House

Stuff I’ve written and posted about life at The Myrtle Estates. Renovations and general home improvement projects.

  • Bathroom Renovations, 3 Days In

    It’s only been three days since the project has started but there’s already a lot of progress made! The whole half-bath has been gutted, save for a small amount of paneling to be removed Monday. All the flooring has been removed and new plywood sub-flooring has been installed. The orange countertop did not fare well in demo, as it was very well connected to the wall. Whoever installed it didn’t want it to go anywhere. Ever. The pink toilet has also said farewell.

    This week, the plan is for the plumber to come in, run new drain lines for the toilet and shower, and put in new lines for the vanity (in its new location) and the shower. The tile guy will also be making an appearance to work his magic. It’s very possible that by the end of this week the project will be more than 75% complete, which is amazing to me. Kudos to the contractor and his team for moving along! And separate from that group, I will be having 3 small windows (one in each bathroom, and another small one in my bedroom) along with the back door, replaced. Pictures of those will come in a separate post.

    For now, check out the pictures after 3 days. You can really see the project taking shape. And many thanks to my friend who’s letting me borrow his wide-angle lens so I can properly capture the work in this small space.

    This is at the end of Day 2. The back of the hall closet has been removed so we can “borrow” a few inches for the shower. This is the last time I saw the orange countertop and pink sink basin in one piece. Same goes for that toilet.

    Now you can see that everything has been removed, save for that small bit of paneling and the orange curtains (which I’m saving for something).  You can also see the original aluminum frame window that is being replaced this week. So long to no-efficiency windows!

    What was the 2nd closet in this bedroom. Most of it is being used for the shower stall, but what’s nice is that I’ll still have a small closet for some items, like towels or folded clothes (space on right side of original closet space.)

    Day 3. View of the bathroom from the bedroom. If you look at the original post, you’ll notice some things missing.

  • The Bathroom renovation begins!

    The official bathroom renovation is finally upon us! After much discussion and planning, the demo is scheduled to start tomorrow. I wish I could take pictures of the whole bathroom, but it’s not a big room. What I can show is the old-school toilet, wall paneling, and interesting light fixture choices.

    More pictures below. Soon, I will share tile choices, the new sink, paint colors and more. In the meantime, who’s interested in the ball & chain light fixture, orange curtains, orange vanity counter, or pink(ish) sink and toilet? All going for a very good price (read: FREE!)

  • Home renovations are coming!

    I’ve been in my house for a little over 6 months so far. It’s been a mostly positive experience outside of a couple minor issues with the sump pump in the fall/early winter. Oh, the joys of basements!

     

    Shortly after I moved in, I had some windows replaced. You can see them in the Calm Friday Morning blog post. From there, you can also see the accent wall in the dining room and the light gray living room walls. However, the first really big change that’s currently being planned is an upgrade to the 1/2 bath in the master bedroom. If you walk in there now, you are presented with an orange countertop sink with a complimentary pink sink, orange curtains, and a pink toilet. Oh, and the walls are all medium dark wood paneling. The best part? There’s a 3 ball and chain lighting “system”! I will devote a future blog post to some before shots of the bathroom before the renovation.

    What I have to do before getting the project kicked off:

    • Pick a toilet
    • Pick a sink and matching countertop
    • Pick a faucet
    • Pick a mirror/vanity
    • Pick lighting
    • Pick colors for the accents in the room (towel rails, toilet paper holder, etc.)
    • Pick out tile color for the shower
    • Pick out tile color for the floor

    I’m a bit overwhelmed by the choices right now, but am very excited for the finished product! Stay tuned for progress reports over the coming weeks. The goal is to be done by summer. Yay for home ownership!

  • A Calm Friday Morning

    This was the view of my dining room as I left for work last Friday. A nice bright morning that called for a time of reflecting at the table and thinking about… anything. It’s too bad I didn’t have time and needed to head out the door. Perhaps that will teach me to get up a little earlier to enjoy some silence and sunlight. Oh, and that awesome blue accent wall.

  • Old Stove

     

     

    I moved into a new house in August. At 50 years old, it has tons of character. I hope to be as hip as this place when I turn 50. It screams retro in most rooms. One item in particular was the stove. I have a feeling it is almost as old as the house itself. While beautiful and big at 40″ wide and having 2 ovens, I needed to replace it with something that would consistently turn the burners on and had oven doors that would open. I took a couple pictures of it before having it hauled away by Sears.