Square One

After waiting a year, we finally decided to move forward with the bathroom remodel. A trip to the home show and we found The Good Guys. We met and discussed the plans. They seemed to understand our vision for a Euro-style, wipe down, quick clean bathroom. As you know, bathroom cleaning is not a Little Princess job but every so often the Little Princess has to go slumming. Herself would like the cleaning process to be as quick and easy as possible. The ideal would be to install a self-cleaning sprinkler system with a drain in the floor. Press a button, hose the room down and ta-da, all clean.

So if you in the cheap seats remember, this is the bathroom before the first remodel. 50's yellow tile and we added the pale blue accents for that UCLA look. Go Bruins!

Then we went through the remodel and this is how the bathroom looked when the son of a contractor "finished". I like to call this picture The Disaster. A very quaint and cozy slum look.

Today, the Good Guys arrived bright and early. Man, why can't they keep banker's hours and start at a decent time of the day! We had a quick walk through to discuss the project. Wonder of wonders a building permit was taped to the bow window in the living room for all to see! And the demolition began. Ink was not happy with all the noise and the company. He spent most of the day huddled under the sofa. There was a lot of banging, sawing, music from a radio, singing, and the tangy scent of solder. My only complaint with The Good Guys is they enjoy their work way too much. They seem to get along very well and make a good team.

I was frazzled most of the day. Waffled between nervous and excited. I had to move my car to Prissy's driveway. Her driveway was one sheet of slick as glass ice deceptively hidden under fluffy white snow. I had to call AAA to winch me out of her driveway.

We knew there was a possibility that the shower walls couldn't be saved. The carpenter made a vailant effort, but the walls came down in pieces. Not to worry, we'd just order a new wall kit. He did save the shower base.

Then there was the call that the Swanstone Artic Granite I wanted was not available. Stuck in the snow, what I had I can't get. I started feeling as if this project was doomed with a capital DOOMED. God must have really liked the UCLA colors and didn't want the slick Euro white bath with the mermaid mural over the sink. Deep sigh. Forlorn look.

One bright spot. The mural will be shipped from California tomorrow. It should arrive next week.

We were given other options, fiberglass walls, a tiled shower. Fiberglass dulls quickly over time and is difficult to keep shiny clean. Tile, though beautiful, has all the grout and crannies where mold likes to grow. Nope, Herself was not going to be happy unless she had the no grout lines, no mold can grow, wipe down, Swanstone in Artic White.

I surfed the Swanstone site and found Artic White has not been discontinued. And a list of suppliers who carry the product. Happy dance.

The bathroom was gutted and taken down to the studs. The carpenter roughed and the plumber roughed. The Good Guys are aware that the dollhouse only has this one bathroom. They are making a great effort not to leave us stranded without facilities. The tub base will be installed tomorow and temporary walls put up. The shower will be plumbed. A portolet will be delivered tomorrow, but that is for The Good Guys. A portolet is definitely not a Little Princess place to go especially when the outside temp is 11 degrees. Thank you, no. The plumber kindly reinstalled the toilet at the end of the day.

And so ends day one.