The Latest....

The latest mini renovation in our house is the main bathroom...when we bought our home 35 years ago...it was the only bathroom! Our home is your typical three bedroom bungalow built in the 1950's. Back then, they weren't thinking 'spa oasis' like they so often do now, they weren't thinking, spacious, 'we've just have to have double sinks to save our marriage' ...they were thinking 'practical' ' compact' ....a place where you certainly didn't go to luxuriate! It's tiny, tiny, tiny......about 9 x 6.... Feet, that is.

About ten years ago, we did another little reno in this tiny bathroom.....we were putting two additions onto our house and decided we'd throw the bathroom in for good measure...we couldn't make it bigger, so we updated...we replaced the tub and the tub surround, the vanity and sink, the toilet and the flooring....we also pulled all the plastic....yes, plastic tiles off the surround walls! We replaced that with wainscotting.

At first, I liked the linoleum that we put on the floor but unfortunately it didn't stand up to our many dog and people traffic, and I'd always thought that one day I'd like to replace it with something more durable....after much research I decided that porcelain tiles were the golden ticket!

That idea went on the back shelf until two things happened in the last six weeks....one was, since I hit the grand age of 65 , I was now entitled to Old Age security pension and Canada Savings pension. Now, in case you think I hit the lottery, believe me...I didn't. But....since even though I've worked , looking after ten million kids for the las 42 years, I haven't held an out side job in that time frame....when you don't have an outside job then you're not putting anything into the government coffers, so when it's time to collect these two pensions, well, there's really not a lot to collect from!

My husband , the accountant already had those wheels spinning as to what these extra few pennies could go towards....' We could put some aside for this, and maybe some for that '......"Whoa," I said....."I haven't collected any outside money consistently since before I was married! I kind of like this feeling,..I'd kind of like a say in what I can do with it!"
The second thing that happened was our old dog Maggie....11-1/2 years old and in the last two months she's had two bladder infections and this normally urine holding dog, was relieving herself whenever the urge hit....in the house...ew....yes. One time, was when husband and I were out, and the kids were suppose to be watching the dogs....ya....right. We came home to liquid , on the floor of our tiny bathroom, where it had run under the quarter round trim beside the bath tub. When , Don pulled up the quarter round trim to clean the area well, the trim also pulled up some of the linoleum! It looked terrible....I was in despair...my teeny tiny bathroom looked gross.
Brilliant light bulb went ping! I can use my two pensions to get new tile...porcelain tile! Yes!
The plan was put into motion....we went and chose the tiles....then we chose a tiler to install them....there was no way the accountant could handle that!
Then.....I got the idea into my head that since we had this lovely new tile that we should get a new vanity that looked a little more up to date....so, we went back to the tile place, and chose a new vanity and sink....not an expensive one...the pension only goes so far...and it is a tiny bathroom...as I've mentioned a time or two....so without further ado...some pictures to show the process and the final look! ( if I can get them uploaded, downloaded or what you want to call it!




First the accountant removed toilet and vanity and used a heat gun to painstakingly remove all the old linoleum .....



Then Ted, the tiler....came and put down the mesh.....



...then the 'scratch coat '.....



...the next day...( this was a three day process) , he came and laid the tile



Isn't the tile lovely....good old Ted, with the bad knees, did a great job!



..All done!...except of course for the grouting, which he came and did on the third day.....




We passed on the $1600 vanity the accountant liked, and chose this one...much more in line with my pension! :-)



The very important toilet was reinstalled so that this old lady didn't have to make any more precarious, dangerous trips downstairs, in the middle of the night, with a flash light ( yes, we did eventually install a second bathroom in the basement in the last 35 years....having lots of kids kind of forces your hand on that)....



Then yesterday afternoon, the accountant husband and the sound engineer son in law, put together and installed the new vanity....and voila! My new bathroom is put back together...fully usable and lovely! Still tiny, but sometimes tiny is good...less space to clean, don't ya know....!



Isn't it phystarious!



~ Marie