Tag Archives: renovation

the farm: bathroom episode 2 – a find!

I was hoping for a find when we started gutting this bathroom. I thought I found it with the tiles. Unfortunately the tiles were not as old as I had *hoped* them to be, although I still think they are cool – I’m not sure we will be spending the extra time to preserve them….

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  • Barbara

    Ron Chesek was the electrician we hired to rewire the house shortly after we moved in. We moved in in August of 1989. That is so weird that you found this tea cup! Ron was then and I believe still is a Middletown police officer. I’m wondering if he put his name and date on the cup thinking that some day in the future someone would find it behind the wall. Strange. 🙂ReplyCancel

the farm: bathroom renovation episode 1. – tile experts?

I’ll start off by saying that my husband has strictly forbidden my use of power tools. I’ve had too many accidents with staple guns in my past – I’m working on that. I’m trying to display exemplary tool-belt diva behavior on the off chance that maybe someday I’ll get to use a nail gun. I…

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  • UPDATE: I received a very speedy response from the ever-helpful staff at Recycling The Past.

    “Look like they’re from the 60’s or 70’s…don’t think they have much value. Careful may be Asbestos under those almost guaranteed! I’d look in the phone book for a good asbestos abatement firm that can properly remove them. Wear a mask if you do it yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

    Josh
    Recycling The Past

    ———————

    Pfft. Just like that, my excitement is gone! I do NOT care if these are from the 60’s. They will be gone gone gone. ReplyCancel

  • Did I fail to mention that this is the only bathroom with a working shower?ReplyCancel

  • I was going to suggest calling Recycling the Past since they are the tile experts. But I would have assumed 60s porcelain tile too. Older tile tends to be smaller and have smaller grout lines too.ReplyCancel

  • I don’t know, they’re kind of fun! Somehow the idea of the bathroom all in white with the tiles… Maybe I’m just nuts from a day trip halfway cross country and back. I’ll toddle off to bed!ReplyCancel

  • laura

    Thanks Kate. They are fun!ReplyCancel

  • Barbara

    I don’t know much about the tiles. They were there when we moved in, and I didn’t like them.

    Have fun! LOLReplyCancel

  • […] the farm: bathroom renovation episode 1. – tile experts? the farm: bathroom renovation episode 2. – a […]ReplyCancel

  • I think the tile was made around 60’s.ReplyCancel

  • They don’t really look like valuable tiles and even if they were, simply because they belong in the past doesn’t make them good to look at. Get ’em out of there and put something worth stepping on!ReplyCancel

the farm: my office

My office has been a bit uninspiring. With big houses and the DIY couple, plenty of projects get undertaken but seldom finished on time or all at once for that matter. So is the case at our house. I have not finished decorating my laundry room. I still need window treatments, accessories and the mentioned…

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  • Patricia

    I think you might have gotten the same effect with a hot glue gun!!! LOL!!!ReplyCancel

  • I really don’t think it looks bad in here at all. I think all the white would really work with some of your pieces up on the walls.

    Can’t say Im digging the carpet too much but you could put down some engineered click floors yourself. I did it in my last house’s basement and it wasn’t nearly as hard as I though it would be. And a little sparkly light fixture would finish the room nicely.ReplyCancel

  • Yes, I think it will look nice too, once I decide what to put up as I have 3 months of whiteboard calendar from Pottery Barn to go up somewhere also (it’s gotta be functional for me as well).

    The carpet, while it’s not horrific, is not the best choice for someone with dogs (we have two). It attracts every bit of hair and for sanity one must vacuum it at least once a day! NOT my gig. Yes, I could go with those floors and that may not be a bad idea, considering the wide plank we want is still quite a few years off and it’s presumably best to have them all done at once – as in, the entire downstairs.ReplyCancel

  • OR – maybe a nice rug 😉ReplyCancel

  • Any suggestions for the windows? ReplyCancel

  • Looks awesome!!!!! If you are ever bored, grab your caulk gun and head over, I can keep you busy!ReplyCancel

  • […] new office inhabitant brings much needed color to my newly painted office.  (Not much else gone on in here folks.  Stay tuned…hopefully I’ll have some idea of […]ReplyCancel

  • […] for those that want to see in better detail the mastery caulking work I performed, check out the original blog post. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss that fun […]ReplyCancel

the farm: the downstairs bathroom, numero uno.

