Scotland Road

"If it's not Scottish it's Crap!"

     Or at least, that's what Mike Myers would have had you believe back in this days on SNL.  A dangerous quote on St Patrick's day I guess, but it has it's purpose.  After sorting through a half dozen or so paint sample with 4 shades each, Mary and I came to the conclusion that we were going to go with Scotland Road.

     Our selection was based on a number of parameters.  In a small house, the conventional wisdom suggests color, texture, etc are related, if not consistent.  Mary wanted something a little different from the dining room.  Plus, it needed to make sense, as did every other choice, with a green glass soap pumps that I randomly became obsessed with.  Oddly enough we received two soap pumps for wedding presents.


     And that is how we came to, on St Patrick's Day, select Scotland Road for the walls of our nearly renovated bathroom.



     Plus, the bathroom is now bigger on the inside than it appears to be on the outside and I think Doctor Who would appreciate that.

Minty Green Refreshing Progress

The old bathroom wouldn't know what to make of itself. We went with an 18 inch deep tub at 32 inches wide. There are no messaging jets, but then, what are they worth in the end? The newly renovated space is wider than the tub, so we went with a bit of a box to finish it off. The alternative was to build a box up to the ceiling, or, in retrospect, it might have made for a second storage space. I think ultimately the larger space will be worth more than the added storage.



Speaking of which, the new linen closet is progressing nicely. Made from the ashes of the recycling closet/ place to stick random Styrofoam blocks, the new linen closet is going to be a huge success I think. The house is storage poor so this is an important feature. Now we can buy paper products in bulk :) Finally a designated space to put my absurd collection of plastic bins. Right?


By the end of the day we expect to have the first coat of mud and tape up. Pictured is where our very slanted bedroom door used to be. You'll notice it only moved about 4 feet. This is going to provide us with a designated area for the vanity. Sharing a bathroom inevitably means tripping over each other. The added square feet will also, obviously help alleviate this problem. We opted for a single sink as ultimately we are more concerned about navigating the space.



Another important component in the placement of the door is our old air return. Originally it was placed in the floor in front of the bedroom door. If the dog or cat walked through the door 100 times in a day, 100 times a day they would jump over this roaring pit. We diverted the vent to the right and up into the wall behind the chimney. While this might seem like a large undertaking to save a few square feet, it also relocated the air exchange to the kitchen which is open to the dining room/living room space. In other words, 2/3rds of the house. This should improve the air flow to the furnace and possibly make the unit more efficient. On top of it all, we are going to be pouring a self leveling compound in this corner Wednesday. As you could imagine, the air return would have certainly been an obstacle.

Motivators

The single greatest motivator in this renovation was to finally shower in the bathroom after spending five years using a makeshift shower in the middle of the basement laundry room.  Pictured is where The Old Cow (a 4 ft claw foot tub) once sat along side a commode, below a partial flight of attic stairs.  Our second greatest motivator was to increase the layout and square footage of our bathroom to include everything above.  The new room is approximately 9x6 ft with an additional 2x4 ft entry.

In an effort to save usable space we included in this project a slight entry way.  Presently this entrance is covered by a canvas tarp.  To the right of this doorway is an opening to our future linen closet.  Once accessible from another room of the house, this closet once served as a center for sorting and storing recyclable materials.  The future home of our recycling bins for paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, etc. is still a great mystery.

Looking forward to what next week brings, I've included an image of some of the lighting that will be included in the room.  Hanging from the 10 ft ceiling, we wanted lighting that would provide ample light in a practical way.  Although this pendant light take 2 light bulbs with a max of 60 watts each, we were advised that compact fluorescent bulbs put out substantially less heat.  With this in mind, we have the option to increase wattage if extra light is needed while saving on our electric bill.  We will be making up for our recent contribution to the local land fills for years to come.  I will be sure to recycle the cardboard box this light came in.

Dip Function

An exciting feature of this project is the inclusion of a pocket door.  Due to space limitations and the layout of the house, we opted for a combination of an on suite bath, with accessibility from another door leading to the kitchen.  The pocket door replaces an older door which featured an odd assortment of angles.  Again, I am having a difficult time locating an example of the before.  Soon to come, I hope.

Contributing greatly to the once awkward door is the unlevel floor.  Much of the delay in starting this project was caused by debates about how to best compensate for the noticeable "dip" in the floor.  The final solution includes a self leveling compound to be applied in the coming week.  Pictured, you may notice the dip in the floor especially where the cold air return is concerned.  Both the return and the vent in this photo are to be relocated to the walls.

The Haul

Over the course of several days we have seen great progress on our bathroom renovation. The last of the load bearing wall was removed after a beam was put in place. New joists finished off the ceiling in preparation of insulation and moisture proof drywall. Wiring and plumbing progressively were installed. All very exciting, but less interesting to document in photos. Pictured is the last of the load bearing wall before removed.

Over the course of this renovation my wife and I have kept the lavatory covered. With just one bathroom, essential features had to be kept in working order. Pictured here is the old unit moved to the new location where the old vanity once huddled.

Taking the place of the commode we will be making room for a 5 ft contemporary tub. Pictured is a glimpse of the new 28x38 inch window (replacing the old 20x 20 old, wooden farm style window.) My wife decided to save the window, but only after it was hauled away to the dump. Fortunately I was able to reach it in time. Unable to provide a haul-away dumpster, debris from the demo was hauled away in a trailer to be properly disposed of. Our pro green sentimentality was repressed in favor of other concerns on this project I'm afraid.

Another photo shows part of the new window and the other corner where the new tub will sit. Not pictured, the old attic stairs once took up the space now occupied by a couple of 6 ft ladders.

The Old Cow

The renovation of our bathroom started Monday morning with a day of demolition. I purchased the home in 2005 and have lived there with my wife since November of 2007. Recently we began a renovation of our only bathroom. Pictured is the bathroom minus the 4 ft claw foot tub (the old cow), and the old vanity. Remaining is the lavatory and pretty pink linoleum tiles. I failed to take before pictures Monday morning, but I'm in search of a CD that contains a couple of images. The bathroom was approximately 4 ft x 6 ft with a ceiling height of 7 ft.

Included in our plans is an additional 32 square ft, a new 5 ft tub, tile, windows, the removal of a partial flight of stairs, a linen closet, and the ceiling height raised to 10 ft (matching the rest of the house.) Pictured is the old window. The image is shot from beyond what was once a built in medicine cabinet and vanity. You'll also notice that the ceiling height has been raised.

Above the bathroom is a spooky old attic room. Signs of a fire from the 1930's can be seen beyond wilted old wallpaper. We found an army footlocker up there, but sadly it was not filled with cash. The room was filled with potential, however. A project to follow perhaps. After all, we removed the old stairs leading to the attic.