Home projects for winter

Those are cute, Gita!!!

Jan, check out the website Houzz.com and Pintress look for the kinds of shower you are looking at even if it is way over the top. It will give Jeff an idea of what you want. That is my dream shower, tiled in stone and big enough not to need a curtain or shower door. Kitchen looks great love the soapstone. Lights and mirror look great.
Sally, LOL

I LOVE Houzz and enjoy looking for ideas.

off top of my head, thinking about space limitations... you might consider a corner bench (triangular shape, like a corner shelf) at the same end of the shower as the door-less entry, giving you enough space to enter without using extra length for both the entry and the bench. A high ledge on the entry also helps contain water (Aunt had a shower like that, ledge was probably 15" tall, but 8-10" would be less awkward), unless you have somebody who would have trouble stepping over.

Build it big enough and you don't need a ledge at all. LOL
Josh and I were running today and we stopped at Lowes to pick up a 5gal bucket of Spackle. So glad he was with me don't think I could have carried it in the house let alone up the stairs. So I have a few more Christmas decorations to pack up (outside stuff) and then I will start on the stairway.

MIL's senior apartment has a walk in preformed shower unit with just a small couple inch step-over, and you buy a long curtain. She has a chair in there. But I'd really love a huge all tile open area...as long as we're all dreaming here...

More shopping today, It's sometimes hard to navigate store websites and know exactly what you're looking at so I had to go in person again. I wish my Lowes and HD were next to each other.

I'm grappling with whether I have to repaint. If I can avoid it, it saves a whole chunk of the process, and I can keep the bird nest border around the top. Or should I ditch the border? Is it dated? It is 20 yrs old LOL. If I repaint the baseboard and caulk the gap nicer, would that look good enough? . Sigh. The baseboard is stuck tight, I haven't got it to budge yet. I guess the beadboard does make it easier to say no painting. More research tonight.

Oh RIc I want to apologize, or at least correct- you mentioned a Dual flush. I saw those toilets today. The thing that Mark had so much trouble with was a replacement flapper and ball all the guts thing, trying to make it work on a good ol American Standard 1969 toilet was impossible for him.

Sally--

I have to ask....WHO is that man in the opening Post?

he looks like a banker? A Lawyer? A hired killer? So serious!

G.

One of my "must-do" projects just got finished---with a story behind it...
There's always a story....:o

You all know I have a slew of CC's--many colors and types and sizes.
I knew a long while ago that, when they are finished blooming--I need to
take tip-cuttings to make them grow a bit fuller. Some of these grow really
stiff and tall and spread out "arms'...The yellow. the White Christmas, and the Salmon.

I must have mentioned all this somewhere and then this woman from KY
D-mailed me and wanted "as many CC uttings as I wanted to send her"
OK! There's incentive to take cuttings off all the bigger CC's. Project #1.

SO--Monday-- I sat all day and worked on taking cuttings.
MUST gently twist them off--NOT cut them off!!!..YES! Long time deciding which
stems needed shortening-and how far back...pleasant work--listening to CD's.

SO--while i am at it........I might as well top-dress all the pots--freshen them up.
The soil in all of them was so caked and dry....(dormant season--not watering them)
but I decided to water them in well after I did the top-dressing and the treatment
with Systemic--as all the fresh soil will be like a magnet to Fungus Gnats.
Work...work...work....on this all day. Phew! big job! Glad it is DONE!

Put all the pinched off cuttings--sorted and labeled as to color--on small paper plates.
Then--on Monday--I started picking out which cuttings I will mail to this lady.
Decided on about 3-4 of each color---Why not--?
By now we have a serous communication going on D-mails. This always happens...

Tuesday--I started wrapping each set of her cuttings in wax paper. All nice and neat...
Then--went to the PO (after shoveling snow off my walkway and the car) and drove
to the PO and mailed them all off in a lg. bubble envelope. DONE!

Well--not really--
Now I had oodles more of cuttings I kept on all those plates and they needed potting up
asap, as they had been sitting dry on paper plates for 2 days now...
I know they need scabbing over for a couple days--so not stressing out too much.

