Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 34

Bathroom In Progress: Part Four

Day four got the shower tiled. If you remember from the part three post, the shower was only partially tiled. That's because the accent tile was on some netted backing and it kept wanting to collapse when the main tile was put above it. They had to stop work and let the accent set overnight.

Today is also the day the guy from the foundation company finally got around to calling. It's a good thing it we didn't need them because, boy, was he late to the party.

Another interesting thing happened today. After the guys left, my dad went to get the mail and our neighbor was outside with her girls. She was curious about what was going on over here and my dad told her about the cracks in the bathroom and that we were fixing it/renovating it.

That's when she told my dad they had the same problem at their house. They'd gotten their bathroom fixed earlier. Maybe the end of last year? I can't remember.

I also asked the contractor about the seat for my shower. I didn't see anything and it was tiled and wouldn't they build the seat first? I discovered they had that covered and that they don't have to build seats any longer. The same company that made the orange stuff for the shower walls also made seats that just needed to be set in.

Oh, and instead of a shelf, I got a niche. Also the niches are pre-made by that company and simply slid into position.

The original finish date for the bathroom was supposed to be July 1st. I knew we weren't making that date, and as it turned out, I was right.

And even after everything is put together, I'll still be waiting for the door guys to install that. They came out and measured the second week of upheaval.

Pictures from Day Four:

Stay tuned for Day Five!

Bathroom In Progress: Part Three

Day three of bathroom renovations saw tile start to go up, mostly around the bathtub.

Three days without my bathroom.

It was inconvenient from the very start, but now it's like getting old and inconvenient. My dad lives with me and we have never shared a bathroom. He and my mom had their own and we each had our own here, too. But now I've invaded his bathroom.

I didn't think I had much counter space in my master bathroom. I always felt as if I could use a little more, but moving my things to my dad's vanity showed me just how much space I really do have. Instead of moving everything over, I ended up only pulling out the items I really needed.

My dad volunteered to move his things to the powder room, so he's shaving there and using it more than his own bathroom. Also, my dad had a wooden toilet seat and I discovered that the paint has been scrubbed off of it in a variety of locations. There's nothing else wrong with it, but it looks horrible. He never complained. I ordered a new seat--a plastic one so we won't have to worry about the paint being scrubbed off of it.

My closet is on the other side of my bathroom and I moved the clothes and other things I needed out of there and into the closet under the stairs. Everything is hanging on and over-the-door hook. I can't tell you how many mornings I've taken a shower, gone back to my room, and realized I forgot to grab clothes from the hall closet.

The other inconvenience is the tile has been in my garage since the first day, and because of where it was positioned, I couldn't pull the car all the way into the garage. This didn't seem like a big deal until the first morning I had to drive to work and my windows had all this condensation on them. They also continually fogged up as I drove and I had my wiper blades going to keep the windows clear.

And let's not forget the afternoon storms. As I'm writing this, we're under a severe thunderstorm warning. I'm just hoping it doesn't involve hail because my car is parked in the driveway and there's nowhere to shelter it.

Day three pictures:

 The pink/red stuff in the shower is sealant.

Bathroom In Progress: Part Two

Day two of the renovation began the process of putting things back together again. This is when the contractor made an interesting discovery.

My shower drain hadn't been installed properly.

I'd been worried about the way the grout was separating in the corner of the shower and water getting behind the walls and making mold. I didn't need to worry about that. There was no moisture back there. My problem was the drain.

Instead of putting it in with one part, they'd used three of them, jury-rigged them together. Apparently, they were seated any which way. And instead of my water draining, it was pooling under the shower floor. This was a big problem and could have led to a mold issue.

Wouldn't you think the housing inspector would catch this before signing off the plumbing?

They also discovered grout and other gross things in the drain. Looks like the guys who built the house didn't clean up right. Anyway, it's fixed and cleaned up now and they installed this Schluter system in the walls and floor of the shower. I'd heard about it when a guy I worked with had his bathroom renovated and it's supposed to be top of the line stuff.

They also installed the new green board thing around the tub. Sorry, I can't do better than this, but you know, I was maxed out with the orange shower liner. :-)

Here are the day two pictures I know you're waiting for:

Bathroom In Progress: Part One

I promised on Tuesday that I would tell the story of the foundation company. Some fun here.

The guy came out and did the inspection. He said the odds were 95% that there was a crack in the foundation and that I would need foam injected under the slab to level it. Because he wasn't completely sure, he didn't take a deposit.

We also had a little time crunch going on. The renovation was starting on Monday and this was the Thursday before. They normally need five weeks lead time, but he said he'd work with the scheduling department. I should call him as soon as the tile was up on Monday and he'd jump on it.

Okay. So the tile came up on Monday and there's a crack. My dad calls the guy. Three times. A few hours apart. He finally calls back that evening. Keep in mind that literally two business days have passed since this guy was out to inspect the foundation. He's left the company and no longer works there. He's going to pass our number on to someone else.

