Although things have taken much more time than we anticipated, we hope to use the school vacation week to prime and paint the two new bedrooms and master closet, and to get the bathroom in working order. Luckily we have a bathroom in the basement that has gotten us through the past few months, but it is not a permanent solution by any means.
Here are some before and during pictures of the plastering process.
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| Bathroom with interior wall insulation |
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| Bed #2 with spray foam insulation. |
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| Master bedroom with spray foam. |
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| Master closet |
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| Hallway to the back hall/kitchen |
Here are the pictures with drywall and plaster.
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| Bathroom with drywall |
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| Master closet with drywall |
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| Bed #2 with drywall and a whole mess of drywall scrap |
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| Master bedroom dry walled. Is it snowing in the house? Nope, that's just dust from the drywall. |
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| Hallway with drywall |
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| Plastered bathroom |
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| Dave sanding the master bedroom |
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| Master closet |
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| Bedroom #2 |
1. Floor tile: Scotia White tile from Best Tile. Also seen here
2. Toilet: Santa Rosa from Kohler
3. Tub: Bellwether from Kohler
4. Vanity: Virtu Midori from ATG Stores
5. Tile surround: Gray subway tiles (2 different sizes) from Bellew Tile. Also seen here
6. Sconces from Lowes
7. Shower curtain from ModCloth
8. Geode print
9. China white paint in the background from Benjamin Moore
We splurged on a few items in the bathroom, but tried to keep things under control since we will have 2 other bathrooms (3 if you include the basement bath) to design once the second floor is on. Oops, was I not supposed to tell you that we're putting a second floor on? Oh well, now you know.
Based on a recommendation from our plumber, we got a cast iron tub. It was more expensive than we anticipated (around $700), but he assures us that it will last forever, and it only took 4 strapping manly men to move into the space. Note to self, do not get cast iron for the second floor.
We tried to use a mom and pop store to buy the toilet and the tub, but the prices were not that great, so we ended up at our home away from home- Home Depot. The toilet is a 1 piece. I'm told that this is easier to clean. I'll wait while you figure out why...Got it? It was on super special and we got it for $265.
The floor tile from Best tile was $4.99 per square foot, but we had to pay for some shipping charges. It wound up being about $450 for 82 square feet. We splurged on the wall tile from Bellew. If you ever need to get tile for any project I highly recommend Bellew. The 2 different tiles we got for the bath surround we each $9.95 per square foot. One tile is 3x12 and the other is 2x12. Together with grout for the floor and walls, some end pieces for the shower tile, and tax/shipping the total was $788. Ouch, that was not what we were expecting to pay for the shower tile, but I think it will look amazeballs when it's up.
The vanity was something I purchased on a whim at ATG Stores online. They are affiliated with Lowes. I was concerned that I would hate it when I saw it in person, or that it would look cheap, but it's great. It came with faucets and associated plumbing, which was a huge bonus since that stuff can add up. I think it cost $700.
The sconces were another online find. It took forever to find them, especially because I didn't want to spend a lot. We already have recessed lighting and an exhaust fan with a light for the space so I didn't think we needed anything crazy, just something to light up around the mirror that will go above the vanity. In total, I think both sconces cost about $106. The exhaust fan, on the other hand, was ridiculously expensive at $275-ish.
Dave tells me that we spent another $1,000 on electrical for the whole project, and that the insulation was $1,700 and drywall $3,300. I'm not sure what the bill for the plumber will be. We will also have our electrician come and connect the new electrical work Dave did to the fuse box, which will cost some $. I haven't bought the geode print or shower curtain yet, but I think the curtain is $60. I also need to get a mirror, but I don't expect to get anything crazy expensive.
Everything is ready to go once we get the place primed and painted. We bought a wet saw yesterday($89 from, you guessed it, Home Depot) and that will help make the tiling jobs move faster. Our plumber should be coming this week to install plumbing to the shower and toilet. We still need to pick up the radiant floor heating that will go in the bathroom (another $700-$800), but Dave assures me that it's very easy to install, despite never having installed it himself. So much confidence in that one!
