Functional BATHROOM!

Nobody ever talks about how hard it can be to actually make decisions.

I never would've thought how difficult it could be to decide on a bathroom together. Mr. P and I have (slowly) begun to mesh our two (rather different) style preferences together...this has NOT been an easy undertaking, to say the least!

Our bathroom is finally (almost) finished. It wouldn't be us if it were actually complete, now, would it?!

You may (or may not) remember the tile we chose for the floor...quite some time ago :) Tile floor, 13"x13" square:

The walls are tiled halfway up with a 6"x8" white tile. We know that 4.25" square tiles are much more common, but we chose to go with something just a bit out of the ordinary...and do a vertical pattern rather than typical horizonal or square. So white tile about halfway up the wall and as an entire shower surround (Mr. P even made a built-in shelf!), the neutral tile on the floor, and the following items have now been installed:

Glass block window (YAY!) was put in place of old, see-through, single hung, rotted wood window with broken counter balance (YUCK).

Toilet and Pedestal sink (both installed quite some time ago):




With this faucet:


Towel bars & TP holder:




(You do NOT want to know the intense discussion that ensued while deciding between a spring-loaded TP holder and a simple ring...but in the end, this one was "FINE" because it curves up a bit and there's "less concern about the TP falling off.")

Medicine Cabinet, but in white (why couldn't I find a picture in white???):


Shower Curtain:


I gave in on the shower curtain. I was prepared to fight for something that I felt was more spa-like, and Mr. P kept pushing much more colorful options. In the grand scheme of things, and in all senses of the phrase "pick your battles," I gave in to the vertical stripes. He has a point - the curtain DOES work with all the towels we currently have. And I've got this concession in my pocket for further renovating/decorating battles ;)

Left to do: cap tiles around the edges of the wall & shower, sand the walls, prime and paint the ceiling (blech!) and walls. Pretty sure I'm going with a light shade of brown...of course I'll be keeping with the Valspar paint in the Earth Elements collection. I'm thinking Dust Storm will be my color of choice, but we'll just have to wait and see...

Contractor Recommendations - LONG

This post is well-deserved. We've had SO many different contractors to meet with, get bids from, and have work done in such a short time that I've really learned what makes me tick and what makes me swoon with delight when hiring someone to work on the house.

Roof: Mississippi Valley Roofing. 314-838-4451
Without a doubt, the most polite, friendly, and prompt folks out there. We set a date to have the roof done. And then I had to call Brent and reschedule due to the sellers. And then I had to call Brent AGAIN to reschedule. And then, when the sellers wanted to use a no-name "guy they knew," I called Brent yet again to see what we could work out. Based on the fact that their price was almost exactly what the no-name guy bid, and we have a warranty on top of it, and that when we finally got the go-ahead, Brent sent his crew out and they were done with a complete tear-off and re-roof in a single day, AND they cleaned up after themselves (I can't even find a single roofing nail leftover!), these guys are superb.

HVAC:
The owner of this company was wonderful. Polite, charming, willing to work with us. When his crew came out to do the installation, not so much. Two guys; one didn't know he was supposed to work that day, and he showed up after lunch. The first guy clogged our brand new toilet. (This sucker's supposed to be able to flush 20 golf balls; how the hell you clog it, I may never know.) And left the problem in there. Side note: Mr. P had been working on bathroom renovations that morning. Needless to say, he was unable to complete much that afternoon.
The guys did NOT remove our old units; they left them in the basement. Ultimately, the new furnace and air conditioner are in. So while I will not recommend them, I can't trash them completely. At least I can laugh about it now. But I will not give their name as a reference.

Electrical: Reinhold Electric, Inc. 314-631-1158
I have nothing but amazing things to say about everyone we worked with at Reinhold. We had to do some serious electrical updates. Their customer service (over the phone) is great; they know how to handle complicated questions from unknowledgable homeowners. The guy who came out to do our estimate was friendly and super-professional. And the man who came to do the actual work (after we signed the contract) was just as professional. These folks know what they're doing. They take pride in their work. They treat their clients with respect. Reinhold will see us as a return customer, and we will happily refer them to family and friends.

Carpet: Lowe's. (Maplewood location - 314-450-1000)
Lowe's contracts out their installation. That's why I'm including the specific store location in this review. The folks at Lowe's managed to find enough carpet for us in one location. They scheduled the installation with one of their contractors, who drove to pick up all the carpet, showed up, and actually did the job. I'm frustrated that I can't remember his name, but I believe the company was Dynamic something-or-other. Lowe's was great, nothing less than expected. The installer (Mr. Dynamic?) was slower than I had hoped, but took his work seriously. If there was a spot that seemed less than perfect, he took care of fixing it. Very impressed with him.

Plumbing: Gloeckner-Melville Plumbing Co. 314-644-2818
If you remember our kitchen sink situation (mentioned here), you'll know that it was pretty pressing to get it fixed. In addition, we needed to replace the soil stack under the kitchen sink (all the way down to the basement). It was solidly caked all the way through with at least 30 years of grease and other grossness that need not be mentioned. We relied heavily on recommendations, and received some pretty pricy bids. My boss recommended G-M and we decided to give them a shot based on her referral. I'm glad we did. Professional, quick, and well-done. Another happy recommendation.

Down the road, we'll be doing even more to update the house. For now, these were immediate-must-be-done-before-inhabiting situations. Mr. P and I are both learning on our feet; we never expected to gain this much knowledge in such a short time. I'm happy to share what I've learned, what I would and definitely would NOT do again, and what frustrations can turn into good laughs (but only after sufficient time has passed).

I believe (and hope) that tonight is our official move-in night ;)

w00t!

As of THIS VERY MINUTE, we have been granted conditional occupancy. We have 90 days to do a couple of final things, but we are allowed to LIVE in OUR HOUSE starting right now!

I.am.exhausted.

And I need to buy a shower curtain :)