Refer to lower level floorplan for location. If you don’t have access to that, you’ll have to request it. Behold the current state of one of the downstairs bathrooms. You know it’s time for a bathroom update when my 2 year old starts tearing off the wallpaper. I think she is giving us a HUGE…

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  • See – this is why I don’t want to permanently affix any wallpaper in my house. Im sure whoever put that up thought it was the cat’s pajamas!

    Can you get rid of the wallper and leave the rest until you have more time/resources for a reno? There really is nothing wrong with it that the wallpaper remover and some white paint can’t solve. Its got a lot of charm and space so thats more than most bathrooms have.

    Have you tired that spray window insulation? It can help a lot if the window is not leaking warm air.ReplyCancel

  • Yes. I can certainly remove the wallpaper – I intend to either do that myself or have Gwen, the 2 year old finish up the job she started!

    Seriously though – the floor is buckling because vinyl was installed OVER tile – so I may just go ONCE MORE over and then wait a year or two – then gut.

    I’m sure that spray window insulation would work wonders – but not in the CLOSET where it appears to have the leak. The window is fine. The closet is freezing. I hate getting my towels out when it’s cold.ReplyCancel

  • […] photos of my husband’s discovery in the downstairs bathroom for the next home renovation post. This will presumably be pushed for tomorrow’s list, which […]ReplyCancel

our farm: the laundry room

The laundry room reno is 3/4 of the way done but I figured I’d share it. Registered users can view the location of the room by checking out the lower level floor plan. Not registered? Just ask! This project dates back to Father’s day, 2007! Jim had a business trip and I was racking my…

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  • Really impressive. I bow down to your skills. It really looks fab.

    How did you install the tin? How did you secure the stone to the cabinets?ReplyCancel

  • Michele

    Ok, can you come over and do that to my laundry room?? Looks great!!ReplyCancel

  • mrslimestone – So nice of you to say!!! The tin is sold in faux panels (they’re heavy-duty though) and is installed using a commercial grade adhesive. I made a HUGE mistake by not buying the one that “dries clear” and have suffered for it – will presumably need to hand mix some acrylic paints to cover up my brown glue scuffs.

    The installation was absolutely ridiculously challenging for me. Those old tiles on the ceiling were difficult to adhere to, and I was grabbing 2 x 4’s to brace them against things to hold up each tile until it dried. I was upside down for more hours than I would like to count – bad neck!

    That was the biggest nightmare of the project.

    The stone was adhered to the cabinets with a high commercial grade silicone. I don’t think a gorilla would be able to separate the counter from the base. Note sure exactly the brand as it was 6 months ago – I’m sure HD / Lowes would be able to provide it upon asking.

    The Blue stone needed to be (and needs to be) resealed every year. 2 coats. I chose a matte sealer which actually has an invisible appearance, which enables each groove to show as it is. I LOVE it.ReplyCancel

  • Joe

    That base cabinet next to the dryer should be “hinge right”… But other then that, nice…. But we’ve talked about this before I believe… 🙂 (Old habit looking at those things from my last job…)ReplyCancel

  • Joy

    Wow – what a difference. Nice work!ReplyCancel

  • Joe, I think I remember that discussion after the fact 😉 Did you have a suggestion for me to correct it at this stage of the game? I don’t remember.ReplyCancel

  • Barbara

    It’s absolutely beautiful! I give you a lot of credit for taking that project on all by yourself (with a little help from your brother-in-law). You have a great eye for decorating!ReplyCancel

  • […] cat’s away, the mouse will play. The last business trip / project-almost-completed was the Laundry Room Renovation, which I almost completed for Jimmy’s Father’s Day gift. 4 days. 2 kids. Late nights! […]ReplyCancel