When last we discussed the bathroom - or - The value of a good carpenter

You'll recall there was nothing going on while we worked on patching the subfloor and gathered plumbing quotes. I'm pleased to report we may have broken the log jam.

I had Bill, our faithful carpenter, stop by before we left town to look at a couple spots on the ceiling that needed patching. There was some odd framing left from the shower walls that I didnt quite know how to handle and a corner where an old roof leak had left the plaster all brittle and crumbly. I thought he'd give me a good price on the fix. Instead, he gave me a killer price on a full ceiling and subfloor replacement.

I had to kind of laugh when he proposed it. I said "Bill, why do my projects get more complicated everytime you come here?" His response was "Because I want to be sure all your projects get done right." I can't really argue with that.

He showed me how the old subfloor was a bit bouncy and explained that replacing it would allow him to glue and screw new wood to the floor joists. A solid footing under the Wonderboard would ensure that my floor tile stays in place and won't crack or break.

So he started yesterday and this afternoon when he called to see when I'd be home tonight I knew he was done. But there was more, and this is why Bill has his own code on our keypad deadbolt.

One of the shower walls was two different thicknesses. The studs were 2X4's on one half, and 2X6's on the other to accomodate the toilet stack. Not a big deal, but it would mean that I'd be tiling a floor-to-ceiling strip about 2 inches wide where I turned the corner. So what did Bill do? Without even asking he sistered up those 2X4's with new 2X6's to make that wall all the same, making the upcoming drywall and tile just that much easier, and the look just that much cleaner.

And that new ceiling? He got the greenboard for half price because he bought sheets with broken corners that he knew he could work around, and took the savings and bought new insulation which he put down up in the attic. Not because I asked, because we'd never discussed it. Just because what little insulation was there went with the demo, and attics need insulation, and that's just how he works.

California Dreaming

Ok, here are some vacation pics! They're all out of order because I'm lazy and Blogger tends to throw things up in reverse order. (Is it just me or does it do that to everyone?) Here we go.


Vineyards in the Valley, we hit about 8 over the three days so I don't exactly remember which this one was.
Same here, unidentified grapevines.

Union Square in San Francisco, at the end of the block from our hotel. True story: we'd gone back to the room for a nap Tuesday after the de Young museum. We could year noise and a loudspeaker from all the way up on the 8th floor. Thinking it could be something fun we ran down to check it out. It was a worker's rights protest group picketing our hotel. They had vuvuzelas.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards, the best tasting room, without a doubt. The reservation only "Farm to Table" tour starts with some company history, continues through the kitchen garden, hits the actual winemaking area (with a taste of just-pressed-moments-ago juice), through the caves, and finally to a pergola-covered table on the terrace. Six wines paired with delicious things cooked in the vineyard kitchen all enjoyed with a view of the vines. Seriously, call ahead and make the reservation, this one was fun.

It wouldn't be a trip to San Francisco without a visit to the gay high holy ground that is the Castro. You get off the Muni train and exit Harvey Milk station at Castro and Market, and come up right smack in front of the Diesel store. Somebody knows their target market.

And we rode a cable car. I never realized the cable was underground, I always thought it was the electrical wires overhead. Do not tease, I'm a Kansas boy, we have horrible public transportation here. Different mode, now I know.

Alcatraz island. I thought it would be kind of touristy but the 45 minute audio walking tour was quite interesting. The whole thing is smaller than you'd think. The main cell house is the sort of big, blocky industrial architecture you'd expect. This shot shows the ruin of the warden's house, which surprisingly was spanish colonial revival. I never expected it, but then again it's California so it's not at all out of character.

View of San Francisco from the water.

And the California Academy of Science (which looked really interesting), taken from in front of the de Young Museum. Devoting more time to the de Young next trip as the collection is amazing. We'll also be sure to hit the Legion of Honor as well.

So there you go, a few highlights. Brett will be sorting and making galleries this coming weekend I'm sure, so if I see that I've forgotten any stand-outs I'll be sure to post.

It was a really fun trip, but its good to be home and sleep in my bed (with Alex Schnauzer!)

Home from California

And we're back. The weather in California, both San Francisco and the Napa Valley, was beautiful. More wine and food than I thought was possible, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have tons of pictures on the camera and will try to post a few soon.

