House to Home

Fruit, but no vegetables

In the interest of preserving our sanity ­— and our marriage — I decided to let David convince me not to put in a vegetable garden this year. The thought of turning a largish area of sod (I’m think about 8 by 10 metres) into a functional garden is a labour-intensive endeavour. My preferred method is the garden lasagna: Lay down several layers of newspaper to smoother the grass, wet it down, and then build up a raised bed with layers of soil, leaves, compost, manure, etc. I’ve found this method works best if done the season before planting — ie. this summer for next spring. So, ideally, to get a vegetable garden ready to plant this spring, I should have been cooking up my lasagna as soon as we moved in late last summer. I didn’t, telling myself I’d find some other solution this spring. Again, I didn’t.
But I was reluctant to wait for a whole other year to come and go without getting a start on my edible gardens. I did dig an herb garden last year and transplanted a few perennials like tarragon, marjoram and lavender, leaving lots of room for additional perennial and annual herbs. But that seems pretty small potatoes compared to the baskets of tomatoes, zucchini, green beans and, well, potatoes, I have been harvesting the past few years. So I decided to expand my gardening repertoire with fruit trees.
On Sunday, I headed out to the Blue Willow Nursery in Georgina. With the help of its friendly and knowledgeable staff, I picked out a four-in-one apple tree, which features branches (and eventually fruit) of McIntosh, Gala, Granny Smith and Yellow Delicious; one each of Bartlett and Clapp Favourite pear (two different trees are necessary for pollination); and a chokecherry tree (more for its decorative and bird-attracting rather than edible qualities) and loaded them, along with an assortment of herbs — thyme, summer savoury, sage, basil — into my car (thank goodness for the hatch back and fold-down seats).
I spent the afternoon in the garden — happily tilling soil, digging holes and planting my new purchases. The photo showhe two pear trees.

There are no small jobs

Last Friday, I left David with what I thought would be a simple job, one that would take him away from the bathroom reno for mere minutes: Take down the not-so-attractive trim the previous owners had installed at the top of the kitchen walls. My thought was to repaint the kitchen ceiling (to cover up the drywall patch where a fan used to be) and install new lights before the new countertops arrive this coming Friday.
I think a bit of background is required here. In the midst of plans and purchases for our bathoom, I noticed a sale on solid surface countertops at our local home improvement store. The price, in combination with a promotion the store were offering to tie in with the federal government’s home improvement tax break, proved too good to pass up. The countertop in our kitchen is definitely in need of replacement.The laminate is inexpertly installed, with weird seams; it’s pale grey-pinkish colour that soaks up every coffee or curry spill; and there is glass cutting board thing glued down by the sink with trim that traps all sorts of food bits. It was in stiff competition with the green and gold faux marble vinyl tiles in the foyer for the ugliest item in the house.
So, despite the fact we already had our hands full with the bathroom reno, we decided to throw a new kitchen counterop into the mix. I reasoned that this job would require minimal effort on our part – removing the existing counter – as the installation would be done by professionals.
I could not have been more wrong.
On Friday, while I was at work, David pulled out his wrecking bar and got to work on the trim. In addition to nails, glue had been used to affix it to the wall. And as David started to pull the trim off, several layers of paint came with it – sometimes in huge sheets. It seems that several paint jobs ago, latex went on top of oil without the necessary primer.
So, this weekend I spent many hours stripping paint, which came off incredibly easily with a little tug is some spots, but required a lot of chipping in others (mostly those hard-to-reach places above the cupboards), and then cleaning up the paint chips that covered every surface of the kitchen. (The unspectacular results of my efforts, as well as the offending countertop, are shown in the photo.) It consumed my whole weekend – and I didn’t even get around to painting the ceiling. Now our minor kitchen makeover entails patching, priming and painting the walls, painting the ceiling, installing new overhead lights, watching the pros install the new countertop, and then eventually tiling the backsplash and replacing the peel-and-stick vinyl floor with some porcelain tiles. (This in addition to the new dishwasher, faucet, range hood and over-the-sink and under-counter lights we put in in the fall.)
On the bright side, while I was confined to kitchen, David worked away in the bathroom. After some discussion and last minute tweaks to our design plan, he started laying tiles – and they look even better than I had imagined. The end is in sight. And it’s a good thing because there are a whole host of other projects behind it.

Let the tiling begin

OK, enough is enough. After several setbacks (some self-imposed and other beyond our control), it’s definitely time to get down to some serious work on the finishes of our bathroom. Our latest delay, you may recall, was as a result of a leak in the whirlpool tub plumbing. That’s been fixed – not by the manufacturer as promised, but we were getting a little tired of waiting for a callback from them. All the behind the scenes work has been done and we’re ready to start tiling – the floor and baseboard, the tub base and two walls surrounding the tub. Actually, I’m hoping David, who has the day off work, is starting the job as I type. And, since a bathroom is a small space for two people to work and tiling is really a one-person job, I’m also hoping he will continue the job this weekend, leaving me some time to spend in the gardens.

