Landscaping: Front Yard

When it came to the landscaping, we sought some expert advice. We found a landscape designer who had worked on other yards in our neighborhood that we admired. She helped formulate several different design options, but the cost to have her company do the landscaping work for us was well outside of our budget. Nick and I were attracted to different landscape styles so our compromise was that the front yard would be more what he wanted and the back yard would be more what I wanted. The work began with wiping the canvas clean.

Front yard: before.

The side yard between our property and the neighbors was overgrown and the front yard contained more weeds than grass. We dug out the overgrown bushes and dug up the pieris tree to transplant in the back yard. The new design involved ripping out the original steps and curvy pathway and pouring new steps and path centered on the front window. Mom had admired the whimsy of the curvy path and I was sad to see it go, but the yard is so small that it limited our options.

Old steps.	Moving the pieris.

Thank goodness for the concrete workers who helped lift the pieris to the back yard. There is no way that we could have done it ourselves!

After the new walkway was poured, we rebuilt the retaining wall with basalt stones that we got for free off of Craigslist. The old retaining wall had been a mixture of different kinds of stones, which didn't have the look we wanted. We worked through a cold but sunny Thanksgiving day while neighbors and their family members strolled by and commented on our dedication. In my opinion, being outside and working hard was a perfect way to spend our holiday.

The design of the front yard was modeled after a traditional English garden. We envisioned a small hedge lining each section bordering the walkway. Nick calculated that we'd need one hundred boxwoods. That can't be right! He drew it out for me and explained his calculations. Sure enough. We needed one hundred. We found a wholesale nursery that would deliver big enough orders and probably saved 50 - 75% what we would have spent at a retail nursery. We then spent several weekends traveling to various nurseries to pick out other plants for the yard. I wanted a dogwood, which I dreamed would spread its branches giving both privacy and beauty (perhaps in time it will spread.)

It's been a couple years and the boxwoods have grown to where they are almost touching. Hopefully it won't be too much longer until we can trim them into a nice hedge. This year, we hope to add flower boxes under the windows. In the above photo, you'll notice the brick supports waiting to hold some pretty flowers.

Bathroom: Finishes

Choosing a color for the bathroom was a dream compared to the living room. We went to Benjamin Moore and picked out every gray swatch they had. Then, we narrowed it down to three and I picked up sample paint. We painted the options on the wall and I declared a winner. Even as I was painting Nick was saying he wasn't sure. But paint is weird. It looks different when it dries and it looks different once you've completed the entire room. Once done, we were both confident that we liked the color. Our hope with the monotone pallet is that it will remain fairly timeless and we can change out artwork, towels, and the curtain to freshen the look.

The view from the tub.

We were pleased that there was room to install sconce lighting to the left and right of the medicine cabinet. This type of lighting is supposed to be more flattering than above the mirror lighting which puts shadows on your face (so they say). The tiled area on the floor is only 4' x 6' and must accommodate a toilet and a vanity, while still allowing a door to open. Given the limited space, we wanted a vanity rather than a pedestal so there would be room to store some toilet paper and my hair dryer and brush. There were only a few options on the market that met our requirements and I'm happy with what we got. We are still on the hunt for new towels. We wanted to get bright green towels to match the green in the watercolor paintings on the wall, but that color is apparently not en vogue for linens right now.

Our original plan was to get a curved shower curtain bar and a traditional curtain. But, we feared that a curtain would make the small bathroom feel as small as it is. Plus, if I could never deal with the constant battle of keeping a shower curtain clean I'd be a happy lady. We found a bi-fold shower door that swings in and out. When folded, we can swing it toward the wall and it doesn't hit the toilet. This is handy for when we clean the tub.

Shower door swings in...	...and out.

When closed, the shower door spans about two-thirds the length of the tub. This works out just fine because we have a rain shower head, which directs the water straight down. We had a sad hiccup with this shower setup. We really wanted a thermostatic shower valve, which is supposed to be amazing. I don't know exactly why it's amazing because I've never experienced it, but it is said to keep your water at the exact temperature you want without having to run for a moment to get up to temp. We were told by our sales consultant that we could eliminate the need for one of the knobs by using the diverter knob as the on/off knob in addition to diverting. For example: knob at neutral = water off; knob to the left = on shower, knob to the right = on tub. We executed the plumbing accordingly and then walls and tile went up. When we installed the fixtures and trim, it was discovered that the diverter knob does not have an off setting. Instead, the water is a continuum of on, either at the shower head or tub. Nick called the fixture showroom and they refunded money and gave us a new part for free. It was difficult to fix, but with some creative tile cutting, we were able to make the change without ripping out the tile.

Tile cut like a storm trooper to enable switching valves.

This delayed the use of our otherwise finished bathroom for an additional two months. It would have been infuriating if I had been accustomed to using our main bathroom or if we only had a single bathroom. What would we have done?

Before.	After.

It was difficult to get a perfect comparison photo with the door on, but hopefully you can use your imagination to piece it together. It's done!!

Bathroom: Walls and Tile

Hello, friends! In real time, Nick and I are both starting new jobs this month and had an exceptionally busy week as we finished out our old jobs before going on vacation to Kauai. We're back--shocked at the effectiveness of SPF 50 and our lack of tans, but fully used to sleeping 10 - 12 hours each night. Let us pick up where the story left off...

Having successfully installed the tub, the work turned to hired help. An electrician came in and ran all the wiring for the vanity sconces, a light above the shower and the ceiling fan. He was done in a matter of hours and the electrical inspector was there by afternoon to give approval. The next day, a drywaller came in and very quickly put in the ceiling and walls. I promise you, he came around 7am and was practically finished by the time I left for work an hour later. He came back the next day to sand his seams and do touch-up after it dried, and once that was done we were cleared to install trim and paint.

Walls installed.	The red wall is the cement board for wet areas.

We decided to have a radiant heated floor, which would be the only source of warmth in the room (you'll remember that we removed the heat register). To do this, the tile guy set wiring into mortar. I believe he mixed the set too thick because it dried with mounds rather than settling out level. When I asked about it, the worker assured me that he would level it out as he laid the floor tile. Hmmm.....you can guess what happened there. Despite the imperfection, I seem to be the only person who notices that the floor is not perfectly level all around.

We're really pleased with the tile work. The touches of black really pop and I love love love the shower cubby! Compare to the old floor HERE.