Part 2: project #​1 bathroom renovation

Yesterday's blog chronicled the demolition and rebuilding of our basement bathroom- our first renovation project. The work was done by my father, husband and myself. Our budget was very itty bitty- I was a PhD student at the time so just imagine the finances!


Once the necessary but not so pretty work was done (gyp rock, plumbing, etc.), the exciting part began (tiling, sink and toilet, yes the toilet is exciting!).

My father installing the shower base and tiles.When buying a pre-made shower base, make sure it is a solid fiberglass base. Otherwise it's bouncy and susceptible to cracking.

Boxes and boxes of tiles. Heavy, very heavy!

Tiling the shower in a brick pattern. We went with a classic 12x12 marble tile for the floor and shower. I really like the color variations in the tile: brown, gray, blue, red, etc.

Tip: when choosing tiles for your bathroom my suggestion is to pick something classic that will not look dated ten years from now. Some classics are 12x12 square tiles and subway tiles, classic colors such as whites, grays, creams, are great. You can always pick modern paint colors for the walls or hang some funky art, but tiles are difficult, expensive and messy to change. 



The Reveal:

Clean, classic and pretty. I love it!

The clear glass shower door allows the beauty of marble tile to shine. I love the simplicity.

Not much I can say about the toilet- it works! I have a small basket of toilet paper in the corner- a must. Also you can see that there's a bamboo rug in front of the shower. I don't know why but I have an aversion to actual rugs in bathrooms. There are many nice ones out there but it's not for me.

The mirror is a brushed nickle finish with a beaded trim. Above is the light fixture and it has a painted rose pattern on it. I believe it is original to the house. It's quirky but I like it. The only thing is that the metal plate is bronze so I need to spray it either black or a nickle finish.  

The pedestal sink was the perfect choice for this tight space. I'm a believer that the more storage you have, the more stuff you buy and keep. I did place a storage cabinet above the toilet (see first reveal image above) but the cabinet is practically empty. It's a second bathroom after all. The trash can and soap dispenser are made of travertine.

Total Cost: approximately $4000-  not bad, eh?




Smiles,
Nancy

Amateurs at work: project #​1 bathroom renovation

The first renovation project we delved into was the basement bathroom. It was the first room to "fall apart." What fell apart was the sink plumbing. You're probably saying "sink plumbing can easily be changed for a few dollars, no need to renovate the whole bathroom." You're right. BUT, the sink cabinet was really dingy and used. Also the shower drain had been clogged since the bathroom was renovated in the late 1970s. During the previous renovation, cement fell in the drain so the shower wasn't usable. Funny isn't it??


So we tore the bathroom apart. Not really sure of how to put it back together!!! With help from my father and youtube (lots of great how-to videos) we were able to put it back together.


Before I show you the renovation process let me show you two examples of what the bathroom looked like (since I don't have a before picture).

1. The toilet, sink and shower were in one non-partitioned room. Very convenient for those who wish to poop on the bowl and shower at the same time. Image from poop report.

2. The tile in our bathroom looked similar to this one but with some flowery tiles sporadically placed.
Image from Ugly House Photos

Here are some images of the renovation process:

The walls of blue flowery tiles were completely removed. On the other side of the cinder block wall is our garage.

This is the exterior wall. The black liner is the 1964 version of insulation. 
Amateur mistake #​1: We weren't thinking about insulation at the time so we did not add to it. Big mistake! The heater works overtime in winter.

Tony jack hammering the cement so as to change the  clogged shower plumbing. 
Amateur mistake #​2: We first tried breaking the cement with a small sledge hammer. Such amateurs!!

In this image you can see the old floor tiles. They were actually very nice, but we raised the bathroom floor since it was 6 inches lower than the rest of the basement floor which made for as very odd step.

Rotting plumbing. This was completely changed.

Heavy, very heavy!
Amateur mistake #​3: We didn't get a dumpster so we ended up filling about 40 cardboard boxes of trash and it took two weeks to get all the boxes out of the garage.

The floor was raised to a more even level with the rest of the basement using cement.

We used cement board on the shower walls because it's mold resistant. Highly recommended.

 Tony hard at work as he muds and sands the walls. We used moisture resistant drywall. Highly recommended.

