T minus 1

The studio with dining loft

In less than 24 hours, construction begins on our house. We are about to embark upon a much needed and long overdue bathroom remodel.

Ugly blue wallpaper, nasty vinyl flooring

When we moved into the house 10 years ago, the bathroom closest to our bedroom was the only room in the entire house that hadn't been updated. We've often wondered why the previous owner didn't bother to remodel, or, at the least, just paint over the ugly blue wallpaper. By our best guess, the owner, who had MS, couldn't easily get to the other bathrooms if her primary one was out of order.

ugly tile in need of grout repair

After meeting with the contractor and subs, I suspect that the real reason is much more complicated. Fixing the plumbing and electrical wiring, as well as bringing the venting up to code, requires jackhammers, re-roofing, and breaking through a concrete wall with subsequent masonry repair. Cha-ching. So, we'll do it. We'll update the bathroom and make sure the job is high-quality and the design interesting. So many of the remodeling projects we inherited were sloppy. We'll have to re-do all of it, but we're starting with the oldest, most neglected corner of the house.

I'm excited about the design, which is all mine with John's collaboration. We hired Castle Remodeling based on the strong recommendation from friends who have had them do several projects, including a bathroom. But, Castle was happy to have me do the design. We've worked closely with one of their owners and with a remodeling designer, Ashley, who translated my AutoCAD and SketchUp drawings into their software. She was a great help when selecting finishes and fixtures. Because even though I am an interior designer, I found all the choices--for tile, paint, faucets, wood finishes, and more--to be overwhelming. I think it is so much easier to make design decisions for someone else.

Couldn't we at least have replaced that mirror?!

The current bathroom is plagued by slow drains in both the sink and the tub; a toilet that runs for a long time after the tank has refilled; a broken exhaust fan; ugly wallpaper; dated, stained tile in the shower and on the wet wall; a narrow, awkward closet where storing towels is impossible; and crummy, hard-to-clean vinyl flooring.

56 s.f. small

Basically everything has to go.The bathroom will be gutted to the studs. All the fixtures--bathtub, toilet, and sink--will be removed. The plumbing will be replaced, and a new streamlined toilet and wall-mounted sink will be installed.The closet will be converted to open shelving and a base cabinet. The tub/shower will be converted to a shower with a glass enclosure and three walls of 3/4" tile, which will wrap around through the floor. We'll swap out the horrid wall-hung mirror for a medicine cabinet, which John as always wanted. One great vanity light fixture will cover the entire room's needs so we can get rid of the current dome fixture. All the wiring will be shored up so the fan is on a separate switch from the lights. And, the wood paneling on the ceiling will be replaced with gyp board for a smooth finish. The overall effect will be lighter and fresher, up-to-date but with clear reference to midcentury modern.

But, that's not all! We're going to replace our ceiling...the whole thing, from the top of the original back wall and hall, through the dining loft, over the studio, and down to the front porch.

Cracked  and peeling popcorn texture

We have always hated the popcorn texture, which was most likely applied to improve acoustics.

Staining from water damage around the chimney

The ceiling is, in part, peeling, which is a product of age, but there are many places where the plaster has cracked and stained due to problems with the roof.

Half of the ceiling

Now that the roof has been repaired and the chimneys sealed, we can clean up the stucco. Instead of replastering with a smooth texture, Castle's owner suggested (and the masonry/drywall sub agreed) that gyp board be installed. We'll get the smooth look we want and nominal acoustic help, plus the drywall should be easy to replace if repairs are needed again.

And, while we're at it, we'll have the recessed "can" lights removed and have LED glimpse luminaires installed instead. The front porch will get a new ceiling fan, something sexy and modern and with a light.

I have been packing frantically for the past two days. Books and valuables from the studio, the dining loft, hallway, and side entry have to be cleared so the work crew can prep the site with tarps, special flooring, and scaffolding (the sloped ceiling rises from 10' to 16' or higher). They'll also start demolition.

I am excited, and I am nervous. Our household will be topsy-turvy for six weeks, which isn't horrible. In fact, the bathroom will be finished before the snow melts. And, I know we'll all adjust to the new routine of having workers, who initially will be strangers, in the house first thing in the morning until dinner. And the animals will adjust to having strangers in the house. I hope. And, we'll cope with occasional water or power interruptions. And, I'll try to be brave about the inevitable surprises the are uncovered when the walls, ceiling, and floors are peeled back.