Trolling Craigslist: Lighting Strikes

I think I've mentioned before how awful the Kansas City Craigslist is. We're awash in a sea of honey oak, "hand-carved" and "purchased just last year from Nebraska Furniture Mart!" Ugh.

But still I look, because you never know, and once in a while something interesting pops up.

Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin per the posting, and I'm inclined to believe it (although I'd sure as hell be looking for a mark).

They're upfront and specifically say that it needs refinishing, and it does. I'm okay with that because I bet its solid. I might like it even more just a bit darker.

They also call it zebrawood, which its not, but okay. They're asking $200 which doesn't seem obscene, but I'd still offer less.

I'm not even going to inquire as we've got plenty going on without another expense or project, but if we were between things here I'd totally give them a call.

I was going to live blog Dancing with the Stars

But between the underwhelming performances (I feel so bad for Michael Bolton) and Evil Sarah Palin in the audience I'm not certain I can finish watching.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure whoever made Bristol's dress is a democrat.

Did Carrie Ann just say balls? I believe she did!

***Update***
Well alright Jennifer Gray, nicely done! I think you should have got 9s personally.

And hopefully that was the last we'll see of Sarah Palin.

Firsts: Plumbing edition

Minor disaster struck in the basement this past week when the washing machine emptying suddenly caused water to begin streaming up through the floor drain. A couple applications of drain opener didn't help, and actually the second product (a gel) made it worse. Finally this afternoon we called Roto-Rooter.


We have six different stacks in the basement all leading to main waste lines. He had Brett run up and begin flushing toilets (except the one we're still missing) in an effort to diagnose. The master bath flush sent more water up through the drain. As the water rose I mumbled "Oh shit" to which the plumber replied "Probably."


Things didn't seem to be getting any better when he couldn't get the clean out open and announced that he'd have to chisel it out. The replacement was only 20 bucks.


As he got to work Brett and I sat at the table steeling ourselves for the worst, and praying that the old pipe hadn't simply collapsed. Finally we headed down to check, and the wet spot around the drain where the standing water had been signified that the drain was open.


Roto-Rooter guarantees their work and as such he went ahead and snaked the line to his machine's 100 foot max. He thought the clean-out had never been opened and guessed that 58 years of build-up was the culprit. As the drain snake worked its way back out he pulled out a big black blob that appeared to be a towel. Because he was wearing two pairs of gloves he poked around and finally laughed. It was pantyhose.

I guess I could get some fries instead

(photo via Joe.My.God)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Geometrics

With no work happening on the bathroom project and apropos of nothing, I've been thinking about wallpaper. None of the current paper will survive, but we'll definitely put some back up. I'm digging Fretwork by G P & J Baker. This is the silver colorway, which might be nice on the wall which will separate the living and family rooms. That wall will float in between the two rooms not connecting to any other walls, I could match the paint on the surrounding walls to the background.


It also comes in a pale aqua colorway which looked really sharp. The dining room has very little wall, picture windows on two walls and archways on the other two (eventually). I'd been thinking about black walls as there was so little of them, but some pattern could be nice too. I could also match the ground for painting the coved ceiling. Black wood floor, pale aqua ceiling, subtle pattern on the walls-I could live with that. And plenty of time before we have to make any decisions.

Patience

The plumber was scheduled to return on Sunday for the following:

1. Replace sink supply lines
2. Replumb shower
3. Remove toilet drain (so we can finish the subfloor replacement)
4. Re-install sink and shower drain vent piping

End result? No call, no show.

His reply to Brett's email today was that while he'd like to finish the job he's unsure when he'll be available so we should find someone else. I'll be interested to see if we get a bill for the tearout.

While we were out Saturday we stopped by the tile shop to see about our wall tile, which was back ordered until September 3rd. Estimated arrival: October 18th.

We had Alex in the car with us so I stayed out with him. Brett was barely out the door when he yelled "I should just cancel the order." In the face of his displeasure the store staff had nothing to offer other than a lukewarm apology. Later on they did call Brett's niece (who ordered the tile for us utilizing her designer discount) and offered up the same stone in the 12X24 size at the price we paid for the 8X19.5.

I'm inclined to wait it out as what we ordered is what I think is absolutely right. I feel like the scale of the 12X24 tile is too chunky for the size of the room, but I've promised Brett I'll make some cardboard templates and tack them up to the wall so we can look at them.

Reveal photos will now likely include a jack-o-lantern.

