Drum Roll Please

I guess you might like to see the finished bathroom and hallway - but remember now three pieces are not put back yet. I have not moved the mirror, credenza and small wooden trunk back into the hallway. Not sure why but haven't. 

From the living room - looking down the hall to the spare room, I am glad now that we added the pot lights in the hall - regret - we should have put another in the middle of the hall. I love these old black and white photos - they were taken by the son of the people who owned the house before us and they left them. Lucky me.

Looking right the new front door. I previously posted it looking at it from the outside. I love the door. The window lets a quite a bit of light into the entry way. The door - I was so wanting a wooden door. The advice we were given was not to have one in this climate - heat loss, swelling etc. So this masonite door stained and finished to look like fit the bill. I stained it and did the faux finish but chickened out on the clear coat. I had it done professionally. They had a few problems with the finish and I was scared at one point that it was looking awful, the painter came through in the end and it is great.

 

 

Our travel wall of pictures went back up. You know when you travel you just have to bring back something to remember your wonderful vacation. I used to collect charms for a charm bracelet, then I collected spoons, then knick knacks. Now it is one very small picture - a painting, etching, print, photo, postcard - something that reminds me of that place. I have it framed and here they hang. At first it was just me searching but Mike has gotten into the hunt now.












Alright then - here it is - the new and improved main bathroom.  Can a person say they love a bathroom, can they say they love the toilet - now if I could demo this for you I would but I can't I can just tell you that the lid shuts itself slowly and quietly. Amazing - probably not to all the worldly people but to me in my small corner of the world it is amazing. We haven't turned on the heated floor yet except to make sure it works. Have enjoyed the tile in the heat of the summer - nice and cool on the feet.

 

 

 

Yup done, finished - WEEELLLL I may make some kind of window treatment but still enjoying all the light bouncing around the room.  Regret - Mike thinks he wants a light over the toilet.

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE!!!!!

I cannot believe that the summer is just about over and I have not made one single post. Life here at Willow Creek has been flying by. Our renovation is of course completed - but not without a few gasps of agony. Shortly after all the trim was up and the last touch up was completed and paint brushes cleaned and put away, we had problems BIG problems. We have had an "issue" with water draining from our small bathroom/laundry area for years and always set this aside to be fixed when we did that renovation - slated for early 2013, but circumstances pushed this into NOW. The gory details are a distance memory but let us just say - it was raining under our house AND the saying of the day was "no water is leaving this house". Mike, thankfully had just started his holiday - what a holiday this was going to be. We quickly went from a very lush front garden to this.  

All the small plants were quickly dug up and potted up and put into a holding bed. The larger ones, a rhodo, a kalmia and some other variegated one were move out to the meadow into permanent homes. The beautiful very large Japanese maple was cut down and gone.


Thank goodness for "Digger" as Dyllon calls Mike's excavator - in a few hours, Uncle Bob and Mike had dug up and exposed all the pipe and they were setup for the plumber to come and fix the pipes under and leaving the house.



By the end of the week and most of Mike's holiday and we were back in "business".

I Must Be MAD

I must be mad - MAD I tell you. We discussed this the other day and HE said, after the carpet layers left for the third time of trying to make it "RIGHT", HE said "this almost makes you want to rush right into the next renovation." I looked at him over my glasses and said I could easily sit the next one out. HE said " that is not an option." So I am back to collecting ideas for the NEXT reno AND the one after that.  I confess that I spend countless hours dreaming and planning. I look in magazines and browse the web.

I promise - pictures are coming - we have the trim up now but I am the hold up - I am filling and prepping for the final paint and touch up. Then the doors will go in. I also need to buy the "bits", the "jewelry" as I call it. You know the new soap dish, towels, trays for organizing the drawers - yes I have drawers. We never had drawers in this bathroom. There is an abundance of storage.

I have been holding up "the show" on our reno as I have been playing with Antic's Theatre on the spring production of Fawlty Towers: The Germans. The run ended last night. We had so much fun and so many laughs. The run was extended to 5 nights. Amazing to see such a following for this troupe.

Now what you have to know is this stage is only about 10 feet deep and with that we cheat and give the illusion that we have a kitchen and an upstairs with many rooms - after all this is a hotel - Fawlty Towers.

view of the lobby, entry to the kitchen and office

hospital room, dining room, and bar

Over the years Antic's Theatre has done many episodes of Fawlty Towers as well as a few of Norm Foster's plays and always the illusion of space wins comments from the audience. My granddaughter was amazed when she got a tour of the "backstage" and there were no rooms. She was convinced there was a bedroom complete with a bath. Clever lighting and good directing makes this all believable for the audience.
Eleven years ago, Anne, encouraged by Lorna started dinner theatre in our little town and it has grown from an audience of 40 to sold out houses of over 100.
Anne hand picks her plays and her actors and it seems to be a winning combination.

