Decisions, Decisions...

My bathroom needs a bit of sprucing up. I'm thinking a splash of color might just do the trick.
Hmmm...which one should I choose?

(...and yes, I am kidding)

source: Lifelounge

Memorable Memorial Day

So according to the weather reports we were seeing this weekend was supposed to have been a total wash out. So the honeyman and I didn't make any plans to have a big BBQ bash as we had been hoping to. As it turns out the weather men were wrong. It was nothing but sunshine, warmth and gentle breezes. Perfection.

What did we end up doing? We had the MOST fun we've had in ages. We played Scrabble, almost obsessively. Sometimes we played at the kitchen table accompanied by coffee sometimes outside on the patio with some ice cold beers (it's good outside as there aren't any pieces to blow around) Oh yeah, we did BBQ, but for two. We had a blast being total dorks.

The honeyman also got to show off some crazy Dremel skills in the bathroom salvaging enough tile from under the area where the vanity sits to cover the holes in the floor that resulted from our crazy "3 leaks - 1 week" nightmare. A while back I'd promised to show you some destruction pics but I was too mad at the time. Here they are...

(the wall in the guest room closet needed to be demo'd to get to the plumbing behind the sink and the toilet)

(the plumber seen holding one of the new parts)

Trust me, I'm gutted that we can't just gut the whole thing and put in the bathroom I've had planned since we moved in here a year and a half ago (see below). Alas, like most people in America this economy kicked our butts and it's just not financially a good idea to blow through that much money just yet. Long story short in order to gut this bath we'd have to re-install the bathroom from the first floor the previous owner removed (how stupid?) so we have a functioning loo. Then we could gut this upstairs one which would include replacing all the plumbing running through the walls from the cellar up. Easier said than done in our old house which is plaster, not sheetrock. We'd have to have large sections of plaster crown moldings recast and the walls re-plastered. I know we could do the wall repairs with sheetrock but it really never looks the same. Not even with a plaster skim coat over it. When we do this reno I want it done the right way.

So, I have to wait for my new fancy pants Carrera Marble subway, basket weave, baseboard, and chair rail bathroom. This house deserves a classic bath. If you want to take a peak at what those tiles look like you can hop over to Brooklyn Limestone where Jeannine just did a guest post showing off her bath with the same tiles I plan on using. Pretty sweet huh?

How was your weekend?

Hellacious...

We've had some major plumbing issues at The Townhouse this past week (I'll update you on that with a few pics in another post). So I've had to really look at our bathroom renovation options in earnest. You can imagine my glee when I found this glamorous palace of decadence. Who is the market for this other than Vegas? Liberace is dead. I would think Melania is taking over any design decisions over at Trump's gilded tower and I think she has some modicum of taste (although, she did choose Donald) Maybe Zsa Zsa Gabor commissioned it?

Whatever the case may be these afforded me the opportunity to literally scare the holy bejesus out of my husband when I presented him with his future throne. Ahhh, you should have seen his face!

(source: Trendir)

LEAK!

Plink, Plink, Plink...

What's that sound? Dripping.

Where's it coming from? The seam in the (plaster) crown molding over the pocket door entryway from the living room to the dining room.

Why? I'm taking a shower.

Where's the origination point of the leak? So far as we can tell the seal connecting the drain/waste pipe to the tub has disintegrated.

Why am I beyond aggravated? Because we just replaced a drain/waste pipe from the sink that had been leaking. 3 months ago!! That required knocking out the plaster wall in the guest room closet. The tub requires knocking out the wall in the master bedroom closet. We planned on fully ripping out and replacing this bathroom and all it's ancient plumbing in about a year. Problem is, right now it's our ONLY bathroom. So, in order to do so we need to re-install the bathroom the previous owner removed (who takes out a bathroom?!?!?) so she could make a large mud room (off the kitchen) for her dog. ARGH!!

We also have to get a section of the plaster molding recast and replaced. MOTHER F*CK SH!T D@MNIT!

You gotta love (hate) a house that's 119 years old.

One day I'll share the plans for the bathroom remodel but I'm too angry right now.