Surprise!

I got home from my Thanksgiving vacation, and was welcomed to a few unexpected things.  I walked into my master bath, and it was nearly complete.  Faucets in, doors on the cabinets, and a shower head installed.  So, mostly complete, but not quite there.  Still a little difficult to take a shower with no shower doors.  Not a concern, as I had a fully functional second bathroom.  The one I’ve been using while the first was being renovated.  And here’s where the bigger surprise came in…

That smaller bathroom?  Completely demoed.  Which was completely unexpected.  Because the contractor and I had agreed (oh so many times) that we wouldn’t take the second out of commission until the first was complete.

But, being undaunted by this unanticipated bit of exuberance to plow ahead on the part of my contractor, I threw up a temporary shower curtain, brought a dining chair into my bedroom to use as a towel rack, and hopped in the shower.  Where I resolved to put all future agreements in writing…

Thankful

With six full days of work done on the master bathroom renovation, I have so much to be thankful for.  I am grateful that all the horror stories you hear about contractors not showing up, and being unresponsive, are mere fiction in my world.  Appreciative that all the elements I picked out one by one, rather than in unison with one another, are coming together very nicely.

I’m perfectly pleased with the custom-made (in the USA!) vanities and linen cabinet.  Custom style, custom color, and of sizes that could not be found anywhere.  You never know if reality will live up to the imagination.  But it has.  In fine form.  They’re gorgeous, and are just what I was hoping for.  And most of all, truly and utterly thrilled at how quickly it’s all coming along.  Each day, amazing progress is made.

And thankful that a friend who has been house hunting for quite awhile finally has keys in hand to her new home.  Everything always works out in the end.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A blank canvas

Tuesday morning, I had a fully intact master bathroom.  When I got home from work, I was greeted by an empty room.  Save a couple of pipes sticking out of the walls, there was nothing left.  Nothing but space.  Space for all the wonderful new things I’ve diligently been picking out for the last few months.

It’s hard to believe, after the many meetings with the contractor, the cabinet maker, the stone yard owner, and various other purveyors of bathroom-related goods, the time for putting it all together has arrived.  So with all the old stuff gone (and anything salvageable donated to charities, of course), I’m left only with dreams.  Visions of the completed, modern, much more functional bathroom.

And just as you would use a true blank canvas, this one will also be splashed with a little paint.  I’ve got a few choices up on the wall, and a couple of days to decide.

All the ingredients

I have a garage chock full of goodies.  From tile (for both shower and floor) to sinks, from faucets to lighting fixtures.  And even a rather weighty cast-iron tub.  So once the vanities and counter tops are delivered, I am ready to go.  And boy am I ready.  After many moons of meeting with contractors, searching out the many stores, big and small, that contained all things bathroom, and scouring the Internet for the very best deals, I am done with this phase, and am eager to move on to the next.  It’s been a blast picking out the myriad pieces, making sure each was just what I’d been envisioning.  But now it’s time for phase two – the take a sledgehammer and a crowbar to it, get the dust flying phase.

But what I’m really, truly ready for?  The finished product.  Which will be fully cooked, and revealed in a mere two weeks.  And I will then feast my senses on the fabulousness of it all.

Going, going…

Gone.  Lowe’s Black Friday Facebook event 90% off coupons were gone almost as soon as they were available.  Like 60,000 other home owners eager to score a mega discount, I waited fervently for the code to be revealed, and jumped on their homepage in a quest to be one of the lucky few.  Whether the goal is a major or minor renovation, getting 90% off would be amazing!

Unfortunately for me, all the other enthusiastic participants, and most of all, Lowe’s, the jubilation was a little too much for their system to handle.  We crashed their site promptly and summarily.  They sent assurances that although there was significant advance preparation, the response was well above what they would have expected.  I’m guessing there will be some pretty lively meetings taking place today.  But to make it up to all the forlorn customers who weren’t one of the fortunate few, a promise has been made that more discounts will be offered throughout the weekend.

It’s a fantastic idea, and it’d be great forother retailers to follow suit (with better preparation, of course).  Because at the rate I’m buying things for my bathroom renovation, every little bit helps.  Home Depot, the gauntlet has been thrown down!

No looking back

Well, maybe a little.  I walked past a couple of houses this morning that were in the running during the house hunt.  And there was not an ounce of longing or regret.  One, a short sale, is still bedecked with a ‘for sale’ sign.  The other, a foreclosure, looks happily lived in.  As much effort as I put into working toward a purchase on the first one, I am extremely grateful it didn’t work out.

The one that did, the darling house I’m living in now, was the one for me.  It’s not too big, not too small.  It’s 10 minutes from the ocean.  It’s close to everything, but still in a very quiet neighborhood.  It’s just right.

So for those of you still house hunting, know that the right house for you is out there too.  (After a year and a half of looking, and a half dozen offers made, I was starting to wonder.)  If you’re diligently working on purchasing a home, and the banks are taking their sweet time, keep looking.  I’m thrilled I did.

And each morning, as I walk along the trail near my home, I am rewarded with a breathtaking sunrise.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

Doing my part to boost the economic recovery

Over the last week, I’ve been doing some serious shopping.  Some credit card melting, major mile earning shopping.  I have picked up a slab of marble (who knew a short time ago that I would ever be the owner of such a thing?!?), light fixtures, a sink, medicine cabinets, tile, custom vanities, a TV stand/entertainment center, and last but not least, a dining room rug.  Yep, you guessed it, the bathroom renovation is getting ever-closer, and the decorating continues.

Now, I’ve been picking out these pieces one at a time, without carrying around samples of each, like I was instructed by oh-so-many people.  But I have a vision of this beautiful, modern-but-not-too-modern bathroom, and I truly believe it’s all going to come together in a fabulous way.  Because I like each piece.  Individually, each one is great.  Ergo, they will be great together.  At least, that’s what I’m keeping my fingers crossed for…