Renovations a week later.

Well it has been an eventful week to say the least.

The plumber was in and hooked up the plumbing in the bathroom.  Not knowing the water was turned back on, I was awakened at 4:00 in the morning with the sound of spurting water and it was not the rain outside.  I searched around the basement for the shutoff valve and was able to stop the flood going into the dining room, cleaned up the water and assessed the damage.  Thankfully I was at home that night, or there would have been massive damages to the dining room.

I had to sleep away from the house one night because the stairs were being replaced and there was a huge hole where the stairs used to be.

I was woken up very early one morning by the drywall guy coming into the house, not realizing there was someone home and the alarm was on.  All I can say is I am glad I wear pajamas.  When he came back two days later at least he knocked and I am still glad I wear pajamas.

I have to admit, I finally had a breakdown this morning.  After handling the disarray for six weeks, I finally had enough this morning and cried.  I am sure it happens to everyone. Another day of no progress, another day of no toilet in the bathroom but a toilet in a box in my dining room and I have had enough.  I am at the point where I just want the whole thing over with.  As I write this the pain and frustration has been fading a bit, but a sense of exhaustion is lingering.

Renovations continued

OK the renovations have been going very slowly.  Let’s see when last I blogged about this the bathtub ended up in my hallway for a week.  It was becoming the once a week project, where only one thing was done in a week.  It makes for a painfully slow process especially when the water is off for the entire house and there is no toilet.  This week though, three things were accomplished.  The insulation went up around the walls, which is a good thing since the temperature is around -4 in the morning when I get up and get going.  The electrician was finally here and put up lighting, wiring for the bathroom and electrical outlets in various rooms.

I must admit the delays have been quite frustrating and I know that it is to be expected, but when you are living in a house with no water and no toilet and you are the type of person that has to get up twice a night to pee, frustrating is an understatement.

A new week sees new possibilities and optimism renewed.

Bathroom Renovation

Day 10

Progress has been slow. Not much work has been done that can be seen.  Once the walls were down the electrician visited, the dry wall guy visited, the stair guy visited. Some walls had wiring strung and more fixtures were delivered.

But today the wall to the bathroom was removed as well as the tub and the sink and the lath and plaster was removed from the south wall. There are holes in the walls and the floor but again the mess is minimal.  It makes me wonder if these guys clean up at home as well as they clean up my house.  Probably not.

The bathtub ended up in the hallway because it was too difficult for two men to remove.  A four hundred pound claw foot tub can not be strapped on someones back and taken down the stairs.  I am a little doubtful that it can even fit down the stairs.

I will miss my claw foot tub.  But sacrifices have to be made and I said I will gladly make the sacrifice if when we renovate the basement I get a bathroom with a jacuzzi tub.

Bathroom Reno Day Two

Day two completed.

The only thing done today was the delivery of the garbage bin.  The first delivered didn’t fit in the driveway between the houses so the second arrived and fits quite nicely.

The bin is from Bin There Dump That (http://www.bintheredumpthat.com/), which I personally think is one of the smartest names for a garbage disposal system ever.  I always try to encourage clever people or organizations, cleverness and intelligence is important to develop and support.

Day One Bathroom/Hallway Renovation

Day one is completed.

• photos were taken
• panneling was removed from one section of the hallway to reveal an extremely hidious wallpaper below.  I swear every wallpaper designer from the seventies had to be on serious drugs to come up with those colour combinations.
• a hole was put into the wall to see exactly what was behind the wallpaper and yes it was lath and plaster

Mystery #1 why is there a 2 inch buildout in the wall next to the staircase.  No one knows yet, we'll have to see when the entire wall comes down.