Ronnie got some new motorcycle swag...

So she can now join me for my Sunday morning ritual ride to Starbucks, which means we will both be gone by 8:00am now. This is really good news for Julie.

Day 6

Sealed the grout. Looks the same, so no pic.

Day 5 ends- minor problems

I'd planned on installing the new cabinet and shelving today while I'm waiting for the grout to dry (another 24 hours, and then 24 more for the grout sealant to dry). Unfortunately, disaster struck and the new cabinet won't fit against the wall because there is a plumbing cleanout in the way. I was going to attack the cabinet with my sawzall, but decided I wasn't in the right mood- that can wait until tomorrow when I've calmed down a bit. Instead, I decided to install the GFI outlet (I couldn't believe we had an unprotected outlet right by the sink!) that we'd picked up, along with the replacement light switches and cover (Julie doesn't like the old beige ones). I learned a very important lesson about GFI's- never, EVER buy the cheapest one. It's not that it won't function, it's the fact that they don't use capture screws in the assembly. If you don't know what that means, just go with the fact that they are a major pain in the ass to install. While I was cussing at the stupid GFI outlet, Julie slipped up to Lowes to pick up some tiles for the sidesplash, so I guess there will be some more tiles installed too.

Day 4

Grouting completed.

Day 2

OK- really day 3, but I went out motorcycle riding day 2.

Day 1 ends

Did demolition, withstood 3 hour shopping excursion, new sub flooring, laid cement board, and painted (the roller part). My remodeling assistant just jumped in to finish off the brushwork.

The plumbing pissed me off this week...

So I took it out on Ronnie's bathroom. It all started last Wednesday, when Julie asked me to look at the shower because it was leaking through the knob. I took the knob off, then noticed that the valve behind the knob had about a 3 drip per second leak. Long story short, burned a vacation day soldering in a new 3 way valve, without ripping out the shower stall (take that know it all home depot guy!). Friday evening, downstairs on the computer when Ronnie flushed her toilet- half of it came down on my back. Tear the toilet out, thinking it needed a new wax gasket, but the gasket was fine. The water from our shower had been leeching into the sub floor of Ronnie's bathroom, and it finally gave. When I was tearing out the old floor to inspect the damage, I found out that the previous home owner caused this by putting staples through the old linoleum so it would stick to the sub-floor, then he put new linoleum on top of that. He used regular old staples, straight out of a desk stapler. He then caulked the new linoleum to the wall, but the new linoleum over hung the old by about a half inch. This means the water from my shower leak was going directly under the new linoleum, and penetrating through the hundreds of now rusted out staples. The positive note for Ronnie (and Julie) is that we were able to spend 2 hours today at Lowes, with the two of them picking out new tile, paint, light fixtures, and cabinetry so I can have more fun things to do for the next week.