Bathroom Project is "Done"

Well, I'm back. I wanted to write one last post about our bathroom and move on...I just didn't know it would take sooo long to be done!

Quick review: The day we started, July 7, we were automatically three days behind when the plumbers stumbled on the mess under the house. Old lead pipes had become dislodged and two of our sinks were emptying into the crawl space. Lucky for us?, the crawl space has vents and stays "warm" year round. The ground is very dry and the water just leeched into the soil. We don't have a garbage disposal...thank God! 

Then it was a steady stream of folks for about two weeks.  Plumbers, electricians, painters, and carpenters. At each turn, something little happened, it seems, but none like getting the right faucet for the sink. You see, I just had to have a vessel sink. Ever since I saw my sister-in-law Kim's beautiful blue sink, I vowed to have one. Of course, I couldn't find the blue I wanted, and then I stumbled onto a clear sink! It seems that the sink is tall, and that most vessel faucets were too short, and the new medicine cabinet is too low. Five tries later, we have a faucet that  answers all the challenges. (See that little bit of room between the top of the faucet and the bottom of the mirror?) 

To add to the misery, I couldn't find a faucet for the soaking tub. Amazon to the rescue, because I thought $218 was enough - not $800 like Home Depot.

The wrong toilet was sent, and that required a trip to pick up one in a hurry. I appreciate the home improvement box stores because they will get it ready, but I had to make a 140 mile round trip to get it, only to find the plumbers left because they wanted to install everything in one day.

Then the painters took three days because they were jumping between jobs. 

Now, here is my quandary: Our shower was ordered just after the first of the year, but the doors weren't measured until the unit was installed, even though they had measured and knew our metal preference. So, the bathroom is essentially "finished," but we still don't have shower doors?

I left for some quality time in Wisconsin with my bestie. On August 7, Frank texted to say the second bathroom hot water heater was kaput! The plumbers couldn't replace it until today. No shower doors and no hot water in the second bathroom. He had to tub it.

We got the keys back to our bathroom on Monday, August 10, sans shower doors. The carpenter confirmed that the doors were in process, and their liaison would call to schedule installation. Tuesday we found out that "Nate" no longer works for the company, but, indeed, the doors were in process. 

Today, the new hot water heater is being installed. I have a long list of chores, and all of them include water! Since it is shut off for installation, I am paying bills (wink, wink). The chores still have to be done, because we leave on a camping trip tomorrow!

This will give you a giggle - Jennings' Law prevailed! All of a sudden we heard rushing water and the plumber yelling to his partner to shut off the water - Hurry! The gasket had blown (from where to where I don't know) and fortunately, their floor covering caught the better part of the shower!  

Pros and cons. Always do pros first: Still grateful that the leaks under the house were found and repaired. Thankful for tradesmen who know their craft and did their best for us. Happy that we have met tradesmen that we'll call on again in the future. Pleased that the vision we had for the bathroom is what we have. Cons: We could have used a bit more guidance ahead of time on purchasing. Still not sure how it took eight months for the Onyx to be finished and 10 months to have shower doors. 

Now it is my turn - to paint the legs to the tub, sand and finish the cabinets, and decorate a bit. Window coverings are still in development.

Funny ... the final bill arrived yesterday. I won't pay it until the shower doors are in.