New lighting fixture

The lighting fixture we bought was just not bright enough for our new bathroom. The three 50-watt halogen bulbs behind translucent panels simply didn't shed enough light to brush one's teeth, much less put on makeup on the rare occasions that I do so.

So we brought the fixture back to Harold's Lighting, where they were happy to restock it at no charge. We found a simply beautiful fixture to replace it.










The vanity cabinet drawer and door pulls should arrive soon, and then our bathroom will be complete!

Shower door installed

On Friday the new shower door was installed. Now there is a sheet of glass in three panes fronting the shower and does it look marvelous! The configuration is panel - door - panel. The door swings both in and out, making it easy to enter and leave the shower. I bought a squeegee to wipe down the glass after each shower. (It felt like being in Israel, where I saw people cleaning their bathrooms and kitchens with squeegees in 1977.)

The shower door cuts down on the amount of steam released into the bathroom, so the fan can do its job and the mirror doesn't fog up as much.

Because these glass doors are so heavy, the panel that is attached to the door itself is braced to the tile wall. It amazes me how one piece of metal can hold up the whole thing safely.

Firsts in the new bathroom

On Wednesday, after we came home, Rik and I tried the new toilet with a ceremonial first flush of one piece of toilet paper. The "liquid only" button worked so well -- swoosh! and the paper was gone. (Of course, in the intervening days, we have also tried the "solid" button and it, too, works well.)

We have washed our hands in the sink, run a load of laundry or three, even filled the vanity with stuff so we could open and close the drawers to observe the slow close mechanism with glee.

Yesterday the tiler sealed the shower tile, and today we took our first showers! There is so much room in this new shower. The rainfall shower head sits high above our heads; no more ducking to make sure all the shampoo has been rinsed from your hair. I even shaved my legs and put my feet up, one at a time, on the little ledge built especially for this purpose.

The towels are warm from the heated towel rack and the floor is toasty under our feet. All in all, a huge success! (Now all we have to do is pay for it.)

The wandering Jews are home

We arrived home this morning after 36 days of wandering while our bathroom was remodeled. (Everything in our lives seems to revolve in multiples of eighteen.)

BTW, the bathroom looks smashing, although it's not quite finished. We are still waiting for the shower door to arrive and be installed, hopefully some time early next week. The tiler will be here at 7:30 AM tomorrow to seal the shower and floor tile. Our neighbor has graciously agreed to let us use his shower for the day, which believe me we will need after dragging our stuff back into the house today and trying to rearrange everything.

I am a compulsive unpacker. Any time I arrive home after spending at least one night away, whether it's vacation, hospitalization or business travel, I get the urge to immediately unpack. I've been this way most of my life and think it comes from watching my mother deal with the return home after family trips.

So Rik shlepped all the boxes, suitcase, food, etc. into the house and I immediately began the unpacking process. Place food into the fridge. Put the clothes away. Set up the wardrobe boxes. Move all the clothes stacked on the bed into the wardrobe boxes (carefully shaking off the lathe and plaster dust and swiffering the floor repeatedly). Slide said wardrobe boxes into the closet. Move coats and extra supplies of soap, etc. into the basement onto the new heavy duty shelving Rik has just installed. Oy.

Most important: figure out the bathroom. Where will we put things in the new configuration, which has less storage space than the previous? I remind myself not to grab all the space and save some room for RIk to put his things away.

Then we got a little crazy and rearranged the living room furniture. We always like to do this in the summer. It allows us to flip the chaise cushion to the other side for more even wear and gives us a new perspective on the room. Plus we are thinking of acquiring a free piano and want to see if there is space to put it in the living room.

All in all, it was a busy day for all of us. The dogs are thrilled to be back in their own yard. Rik is happy to sit in front of the TV and catch up on the news. And I am looking forward to sleeping in our own bed after so many nights away.

Thanks again to all our friends and neighbors who made our month-plus away from home pleasant and enjoyable. We think you're all terrific!

Bathroom remodel nears completion

Our bathroom will be almost fully complete tomorrow! The sink and vanity, toilet, mirrored medicine cabinet and shower are all installed. The paint looks good. The lights are up. Everything has been tested and works just fine.

Today the contractor installed the washer and dryer, stacked on top of each other. He finished touching up the paint, added the final fitting to the hand-help shower and tested it. He put the faucet and soap dispenser into the sink vanity. We met this afternoon to have a final look over the whole thing, then hope to move back in on Wednesday.

The only outstanding items are the shower door, which should be ready next week. In the meantime the contractor has hung a tension rod and plastic curtain so we will be able to use the shower. And the tiler has to complete the backsplash over the sink and seal all the tile. So we may not be able to shower right away. We are hoping to make an arrangment with a neighbor if it's just a few days until he seals the tile.

Although Rik and I are very grateful to the friends and neighbors who opened their homes to us for the past month, we can hardly wait to sleep in our own bed again!

Wandering Jews again

Tonight we head back to Wedgwood to house sit for our neighbors. At least we will be closer to home at this location! It sure beats driving there every day to check on the remodel status, water plants, etc.

We spent most of the day running bathroom-oriented errands. First we went to NW Shower Door and chose a panel-door-panel configuration with a "C"-shaped handle in clear glass. Then we stopped for a quick lunch at the Shanty Cafe (reviews here). When I first moved to Seattle I lived on the west slope of Queen Anne hill and on the days my car needed an oil change, tire rotation etc. I would have breakfast at the Shanty. It's still good and was PACKED when we arrived just before 1 PM.