Town & Country

We've had a little trip planned for a while now. Its next month, but the excitement just kicked in over the last few days. We start with a couple of days in the gay holy ground that is San Francisco, just Brett and I. We're staying at the Hotel Frank which looks very cool. If you've stayed there let me know what you thought.

And then Chris and Rachel and Cece join us for a few more in Napa.

This photo is from the Calistoga Ranch website. We're not staying here this time because we're saving it for our honeymoon when Prop 8 is finally overturned. Instead, and because its the middle of harvest and hotel rooms are nonexistant, we've rented a house at one of the vineyards. Theres a pool and views of the vines, so it should be a lot of fun and very relaxing. And very boozy. The end of the month can't get here soon enough.

The finest woodworking you'll never see

This has been the most monsterously manly weekend I've experienced in...maybe forever. Showering has been spotty (as in not yet today and it's 530pm) and I haven't shaved since Friday morning, but we've got some things done.

Here is about 40 inches of bathroom wall where the new sink will go. Fitting in nicely between the corner and a door, the only problem was going to be centering things. The Resto cabinet is sized to slip right in between studs (as am I!) but that was going to shift everything just slightly to the right. Further right than I could deal with. So with Brett, a measuring tape, a square, and the two power saws my mother bought me last week as an early birthday present, today we got down to it.

We did a dry fit before we nailed in the final board and it fit like a glove. It took careful planning and a crazy amount of measuring and marking, but this is the crowning achievement of the weekend.

The floor on this half of the bathroom is in good shape so we went ahead and tacked down new vapor barrier. Not a huge accomplishment I know, but part of the process.

What really does matter in the grand scheme is a solid subfloor. The old shower was cement inside a lead liner. For the most part it held up just fine, but the tile around it has been shot for some time, and with it the walls and part of the floor. Trimming back to the center of the floor joists and avoiding extraneous framing for drains and vents took longer than we thought. Piecing in too seemed a bit unwieldy, but neither of us were prepared to just up and replace the entire floor. The end result, while not a textbook repair I'm sure, is solid and flat.

Obviously theres a bit more of that to come. As mentioned, the plumber has to come back and do some things so we can fix around the toilet, and then we'll really be ready to move. Floor tile underlayment, pony wall, insulation and drywall are up next, in that order.

Brett is cleaning up and heading out to pick up some BBQ. After the weekend we've had grilled meat seems only fitting.

And so we labor

Hope your labor day weekend is going well! Ours has been...laborious.

We've cut out some bad spots in the bathroom subfloor (old rot and/or termite damage) and patched in with new wood. Its been a little bit frustrating because we have to leave the area around the toilet. The plumber left the cast iron pipe in. Once he's back to remove that I can replace that wood and we're moving.

In other areas we're going to go ahead and put down the vapor barrier and mortar/screw down the tile underlayment. We just cut a hole for the new floor register which is moving about 4 feet from where it was. I tweeted that I got mad jigsaw skills because it seems a lot like a sewing machine.

And here's something nice that happened: We walked into Lowe's yesterday with our materials list. We found the sawhorses and were about to start looking for everything else when Alli approached us and said "You guys have the look, can I help you find something?" She then proceeded to walk us around to get every single thing we needed. What's more, she helped a few other people on the way without ever breaking stride.

Management of the Lowe's in Roeland Park, Alli rocks, please note your file.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday everyone. I hope to have progress pictures soon!

What Emmy winners do the next morning

Relax in the back yard with the dog of course...

Hard work pays off

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Congratulations Eric! The only thing more awesome than your winning best supporting actor in a comedy was that your mom was sitting next to you when Betty White read your name.

Canis singularis

So mid-week last week, Chris (husband of Rachel, Brett's business partner) was playing golf at Swope Memorial when a dog started following them around the course. At one point she climbed up into the cart and went to sleep. No collar, and nobody at the clubhouse seemed to know or care anything about her. Even though he's not totally a dog guy Chris didn't feel like he could just leave her there, so he brought her home.


She's gotten along fine with Rachel's lab Lucy, and she's been good to the kids, but Maya (who just turned two) seems to be a bit afraid of her, so the search is on to find her a home. She's been to the vet and he's guessing her at 6-9 months old. She's in good shape and some sort of lab mix, I'm guessing with rhodesian ridgeback as that hair stands up on her back when she gets excited and barks. A beautiful face, tan with a black muzzle. She's very sweet, wags her tail constantly, and knows enough to go to the bathroom outside.