Today--after work--I started mixing up fresh potting mix with Perlite and filling up 4"
AV pots with the moist soil. Decided to plant multiple cuttings in each pot so they
would be fuller as soon as they started growing. Enough of this single cutting per pot!
SO-- I lovingly inserted each cutting into the soil--about 4-5 per pot. Misted them a bit--
and they are now sitting on my LR floor.
Tomorrow--I am faced with the task of finding where to put the 22- 4" pots of them????
That's all I needed--22 new pots to find an appropriate place for....I NEED HELP!!!!

AHA!!!! BRAIN STORM!!!

No one has answered my pleas what to do with my now out-of-bloom Hibiscus.
I have to bite the bullet and take it downstairs to the Shop and let it go dormant.
Right there next to the 2 Brugs and the 3' Fig Tree I grew from a cutting.

THEN--I will put the card table back in that DR corner and use it for the CC cuttings
and some other stuff...With the light above--and the warmth--these CC cuttings should
root easily! Another project DONE!!! PHEEWWW.....
Besides--IF I do any seeding--some of the pots of Coleus and Fig cuttings
will need a place to stay. Will need the light fixture in my BR for seeds...

Isn't it amazing how all this works out. Speedie would say--"Gita! You are a genius!"

***Wonder how Speedie is doing???? need to D-mail her..re the seed swap...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next BIG project--organizing my seeds for the Swap....UGH.... It never ends....

He's Ron Swanson on the comedy Rec and Parks. Very funny show. He plays a really serious conservative guy.

Phew. I'm getting overwhelmed and realize I need to rein in the scope on this job. It
is just a guest bath after all, in a family room, and it's not THAT decrepit.. It's easy to think, Well as long as we're doing X let's do Y. SO- floor, toilet, sink and faucets. Then consider the mirror and light set. Touch up other areas in the process if possible. I'll save the better work for the main baths.

Sally, the 69 AS toilet should be fine, if you update it with a 2 position Fluidmaster, it will also be more efficient. Newer models may work better with the dual flush, but it does flush well, right? Besides the dual flush is only replacing the H2O on the first phase, the second phase should remain unchanged.
If you plan to use the beadboard, it's easier to run it to the floor level, so you can be more aggressive in removing the baseboard. Keep in mind you will need to remiter the baseboard, removing about 1/8" from all corner cuts. You can do the floor and the walls without removing the baseboard, but it requires a lot more accurate cutting. I hope I'm being a help instead of a hindrance.

We crossed post


This message was edited Jan 7, 2015 11:05 PM

re Hibiscus I referred you to my thread in Indoor Gardening forum about my sick Hibiscus last year, and tapla's reply to let it go cool and dormant.
So you got rid of all those african violets that were all over the table?

Thank you RIc. I hadn't even realized I could reuse the baseboard. That helps. Its in overall great shape and trimming the ends would improve it.
What height do you like on beadboard in bathroom? I think whatever sink I choose, the beadboard would go at least a few inches above, so it forms a backsplash. We have had water on the floor over the years, and I would feel better covering up the crappy drywall patching we've done down in the corners. Lowes sells a PVC beadboard.

RIc, DS swears this yellow toilet 'doesn't work' and Mark has spent so much time on flush kits with it, it's just a cursed thing in our eyes LOL. It'd be well worth the $ to stop looking at it.

Sally--

I DID read all your advice on the Hibiscus. Yes, i did!

What i am still teetering on is should I cur it back and then take it
to the Shop--or take it like it is? Just musing.....

I know that cutting back should be left for spring--as cutting it back now
may force new growth at the wrong time. Answering my own question.....


Re the AV's--I still have a bunch--but i did get rid of many of the smaller ones.
Took a box-full to work and let them all go at it.
The rest of them are, once again, sitting on those little hanging shelves by my
DR window against the COLD window. NOT good!
One of my long-time buddies at the HD asked me for 6 AV's. He shall get them.
I will keep a few....

