
Everything about it is perfect. Including the grout color. It's
called Platinum and to me, it's the perfect compliment to white tile
because while it creates contrast, it does not make the tile look busy!
So why the struggle and conflict about which grout to use? Because
contractor number two insisted on using what he said was a "better"
grout; and, wanting to keep him happy, I bought whatever he told me
to buy. In the end, his choice of warm gray, which he insisted was the
perfect match for the grout on the floor downstairs was wrong. Sadly,
we found out it was closer to white than gray after he grouted the floor
in the shower and bathroom! Nevertheless, even though mixing two
different grout colors made me nervous, I wasn't willing to give up on
my original design and wish, which was gray grout on white subway tile!
As it turns out, the grout requested by contractor #2 is no better than
Power Grout... What he was after was a pre-mixed grout, which would
help save him a little time over having to mix it. Fortunately for him, the
premixed grout he chose is no worse than Power Grout either and, I was
able to get a very close match to the gray I was after with the Silver option!
I think I'm going to have to buy my sweet tile guy some new jeans!
But that's okay because I know sacrifices must be made...
Especially for fantastic work like this! He didn't want to do it; in fact,
he made me promise that I would NOT buy a scone when I found this
one at the Pottery Barn Outlet during our last trip down to Gaffney. But I
couldn't help myself... I mean, it's the Mercer, which means it matches
the other hardware for my bathroom and at only $49, it was a must have!
Get this! Not only did he agree to wire up a box for it, he even
put it on a separate circuit and switch... So if I want to use it
without the light fixture over the mirror being on, I can! And,
as if that weren't enough, he installed a switch/outlet combination
so that the tile wall isn't disrupted with two separate outlet covers!
He certainly earned a steak dinner for that one!
Another man that earned a steak dinner is my carpenter!
I am so happy with this storage cabinet and the vanity he
built for me, I just cannot tell you! Although I was asked not
to get too far ahead of myself, I couldn't help but start loading
them up! After all, I designed this storage cabinet to hold my
bath towels exactly the way I fold them; so I had to test it out!
And, from there... Well, my organizing gene kicked in and off I went!
Everything I have been shuffling around between
six different storage cabinets hanging on the wall
and standing on the floor in my bathroom fits!
I am going to love this storage cabinet forever!
But I am not going to lie... This exercise did help shed a little
light on just how much I have and how much of this stuff I
need to collect. Seeing it all in one place, I now know I have
more than enough; so I really need to get busy and start using
it. After all, the more I use up, the more new stuff I can buy!
Speaking of buying... I've been thinking about how to thank my
darling husband for all the work he's doing to make my master
bathroom a happier place to be and I have decided it's time for
him to realize his dream of seeing a Yankees game at Yankee
stadium in New York! So in a few weeks, we are headed back
to New York for a little more Big Apple fun. I've already
bought his Yankees tickets, reserved a limo to take us from
the airport to our hotel in the financial district, booked tours
for Grand Central Station and the New York City Public Library,
(where Mr. Big left Carrie standing at the alter...) and One World
Trade Center - I paid extra for the VIP pass there because I know
that given any time to stand in line and I probably won't go up! Oh...
And, because I think I deserve a little treat during this trip too, I did this...
Yes! I am finally going to see Wicked on Broadway! I'll be missing SpaBoy
and my favorite Elphaba, Christine Dwyer; but Janet's going to Broadway! If
you missed it when SpaBoy and I got to watch her Greenafication, see here!

Now that the ball is finally rolling in the right direction, my
master bathroom remodel shouldn't take much longer. In fact,
I learned today that all of the Carrara marble for the wall and
vanity will be installed next Wednesday... So do stay tuned!

1 comment:

  1. Wa-hoo!! YAY for your darling, sweet husband to make your master bathroom dreams come true!!! Your NY trip sounds fabulous!!! Please take pictures of it and share with us. I've never been to NY so I'm living through you--- and ALaska was beau-tee-ful-- via your posts----thank you!!!! Hugs, Andrea

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