Ta Da!

Here we go! But first an update to the kitchen and dining room. 

I had to go to Bed Bath and Beyond to get another drapery panel. I found this rug for $3.00. I couldn't pass it up. It was considered Christmas. I like the little extra pizazz it adds.

Butch and I added a gallery wall for the tenant to the dining room. Oh, and I didn't mention it yesterday, but I also got this rug from Bed Bath and Beyond. It's a little whiter than it looks in this picture. 

Okay, now on to the bathroom. Let me start by saying that all the plumbing, light fixture, toilet, bath tub, vanity, mirrors and all fixtures are original---50 years old. That alone should be a hint to the problems we were to encounter. Our plan was to replace the toilet, faucets, mirrors, light fixture and bath tub fixtures. 

Before:

It's kind of hard to tell, but the mirror is on both walls. The edge had so much paint caked on it. I did have the painters remove the ceramic toilet paper holder.

I also had that towel bar removed. The vent fan on the wall--well, there was nothing to do about that unless we wanted to move it to the ceiling and patch a pretty large hole. The bathtub fixtures are not very nice, so we wanted to replace them.

Right away, the plumber said that without access to the bath tub fixtures--if he ran in to problems like crumbling pipes, he would have to cut out the wall since there is another condo on the other side. We could not just replace the cosmetic part because everything would have to be from the same company as the original and assume that nothing has changed in 50 years. He felt like that was a slim chance. Okay, we nixed it.

Next came the toilet. We definitely wanted to replace it. The plumber brought a new one. When he went to install it, it was too big. (Why should I be surprised--considering all the snafus we've had at the beach). He said we'd have to order a different one. Butch asked if he could hook the old one back up--we needed a toilet. Instead, he called the warehouse and was told they had exactly one left. Butch told him to get it. 

After he installed the new toilet, there was this:

If we had any doubt that this toilet was original to 1971, the avocado wallpaper affirmed it. Now we had another problem. I thought, "okay, so we rip the wallpaper off, sand and paint. Oh no, it couldn't be that simple. With all the paint buildup around the wallpaper, it had petrified! You know what I mean---it turned in to rock! 

The plumber went on to the new faucet. He told us how the piping literally crumbled in his hands. He said that he put in new piping as far back in the wall as he could. That makes me nervous. It just doesn't sound like a good scenario. We'll see.

Our appointment with the plumber was at 9 a.m. He did not get there until almost 10. I realize that we were on the clock from 9 since he had to go and get the toilet. He didn't leave until 2:30! Before he left, he was telling us about the new toilet. He said, "This is the top of the line toilet!" We didn't really want the top of the line toilet, but didn't have a choice. I'm a little nervous about what the bill is going to be---even if we don't have to pay it!

Anyway, we still had the problem of the old petrified wallpaper behind the toilet. Leave it to Butch to figure out the exact thing to do. 

He bought vinyl stick on tiles. $4.00 worth. This was the best option given our time and budget constraints for our "client!" Actually, I was really happy with how it came out. He added some tiny nails to make sure they would not fall off. 

The final result:

50 year old bathroom refreshed! We were thrilled with how it came out. It's too bad that you cannot really see the light fixture. It's sort of like tulip shades with those nice clear glass bulbs. It really puts out the light.

I love that fun shower curtain. I guess you are noticing that perhaps I should have ironed it. Instead, I decided that the lines resembled the tile on the floor. It does, doesn't it? I can convince myself of anything if it keeps me from having to iron! The tiles behind the toilet worked out really well. Sort of like highlighting the new toilet. Yeah, that's it--a highlight rather than a big boo boo!

There wasn't a whole lot to do in the bedroom---just paint and cleaning. 

Before:

There really wasn't anything special about this bedroom.

After:

My friend, Connie gave us the entire bedding set including the rug. The tv came from the beach since we got a new one for down there. 

These pictures were from our attic. I bought them about 25 years ago at The Bombay Company. Remember them? I loved that store! The headboard came from Amazon Marketplace. It was only used to stage a house. Basically it was brand new for $75.00!

We bought the dresser. I'm saving that for a different post. Butch had to put it together. It took 5 hours! Yes, you read that right---5 HOURS!! 

Lastly is the living room.

Before:

Not really much to write home about--pretty unremarkable.

After:

Considering there are things here from 4 different people, it all came together quite nicely. My needlepoint rug (no, I didn't make it) was perfect. The chair from Amanda is the perfect green to match the rug. The lamp came from Connie. It puts out a lot of light--which it needs to do since it's the only light in the room. We really didn't have any room for an end table without crowding it. 

Looking at the room from this angle, you can see a bookshelf and tv that came from Amanda too. Just perfect. I'm sorry I didn't take a close up photo of the bookshelf. I love styling things like that. 

It all turned out so nice. We certainly made the most out of 715 square feet! We had the best time doing it--basically in two days (not counting the painting which took 3 days--there was no room for us to be there). We didn't move a thing in until Friday. We finished up on Saturday afternoon. I did learn one thing. I NEVER want floors this dark. I was fanatical about sweeping and constantly picking up little pieces of stuff. It never ended. Steph did the final vacuuming. As she was putting the vacuum away, I notice a little debris fell out of the hose. Of course I had to get a damp paper towel and scoop it up. I'm glad to be done with that floor!

This project has Butch and me excited and energized again to get the beach condo together. We'll go down there in about 2 weeks. It might take us that long to recover

Oh our aching bones, backs, feet, hands--you name it, everything hurts. We ordered Chinese for dinner. When the delivery arrived, I could barely get up to get it!! Lots of groaning for sure!

Today we're resting ALL day. I might not even get out of my pajamas. Butch said he was going to chill, watching football all day. Sounds like a plan. Maybe we need to learn to work at a slower pace. Nah! That's never going to happen!