laundry room makeover

we decided to replace the floor in the laundry room too! our laundry room looked so small and dingy before with the beige walls and brown carpet. i really wanted to brighten up the space considering its size... and, since i have to walk through this room daily to get to our bedroom. also, you can see the laundry room from the kitchen and its a bit of an eyesore. we decided to continue the floor tile from the bathroom into the laundry room... it took about 4 boxes of bedrosian porcelain tile from lowe's at $28 per box (we had already purchased 6 boxes last year for the bathroom and only needed 2 more to cover the laundry room) we painted the room in a bright white hi-gloss finish when we first moved in, but replacing the floor has given it a beautiful facelift!

bathtub tile

bathtub tile is done! and the shower head has been installed. everything looks great!! the bathroom is really coming together... it's so exciting to see our vision and design ideas come to fruition!

 

 

we stumbled across the shower system at Costco. we had already purchased something similar from Home Depot and weren't looking. however, while perusing the aisles at Costco, we came across the Pulse Lanikai Shower System. It had 2 features we wanted; rain shower head and a handheld shower wand, plus an additional feature; body  jets! in case you're interested in getting one for yourself, i think it may now be discontinued, b'coz i didn't find it on the brand's website. instead, i found the Pulse Kailani Shower System, which seems identical.

we purchased both the subway tile and mosaic tile from Home Depot. when it came down to choosing a tile for the decorative border, i was going back and forth between these two choices for a couple weeks. i like both tiles, they each offer a different style and ultimately, the one i choose would change the path of the theme... classic coastal or chic/trendy coastal. obviously i went with classic... b'coz i'm a classy kinda girl! lol... and b'coz i felt it was more timeless... it isn't too trendy and i don't see myself growing tired of it so quickly.

floored

started on the floors today! we purchased this tile last year and had it stored away in the garage for so long that i forgot how it looked! seeing it all laid out brings a smile to my face. it looks great!! tile is bedrosians and purchased from lowe's hardware (link) and cost $2.48 /sq. ft.

the walls are up!

everything is all starting to come together! the wonderboard and drywall have been put up around the bathtub as well as the little nook that will hold shampoo, body wash, etc.

 

 part of the pocket door was also installed...

 

oh!! and we scored this beautiful NuTone chrome exhaust bath fan w/light from Home Depot for only $50 on clearance!! it looks so much better than the NuToneUltra fan w/light we originally purchased for $136! (excuse the mess, the red tape is there to seal the hole and keep away any dust from the attic... sealing the hole and repainting the ceiling is on our project 'To Do' list)

bathtub is in!

our new bathtub was installed today! i even helped Jeremiah get the tub into its space... it's a super tight fit! we connected the plumbing and tested it out... no leaks! success! it was a bit of a hassle connecting the pipes since they weren't lining up easily from the below the tub, so mike had to get down into the crawlspace and underneath the tub to move the pipe in place.

we ended up spending more than we budgeted for the bathtub in order to get some extra perks... we figured we might as well, since we plan on living here for a long while... we're in it for the long-haul! we went with the American StandardEverClean 60x32" Whirlpool Tub from Home Depot for about $600 and so far, we're so happy with our choice! Can't wait to put this to use on those long, stressful, over-worked days or after a grueling gym session!!

open concept bathroom anyone?

this is the view of the bathroom from my home office right now. the wall is completely gone!! open concept bathroom? ewww. the tub is going in today or tomorrow... the floors need to be prepped for it first. the wall will be added back with a pocket door.

gettin back to bathroom business

aaaaand we're back! we're back from an 8 month hiatus to complete the bathroom renovation we started last march! after demolishing the old bathroom, we came to a halt when we needed to find someone to install the drywall and waterproof the bathtub walls. to my surprise, we had no luck finding anyone to commit to the job. since then, this past year has been a battle for time, money, and energy to finish the project, so the bathroom has been in an incomplete state since july.

after many months of struggling to find a contractor, time, and more time in our busy work schedules... i finally came to the conclusion that if we want to get this bathroom done in 2013, we would need to hire someone to work on it full-time and give his/her full undivided attention... something our schedules didn't permit us to do. as much as i wanted to complete this renovation ourselves, i've learned, like many before me, that it's exhausting to take on a home renovation project all on your own on top of working 40-60 hours a week at a full-time job.

so, we finally found someone to do the job... one of mike's buddies, Jeremiah, who also did the crown molding in the townhome we previously lived in. i couldn't be happier!!!

so far, the water-damaged subfloor has been removed and replaced, the old toilet pipe has been removed and replaced, the shower pipes have been updated...

and the drywall has been removed from the wall adjacent to the door to prep for the pocket-door install.. and this was all done in a matter of 3-4 days!