Anne gets the vision and her husband Don, creates the set and the magic begins.

Our patrons - Anne (the director/producer) Lorna (mentor/friend)

Sybil (Marg) and Basil (Dan)

cast of The Germans

Sneak Peak

Not too much has been happening here on our reno. BUT lots has been happening in the garden. The greenhouses are filling up with tomatoes; the weeds are keeping me busy; pots are getting filled - just a very busy time of year I must say.


We have had a couple of visitors who wanted to have a sneak peak so I thought I better let the rest of you have yours too. The carpet is now down in the hallway. Feels odd to walk on it - I was getting so used to the ugly lino tile that was under the old carpet. In the middle of the night padding down the hallway in my bare feet it was cold. Mike would leave his slippers at the door to the bedroom so he wouldn't have to walk on it - but me I would forget.

and NOW

Then

So here you go - carpet. No trim yet or doors but that is coming soon.








And here - here is a peak into the bathroom. Yes my grandson was the FIRST to have a bath and splash all over the walls and the shower doors.

Almost, Almost Done

Front door is in; not with out it's problems.

Problems, problems - NO PROBLEM as they say in Jamaica - we have solutions.



Last summer on one of my wonderful walks through an upscale neighbourhood I spied some doors that I loved. I took a picture - had to have that door or one like it. It was not the colour but the style - both these doors have a Missions style to them and I thought that would look great for the front of our house.

The problems that we had are slowly melting away from my memory as I see our door in place. We still haven't put up the trim but here is the door. 

We decided not to have a mail slot and have a mail box instead. We didn`t want just any mailbox - or at least I didn`t. I found these two at the Willow`s Market.

Option 1 - expensive, very big but I like the detail, a bit modern looking

Option 2 - less expensive, smaller size and full of character

So we went with Option 2 - I like it - was way easier to hang too. We really don`t get a lot of mail - utility bills, the odd parcel which wouldn`t fit in either box and a few magazines. I think Option 1 has an oriental, modern look to it and our door suggests or in designer speak ``speaks to another time - has an old world charm`` - in other words - suits the door.

Keeping it Under Wraps

Plumber has been and gone. I must say we are quite pleased - especially when the plumber said he has done a lot of bathrooms designed by DMI Designs and this one is comparible with those - WAHOOOOO!!! Saturday, I spent oodles of money getting new towels and other bits for the bathroom but I am not letting anyone have a peek until it is completely decked out. Need the mirror up and the shower door and the bathroom door. THEN you can see. So for now just know that it is pretty nice. Toilet flushes and the drains don't leak is all that Mike cares about - although he did say "you did a really great job on this" Now that was the ULTIMATE compliment.

Stagnating

We seem to be stuck in reno land. I find it so frustrating. The trim is up and I am doing touch-ups. The plumber will be here on Friday - guess then the carpet can go in the hall and then the trim in the hall and bathroom and closet doors. Seems like not much left but oh my goodness waiting is wearing on both of us - we are ready to kill each other I think. Mike has moved his focus into the garden. He has been hanging the new gates he welded and he has been rodotilling all the vegetable beds. He has repotted his plethora of tomato plants and put them into the back greenhouse.

Spring is upon us - a cold spring but here at last. The daffodils that I planted last fall are all up. I must say it is marvellous. NOTE to self - plant more. To heck with tulips. The deer love them so I will confine them to the box by the shop and my three pots on the deck.. But daffodils - now there is a sunny, cheerful flower if I must say. Also the rhododendrons in our garden are starting to come alive. The more mature ones were planted before we bought our place and the person who planted them must have had a plan. They start blooming with the hot pink one closest to the house and then on down the creek - such a sight

I just love the green this time of

year contrasting with the vibrant

yellow of the daffodils.

I don't remember the new rhodo being red - oh it is going to be a beauty.

 And so it goes. The pink "curly lilies" are abundant now as well - my Sister's favourite. But they are actually Pink Fawn Lily (Erythronium revolutum). Curly lilies works for me.

Wandering around brings sanity to the insanity of doing a reno that goes on and on. I won't even talk about the saga of the front door. Will tell you all about it when you see it next.

Now that you have wandered with me around the yard, I am hoping that the next pictures you see are of two happy people in their wonderful newly renovated bathroom and hallway.

Moving Right Along

We have been progressing SLOOOOOOOOOWLY. This week the backsplash and tile around the tub went up and is now grouted.  It looks so pretty.

There will be an oval mirror above the sink and glass shower doors on the tub. I am so excited - this old house is being dragged into the 21 Century. We are really not sure how old this house is but we think that it might have been built in the early 1950's. Some day I will post some of the before pictures of all the rooms. I have so enjoyed the dismantling because of this history it uncovers.

We have had a visitor this week - a Great Blue Heron in the creek. I scared him up onto the bridge but still got this great picture.

