Reno-mania

I'm going to try to write this post in the ten minutes available to me. That's the way blogging is supposed to happen, and I almost never manage it. So here goes, timer on. A few notes on our renovation in progress:

--Two guys just shuffled past me carrying part of a tub unit being installed today. Apparently it is heavy. There were stairs and corners to negotiate. I had to leave the computer, remove the desk chair, and hold the barking dog to help them do their job.

--First thing this morning (7:30, people, and I got the message about the early start around midnight last night!), one of the same guys showed up with a plumber and helper. Nice fellows. The plumber remembers us and our wonky pipes. We probably funded his boat or something. I'm hoping this visit is his last; he has replaced pretty much everything over the years.

--Plumbing trumps all--and just as we expected, it's led to mission creep. Demolition creep, involvement of another room. A wall in our tiny office (really a glorified walkway/storage dump) has to go in order to access pipes. The same wall we opened up last time, five years ago, and the time before that, twelve years ago. You'd think I might have been prepared, cleaned out the space before today. But this morning it suddenly HAD TO BE DONE. In record time I removed books and files and years of paper piles waiting for the shredder. Removed to where, you might ask? Exactly. Whole other rooms are now involved. And since we're cutting into walls, they are getting a fresh coat of paint, something vivid and warm. Options so far are cranberry cocktail, radicchio, raisin tarte, and aubergine. Tasty colours all.

Please vote.

--Time's up, no more writing. Despite all the chaos, things are very calm. The title of this post should be revised. It's not reno-mania around here, not a bit.

Have your kids go into plumbing for a secure future.

Why do I love this picture? It makes me wish I had a better camera than the one on  my phone. The contractor just walked by and said, "You won't see plaster done like this anymore." I was focusing on the sculptural, vaguely humanoid, composition formed by the electrical box and dust mask, but sure: plaster. Anyone can appreciate that. I am appreciating the hell out of it right now, as it's being covered.

Certain family members are tired of talking tile...

Freecycling makes the world go round. These disappeared within the hour

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Demolition Begins

Can it be that more than a year has passed since I mentioned we were renovating a bathroom--that, in fact, a renovation was imminent? Of course. That's how we roll around here. Everything happens months and years after we say it will.

But now it really is beginning--total gut, back to the studs, with all the possibilities and pitfall$ an old house presents. This has been a big week. Add in Halloween and marks due and relatives coming to visit...yeah, that's all happening, somehow.

Day Zero, Tuesday: dumpster delivered. An item necessary to collect construction waste, of course, but reno veterans know that the hulking bin is an invitation to purge beyond the room in question. We are serial renovators.

Day One, Wednesday: Tim climbed the roof, strung tarps, punched exploratory holes (yes, there really is no insulation in the outer walls), and began hammering. As in past projects, we're doing as much of the demolition as possible before the contractor steps in next week, and Tim will also be rewiring the room. In fact, he's put in 98% of the sweat equity so far, but this weekend we plan to give the kids dust masks and safety glasses and let them do their worst with sledgehammers (maybe only one at a time, given small rooms and siblings). Meanwhile, our child chain gang will be kept busy hauling buckets of plaster and lathe to the dumpster.

Ripping out walls is therapeutic, especially if previous generations of homeowners opted for wonky corners and odd cuts of trim to accommodate the addition of mechanical systems. The house was built around 1902. Pretty sure indoor plumbing came later. 

Notice the original (?) wallpaper beneath layers of tile, adhesive and cement board. Notice the tile that I've hated for the fourteen years we've lived in this house.

Day Two, Thursday:  Major demo, major dust. The contractor came over for a pleasant chat first thing this morning, and this happened afterward.

Exciting, right? The possibilities are endless. I discovered the design website Houzz today, so that's a win for consumer excess. Since there are 468,000 photos of just bathrooms, I surmise that I'm the last person in North America to discover Houzz.

And then some cleanup happened.

Joe worked steadily for about an hour, making solid progress, but guess where I found him later?

I talked him down. Very calm, I was.

Here's the thing: we probably should have planned more before launching the destructo phase. It would be nice to share design ideas at this point, maybe post some paint swatches and tile samples, but I've got nothing. Complacent? Crazy? Surprisingly unstressed about it all. Next week will bring a different story. Stay tuned for the hurryup catchup decision-making phase.

And send advice, will you?