In 2015 we remodeled a number of rooms in our home and have been enjoying the results in the four years since. I had no idea that tempered glass – used in both bathrooms – had a party trick reminiscent of spontaneous combustion, but I’m now wiser. And thankfully unhurt by the experience. You can compare the original bathroom look here, and the other bathroom’s glass looks like this. Safety glass was a term I thought I understood – in an “I know what that’s for” sort of way, versus really having a clue how it was made, what its risks vs. benefits were or anything else specific. Silly human! If you want to read a very brief overview, see what the Glass Doctor has to say.
Continue reading When your shower door “explodes”!Category Archives: Story
The remodeling project is (virtually) complete!
March 16 – October 16th (ish)
I’m declaring the project complete even though we have one small outstanding work item (a replaced cork tile needs sealing) and one missing warranty (for the heated floor). I still have some areas to tidy up in the post-remodel shuffle – such as replacing the doors on the upstairs hall closet, taken off to make more room when moving things through the tight 90 degree turn in that corridor – but that’ll get done soon-ish. Continue reading The remodeling project is (virtually) complete!
Water leak that was both bad news and good
Sunday (July 26th) around 5pm I heard a rhythmic tap, tap tap coming from the downstairs hallway. I’m sure I’m not the only person who can’t relax until I know what a noise (car or house) is, so I went to investigate. Continue reading Water leak that was both bad news and good
Week 15: Skylight, paint, trim, skylight?
June 22-26
Monday: Trim for two remaining kitchen windows. Painters caulked, sanded and primed new trim. Continue reading Week 15: Skylight, paint, trim, skylight?
Evolution of the house since February 2000 – rear
We moved into the house at the end of February 2000 and it has gone through many changes (I think improvements!) in the 15 years since. As I was looking at the new windows go in for the 2015 remodel, I started collecting the various “ages and stages” pictures for the back of the house and garden. Continue reading Evolution of the house since February 2000 – rear
Improving the world’s worst closet
The master bedroom’s closet probably isn’t the world’s worst, but for a house this size with many nice features, it’s a pitiful excuse for a walk-in closet. It’s the sort of thing that lets the builder say there is a walk-in closet, but punt on making something really usable. Builders are so cheap! Continue reading Improving the world’s worst closet
What’s wrong with the bonus room?
Lots of space, but hard to use because of ceiling height or stair landing or two doorways. An upper floor room above the garage with one window and two fixed skylights can get pretty stuffy in the warmer months. Continue reading What’s wrong with the bonus room?
What’s wrong with the kids’ bathroom?
Originally, we thought we’d just replace or refinish the tub in their bathroom. The surface had worn and become very stained and the tile grout was icky making it hard to keep clean (or at least it never looked clean even when it had been cleaned!). Continue reading What’s wrong with the kids’ bathroom?
What’s wrong with the kitchen?
Oak!
Not entirely that, but a flyer from a realtor who sells a lot in our neighborhood mentioned that homes that had been updated – i.e. de-oaked – sold well. The house was built in 1993 with plans developed in the 1980s and it’s showing its age in all sorts of ways. Continue reading What’s wrong with the kitchen?
Week 0 – preparation
From January through most of February, I spent time cleaning out anything that could be tossed out and putting into the POD (storage unit in our driveway) things from the rooms we were planning to remodel. It’s about as much fun as moving (i.e. not much fun at all), but I’d had a dry run (which I didn’t realize was one at the time) in using a POD to empty out the garages so we could have the new storage racks installed last autumn. Continue reading Week 0 – preparation