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.

Walls Fall

Built in 1891,  our cozy little house on Wyoming Street has been brimming with possibilities for years.  The previous owner probably hoped that there was a possibility that some rube would come along and buy it.  During my first week living there I was quickly presented with the possibility that without 100 plus years of wallpaper hold it up, the plaster could start falling off.  Among these possibilities my wife and I discovered a few potentially positive possibilities.

One of those potentials was curb appeal.  Surrounded by a high wall of hard to manage hedges, the home looked like a tiny boxer, mitt covered fists poised, up in front as if to protect its face.  A daunting task, I spent a few years asking everyone I knew what the best plan off attack might be.  It wasn't until Mary signed up for a class to learn how to cast fine metals that I got up the reckless nerve to do something about it.

My first thought was to cut part of it down with hedge clippers.  I thought it might be easier if I could concentrate on the roots alone.  Once a sheared the most out-of-the way plant, I discovered that with a mighty bit of digging and heaving and hoeing, I could actually dig the ball from the ground.  That evening, Mary walked up the front sidewalk and into the front door.  It was dark & she missed the whole pile.

Over the course of the next two days I worked in the sun and rain until the wall of hedges was in a massive pile between our house and the neighbor's house, a space approximately 2ft wide known around  our neighborhood as a gangway.  We worked all that Saturday bagging up the debris and hauling it off to the yard refuse bins provided by the city placed in the alley behind the house.  While pulling the hedges from the ground, Mary & I discovered 100 or more bricks, some partially unearthed, others buried below the roots, evidence of some early landscaping.  Later in the year we lined the edge of the sidewalk with our found bricks making for an inviting path to the house.

A year later, the grass had almost completely recovered.  In place of the wall of hedges, we planted a Redbud tree to accompany the Bradford pear the city had planted the year before.