... and just for kicks...
check out this old budweiser beer can Jeremiah found while ripping out the subfloor!

if you want to recap on the progress we've made... click here.

bathroom inspirations

i've had a year now to change my mind many times before i commit to a design for the bathroom. i've mulled over so many style ideas and one that i always continue to return to is a coastal theme. anyone who knows me knows how much i love the beach and the sun... if it were up to me (and not our bank account), we'd have a house on the beach!

just a few inspirations i found on the 'net to get me focused and moving along in the right direction...

source

source

source

source

bathroom remodel #3

work, work, work! this past weekend, June 30 & July 1, Mike and Dave worked on ripping out the rest of the old bathroom. the vanity sink, toilet, and that hideous linoleum floor! we're down to the bare bones now. it's been real exciting to watch this process, as well as be a part of it... i suppose only other homeowners can relate to this. so far, we've spent roughly $300 on temporary dumpsters to remove all the debris and a couple new tools to help get the job done with ease. our budget is $2000 for the entire renovation.

the vanity sink is gone! and so is the linoleum! mike said it was a bit of a struggle removing the linoleum since there were THREE layers of it.  i assume from the 6 previous owners... a few of them laid new linoleum on top of the old instead of removing it. ugh. here we are making things right!

bathroom remodel #2

mike's buddy, dave, had some free time yesterday to help remove the 300 lbs cast iron bathtub. dave... thank you, thank you, thank you! we're so grateful for all your help!

the guys took a sledgehammer to it breaking it in half. they broke down half of the tub and tossed it in the temporary dumpster. the other half is in our backyard until we get another temporary dumpster to toss it into since the one we're currently renting may be close to its max limit (500 lbs) with the debris from last week's bathroom demo.
 

bathroom remodel #1

mike and i finally tackled demolishing the hallway bathroom. we started in march with taking a sledgehammer to the tile around the bathtub but plans came to a halt quickly due to real life. it's a great experience doing renovations yourself, but when you have a full-time job... and full-time life... projects must be done in small chunks at a time that fit with your schedule. thankfully, there is more than one bathroom in our home, so we haven't been in a rush to get this done.

here's what the bathroom looked like before...

down with the garden

our new home came with its very own garden... a garden that has not been used in what seems like years. it's unkempt, rundown, and an eyesore. furthermore, i don't have a green thumb, so i wanted it gone! instead, we're putting up a shed in the corner.

hardwood floors get a make over

wed 01.11.12: we began work on the hardwood floors in the office and kid's room. the beautiful, natural hardwood floors needed a little face lift. we rented a drum sander from our local home depot for $44 for 4 hours. we were fortunate enough to get away with using one belt per grit (80 and 220) for two rooms that were approximately 100 sq ft each. we sanded the corners and edges of the floors with the corner cat finish sander the mister has in his toolbox.

thu 01.12.12: we vacuumed the rooms of wood dust and applied mineral spirit, followed by TSP to assure the surface was clean and free of any dust and particles.

sat 01.14.12: i learned A LOT from the clerks in the paint dept about staining wood. did you know the same color stain can have a different affect on wood that is cut from the same tree, but in different areas of the tree (e.g. trunk and branch)?? it's like wine pairing! anyway, back to the house... the mister wasn't satisfied with our sanding work and redid all the edges and a few spots on the center floor with a lot of help from his buddy, D. re-sanded, re-clean, then filled in cracks, gaps, holes, etc with wood filler... now, it's time to stain! we decided on minwax oil-based stain in ebony. it takes about 4 hours in between coats, so after we applied the first coat, we wrapped up the day on this task.

sun 01.15.12: the mister applied a second coat of stain to each room. roughly 4 hours later, we applied the first of many coats of polyurethane. my eyes were burning! this stuff is lethal! the caution label actually states this product can cause brain and nerve damage if exposed for long periods. it takes 8 hours to dry in between coats, so we called it a day, packed up and left.

mon 01.16.12: the mister applied another layer of polyurethane. it's recommended to apply at least 4-5 coats, more for high traffic areas. we'll probably have to return to the house each night this week, after work, to apply more coats.

sanding materials list:
drum sander
1 sandpaper belt in 80 grit
1 sandpaper belt in 220 grit
ryobi corner cat finish sander
1 packet of sandpaper for edger in 80 grit
1 packet of sandpaper for edger in 220 grit

approximate cost: $75

cleaning materials list:
mineral spirit
TSP
old t-shirts

approximate cost: $20

filling and staining materials list:
minwax high performance wood filler
2 quarts of minwax oil-based wood finish in ebony
old t-shirts
1 gallon of parks pro finisher in clear semigloss
2 10" lambskin pads w/block

approximate cost: $94

grand total: $189

garage clean up

the mister is serious about his garage... excuse my french, i mean... the man cave. he likes it to be easy to clean and as tidy as a work space can be. the garage wasn't in terrible condition when we received the keys to our new, old home. there was the usual wear and tear and collected dust over the years... several years. first thing the mister wanted done was coating the garage floors with epoxy... but before we could do that, we need to etch the surface... and before we can do that, we needed to scrub the floor clean.