And so to the rest of the critter's on Willow Creek - not much action today. Both of the cats are on their favourite quilts. Yes there are two grey cats - Whiskey or Whiskers to my Grandkids or some call her Skinny and Smokey or Fatty. If you ever pick them up you will know why they might be called Fatty (11 lbs.) and Skinny (6 lbs.)


Smokey or Fatty

Whiskey alias Whiskers or Skinny

And then there is Jake - boy what a lazy lot we have. 

Surprise!!!

Okay I have been holding back - Friday I was away from the house working, but I knew that the cabinet maker was going to be installing our cabinets. And VOILA - I came home to this!!!!!

It just amazes me when a plan comes together - I know I said that before but it does. I get these ideas in my head and fret about them and then when it actually happens and is actually the way I envisioned it - WOW! Even the glass tile pull out the bit of green in the counter top. Forgive me but I am doing the happy dance.

So now our holdup is the installing the tiles around the tub and the back splash - these will not get installed until Wednesday, then grouting, then the plumber, trim and the bathroom is done - outstanding then is carpets in the hall, trim, finish up the electrics and doors hung and we are done.

Could Have Been a Bad Day

Monday was looking up - we got a floor layer - he came, he saw, and he went - he laid the boards down and the heated floor coils - did a skim coat and we were racing again. The electrican came but NO - the heat sensor for the thermostat was not in the floor AND he could not pull the wire through the wall. NOW what.

 Today the floor layer came back - Hey he said NO PROBLEM - he got the heat sensor in and laid the tiles but NOOOOOOOOOOOO - was 2 tiles short. Lucky for us we are able to get them by tomorrow morning.

Mike says he is ready to run away - he says he is going on a holiday and will come back in two weeks when it is completed. I say go for it - with my blessings. But he is only kidding I am sure. This is his busy time of year. He is busy cleaning up after the storms we have had. He turning on the water to the back field and rebuilding some of the raised beds for the garden. He has planted the seeds for our tomatoes - over 100 seeds. Will I regret this? Some days I might but there is nothing better than a fresh, ripe tomato picked right from the garden. The days I might are the dog days of summer, when I would rather be outside but am inside canning. Oh but now lady - remember those wonderful jars of homemade spagetti sauce you used to make a fast supper. Oh is so worth it.

Renovation Roller Coaster Ride

I have been reluctant to post. I don't know about you but when I am faced with a list that never seems to end I stall. We have been hurrying and hurrying then waiting and waiting. I feel deflated like I am on the reno rollercoaster.

Priming

 
 Mike and I rushed to get the walls down, and the roughed in wiring was done. And then we waited - and then the plumbing and bathtub went in electrical went in - and then we waited. Oh goody big rush the dry wall went up and the mudding and finishing. I rushed like mad to get all the painting done - primer and two coats thank you very much. I even primed and painted all the shelves for the linen closet and the front hall closet and then we waited - for the floor layer to come.

Assembly Line Shelf Painting

THIS IS ME - I am so DONE......

I got word that the floor layer could be here Friday. So I swept and removed anything that may be in the way. Then at noon I got a call - his truck broke down. Maybe next week. This is just too frustrating - I called today and we have someone coming tomorrow - oh joy of joys. I spent the weekend painting the doors for the bathroom and hall closets - they are ready to install.

I keep thinking we are almost done BUT NO. If I make a list of what is outstanding I feel like this is the never ending project. I know that my daughter would gleefully make that list and enjoy every time she crossed something off it. Not me - I keep a running tab in my head. I have Mike to keep me on track.



The only thing I have felt like doing is making hexagons. I have a few done. It IS addictive and theraputic.

Craziness

We were going great guns on this reno, even got the bathtub in - the most wonderful tub. I can hardly wait. YES I did sit in it after it was in place - no water, but man it is going to be so nice - 25" deep. I was asked how I was going to clean it and before I could answer - Mike said - she WILL clean it. Truer words were never spoken. We had to wait quite a few days for the dry wall to be installed.

Here is our progress - is SLOW but we are moving forward.

Today is the third day for the drywall installers. This is the part that I really find stressful - trying to contain as much dust as possible. We are both trying to keep our spirits up but yesterday it got the better of us. I had to point out a slight error - after a close encounter of the renovating kind we got it fixed. Don't you just wish for a big lotto win and hire someone to do the rest of this for you. I would just love to pick the colours, the fixtures and walk away for a month and come back to it all finished. I have even fantasied about having Candice Olson or Jonathan Scott (Property Brothers) just step in and take this on. Oh, come on, where is the fun in that?

I am locked out of my sewing room for the next while. No power in there. But I have sealed up the room and covered my equipment with drop cloths to protect them from dry wall dust. Oh but on a HAPPIER NOTE - I finished reading my book and now am working on my latest addictions - HEXAGONS.