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....today is insane...............finding out which windows leak air...
Most of them! They are old! Need new ones...I should replace say--4 at a time...
All the ones in the 2 bedrooms are in sad shape. Not much caulking left on the
outside frame. They rattle in high winds and have condensation between the panes.
It would be awesome to have new windows...

I have 12 windows total in the living levels...the ones downstairs are smaller and
not a big priority.

G.

More shopping/research today. I think I've decided on most of it. Going to try fixing the drywall myself, if it goes OK I will paint. That I can do ok and it is cheaper than beadboard.. Erg- now I have to choose paint color, I have no leftover paint and no idea what the previous paint was. Darn I could have picked up paint chips at the store today. Another trip. I took the toilet tank off last night. Its kind of fun actually, learning how things go together.

My 'dream' no care easy access shower involved solid quartz walls and ceiling. Quartz sheets at half thickness (1/2-3/4" ?? ) can be purchased for shower walls and ceiling. Floors made from quartz sheeting not good because of slipping. No grout lines except corners and even those can be covered. Quartz cleans with just mild soap and water, cannot mold, no stain no seal. It seemed perfect.

Quartz is heavy and until it is up in place...is delicate like granite. It is also costly like granite. It was just too expensive for us ( the actual product ) plus the contractors we consulted (4 estimates) not used to working with it in that application (countertops fine) and want to charge for their gaining experience and the their risk in breaking it 😳.

I could not afford to have it. So, we went with a largish tile subway pattern ( less grout lines) and all white (looked cleaner to me even though I realize that is psychological )

Went with no barriers entry so great with aging in place should a wheeled chair be needed. And, everyone said I would regret no door / no curtain but I love it. I thought it might be chilly with no door but the shower room is small and it warms up and it stays warm. I put in a good exhaust and the room dries up fast - even the tiled ceiling.

I also like the fact that I can use a steam cleaner on the toilet area floor and go right into the shower and do the floor and walls if needed.

I saw Kohler prefabs that were just as costly as the tile and so..I think prefab cost depends on the manufacturer ..the prefab material...and it is the same with tile ..the manufacturer and the material.

We put in a new toilet and what I remember about choosing a toilet is height ( again aging in place issues ) the fact that the ' chute ' needs to be glazed all the way down ( some inexpensive toilets only glaze the first few chute inches and so paper can drag 😳) and the toilet types that go straight to floor without the flared base ( no bolts show) are easier to clean since it is a
straight ' wall ' from the seat to the floor. It is great not to have to clean a base. The rest was
mostly cosmetics. In the photos you can see the no base toilet. The ledges on the niche were the only quartz I was only able to get! the walls are inexpensive ceramic and the floor is a porcelain tile - less absorbency and harder.

This message was edited Jan 9, 2015 10:53 PM

Sally is your old toilet yellow? Will you be repurposing it to yard art like Jan's pink one?

that's a very nice clean look, missingrosie, glad it turned out for you. It looks easy to clean, no annoying sliding shower door ledge!

We are tall in this family, so 'comfort height' toilet is a no brainer. I'll have to check my toilet selection again and see if its all glazed.

coleup, yes the toilet is yellow. Hm, do you water the tank and let that water the bowl?? Can I keep goldfish in the bowl?

Very nice looking Missingrosie, Love that toilet with out the bolts. I really like the idea of the wall mounted toilet. You can clean right under them. Not sure what it would be like to have one and what the pros and cons.
Sally small fixup jobs do tend to grow. The while I am doing this I might as well do.........

Missingrosie - that looks great. We will have to redo the master bath shower at some point. I was only thinking along a very standard approach, but I really like the concepts that you used. I think that no lip/no door concept will work really well in mine - thanks for showing it!

You are welcome. Jan said she would like a visual of no shower or curtain in the opening of a tiled shower and so I thought I'd contribute. Sally seemed to be leading toward beadboard - we have that in the guest bath (another small space) but I think she changed her mind, and so didn't dig up photos. The fella that did the work was an aging in place certified something or another - a short course to get that credential, and he had some good ideas. We lowered the faucets and added a hand held shower but don't use that now. The niche for the toilet paper, and low niches in the shower wall, door levers instead of knobs..that sort of simple stuff that didn't add to the cost because all had to be included anyway...we just changed the physical location. It will make a difference if one of us becomes disabled, chairbound, or very arthritic etc. We can't turn around in the shower in a wheeled chair but we can roll in and back out.