I'm like, um, dude? No warning? Did he not give two-weeks notice?

Anyway, the contractor wasn't concerned. He said it was a stress crack and nothing affecting the foundation. And the guy who quit from the foundation company was worried about one side being higher than the other. But when I ran my finger across the area, everything felt level to me.

Do you know when the guy called who took over for the guy who quit? Thursday. THURSDAY. By then, we had the tile done around the shower and were starting to put down the liner for the floor.

Here are the shots of the tear down:

Renovation Day Two brought a revelation about the the shower. Stay tuned for that story.

Bathroom Before

Last week, I blogged about the cracks in my bathroom floor. Now, I'm going to talk about my journey from brown bathroom, to new bathroom. The blogs might span more time than the renovation.

Because, of course, I've taken pictures every night after the guys have left for the day and I always find a tangent to chase after.

Let's start with the before pictures. This is what the bathroom looked like when I bought the house--minus the cracked floor, of course.

Everything is so, well, brown. This is not my style at all. I can do white or gray, but brown/tan/beige? Not my bag. The only thing I liked in the master bathroom when I bought the house was the counter. It's a very pretty marble. Let me see if I can find a closer shot of that.

I ended up editing a photo instead. The one shot I have of the counter by itself didn't turn out looking too good. I'm also not a fan of the vanilla colored cabinets. Not my style. And I loathe the oiled bronze. Loathe it.

Actually, the decor of the entire house is not my style. The wood floors are too dark, the granite counter tops are about as dark a brown as you'll ever see, and those vanilla cabinets with the oiled bronze...ugh! But to avoid the stress of building, I decided I could live with it.

I'm living with it. And trying to slowly replace the things I hate. Like the lights in the dining room. The pendant lights over the island. The lights in the master bathroom were changed before I ever moved into the house.

Anyway, the bathroom renovation was not planned. Not even a little bit, but the cracks kept getting worse.

And here's the crack with the tile off the floor.

I had a foundation company come out and look. They couldn't make the determination whether or not there was a problem until the tile was up. The bare floor is still cracked, but there's no drop between the two sides. The contractor doing the bathroom renovation believes it's just a stress fracture and nothing that needs a fix to the foundation, which is good news.

I have a story about the foundation company, though. I'll tell that on Thursday.

Ouch!

 

I've had cracks in my master bathroom tile for a while. I did have someone come out before the pandemic to get an estimate, but they never got back to me despite contacting them several times. And then the pandemic hit and it went on the back burner.

Well, it came off the back burner when I saw there were gaps in the grouting in the shower. Now this is a handle right away problem because moisture back there can lead to mold and I don't want mold.

And now I'm having my master bathroom taken apart and fixed.

Ouch!

The job was bigger (and more expensive) than I expected it to be, but instead of just taking out the floor, sealing it, and replacing it and regrouting the shower, everything has to come out. Everything. I'll be getting a brand new shower, a brand new floor, but keeping my cabinets and counter and tub. All the tile is going. The shower door will be replaced, too.

Part of me is excited to get a bathroom that will be more my style. The one that was in the house when I bought it isn't me. It's done mostly in brownish/beigeish tile and has a very traditional feel. I changed the lights before I moved in and swapped out the toilet paper holder. I kind of wish I was replacing the cabinets and tub, too, but the cost is already more than I wanted to see, so I can live with them. I told the guy doing the restoration that when I bought the house, the only thing in the bathroom that I liked was the counter.

I will do some before and after pictures and talk about it here on the blog. But seriously? Did I need this when I'm trying to get a book ready for release? Wicked Deception is available August 15th.

A Good Podcast on Organization

 

And back to podcasts. :-)

But I have a specific reason to return to the topic today. I finally found a organization podcast that gives step by step instructions on how to organize. If you remember a post from a few weeks ago, I was complaining about how none of them really give actionable advice.

This podcast actually had me making notes! And one episode even had the instructions listed in the show notes in outline form.

I've listened to about half a dozen episodes now and can recommend Delcutter Your Chaos with host Amber Cammidge. The link goes to Apple Podcasts.

There's a step by step episode on how to declutter your garage. This is the one that had the steps in the show notes. I took a screen shot on my phone so that I could implement them this fall when it cools off here.

There's a five-part series on how to declutter your kitchen, one episode for each weekday. She breaks it down into bite sized pieces so it's not overwhelming, but doable. There's another five-part series on how to declutter your home office.

Other episodes include how to declutter your wardrobe, what to do with electronic waste, and how to declutter toys and board games. I've got how to declutter the bathroom on my phone, ready to listen to as well as four steps to get rid of the clutter.

She has one quote that I wrote down on my white board at work. I don't remember it exactly, but it was something like: "Without decluttering, organizing is just moving stuff around."