Last night was another wine tasting at their house. All California wines, all delicious by the way. Anyway, by the end of the evening we were all quite comfortable. I was fine to drive, but some how on the way out said "we'll take her home for the evening" and off we went.


She was a good girl, slept with us just fine, didn't chew on anything, and was really generally quite nice. And Alex was visably irked the entire time.


He's a social boy. Sure, he tends to want to meet people first, like at the dog park, but then he's thrilled to run and play with the dogs there. But we've gotten the idea since Jack's passing that Alex really is perfectly happy to be an only dog.


He and nameless girl dog got along fine. There was no fighting, but her one overture to playing was met with indifference. He just seemed tense.


We took her back this afternoon and tonight he seems to be back to normal. Relaxed, but kind of sleepy, probably from a day spent trying to figure out what was going on. Strangely he never seems like this when Prada comes to stay, so I don't know what was going on. I do know that while we've talked about a second dog (for company, which we thought he'd like), we're in no hurry now.

Thats quite a basket

Linking and looking around like I do, I found this. Its the Sullivan console from Jayson Home & Garden. 55 by 16 by 30, $995. Love it.

A lifetime ago

My friend Scott, who I've known since the 8th grade, was over in Kansas City, Kansas today. We both live in Kansas City, Missouri now, but we're KCK boys originally. He was early for an appointment and killing some time driving around, so he cruised by the house I grew up in, which is on the market with a pending sale.


It was dark brown with stone trim when we lived there. There were originally huge white birch trees on either side of the walk, but they got some tree disease and had to come down. The replacement must have come from a later owner, I don't remember my parents planting anything after.

It's strange to see it now, not because of whats changed, but because of what hasn't, like the cabinets in the kitchen. The walls had a black and white paisley wallpaper and there was a brick patterned vinyl on the floor, otherwise its untouched. To the right was the big bar cabinet where I learned to mix my dad's Chivas and water, the beginning of my affinity for scotch. Oh, and that pendant where the table goes was red. Painting it to match the walls was a good idea.

I'm really surprised that nobody has ever pulled out that paneling or those fake beams. The pinkish carpet looks bad, but its way better than the olive green I used to flop down on to watch TV.

Most shocking of all is the asking price of 110K, for a 4 bedroom 2 bath house. I sold my 2 bedroom 1 bath bungalow in Brookside (not far from where we are now) 10 years ago for 112K. Location location location, it really is true.

I've said before that I'm not sentimental about houses, but seeing it again does give me pause. A lot of things went down within those walls, mostly good things, a few not so great. Like any house I suppose.

Resto Fall Collection - My picks

The Resto catalog came today. Actually, two came, oddly. Either way, there were some good things, and some things I just thought were kind of silly. (RH, we can rip the bindings off our own books, tie them together and dip them in tea. For far less than 29 bucks.)


In no particular order, my faves:

Digging this oak side table, especially in the smaller size

Not exactly a new offering, but I could find a spot for this column table as well.

I didn't think I cared for this wall lamp at first, but the more I look the more I do.

Is it me or are chesterfields looking really good lately. It says this comes in all fabrics, I SO hope that includes black leather.

This planisphere print isn't exactly new either, and it's got to come down from its price of $995, but I love it and know exactly where I'd like to hang it. 55.5 inches square. Love.

Maybe its because I've seen these "french postal desks" at the Porte de Vanves market in Paris, but I like it a lot. Would be great in a stray corner or spare bedroom. I'd recover the seat in dark leather rather than the tan.

Digging this too, although there are far better choices than oatmeal linen.

There were a number of other things I liked as well, including a couple new bath cabinets in oak with an antiqued gray finish that just might work, say, in a black and white marble bath. Maybe. I'll have to see when we're done.

Farmers Market

The last time I thought to go to the farmers market it was early summer, and there wasn't much there. Yesterday Brett and I were up early for the American Cancer Society's Bark for Life (my office participates), so after bringing Alex back home we ran down to the River Market for some vegetables.

We should do this all summer, I don't know why we don't think of it. All you see in the pictures, plus some lettuce and cilantro that are in the crisper and I don't think we spent ten bucks.

