I Did That

No, work hasn’t stopped completely on the house.  My blogging about it has due to delays and the fact that I have managed to misplace my camera (!).

The kitchen is finished, with new appliances, countertops and cabinet harware in place.  It looks great, I wish you could see it.  I’ve got to find that camera.  It will probably show up at some point in the move.

The master bathroom is coming along slowly but surely.  I have had to enlist a bit of help with the heavy stuff so as not to hurt my back more, but Robert Lee has helped me move most of the heavy stuff around.  Right now I’m leveling the floor and preparing to put down Hardibacker so that I can tile it.

The tub is in, the felt paper and Durock are up in the tub surround, and I’ve installed the valve assembly for the new tub faucet.  I need to paint on the waterproofing layer and then it will be ready for tiling.

The sheetrock is done on the walls, but they have yet to be primed.

I haven’t done any electrical work, which leaves me with one sconce and two overhead vanity lights to install.  Since it is a double sinked vanity with two seperate mirrors, we decided to go wth two vanity lights to keep the symmetry going.  The wall sconce is near the toilet and I’m toying with the idea of putting a very low wattage bulb in it and a photoeye to turn it on in the dark, thus making it a kind of night light.  For right now, though, it is staying on a switch.

So that is where we are at.  I am about to go check the mortar bed for level now and if it is, the backer board goes down, if not I will level it out and wait for it to dry.

I’ve only got a few days left of this seven day break, let us take a look at how I’m doing, goalwise:

• Thursday-finish tiling through the kitchen (originally supposed to be completed by last Saturday), install Hall lighting fixtures.
• Friday-finish tiling the den (orig. to be completed last Sunday), install MBR light fixture, perhaps start grouting tile (probably not)
• Saturday-demolish the MBath (with my buddy Todd’s help), grout tile in Laundry, Kitchen and Den, eat Thanksgiving dinner with my Mom (I know that one will get done), install light fixture in kid’s BR.
• Sunday-finish anything on the list prior to here that is not completed, alter cabinet to accomodate new wall oven, install light fixture in guest BR.
• Monday-have appliances delivered, install wall oven, dishwasher and set refrigerator in place, go to Lowe’s to order countertops, set bathtub (or at least frame for it).
• Tuesday- (everything for remainder of week refers to Mbath) set bathtub for real, put up drywall and tub surround waterproofing.
• Wednesday-sand drywall, tile tub surround.
• Thursday-tile floor, have furniture moved in.

The appliances won’t be delivered until tomorrow, so I expected to be behind on that.  So I’m only about a day behind on the Mbath and I’m short a few light fixtures.  Turns out we haven’t bought at least one of those fixtures, so I’m inclined to feel pretty good about myself.  Today will be all about waterproofing the tub surround and hanging the drywall in the Mbath.

I had fully intended to do the tub surround and drywall yesterday.  My help, Robert, had said he felt like working last night and wanted to go on and knock the bathroom out.  I don’t get offers like that very often, so we headed over to the house about 7:30 pm to work.  After several trips back to get the tools we needed and some trickiness in leveling and securing the tub, I was too tired to really think straight.  That and I had forgotten the roofing nails that we would use to secure the felt paper (part of the waterproofing system) to the studs.  I wasn’t prepared to make yet another trip back to the in-laws to get supplies.  So about 10:30 pm we knocked off for the night.  This sort of thing always goes best on a clear mind.

In about an hour, I’m going to go and replace the shower plumbing and measure to make sure the vanity plumbing is set in the right places.  Then it is on to the felt paper and Durock.