Then it was off to Builder's Hardware & Supply Company to choose a doorknob and hinges. They appear to have what seems to be every hinge, door knob, house number and decorative drawer pull known to mankind.

Last, we drove to Daly's Paint to match the color on the old door hinges so all three hall doors will be the same color, and to pick up small samples of the paint colors we chose. They are a reddish brown for the soffits, sea green for the walls above the shower tiles and ceiling, and cream for the remaining walls. (Just not the same cream as the current doors and trim.) Once the sheet rock has been primed, we will be able to test the paint colors to be sure they are the shades we want. Such a convenience for only a few dollars!

Bathroom update

Here are some new photos of the progress on our bathroom.


The floor is completely tiled, just awaiting grout.














The decorative tiles from Israel look terrific in the shower!

Remodel pictures

Rik got the computer where we are house sitting to read the camera photo card, so I do have pics to share after all!

This is where the washer and dryer will hook up.
















The dryer vents up into a soffit, a false ceiling that hides items you don't want to look at. Our soffit will run all the way around the room and hide plumbing etc. One thing we have plenty of in this space is height!



















This is the plumbing for the rainfall shower control. Note some sheetrock is in!

Sorry no photos

While we are the wandering Jews in Northgate (until next Friday), I'm unable to post photos of the bathroom remodel. The computer we are using this week and next doesn't have iPhoto or Photoshop, so you will just have to imagine that the sheetrock is going in today, the electric outlet boxes are all in place, including the one in the medicine cabinet, and that all will be ready for the tiler on Monday. Assuming the tile arrives today as planned.....

It's been lots of fun to watch the behind-the-scenes part of the remodel. As I told E the project manager, who has done all the work so far himself, he gets to see this stuff all the time, but most of us can barely imagine what things look like under the painted walls.

We've been fortunate so far that there were no yucky surprises other than some ants. A good bug bombing appears to have taken care of them.

I will post more photos when I can.

Bathroom update

The framing of the bathroom is moving along swimmingly. The wall and frame for the washer/dryer is up; the shower has three niches for soap, shampoo etc. (two by the rainfall shower head; one behind where the bench will go); and there is enough space for a recessed medicine cabinet.

Today Rik and I spent a ton of money at Home Depot. We found a metal medicine cabinet box with oval mirror (something I was afraid we would have to spend too much money on), towel rings for hand towels, and a robe hook. We ordered a heated towel rack from Amazon.com. The tiles arrive on Friday and the rest of the plumbing fixtures might be ready to pick up as early as tomorrow. This is particularly auspicious timing as the tiler starts work next Monday.

We are only $1500 over budget at this point. Maybe some of the other costs will actually come in under budget....

PS No more vertigo!

The wandering Jews

Rik and I have spent a week with our friends the G's. As the wandering Jews, we are trying to be good house guests. The G's now call us family, so we must be successful.

Even the three dogs are getting along well!

We have enjoyed greeting one another in the morning, walking the dogs, cooking dinner together, and generally having fun. Last night after a delicious Shabbat dinner, we played Scrabble and K beat us all. (He had the first turn and got a bingo - a seven letter word - for the very first time in his life).

Tomorrow or Monday we continue on our wander and will be house-sitting for other friends while they are on vacation. It will be so quiet to have just Rik and I (and Pumpkin and Bob) after being in the lively G household for a week.

Bathroom remodel update

Here are some "before" photos of our bathroom in it's most naked state. Stripped down to the studs, you can see what lies beneath the pretty veneer of a finished room....

Down to the studs

The bathroom is down to the studs, with the bathtub leaning on its side. I will try to bring the camera tomorrow and take some photos.

I went to Art Tile and chose (and paid for) floor tiles and shower wall tiles. It came to twice the estimated amount, but then again I have expensive tastes. I think I will like it when it's done!

We are enjoying our co-housing stay with the G family. All the dogs are getting along extremely well. I cooked dinner last night (halibut, rice, leftover caponata and cherry pie for dessert). H and her friend who is staying here for the week also offered to make dinner tonight. Here's hoping they remember they offered to cook!

Bathroom remodel begins today

I got up at 6:15 this morning to be ready for the bathroom demolition crew when they arrive at 7:30. How do people start their work day so early?!

Everything that was in the bathroom has been moved out -- stuff we use but not on a daily basis, stuff we will donate, and the few things we use every day. After I take my shower I'll move the last few items into our suitcases, hang the wet towels in the bedroom, and pack up the bed linens for our move to temporary housing with friends.

In addition to bringing bedding, I have to empty the refrigerator of perishables and cart over any produce, open bags of cereal, etc. Plus the dogs and their stuff, including dog beds. It's like getting ready for vacation except that we'll be back every day to get the mail and check on the remodel.

Remodel update

Yesterday I looked for tile at Art Tile on Roosevelt and think I have found the right stuff!


For the shower wall tile, a pale green with a glossy finish.

To accent the Israeli tiles, 1x1 bright blue tiles. They'll make a border around the Israeli tiles in the shower and on the backsplash. I'm trying to decide between the matte and glossy finish. (Ignore the flash of dots on the bottom of the picture.)


For the floor tile (12x12 squares for the main floor and the same tile in 3x3 squares for the shower floor), a darker green with a slate finish so it's not slippery underfoot. Very important in a wet environment!




The extra bonus was finding a local place, Oregon Tile and Marble, that carries Jerusalem stone which we might be able to use as a countertop. I've put it next to the possible finish choices for the vanity cabinet and we have a few days to decide before ordering the vanity.

The pictures don't really do the colors justice. Now I have to call to see if we can afford the Jerusalem stone......