Holly these photos are reruns for you as we all showed uncluttering attempts that always precede a renovation on another thread. I feel like I lived in upheaval for months (I DID live in upheaval for months!) Like you, I thought that the wall mounted toilet would be great too because in our small toilet space (less than 36 sq. feet!) open floor space gives a larger feel. We could not do it because the commode 'hanging' wall is an exterior SIP wall (foam clad between two wood panels and we were scared to hang anything on it. There is no way to get any type of mollie to spread out in it. That is why we couldn't get electric into those walls for sconces.....heated rods are pushed up into and thru the foam to create electric wiring channels and all that is best planned and done pre construction.

It is nice to be able to run a soapy cloth over the toilet base without too much bend and stretch
and not have to do a horizontal ceramic floor component and work around the covered bolts.



This message was edited Jan 10, 2015 1:16 PM

My toilet doesn't have covered bolts, It has long bolts that were never trimmed down and there are no covers. So I really like the sleek look of yours.
Oh did I mention that I have a new bucket of mud sitting at the top of the stairs just waiting for me. Can't wait to get started, just need to get a few more things moved up stairs and then I will pull down the scaffolding and have at it. I'm thinking middle of next week, I have things scheduled for Mon & Tues.

missingrosie--
I have a simple question ...

If there are no doors and no raised edges to the shower floor--
is it then graded so it will all drain into the drain--or is there
any problem with the water splashing out?

I just have a hard time imagining me showering in an open, flat-floored area.
It may be that I am used to being in my tight little shower stall (30"x30")
where I can barely turn around.
In the other bathrooms--the shower is in the tub. Nothing new around here...

Gita

Yes it is graded all sides sloping toward the center..but it is not perceptible to the human standing on it. The pan the guy put in must slope ( a guess) and the tile goes on it. It does not slant in any way. No splash out....well...unless the 9 year old grandson gets in there and does wild gyrations and back flips and flaps and karate stuff...then his arms cause the splashing. The top of the half wall is a very clear thick sparkle glass (little to no green tint to it) so that is what protects the upper reaches closest to the overhead shower output.

Here is a photo of the glass wall. We use the overhead shower not the hand held. So needed that wall. I had a great deal of anxiety about splash out which is why I did the outside walls of the small room beyond the actual shower 1/2 up in tile -- despite assurances. But, the workmen were correct- no splash out.

You can see in another photo how high the shower head is
And I asked for the ceiling to be tiled in case of splash. I imagine it gets steamy but no water drips from it and the shower walls dry in minutes with a high CFM fan with a humidistat. I am not paranoid but with SIP construction being so airtight we really have to control indoor moisture. It is like living in a big thermos - super great on utility costs..(and dust 😊) but again, moisture must be evacuated since no air leaks thru outlets etc.

This message was edited Jan 10, 2015 6:15 PM

Missing, YES, that is totally the idea!!! Thank you for sharing. Looks great, BTW. Love the look of the toilet, too.

Levers, hand bars, etc. all good ideas for aging in place.

We went to the Home show at Valley Forge today. Free admission and parking. Not what we were thinking it would be. Never been to one before. Thought there would be more products, etc. mostly hot tubs, and contractors. Is there some kind of show that showcases products? Afraid we are going to be bombarded with calls and emails now. Hehehe.
Are there really people who have hot tubs that can seat a dozen people? Some of them were HUGE!!!!. Who knows, maybe we'll be a winner from one of the drawings. Hahaha.

Jeff is working on epoxying a couple of the stone pieces on the island as I type. I am the cheering section.

Jan--

When I go to the Garden Show here at Timmonium Fairgrounds--
More than half of the huge hall is all what you described. Commercial styff--
Lots and lots of HUGE Hot tubs.

I never fill out any "you may win...whatever"--as then they will bug you,
send you e-mails with offers--flyers in the mail, etc....
I never win anything--just not my destiny.

