We are on the home stretch for all you weary homeowners…….and that includes Mrs S! This week the tile installation was continued, the electrical fired up and the first coat of paint went up. Exciting times! This is when all those daunting decisions finally start coming into fruition. Picking colors, tiles, and what seems like infinite details from objects less than 3″ in size, can really make a person go insane! Not to mention, question every little decision. Will that tiny piece of wall tile coordinate with that basket weave floor tile? Does the cabinet door style work with the door style you picked (from a three panel brochure the size of a Nat!) and fit with the overall look? OMG! What IS the overall look? Did we even decide that?
The good news is, YES to all of the above! That is the greatest benefit of working with a designer. Designers put together a vision, and then make sure you stay on track. Often where homeowners fall of the cliff is three quarters of the way through the project. They forget some of their first decisions, or loose site of the over all goal and the exhaustion sets in, taking over like a bad mother-in-law. And whether you have a plan or not, sometimes these last few weeks take their toll, and you just want to throw your hands in the air and be done with it already! The dust, the heat, the trades coming and going, definitely can make the most calm homeowners feel defeated. Don’t get exasperated. Take a deep breath. Remember that construction always takes longer than planned, always, and while being in the thick of things may seem like too much, rarely does a homeowner remember the heartache once the project is completed. Sure you may have some giggles about the OMG! moments, but as I always say,
“A homeowners quality of enjoyment and satisfaction is always remembered far beyond the cost and construction, once their project is completed.”~ Amanda Burdge
Scouts honor!…….. And no I wasn’t a scout, but if it helps, it will hopefully convince you that it’s worth a few months of pain. Ten to fifteen years of utilizing that new space brings you ultimate pride and joy, and that far out weighs the time it takes to create it.
1) Shower Tile Continued
Shower tile
Last week the shower floor (basket weave) had been installed, and the back wall got started about 40″ up from the floor. This week the side walls continued to get their 12″ pieces, and then the pencil mold went up to create a breaking point between the 12″ and 3×6 tiles.
Tile installation
I had Ritchie take the ceiling up 18″ in the shower to make it feel more spacious. The original ceiling was barely seven and half feet, and felt like being in a wet, dark coffin. (Everyone’s dream, right?) Originally the tile was going to stop at the 8′ mark, however, after reviewing it, Ritchie and I decided that it would be better to tile the entire shower. Now this was not a hiccup, but rather an ‘on the job observation on how to make life better’ decision. We could have easily left the tile at the 96″ mark and called it a day. However, a small box shower, as this one is, tends to hold moisture. TN happens to be VERY humid. And despite having a fan and custom shower door made to dispel moisture, there just isn’t any guarantee! Leaving the ceiling and upper wall in painted drywall would eventually mildew, and we didn’t want that for Mrs S. So for maintenance and cleaning purposes, we decided to tile the entire shower enclosure.
2) Preliminary Bathroom floors
Floor pattern layout
Here, shown above, Ritchie has laid out the tile according to my chicken scratch (you’ll remember the pic below). As you recall, our original tile was back ordered until August. Each and every one of those marble 12″ tiles had to be cut to size…..a very laborious task!
Amanda's floor tile chicken scratch
On this particular day I had to rush out to the house for a tile emergency! Mrs S was not certain the black border looked good with the marble. This is something very important for homeowners to remember. Often, when you see something in an incomplete state you will question it. Again, this is where a professional can help you through this seemingly scary process. If Mrs S took this black border out of the design, the bathroom floor would fall flat. The border is there to outline the bathroom, add punch and wow factor but most importantly, ground the space. An all white floor would be way too wispy, and would get lost. And after each and every tile has been hand cut, I’m sure Ritchie wants everyone to take notice!
Designer tip: Certain design elements date a space. For instance, a home with gold fixtures screams the 80′s! So if you are about to remodel, how do you pick items that feel on trend, but won’t date your space? Always keep it classic. Hard elements like floors and cabinets should have simple, classic lines. This ensures a solid investment and allows you to change other elements, like paint, in a snap, and it easily updates your space.
3) Electrical
Sloppy First coat of paint
Ritchie got the tradewinds primer up end of last week, and the electrical went live this week. Electrical was suppose to go live last week….and they were having some issues. At any rate it’s up and running now. I was very pleased with the paint color. Although this is just a sloppy starter, what a difference it makes compared to the look of the old bathroom! Tile will most likely continue until the end of this week, and may go into next week. Since every piece has to be hand cut, the installer is moving much slower than usual. But we will keep our hopes up for end of week!
There you have it, week 9! So what do you think so far? Think your ready to remodel? Not quite as fast as they make it on those home decorating shows now is it? haha, stay tuned!
If you missed week one, click here.
If you missed week two, Click here
If you missed week three, click here
If you missed week four and five, click here
If you missed week six, click here
If you missed week seven, click here
If you missed week eight, click here
Have questions? See something that you want more clarification on? Send me your comments and let us know your thoughts. We will post questions and answers here on the blog.
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About Amanda Gates
The paint is a lovely color.
Tiling is a pain in the goat tail
The floor tile is going to look great, Amanda! I love laying it on the diagnal, even if there are more cuts and you use more tile. I think it is so worth the look. Love the wall color {even in its sloppy state}. I won’t ask you what Ritchie(?) is sitting on. I guess you sit where you can on a job, right? : )
Fun to see it in progress but I know you are eager for the end result…going through myself so those scenes looked awfully familiar!! Good luck, its going to be gorgeous!
Love following all this Amanda! We just had the guys in today to measure for granite in the kitchen island…install is next week and I cannot wait to get rid of the butcher block!
Looking good there, Amanda! Great tips and encouragement for the end of a project. I always warn my clients not to panic when they first see the initial strokes of paint going up on a white wall because the contrast will be startling! Can’t wait to see the final outcome; sigh, I wish it were my bathroom getting redone.