In tomorrow's blog I'll cover the finishings chosen for the bathroom (tile, shower, sink, etc.). See you then!

Smiles,
Nancy

Outdoor living: Teak Furniture

It's a beautiful day in Montreal and I'm soaking up the sun. Actually, I'm soaking up the shade- it's too hot in the sun!

I'm resting on a beautiful bench with some comfy pillows.

I have the bench on one side of my front porch and on the other side I decide to buy two chairs instead of another bench just to change it up a little:

I've had the set for a year now and the chairs lightened in color. Next spring I'll stain the chairs darker to match the other pieces.

The furniture is Hudson Hill and I bought it at Home Sense in Place Versaille, Montreal. I had been looking for years for furniture for the front porch but couldn't decide on the look I wanted. Unless I'm totally in love, I tend to think long and hard before buying furniture. I also like to buy piece that I know will age well. I'm happy I waited because the minute I saw the bench, I told my husband it was coming home with us.

Price: Bench: $199
         Chairs: $99 each
         Tables: $30 each (approximately)

These are great prices. Check out the cost of the teak furniture below:

Skagerak Drachamnn 50" Bench  $1,139.99

The matching chair is $625

Kingsley-Bate Chippendale 4' Teak Bench $630 

The matching chair is $531

Considering the similarity between my pieces and the more expensive pieces, I'd say I lucked out.
Wouldn't you??

My set was purchased last summer but if you're interested I saw some similar benches at Home Sense last week.

Hope you're also enjoying beautiful weather!

Nancy

A facelift for our home: Brick cleaning and repointing

 Before:
 Notice the dirt on the stones at the top of the house.

 After:

 All clean!

In the spring of 2009 I was sweeping my front balcony and noticed the mortar between the brick was crumbling- it was turning into dust! Almost 50 years of extreme sun in the summer and extreme moisture and cold in the winter meant that our bricks needed repointing.


Before we had the repointing done we decided to get the brick cleaned (brick cleaning must be done before repointing). I learned brick could be cleaned by pressure washing or sandblasting. I decided to go with pressure washing since sandblasting can damage the surface of the brick.

Pressure washing, if well done, will do the trick. There are various products that can be sprayed on the brick before washing to help loosen the dirt. Pressure washing also has it's challenges. The problem is that an amateur may hold the water in one spot for too long and this may damage the brick. Also, if the pressure from the hose is too strong or not evenly sprayed it may leave streaks all over the brick. In my opinion, this is not a DIY project. I would say it's too dangerous to be up on the scaffolds and the possibility of damaging your brick would be too costly a repair (approximately $15,000 per wall for my home!).


Once the brick was cleaned we had the joints repointed with whitish mortar. The difference is phenomenal!


Total cost: $3000
**Our brick had what's called bicycle joints meaning that the new mortar could simply be filled into the existing gaps. No grinding old mortar meant less labor and less cost- GREAT!

St. Louis Bricks Blo

 Tip: If you have an older home, I wouldn't suggest you sandblast your brick because old brick tends to be soft and can be seriously damaged.


Little bit of history: Old bricks were often sun-dried in fields. If you look closely you can often see animal paw prints on the brick of older homes (pre-1900). 



This was definitely worth the cost. Everyone who saw the before and after were astounded that it was the same brick. It now looks as if my house is smiling!


Nancy

I'm attending:

Victorian inspired vestibule

 The vestibule is as important as any other part of the home. It is the first glimpse a guest gets of your style and what to expect in the rest of the home. Our vestibule left much to be desired- to say the least! Walls were covered with yellow flowery tile, while the floor was (and unfortunately still is) tiled with red flowery tiles. Tony would jokingly say we could add a toilet and turn it into a bathroom.

Notice the two different styles of tile- one on the floor the other on the walls. Also, on the left is the old oil heater radiator and on the right the new convect air heaters.

The inspiration for the vestibule was the Victorian-style homes so common in Montreal with rich wood paneling. I love this look because of its heavy presence. I know the light and airy look is very hot right now but their is something about the rich wood I just love. Also, in Montreal we have cold slushy winters that would just make a mess on lighter colors in our narrow vestibule.