Yes. I have lots of stuff I should get rid of.

Adventures in Tailgating

 

I hate driving in Atlanta. I find it extremely stressful. The drivers here are far too aggressive and will tailgate at 80 miles an hour on the freeway. Even if the other lanes are completely clear, it's like they refuse to pass.

In Minneapolis, I always drove in the left lane and almost never had to move over for anyone. Down here? I drive on the right and still these jerks tailgate.

I've reached a point where I get angry about it. Especially in the morning. There's not much traffic and there's no reason to ride my bumper. And it was Monday morning and I was crabby anyway, so... But I'm jumping ahead. Let me backtrack.

I'm driving on a highway that has several speed changes. It also has a stretch of three lanes that drop down to two just past a busy intersection. Shortly before this intersection, there's a big speed change. It goes from 50 mph to 40mph. I always slow down for several reasons, but some people don't bother.

I'm driving in the middle lane because that right lane drops off shortly and there's only a few other cars on the road with me. As I approach the speed change, I begin to slow down. Suddenly, there's a car in the right hand lane beside me and I'm like: Whoa! Where did he come from?

And then he cuts over behind me. Riding my bumper because I'm slowing down to the speed limit. The light is green, and I know slowing down might mean I have to wait at the light, but I'm not flying through this intersection. And if the asshat on my bumper doesn't like it, he can go around me. There is a left hand lane for him to use. I was irritated.

I remained at the speed limit despite his pushing me.

That's when my driving app goes off and reports police reported ahead. And I'm like, I bet this guy behind me is a cop. It was dark and I couldn't tell.

We go through the intersection and he finally goes around me. I was right. It's a cop. The guy in the left lane is going close to the speed limit, too, and he doesn't speed up either. The police car cuts back over to the right lane and starts aggressively coming up on the car in front of me.

That driver sped up.

And kept speeding up, pulling farther and farther away from me. I knew this wasn't going to be good, and sure enough, farther up the highway, the cop has the driver pulled over.

I'm not sure if the driver slowed down or not at that speed change. They might not have and maybe that's why the cop sprang out from wherever he was. Maybe the driver was using their phone and the officer saw the light? Georgia is a hands-free state. Or maybe he just wanted to give someone a ticket and counted on his aggressive tailgating to cause someone to speed up and I didn't bite. Neither did the guy in the lane next to me, so he kept trying cars until he found someone who did go faster and faster. Or maybe some reason I didn't come up with. Who knows?

I think he was trying to get someone to speed up, though, because of how he tailgated me and I was doing the speed limit or barely over it when he pulled that little stunt. I guess I can be grateful for my attitude--it saved me from a ticket.

Little Notes

 

One of those organization podcasts I listened to mentioned something about throwing away the little notes and maybe consider using our phone to write them down instead of paper. And then she said, and they don't even make sense when you look at them again.

I was like, hmm. Sometimes they don't, but most of the time I know exactly what I meant even months and months later.

And then I was in my office and a Post-it note got knocked to the floor. I picked it up and I saw the following:

Pepper
kick

Um, huh? Pepper, and directly beneath it, kick. I have no idea what this means. None. I don't even remember ever writing it, but I did. I might have thought it was a grocery list if there was only pepper listed, but kick throws everything out of whack.

I put the note on my desk and have been looking at it off and on, waiting for memory to strike. It's been a week, nothing has come back to me. I've decided to do what the organization podcast said. I'm throwing it away.

The Old Is New Again?

Apologies. Another blog post on podcasts. I'm deep into revisions and choosing the easiest topics for me to blog about.

After I failed to find any new podcasts (I'm not counting the one I used to listen to and forgot about), I looked at the podcasts in my app.

I turned off checking for new podcasts on all of them because when I work from home, I don't usually listen to podcasts. My office is nice and quiet. When I'm forced to go to the office, I listen to podcasts pretty much all day long to attempt to block out the noise and chaos. Open office seating is a bunch of BS.

This was an interesting flashback.

When I turn off the check for updates automation, I frequently go and manually update when I'm looking for something to listen to. Most of these podcasts hadn't been updated since before the pandemic hit.

When I did update them, I discovered some of them have gone defunct. I'm not positive, but I think it's all the podcasts this one new podcast studio produced. They were less than a year old (or barely more than a year old) when the pandemic hit. I don't know. Maybe the new company couldn't survive?

I also ended up deleting a few of these podcasts. If I hadn't listened to them in two plus years, did I really still need to have them on my app?

I should have deleted a lot more, but I knew if I did, I'd forget about them completely (like I did the podcast I mentioned in Tuesday's post) and I didn't want to do that. I am going to make more of an effort to listen to some of them.

Also, I shouldn't have even needed to look for podcasts. I have two on my app that are active downloads that I got super backed up on during the pandemic. One has 60 episodes and the other 80. I definitely have enough to listen to, but I didn't feel like either one of them.