we spent 3 days scrubbing the floor.. lots of comet, lots of water, lots of elbow grease. afterwards, we applied a generic version of CLR to remove rust stains, followed by simple green to de-grease and remove any soap resin. finally, b'coz the surface of the concrete floor was smooth, we applied UGL drylok etch to etch the surface so the epoxy would adhere to it... we basically acid washed the floor.

however, the etch didn't do the job we expected it to. boo! here comes the trial and error part... had we known, what we know now, then, we could have saved ourselves 3 days of cleaning and $40 of cleaning supplies by going straight to the diamond grinder.

we rented a diamond grinder from our local home depot for about $100 for 4 hours. the surface of the garage was finally at the state it needed to be in. imagine, microdermabrasion for concrete surfaces! the mister gave the area one final scrub down with water and simple green to remove the dust and let that dry overnight.

the mister and his buddy D, finally got to apply epoxy shield to the garage floor. unfortunately, the mister learned it's  no longer legal in la or orange county to sell oil-based clear coat paint that's applied over epoxy. something about the VOC being too high. this type of clear coat is similar to the clear coat applied to wood flooring. it adds that shine and makes it incredibly easy to clean up messes.

materials:
comet w/bleach
[generic version of] CLR
[generic version of] simple green
UGL drylock etch
stiff brushes
diamond grinder - $100 for 4 hours at home depot
epoxy - $112 for a kit
paint roller extension rod
9" paint rollers (the cheap stuff)

approximate cost: $280

gray is the new neutral

i've heard gray is the new neutral and had entertained the idea of adding it to our office. after looking at many behr paint samples in various shades of gray... i fell in love. i started thinking, "this color would look great in the family room... in the kitchen... in the..." i ended up choosing three shades of gray with a hint of blue. i would have chosen a different color for each room, including accent walls... but the mister brought me back down to reality and convinced me it would be easier and quicker to paint a couple a rooms at a time with the same color. given our time constraints and over 2300 sq ft of walls to paint, i quickly agreed. i figure we can add accent walls once our furniture is in and we have a better idea of how it all meshes together.

new ducks

soooo... i threw my ducks out and got new ones...

after venting my concerns in my last blog entry, the mister and i decided to push back our move in date one last time. he was working throughout the weekend on a big project for his company and the last thing he needed was one more thing to worry about... where he wouldn't have any control over or ability to oversee any issues or progress.

{huge siiiiiiiigh} =)

rescheduling our moving day freed up my entire weekend! i was able to pamper myself with a mani+ped {haven't had one in over 2 months and my nails were wretched from all the cleaning and painting!}, run errands, and do a lil window shopping for new furniture ideas. i was also able to attend my godson's 2nd birthday... yippee!! ohana time with my closest friends is exactly what the doctor ordered!

we also finally agreed on a design for the bathroom! i put together our "idea" on pinterest. we found everything while perusing through Lowe's one night after work. all the items were available and just all came together... aaaaaanndddd... it creates this beachy coastal theme that i've been trying to achieve but had given up b'coz i couldn't see it in all the items i had originally chose... but now i do! i love how everything just comes together once you stop fretting over it. *happy dance*

so... this is the week! sunday, to be exact... the day i go from being a south bay beach girl to an oc beach girl! *another happy dance* eventually, i'd like to live on the beach... but we'll save that goal for retirement perhaps? in the meantime, i can't wait to move this weekend. i can't wait to meet the rest of our neighbors. i can't wait to finally be on a regular routine... to sleep in our bed in our new bedroom... watch tv in our new family room... have dinner in our new dining room... hang out in our new backyard!

we haven't even moved yet and we've got a laundry list of things to do, places to go, and memories to make! {motivated}

ducks are running a muck!

lately, i haven't been able to get my thoughts in order. we're moving this weekend and i'm excited but anxious... most of our belongings are packed and ready to go, but we still need to disassemble furniture... clear off the gorilla racks in the garage that hold a lot of little boxes... and box up the frequently use items. our house is flooded with boxes but i feel like we still have so much crap lying around! on top that, the Mister is working this weekend so that leaves me alone to deal with the move. i'm praying that all goes smoothly... maybe i should use colored post-its to organize the move...

another something that's been racking my brain is the hallway bathroom renovation project. i have so many ideas in mind but can't focus on one. we've already ordered the bamboo flooring, so i at least have a foundation to work with. thanks to pinterest, i've pinned all my ideas so i can look over them again and again. ever see something you thought you just had to have, but when you look at it later, you have no idea what you were thinking fawning over that... yeah, i do that a lot. thank you pinterest... i now get to pin to my heart's content and sift out the bad choices later. back to the bathroom... i can't decide on one idea. i can't decide if i want to go casual beach theme or classy and elegant. i can't decide on one tile pattern or color... or a color vanity... whether i want wainscoting or not. i really need photoshop help right now, but my desktop computer is packed away.

my stress over deciding on the bathroom is slowly branching out to the other rooms in the house... the office, family room, bedrooms. i'm starting to second guess all my ideas now. i tend to find myself jumping from one room idea to the next before finishing one complete thought! oye. i need to rally my ducks and line them up... single-file please!