Part 12: The Master Bath

Work has been progressing in the master bath:  A last minute inspiration/crazy impulse to have the walls paneled was handled brilliantly by my project manager, Guy.  He hunted down wood paneling with 6" wide boards and had his finish guy, Hector install them just before the tiling was due to start.

The paneling primed and in-floor radiant heating's been installed.

The bath tub sits in the master bedroom, waiting to be installed, along with the faucet, toilets (one is for the guest bath) and window/door trim.  You can see the sample of soft yellow on the wall that I love in the space.

The best for last:  Here's the polished Cararra Hex tile flooring installed in the master bath.  The polished tile catches the sunlight through the Eastern and Southern windows and looks almost like shimmering water.  Sometimes, elements are even better than anticipated once in place.

Polished Cararra hex tile shimmers like water, even reflecting on the ceiling.

I like the way the polished marble hex plays with light so much that I've decided to install it on the laundry room floor, too.

Click here for Part 13: The Marble

Part 11: The Structural Work

It's been a busy and productive week at the house.

Lots of work going on!  Our crews and the hardworking neighbors were landscaping.

The closet is finally out of the front hallway.  Originally, there was an odd "jog" to the hallway, now it's more open with better lines of site, going from 3-1/2' to 6' wide.

Standing inside the front door, looking toward the back of the house.

Standing mid-way in the house, looking toward the front door.

It's tempting to also relocate the door to center it on the hallway, but the front entry space just inside the door is much wider than the hallway leading to the back of the house, and the door and sidelights are centered in that space.  Also, moving the front door would require reframing of the front porch steps and support columns - so we're leaving this alone.

Yesterday, Jose and his team installed the new windows at the back of the house, two in the kitchen nook and two over the new fireplace.

Hard working crew installing windows and replacing siding.

Two news windows in the kitchen nook letting the Eastern light pour through into the space.

Two new windows on the West side over the new fireplace.

I'm so delighted with the results of the new windows.  The original wall of windows on the North side of the house are lovely, but adding the new windows on the East and West walls lets the light pour into the space from different angles and at different times of the day, creating a multi-directional space.  This was the very first idea I had after walking into the space for the first time last September, and it feels so satisfying to see it finally take shape.

We also had painters hard at work in the cottage, and a buddy, Wayne, helping with painting cabinets in the laundry room, but more on that later.  All in all, a very good week!

Click here for Part 12: The Master Bath

Part 10: The permits; We have Lift-Off.

Hurray!  After numerous revisions and delays, we finally have the structural permits to add the windows to the back NE and NW corners of the house, and remove the clumsy closet from the entry hall.  Woo Hoo!

Now we can get this puppy wrapped up!

In the mean time, we passed plumbing and electrical permits for the master bath and the tilers have been busy at work.  I'll have some progress photos on the master bath to post soon.

Please say a little prayer of thanks to the structural engineering gods.

Click here for Part 11:  The Structural Work

Part 9: The Squirrels

There are at least two rambunctious Grey Squirrels living in the big leaf maple tree right behind my house.  They're busy running up and down the tree and back and forth across the deck.  They have big, fluffy, busy, twitchy tails and seem quite curious about our activities.  After 6 years of enjoying the property to themselves, they're probably a bit surprised to find us moving in.

I think the original builder had my cats in mind when he built the window sills at 7" deep.  Pretty perfect for a feline rump to perch and watch the squirrel show.

Click here for Part 10:  The Permits

Part 8: The Guest Bath

Update:  I found this vanity for the guest bath.  Love it.

While waiting for the structural engineering,  I'm made some choices for the Guest bath and laundry room.  The flooring for both spaces will be Carrera marble 2" hex, a timeless classic in keeping with the style of the home that I won't get tired of and want to rip out 5 years from now.  Plus, both marble and grout can be polished down to "fresh" layers in the the future, if necessary.  I'm keeping the major investment components of the design pretty simple and classic (with the exception of the glass tile mural for the master bath which is a fun splash out).

