The bathroom renovation is complete. (Ok, almost done. We are waiting for the shower door.) It took just shy of eight weeks which is ludicrous. It’s a standard bathroom. We opted not to put tile on the floor which saved us a week or two. Our tiler was an apprentice and took twice as long. He worked with a laser beam to ensure everything was straight. It was tedious.
It’s fresh, light and easy to clean, which were the goals. The cabinets are flat panels. No nooks and crannies to collect dust. It has a clean contemporary look.
The old bath had a wall of mirrors over the sinks that included three medicine cabinets. They were incredibly difficult to clean with sharp edges. Now we have two mirrored medicine cabinets on a painted wall. So much easier.
As is always the case, we learned lessons along the way but at the end of the day, this is our last big project. Going forward, if it can’t be done in a week, it’s not getting done.
I’m tired of workmen in my home every day. I’m tired of being ready for workers at 7:30 a.m. and they show up at 10. I’m tired of prepping (up and dressed, cats fed, litterbox cleaned and cars out of the driveway) for two to three hours of work and then they leave for another job.
The contractor we used has a different work model than our kitchen contractor (who retired). With the kitchen we had one dedicated carpenter who was here every day. He was a jack of all trades so aside from an electrician and plumber, he did it all. He even made minor electrical changes at the end. He did the painting. In our bathroom project, the painting took over a week despite the small amount of wall space as the painter slapped a coat of spackle on the wall and called it a day.
This bath contractor has specialists. We had a revolving door of workmen doing various aspects with subs doing tile, electrical, plumbing and painting. The problem with that is that information falls through the cracks and people are here to do a piece of work and gone. There was a lot of down time. There is no central person managing information. Our designer had been fired right before the project started which made us feel rudderless. The folks running the company took a three-week vacation in the middle of our project. The workers continued to work but I felt I had to be alert for possible mistakes. (And yes, we caught some things that were falling through the cracks!)
While that was annoying, we are not complaining about the work done. The beloved husband has made a bank of cabinets for clothing storage and that’s almost done. We will dress it up with new carpets and towels and maybe a wall of wallpaper (I love wallpaper!).
I feel like I lost most of the summer but at least we are back. We may even do something fun this weekend! Woohoo!



It is glorious. I need my whole house interior painted. I dread starting it. I wish I could sleep through it.
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For the next project I was to be in a coma for the duration!
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Yaaaayyyyyy!!! So glad to hear it is finished and turned out the way you want it!!
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So are we. My shoulders are so much lighter without the anxiety sitting there.
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OMG, I bet! We’ve only had a few things, done, but it does ratchet up the anxiety for sure!
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For us it always seems like something goes sideways so I have to be on the alert. That is nerve wracking.
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Beautiful! You must be so happy for it to be completed. Well done!
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We are and it made a huge difference. We are still working on the shower head. The one we picked (or our designer picked) is not user friendly to us. If that’s the worst of it, we’re golden.
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Wow! I love it
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Thanks!
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Wonderful! Who’s going to have the first shower?
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Dan did!
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Ha!!
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It looks wonderful. I love the new sinks with mirrors and the lack of soffits. Well done!
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Taking out the soffit and useless linen closet opened up the room more than I imagined. The mirrors are medicine cabinets where I can keep the stuff I use regularly. When they open a certain way I can see the back of my head to smooth out stray hair.
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It’s beautiful. The cats must also be very pleased that it is done! Enjoy what is left of summer. Fall is coming!!!!
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Morgan especially. Our bedroom was her happy place and it was blocked off. I’m normally a summer person but this year I’m looking forward to fall. The weather has been super hot and the house has been ripped up. (oh yeah…and the inhabitants have been cranky!)
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So funny!
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Well WOO HOO finally! And it looks gorgeous……you can take your time adding finishing touches. No more contractors – no more preparing for having them there and in/out all day or not showing up or (insert other problems here!). YES indeed you and the husband should celebrate – you deserve it BIG TIME. I’m sure the cats are celebrating in their own way too!
Hugs, Pam
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We are celebrating with big rain storms and crummy weather. The weekend will be gorgeous!
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looks so so so great! I wish I could say that about our bathroom too… the most important words are not love and heureka and big step for humanity and so on… it is: IT IS DONE…. yesssss
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DONE is a major word! Especially here.
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They did a beautiful job, notwithstanding taking forever. I like the walk-in shower. That’s good putting it out there, in writing, ” … this is our last big project. Going forward, if it can’t be done in a week, it’s not getting done.” Well stated and I don’t blame you!
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There are no other big projects to be done. I’d like to have the pavers fixed but that’s not a big job. I’m going to enjoy what I have now. I bought new towels and carpets. Maybe I’ll finish some window treatments but at my own speed (which mimics reverse sometimes! 🙂 )
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Ha ha – my own speed has slowed down considerably compared to my younger self too. Pavers at least are outside with no one traipsing through your house or being displaced in a guest bedroom for weeks on end!
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And hopefully a whole lot cheaper.
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Thank heavens it is almost over! We lived in our house as it was being transformed from two apartments into one whole house. We were young then.
Your bathroom looks marvelous.
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This would have gone better if we were still young and not grumpy!
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Looks like it was worth the inconvenience. It’s beautiful. Bet the cats are celebrating too, with the peace and quiet. Enjoy!
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Sasha is not quite trusting it yet. She won’t come out during the day until 4 p.m. which is when the workers were gone.
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Sorry it took so long, but it was clearly worth the wait. Very nice.
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We are happy with it.
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It’s beautiful!
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Thanks!
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OMC! It’s gorgeous. Congratulations on living through it. Sounds like there was a lot of bureaucracy with all the specialists. So happy it turned out beautifully. Put your feet up and enjoy a relaxing weekend!
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I’m still trying to move everything back in. Gosh, I had a lot of junk! Hair products I haven’t used in years. Bobby pins! Does anyone use bobby pins anymore?
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Not often enough 😉
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It looks very clean, fresh and beautiful. I hope you get a ton of enjoyment out of it, Kate!
Deb
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Ah, you know how it is to have someone fresh and clean!
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Ahhhh… it’s over and it’s beautiful! You did it. How are the Sassy Cats? Is Sasha out and about? I hope you do something fun this weekend!
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Sasha will not come out during the day yet. I thought by now she would be “over it” but apparently not. She comes about around 4 by which time the workers had always left.
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You know she will figure it out. I always have hope and this is coming from an olympic worthy worrier. The good thing is that she isn’t one cat but has buds and a honey and she will spring back.
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She is perfectly happy doing her afternoon nap under the bed upstairs. It’s one of her happy spots. I wish I could fit there too sometimes.
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Congrats on making it to the finish line.
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Thanks! We had some down days when it felt like forever but we’re done.
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Looks beautiful! Enjoy the celebration. Not making me want to redo our bathroom any time soon though.
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Maybe the angst is cumulative considering we did the kitchen, deck and landscaping within the past 3 years but this project was tough. It took as long as the kitchen which was a much bigger job. We like it and that helps.
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Woo-Hoo!!!! Looks great! You all deserve a super relaxing weekend!
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With lots of naps. Still trying to fit all the stuff back in!
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Naps are always good!
Haha!
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Looks grand!
Go out and CELEBRATE! Or stay home and CELEBRATE!
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Just celebrate!
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Wow! That looks awesome! As my grandma often said, “No one will ask you how long it took, they will just admire the beauty.” 😀
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🙂 That sounds like something a hairdresser will tell you when you are getting a perm or some service that takes forever!
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Hooray that it is all done, or mostly. What a relief. And it looks lovely.
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Looks clean. No black mold in the shower! Yay!
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