I need to undo my pants *photo update!*

Lobster cake
Sea bass & risotto

Snapper

Tenderloin

Lamb

Flourless chocolate cake & chocolate orange cheesecake

Brett and Rachel had a client who is a chef, and tonight he paid his bill with a dinner. Eleven of us gathered at Rachel's around 730pm. We started with a glass of prosecco and then enjoyed:

-Smoked lobster cake with a chipotle mayo and pickled jalepeno/onion/tomato salad.

-Chilean sea bass in a lobster cream sauce with asparagus truffle risotto.

-Snapper with a tomato gastrique and a tomato pineapple relish.

-Beef tenderloin (with a sauce I can't remember at the moment) and wild mushroom mashed potatoes.

-Rack of lamb in a goat cheese demi glace and roasted potatoes with roasted garlic and sauteed green onion.

-Flourless chocolate cake with liquored cherries and chocolate orange cheesecake.

There were wine pairings with each course and lots of laughter, and every single thing that was set in front of me was delicious. My ass is kicked, but in the best possible way.

It's Brett's big day

Happy birthday Baby!

Loose wires

The electrician is here today running wire and installing recessed lights and what looks to be a very capable and quiet Panasonic exhaust fan. Hardiebacker is sitting in the garage awaiting installation on the floor, and the Schluter shower kit and floor tile are here and ready when we are. Moving the ball down the field.

Confidential to Mrs. B.

The tudor around the corner is lovely, it just needs some love. Everyone could have their own room and you'd still have one left for guests. Seems like a lot of half baths when you count them but it's probably very convenient to live with. Just sayin. =)

Who loves California? I do!

Bare bones

Demo was not completed over the weekend, but not for lack of trying. The minor plumbing complications caused us to not be able to get the sink and toilet out until after the plumber came. That happened today, so we're ready to clear the rest of the room.

Our lack of a power saw also proved to be a handicap in getting out the studs around the shower. They'd probably come out with a few good whacks from our trusty sledge hammer, but after two days of work neither of us had it in us.

We're taking one day off this week to complete everything before they pick up the dumpster and I don't think we should have any problems getting everything completely stripped down.

The next photo you get should show a perfectly empty room. I am pleased to report my plastic and tape job seems to have kept the dust out of the bedroom, save for the paw prints.

Hammered

Here's a few photos from yesterday while we're on break. I'd forgotten how horribly strong our plaster-over-drywall walls are.

Except of course the enormous rotted chunk that came down all at once. That grab bar kind of made me laugh because it was way too heavy to carry. At some point it broke in two and we got it out to the dumpster.

Speaking of the dumpster, someone has tossed in their bag of dog poop each morning. Not that I care, I just find it funny that each day has greeted us with a bag of foreign crap.

We've done well taking things down without disturbing the new bedroom walls on the other side, with the exception of one screw head-sized perfect circle of spackle which popped off in the bedroom. Easy fix.

There are of course a couple of hiccups, in the form of two vent pipes revealed when the walls came down. One is in the shower wall that needs to move about 8 inches west, and one is right where the medicine cabinet needs to be. Frustrating, but if thats the worst thing that happens we're incredibly lucky. So far there does not appear to be any rot that can't be dealt with. One thing we have learned: rotting wood smells awful. Things are dryer today so its much better.

Today has been all about the floor, and the pneumatic impact hammer we rented. Tile over a nearly two inch mortar bed on metal mesh. Hellish in some ways, but we've made surprisingly quick headway. Hopefully the shower bed comes out just as well.

And we're off

We have one unblemished sink basin,
And one 12 yard roll-off in the driveway.

That means its Demo Weekend at Chez Malaise! I had a few spare minutes at work today so I typed up a whole schedule of what to do when. We spent the evening moving some stuff around and cleaning up a bit, followed by removing a number of doors. Tomorrow starts with a trip to Lowe's (and a coffee run) and then its hammer swinging time. The plumber is scheduled for Tuesday morning to move pipes, and the electrician is either Monday or Wednesday for all the wiring. We've promised them both a room stripped down to the studs so there's no choice, we go until we're there.

I have no doubt we'll find a bit of rot and mold, but the entire bathroom is sitting on a nearly 2 inch pad of concrete so hopefully the damage is only in the walls and not the subfloor. Cross your fingers for us.

Here we go

"Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and lesbians." - Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker

Proposition 8 has been overturned in California. The entire ruling is available online, and while I plan to read it, I thought the above quote summed it up nicely. The appeals process has already begun and I expect the entire battle will just get uglier and uglier. But at least for today, we have something to celebrate.