Here are some inspiration images:

My 1960s home does not have double wood doors nor stained glass, but maybe one day... This house is currently on the market. see it on MLS

http://passerelle.centris.ca/Redirect2.aspx?CodeDest=LKAUFMAN&NoMls=MT8556995&Source=WWW.REALTOR.CA&Langue=E

Just beautiful! This house is also on the market in Montreal. See it on http://passerelle.centris.ca/Redirect2.aspx?CodeDest=SUTTON&NoMls=MT8551767&Source=WWW.REALTOR.CA&Langue=E

I obviously don't have the space nor budget for the grand style of woodwork. Nevertheless I decided to get to work.

It looks as if I'm building a giant door but it's what will become the wall paneling

This is perhaps for a little more advanced DIYer- but if you are feeling adventurous I encourage you to give it a try.

Step 1: I purchased two pieced of veneered birch wood sheets 3/4 of an inch think (8 feet by 4 feet) and had them cut into my desired sizes at the hardware store (I don't have a table saw and the cost of getting it cut at the store is minimal).
Step 2: I had each sheet cut into 9 inch strips. Four of the 9 inch strips were then cut to 30 inches in length. These formed the vertical pieces on the wall.
Step 3: I also purchased two thin sheets of 1/8 birch wood (again 4 feet by 8 feet) and used it to fill the gaps between the  birch veneers.
Step 4: Using PL glue and a nail gun assembled the pieces.
Step 5: Trim was added to the top of the paneling and between the transition from the thicker veneer to the thin wood. (The trimming between the veneers is a little more difficult to cut so that the corners are tight. I will blog about this at a later date or email me if you want to know right away.)p 8
Step 6: Stain the wood using a walnut colored stain
Step 7: Glue to the wall using PL glue.
Step 8: Marvel at your hard work!

Tip: Don't forget to change the trim around the doors to match the wall paneling.

Cost: Approximately $400 including the crown molding 

The Result: 

I added a bamboo rug to help tone down the busy floor

On the wall is a print of Jack Vettriano The Singing Butler (image below) I bought at the Bombay Company.

Now all I need is a beautiful entrance door with a large windowpane, but more (financially) realistic is an umbrella stand. Any suggestion???

Let me know if you have any questions and tell us what you think!

See the follow-up post about some ideas I'm thinking of on how to jazz up the space.

I'm attending:

Our Home

Our home, built in 1964, is a semi-detached duplex in St. Leonard, Montreal. 

A little bit of history: In the post-WWII period many immigrants (from southern Italy, Portugal, Greece, etc.) came to Canada to preform manual labor in such fields as construction. Montreal's Little Italy district in the center of the city had been established in the pre-WWII period but the newly arriving Italian immigrants began establishing neighborhoods mainly in the eastern parts of Montreal- areas such as St.Micheal, St. Leonard, Montreal North, etc. These area were mainly farm lands when a few Italian-owned construction companies began building homes that would appeal to their clientele. These reflected the style of homes in Italy: simple square-shaped pale-colored facades. In addition, the homes were what is today referred to as income-properties. This allowed newly arriving families to live under one roof while adapting to their new country. (Read more about the Italian immigrant style home in Ann Cameron's article "The Contemporary Italian House in Toronto" Italian Canadiana 4 (1988): 84-93 and also in France Iacovetta's book Such Hardworking people: Italian Immigrants in Postwar Toronto)

St. Leonard is still referred to as an Italian ethnic enclave in Montreal but today it is much more diverse and is home to various new immigrants. The homes, built mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, are undergoing modernization efforts by their new owners.   


Mid-Century Homes: character- lots of character!

As a post-WWII home, built during the great suburban craze, our home had many of the fabulously modern features and styles of the 1960s. These include an intercom system complete with AM radio, a flashy feminine mystique pink bathroom, shinny wood wall paneling, and much much more!  Also, it had two kitchens!  (Read more about the two kitchen home, Lara Pascali completed a Master's project on the topic: http://www.mcgill.ca/cmt/students/masters/2004/ )

Our home: The door on the left is for the tenant who rents the top floor of the building. The door on the right is our main entrance. We occupy the fist floor and the walk-down basement.