G.

I find there is an abundance of gutter displays -- gutters and gutter guards complete with running water and wet leaves. But, there are other vendors with sheds, counters, lots of windows, patio brick and outdoor built ins, a few appliances, flooring, tub enclosures, kitchen cabinets,...but no innovative or new products. There is always a stand with roasted sugar coated nuts too!! Maybe it is a NC thing...paper cones filled with nuts.

Yes! same here--I just did not list them all.....I walk through it, though,
so I can stock up on pens, note pads, key holders, and other freebie gizmos.

I even pretend I am interested--so I can get a free chocolate....groannnnnnn...

I know! I know! I am hopeless......:o)

That's funny Gita.
That's lot of walking for the free chocolate.
My grands like the fridge magnets

The roasted nuts must be a regional thing, but they DO sound delightful.

They skip the gut and go straight to the hips and tush.

Thick crusty warm sugared - with or without cinnamon.

I've been out of commission all weekend and yesterday I took off work. My wife and I are re-doing our lower level and we started Saturday. We live in a bi-level and the lower level was finished but we wanted to make it 'ours' and that results in a lot of work. In the beginning of December we had the lights replaced with 12 recessed lights. Then we wanted to put up wood paneling and finish off the top of the knee wall that goes around the room. My neighbor is a contractor and we gave him the job of putting up the wood trim and paneling but I took off to help him so our bill would be less. It was really tough work yesterday (12 hours worth) but it looks great. Now all I have to do is fix all the drywall holes I cut to run the cable on the other side of the room and paint. Those two things are going to be a lot of work though. After that's all done, our other friend will be building a built in entertainment center for us and that would finish it. That is my winter project. My cut off time is the week of our cruise, which is March 5th. It all must be done by then but if I get done early, then there's the lower level bathroom, sewing room, painting the kitchen....and it goes on ;-)

So this morning I was upstairs finishing up the packing of the Christmas boxes and as I was coming down the steps I tried to reach the piled up boards that make the scaffolding in the stairway. Much to my surprise I was able to reach just one board and that board was the key for me to be able to pull them all into place. I did need a long handled grabber that Ric got when he had his back surgery. So this is what the stairwell scaffolding looks like when it is in place. It makes a really nice solid platform to work on almost like a floor. Next step is to get the vac up there and clean the whole area then the taping next. Got to go see how much drywall tape I still have.

Oh yes Sequoia, and "So it goes" LOL
I would love to see a few pics as you get it finished.

Holly-- Good job!!!

And if you don't get to it right away--you can throw a mattress up there
and have an extra guest bed....;o) Real private!!

g.

Yay!!! Seq, for being able to lower the cost by helping. Good to have a goal time. Yay! For cruises. So it goes and goes and goes.... Heehee

Holly, I love the idea of having the boards for built in scaffolding.

Jeff got some of the epoxying done on the soapstone pieces. He had someone help him lift one of them ...about 170 lb.

Gita, LOL

Wow! So many projects! This is such a dynamic group :o).

I just put up some window curtains last weekend. Didn't consider it a winter project because it took me 7 years to figure out what to do with those windows.

The curtains (4 panels of 18' curtains) are of a very soft sheer material. To me, they were difficult to sew, considering my sew skills are limited to straight lines that cannot be examined closely.

Cutting the curtains to the right length was challenging too, which involved me, nephew, a straight ruler, a tape measure, chalk, binder clips, pins, and masking tapes. When the curtains were finally hung, I realized that they were all of different lengths :o(. But hey, look at the bright side. None of them is too short :o).

I hurriedly assured hubby that he would not need to climb the ladders again to remove the curtains. I would fix the problem where the curtains were. Hmmmm....., there are quite a few skilled sewers in this group. Any suggestions on mounting the sewing machine on the wall so that I can sew the curtains while they are hanging? Haha!

That would be a cozy room for a guest...LOL Is it hard to get up the stairs without bumping your head Holly?

I have some pics on my phone from the weekend and I was going to take some pics when I got home tonight. I'll post them up.