This photo is not of my guest bath, but shows a Carrera hex floor;

Classic Carrera hex tile flooring.

The guest bath tub/shower surround will be good ol' reliable 3x6 white subway tile and I'm thinking about something silvery and interesting for an accent tile, like this;

Not so classic "Splendor" 1" x 4" glass accent tile in Silver by EliteTile.

Keeping it simple and going with satin nickel plumbing fixtures in all baths;

Pfister "Catalina" faucet in satin nickel.

Click here for Part 9:  The Squirrels

Part 7: The Delays - Hurry up and wait:

 The Slow motion structural engineering;

"The good news is that business is good.  The bad news is that business is good."

We were on hold for a bit because it was Christmas, then because the structural engineer was so busy with the booming real estate market here in Portland.  We finally got the engineering calculations done that are necessary for A) removing the structural post in the middle of the front entryway and B) adding the large windows to the corner of the kitchen nook and the smaller windows on the opposite wall above the new fireplace.

So, we're good to go, right?  Not so fast.  Turns out that the city of Portland takes these things very seriously and is not willing to issue permits will-nilly to any (properly educated, licensed and experienced) structural engineer who does the math.  The city has asked for additional drawings which they will carefully peruse before issuing a permit.  I'm very happy they're so dedicated to keeping the residential building stock standing upright, and very annoyed by the slow motion process.  So, additional work is required before we can remove the post and add the windows.

This will delay the floor patching and refinishing that we have scheduled - and the appliance delivery that was to quickly follow the floors.  But this is not at all unusual for remodeling projects.  Delays happen, challenges pop-up.  We'll just keeping working at the things that can get done.  My project manager, Guy, is pushing on the structural front and also helping to organize other work that we can get done while that's slowly inching forward.

I hope the next post will be much more exciting than this one...

Click here for Part 8: The Guest Bath

Part 6: The Tile Mural...

There's a wall in the Master Bath shower that's just asking for something special.  It's so large and so very blank and you can see it all the way from where the bed will be in the attached bedroom.

I was picturing a large cascade of cherry blossoms gracefully arching down the wall, bringing some vibrant pink colors into the space.  Everything else in the bathroom will be simple, white-ish and calm, letting this explosion of pink exuberance have its moment.

After some investigation and getting over the shock of custom mosaic price tags, I found a company on mainland China who specializes in "exquisite mosaic tile."  Turns out that there are many mosaic production companies in China who create custom glass tile mosaics and ship them all over the world.

My friend and colleague, Claire Schatzle, is a talented graphic designer.  She works in the graphic design and branding department at Ankrom Moisan and runs her own small-but-growing graphic design business on the side.  Claire and I found a good inspiration photo on line and used that as a jumping off point for our blossom mural design.  It's a kind-of stylized cherry/plum blossom mash-up.  Here's her finished design;  (Thank you, Claire!)

Claire Schatzle Design

There were a number of delays and miscommunications working with the Chinese supplier, and I was worried enough to have a back-up plan, but finally, just a few days ago, my contact, Allen, sent email saying the mural was done and would be shipping shortly.  He also included these production photos;

Blossom mural production 

Blossom mural production close up.

The way they produce these murals is interesting;  They print full-size copies of the design, in color, tape them to table tops, then get to work selecting, cutting and placing each piece of glass in place.  In our case, this finished mural will be 4+ feet wide by 8 feet tall, which requires a very high resolution file for them to see and replicate the detail.  

This whole project was a bit of a gamble:  I didn't know what the finished quality would be, or if I would ever even receive the mural, but it's been a ton of fun to start with "What if....", generate the design with Claire, communicate with Allen in China, and finally see the photos.

I'll post more photos once the tile is installed and grouted in place.  I'm looking forward to seeing the finished project!  By the way, Allen's company also sells "quality watches."  :-)

Click here for Part 7:  The Delays:  Hurry up and wait