I thought we would be going to a Paint Nite event during vacation- you know, where you go to a bar, have some drinks, and paint a pretty picture will the guidance of an instructor. It turns out that Dave had his own version of this in mind- Paint Nite and Day. This is where you drink coffee all day and paint the walls till your hand is permanently contorted to hold a paint brush and you say things like "Watch it on the holidays" in your sleep. For those of you who don't know, holiday is the house painter term for "place you left unpainted," and yes I am a language enthusiast.
We think we will use China White from Benjamin Moore on the walls, but we have a knack for always picking out bad colors so that could change. Either way, we will need at least a gallon of paint at $50 and a gallon of primer, another $50.
Later on this week we will have the Home Depot carpet guy come measure for the wall to wall carpet that's going in the two bedrooms and the master closet. We decided to carpet because the bedrooms are over the garage and could use some extra warmth. That project will add another $1,500-ish to our total. We also purchased 8 doors for rooms and closets which cost $875 with a discount from Home Depot. Some final items that will be needed to finish that project include: finish paint for the 2 bedrooms, trim for every room, and the windows, which will take some time to order. For now, an estimate of the total $ spent, including carpet and paint for the bedrooms comes to about $13,000. This does not include the cost of the wood used for framing/strapping, or any other incidentals that came up along the way (read copious amounts of take out and alcohol and massages to get the kinks out of our necks from yanking out staples from the ceiling).
I still think we're ahead of the game. If we had paid someone to do the work that we did ourselves I'm sure we would have spent $13,000 on labor alone by now. Also, I have to keep reminding myself that we are re-doing half of our house (not including the basement) for that price. I think we got a lot for our money.
One of the things I am wresting with is what type of trim to use for the new rooms. I know I want it to be wood trim, but it has to coordinate with whatever wood floor we install in the living room, music-torium, and dining room. It also has to coordinate with the interior doors we just purchased. That decision might take a while to sort out. Good thing I have the greatest song in the world to help me out. Thank you JB and KG-
Other inspirado:
1. Sam Roberts- album "Lo-Fantasy." Montreal-based rock band. We're going to see them tomorrow night! Tres super! Here's "We're All in This Together"
2. The Organ Beats- album "Sleep When We Are Dead." In my rock n roll fantasies I become their back-up guitar player and we go on to rule the world after I get many more tattoos. Over-share? Here's the title track:
3. Frank Turner- album "Tape Deck Heart." Thus continues my love affair with men who are so British you can actually hear their accents when they sing (see also Billy Bragg, Joe Strummer). Here's "Recovery"
We went to the "Hot Stove, Cool Music" benefit about a month ago, and loved the music we heard from these bands:
4. Kingsley Flood, "I Don't Wanna Go Home"
5. Will Dailey, "Down the Drain:
6. Bill Janovtiz- album "Walt Whitman Mall." I can't say enough about Bill Janovitz and his voice. It's like home to me. Here's a song that proves that point- "Long Island."
In case Bill Janovitz looks familiar it's because he had/has a successful career with his band Buffalo Tom. If that doesn't ring any bells, but he still looks familiar it's because Buffalo Tom were playing in the club when Jordan Catalano and Angela met by the pool table. If this doesn't mean anything to you then you missed out on the best tv show ever- My So-Called Life, and you've probably never even heard of the Frozen Embryos. Your loss.
Bill Janovitz is also a realtor and modern home enthusiast, as seen on his website http://lexingtonjanovitz.com/. Needless to say, he has provided a multitude of inspirado along the way via music and modern architecture.
One more fun fact, my first car was a Crown Victoria, "Vicky," and the name of Bill's other band? You guessed it, Crown Victoria. Love them too. It's the 10th anniversary of their debut/only album "Fireworks on T.V." Do yourself a favor and go get it.