Another setback

Well, I had hoped to be updating my blog this week with a tale of tiling – but we ran into a little snag this weekend.
David decided that before we began tiling in the bathtub platform it would be a good idea to fill it with water and run the jets at least once to ensure everything was functioning properly. I agreed – and not just because it would mean I could take a bath. I was enjoying the bubbles, a book and a glass of wine when David came in to inspect the hoses for leaks – and found one. Of course, it being a holiday weekend, there was no chance of fixing it that day. David’s first instinct was to head out the next day and buy some PVC cement to do the repair himself. But instead, he called the manufacturer, American Standard. The company said they would send out someone to inspect the problem and make any necessary repairs. We’re still waiting for that someone to show up.
I’m telling myself that this is better in the long run – I can only imagine what damage an undetected leak could have done over time. But after a couple of weeks at a standstill, I’m eager to get moving on this project – and get my bathroom back.

No more excuses

Last weekend we decided to take a break from our bathroom reno chores (Come on, we did too deserve it!) and invite some friends out for dinner and drinks.
Now our friends are seasoned DIYers, so we knew they would take a work in progress in stride (and, in fact, probably offer some encouraging praise as well). But we didn’t want their two-year-old son playing among the collection of tools – hammers, saws, drills, screws, nails – that had gathered in the hall outside the bathroom. Nor did we want them having to wash their hands under the bathtub spigot (well, actually the copper pipe to which the spigot will be attached). So the time last week I had hoped we might dedicate to tiling was spent making the bathroom (and its environs) functional and safe, and tackling those cleaning jobs that tend to pile up when a major renovation is going on.
It wasn’t all lost time, however. Three things came out of the weekend that I’m hoping well help spur this project on: compliments from our friends on our hard work to date; a clean house; and organized tools and materials.
All this, I’m hoping, leaves us out of excuses for getting down to work on the upcoming three-day weekend. Of course, I am concerned about how the stat holidays on Friday and Sunday mean only one of those three days is available for emergency trips to the home improvement store.

Minor adjustments

Work on the bathroom is progressing slowly but surely. I thought we’d be a little further along by now, but I have to admit our rather languid pace has limited the sharp words and stupid arguments that are inevitable when you’re working on a project, on a tight deadline, in a confined space, with your spouse.
And, it has also allowed us to make some minor adjustments to the plan as we go along.
For example, during a break from installing the backerboard around the tub, David surfed the web for faucets. He wasn’t entirely pleased with the one we purchased for the sink, and found a replacement that offers both a more appealing design and greater water efficiency.
This weekend, during a break from framing in the bathtub, we made a trip to the home improvement store to buy the new faucet and a few odd plumbing items for the sink. We took an unplanned detour through the wallpaper aisle. Now, if someone had suggested to either one of us a couple of months (or even a couple of weeks) ago that we might want to consider wallpaper for the bathroom, I’m sure the response would have involved some eye-rolling. But, for whatever reason, in that moment the idea of a feature wall in wallpaper appealed to both of us. We picked out a funky print of stylized leaves in black, white, silver and grey. Considering our history of safe choices when it comes our walls, we’re feeling very daring.
So, to recap, our new bathroom will feature a deep, whirlpool tub and a shallow, rectangular slab sink set on an open mahogany base. The tub surround/platform will be finished in the same warm grey 12-inch square tiles we are using for the floor (in a brick pattern) and a baseboard. The walls above the tub will be mostly white tiles (eight inch by 12 inch), likely accented by some sort of grey or black glass tiles (another adjustment, which we definitely have to decide on this week). Three walls will be painted a soft grey called wheat bread, and the fourth will feature the wallpaper. We still need some storage solution, probably some sort of tall cabinet in mahogany.
This week, I’m hoping we’ll get started on the tiling.

Back on track

Maybe it’s the journalist in me, but I find there’s nothing like a deadline for motivation.
A few short days ago I was explaining (complaining?) how our own failure to commit to the elements for our bathroom reno had put us behind schedule. But another marathon visit to our favourite home improvement store on Saturday got us back on track. We found an in-stock tub we liked – an American Standard drop-in model with 10 adjustable water jets – and everything else just seemed to fall into place. In one fell swoop, we bought the tub and assorted plumbing necessities, tiles (plus grout, cement board for the floor and a new lightweight product for the walls), paint, light fixture, mirror, sink (the same one we would have had to special order somewhere else was on the shelf here) and faucets. (Although I may trade in those mottled grey accent tiles for the handcrafted, recycled glass river crystals from Interstyle, www.interstyle.ca/products/river-crystals. But that’s a detail I won’t have to commit to for several days.)
In my optimism, I had booked an electrician to come in to add a circuit for the tub on Friday. So Sunday, David was free to start on the demolition. By the time I got home from work Monday, the old tiles, shower stall, sink and sub-floor were gone. David had replaced some spongy floor boards and was starting with the cement board. All I had to do was make dinner and serve it with a frosty beer (and bite my tongue about the fine layer of wood and drywall dust that covers every surface in our home.)

