Home projects for winter, more bright ideas in the mid-at

Sometimes projects are like 'Give a Mouse a Cookie'....Lol That sounds like where Jeff's at in the bathroom project. You start doing something and then see more that you want done.

What super boys, that Josh and Ric!

I sold a vanity top by craigslist once- it's great, as is freecycle.

give a mouse a cookie LOL!

The cats away.... I did get all the tiles cut for the back splash. I had trouble cutting one but had an extra, so it worked out. Since the tile is a ringer for the counter top we plan to hang our Mexican ceramics there. That should break up the sameness nicely, and be something we can scrub up once in a while. I cut it to be grout-less, with only a thin line of tan caulk to seal it. It is in place and I will post pics when it is done. The diamond blades and wet saw make cutting pretty easy. I'm glad since my next tile job will be the mud/stove room in the back. As soon as the weather breaks my project will be the hot tub, I miss it so badly. Nothing can beat a hot soak in epsom and sea salts bath, with a bit of lavender oil added.

Calgon, take me away!!! That soak sounds divine!!!

Looking forward to seeing your tile work, Ric. I'll let you know when we are ready, so you can come supervise?!!! Hehehe. Just kidding.

Here is what Ric got done yesterday. It is all fitted, he has it taped up just to hold it in place and so we can see what it will look like. Next step is to bond it to the wall and seal the seams. You can see that the tile is not an exact match but very very close. We tried to decide if we wanted it to match or totally different. We decided on this because we have some nice very colorful Mexican pottery that will hang on the wall. If we didn't have the pottery we may have made a different choice. So this pic will give you an idea of the progress he made. Next pic will be the finished result with pottery in place.

That will be a great background for your collection. You chose well (tile and each other).

It's sort'a neat Pat, if you lay a piece of tile on the counter top, it just disappears.

Sounds perfect, Ric. Doesn't compete with the Mexican pottery, and probably no one else will notice that the tile is not an exact match.

Nice backsplash, Ric and Holly!

Robin, is that your house I am looking at or is it a fabric store? Teehee :-). Nice job!

Great choice on the tile. Will be a great background for what you want to showcase.

Here is what it looks like from one of the bedrooms. The other pic shows the mess of the wires.

well done on the tile, RIc and Holly

thanks Jan, we want progress reports too lol

Oh yikes, sorry about the extra work but glad you discovered that issue with the electrical, Jan! Amazing what people will just cover up inside walls, either through ignorance or to save a few $. Junction boxes will be a big improvement.

Ric, grout-less backsplash is a great idea! I'll have to look for some how-to info on that... does the "thin line of caulk" get added to the sides as you go or do you smooth it into the seams when you're done?

Wow! Code requires those electrical connections to be housed in an accessible junction box. Wiring like that is really scary.

That was exactly Jeff's reaction to the wiring mess.

I like the idea of less grout.

Ric and Holly, I never would have noticed the difference if you hadn't pointed it out. Super job!
I also like the idea of less grout, especially above a kitchen sink because it's more prone to mold.

dirty grout...hence the 'new ' style of colored grout. Works for me!!

Me,too!,!

Jan, better put this on your list
http://www.signaturehardware.com/catalog/product/view/id/73044/s/stillwell-tub-caddy-with-wine-glass-holder/category/450/

Isn't that a cute thing?!!

Last night when I called Jeff from down here, he mentioned a thought had occurred to him. I had no inkling what might come out of his mouth. He had a passing thought that maybe he would get somebody to rock the bedrooms. We could do it, but it would take awhile. Hmm.....that's a good thought I thought. Keep fingers crossed. We would ask a friend who is a contractor who he would recommend.

you mean, do the sheetrock for walls he removed?

Hehehe, not for the walls he removed, but for the rock removed from walls because it was thin. Well, actually for the walls going in.

Picked up a sink today from craigslist in Chestertown, MD.

My biggest chore right now is staying warm, and they say the worst is yet to come.

Hunker down and keep pipes dripping.

Jan, does that include indoor faucets?

I believe so. Maybe somebody could jump in with better info.

Hm, I'm stuck between worrying about my pipes or my septic? All our pipes are interior to the house, I don't think we're going to run them.

When I was down at son's on the Naval Academy grounds they got a call and a paper stuck in their door reminding them to keep their thermostats at least at 70 and run their faucets. That was on Friday.
It's a little warmer than it was a few days ago, RIGHT?!!!

If you have interior supply lines run on exterior walls they can freeze if cooling on the outside exceeds the warming on the inside. Especially prone are lines at the back of, or in walls behind cabinets, as that provides some insulating effect from the homes warm interior. If you let a faucet slowly drip it will provide enough flow of water through vulnerable pipes to prevent freezing.

Thanks, Greenthumb; that's useful advice. I have 2 faucets I should leave on.

The other funny thing is hot water pipes freeze easier than cold. I know some people leave their cabinet doors open to help warm the pipes, just be sure to turn on a light before stumbling to the kitchen for a drink.

Thanks, David and Ric.

You all and your major renovations have been such an inspiration to me! I'm only painting rooms, but that's more than I've done for 10 years. I'm almost done with the front entrance, then I'll do our tiny master bath, which will be a fast job because it's only 5' 10" x 4' 6", and most of that is tile.

Hehehe. Jeff needs to retire so he has time for these repos. The kitchen redo took at least 6 years. My niece about 2 hours north of me posted on Facebook that she has frozen pipes. Bummer!!!!

Did her pipes already burst or can she try to thaw them?

Don't know. Her husband is out of town, so her brother will help out. Haven't heard the latest.

Nothing big, Josh came over this morning and put up my IKEA shelving for toy storage in the Grans bedroom. Just what I needed, already have a few things on it.

Looks great!

Nice!
I finally bought the toilet paper and towel holder for the bathroom we re did. It's the details that get ya.

Jan, did you ever get photos of the vintage sink you picked up?

More shelving is always wonderful.