Sidelined by indecision

It’s not inactivity but indecision that has kept me from updating my blog for the past three-plus weeks. We have known for some time that our next big project was the main bathroom. And we decided work would begin on March  Break (i.e. next week). David has the week off work and I don’t, making it the perfect time to tackle all those behind-the-scenes jobs – electrical, plumbing, minor construction – that either require the help of a professional or fall under David’s to-do list. I agreed to keep my weekends (plus an extra couple of days early the following week) free for jobs like helping take out the old sink and shower stall, tiling and painting.
But, despite hours spent browsing the aisles of home improvement stores and sourcing products on the Internet, we still don’t have a final plan. Two weeks ago, we decided on the tiles – 12-foot-square warm grey tiles for the floor and baseboard; 8-by-12-inch white tiles in a brick pattern for the tub, with a mottled grey four-by-four-inch square tile used as an accent –  and paint, a soft grey called wheat bread.
However, we’re still waffling on the big pieces. Do we want a drop-in tub, for which we will have to build and tile a surround? Or is an alcove tub, for which we will have to build a wall at the end of the tub because the space (currently occupied by a shower stall and some temporary shelving) is too long, the way to go? We plan to use the extra space for some sort of linen closet. Should it be a freestanding cabinet or a built-in custom solution?
When we factor in shipping time for orders – none of the tubs nor the sink we like are in-stock items – there is no way we’re making serious headway on this project next week.
Maybe I’ll convince David to use the time to bring some order to the chaos of his office, which is currently painted an electric blue (accented by drywall mud where he patched holes from former shelves and new wiring) and is still home to eight or 10 half-unpacked cardboard boxes.

Coming clean

Following up on the publication of my most recent (and most positive) blog entry, I think it’s time to come clean on a DIY project of the complete opposite variety: the installation of our new dishwasher.
The 20-year-old model that came with the house never did work right. First, it was crazy loud. More than once I had to reassure David that the banging coming from the kitchen was not in fact someone trying to break into our house, but me trying to clean up after dinner. Second, it stopped cleaning the dishes on the top rack – even after David took it apart and fished out some sort of pick that had been lodged in the inner workings for who knows how long. Third, it was an energy pig.
So on Saturday, Nov. 1 at around 5 p.m. we headed to our local home improvement store to pick out a shiny new one. Informed consumers that we are, we’d been browsing for several weeks – on the Internet and in the store. We knew what we wanted (a Fisher & Paykel double dishdrawer at about $1,200) – but ended up buying something with a few less bells and whistles, a better EnerGuide rating and a much lower price tag (a Bosch model at $750).
We brought it home that night and set to work.
It was one of those jobs that should be fairly straightforward but – for reasons beyond your control like unconventional home repairs by a previous owner, the lack of a shutoff valve and new store hours – isn’t. It was one of those jobs that should be accomplished without multiple trips for parts, without arguments about why you bought this house in the first place, without Polysporin and bandages, but isn’t.
At 11 p.m., we were sitting in our living room, self-medicating with wine and leftover Halloween candy, while the dishwasher lay on its side in the kitchen temporarily attached to the water supply line so that we could access water in the rest of the house.
Sunday morning, I headed out to a fundraising event, leaving David to assess the situation and tour the plumbing departments of more than one store looking for the right fitting. When I got home the new dishwasher was installed (and operating), and David was vacuuming. What happened in the interim is between them.

An easy win

It was one of those rare projects that requires little forethought, comes in under budget and goes smoothly from start to finish.
Saturday evening I was looking through a flyer David had picked up at one of the local home improvement stores and noticed a kitchen faucet on sale at a great price. Our existing faucet – a newish, brushed stainless one by a well-known manufacturer – was not in desperate need of replacement, but I was getting pretty tired of its inefficiencies. First, it was one of those models with a side sprayer. I like a sprayer – they’re great for cleaning the sink or filling a deep pot on the counter – but I prefer the kind that pulls out from the tap: the water pressure is better and you don’t get the wasted water running from the tap and down the drain. Second, it was prone to dripping unless you turned it off just so.
Early Sunday afternoon David heading out to the store flyer in hand; he returned in record time with the desired faucet and a receipt showing the clerk gave him an extra 20 per cent off the advertised sale price). He pulled out his wrenches and in less than two hours, we had a sparkly new faucet gracing our sink.
There was no second (or third) trip to the store for more parts, no discovery of the sketchy work of a previous DIYer, no leaking water, no swearing.
I know what some of you are thinking – replacing a faucet is a simple job, of course it went smoothly. But that has not been our experience. Last time David attempted such a task, it took the better part of a weekend (including several hours with the water to the entire house turned off) and nearly meant replacing the whole sink.
After several weeks off from home improvement it was nice to get an easy win. It may just be the inspiration we need to finally start on that bathroom overhaul.