Happy Birthday Bunky and Odds and Ends

Today is Bunky's birthday. He's defending Colorado from forest fires today, but I hope he has a safe and fun birthday none the less. Seeing him last week was the closest I have come to seeing him on his birthday in many years. I had a great time.

For his birthday, Mrs. T and I gifted him our priceless 1989 MB 190 E sedan. I pray it works out better than his Land Cruiser. I think it will, as long as he is out of Colorado before the snows come.

Odds and Ends

Progress on the pool house has been slow since I returned. A lot of time has been spent doing piddly miserable jobs like repairing electrical and plumbing problems.

The tile has been laid and grouted in both rooms, and fixtures have been installed. We ended up using extra tile pieces for the base boards. The main job left is painting, then we can replace light fixtures, towel bars, mirrors and fun things like that.

We haven't begun to dicker over paint colors yet. My current choice is RL's Vintage Master color Cloud Blue.

To my eye, its almost the color of the pool, and works with the blue doors. I'm likely to be told differently.

If the weather holds (we are expecting high temps near 70 all week) I will be able to paint beginning Tuesday. Just in time to close the pool.

Toad

The Pool House-Kitchen Side

Ultimately, the kitchen side will mirror the bath.

As you walk in from the pool, there is a 4 foot deep and 7 foot long corridor. Originally, inside the door was a mirror of the cabinets you see in the second picture. Immediately inside the door was a sink, dish washer and storage cabinet.

We have removed the cabinets and disconnected the water to the kitchen side. Mrs. T is a firm believer in decorating for our needs. Future owners can customize to their tastes when we turn the house over to them. Should they wish to reinstall the plumbing the stubs are open, behind the wall in the mechanical room.

This may end up a mistake, but without the cabinets inside the door we do lose counter space for buffets and al fresco dining. We have opted to install a hinged shelf along the wall. Folds down when not in use, pops up as needed. Intuitively, I don't like it. I hope to be wrong.

Again this side had the blue indoor/outdoor carpeting. It will be replaced with the tile used in the bath.

A little thought into preplanning this space might have made it somewhat useful. Instead it is narrow and cramped. I realize construction is expensive, but another couple of feet would have transformed this space into something useable in 3 seasons. Now its merely a pass through.

Toad

Pool House Tile

From Lowes, 12x12 tiles, about $1.80 per tile.

Before you go, stop at Lowes.com/moving and download the 10% off coupon. Or stop at the post office and pick up a change of address packet. The coupon is in there also.

Toad

Pool House Part 2- The Changing Room

Background:

The changing room is approximately 8 foot wide and 10 ft long. As you enter, behind the door is the shower. You walk in towards the vanity and beyond that the toilet. The original vanity was this lovely number with an antique blue bowl.

The toilet was a matching blue. Lovely.

All of the fixtures have been removed, and if you live along the Highway 70 coridoor between Mayberry and Colorado Springs I would be happy to deliver, should anyone care for these treasures.

The blue indoor/outdoor carpet has been removed all replaced by a grayish porcelon tile. Hint: If you plan on tiling a non heated surface, say a porch or patio, ceramic tile is strongly discouraged, as it may shatter in the cold. Go for natural stone, or porcelain. We went for the porcelain.What you are seeing is the tile ungrouted. The grout, for you tile junkies is called London fog, a dark grayish color.

Lighting is provided by a lighted ceiling fan, and this attractive piece.

The plan for Friday is to grout and to install the new vanity. The vanity placed on a 4 inch base is solid oak and the top is white marble. The new toilet is white as well.

So now I'm stuck. The walls are painted flat builders white. I am willing to paint, refinish, decoupage, or whatever else the vanity. The top stays. Presumably a mirror of some kind will live over the vanity, and the light fixture replaced, with sconces, or .....

I've got a blank canvas.

In choosing wall finishes, several prejudices apply. No pastels. In other rooms we have tried many techniques. The room is off season storage, so suede may not hold up. We are unwilling to wallpaper.

Keep in mind we live in the midwest, far from sand and beaches.

What do you think? Should we go wild and use Ralph's island brights or keep it bright and anticeptic?

Fire away.
Toad

The Pool House

Someone wiser than I would ask, "Toad, pool season has maybe a month to go. Why are you tearing your pool house apart now?"

Incoherently, I would answer, I have a water leak.

Water, water everywhere.

It began as one of those ill timed household projects you allocate 30 minutes to complete. One thing led to another, and now it will take a week and a thousand dollars to finish.


I knew early in the season I had a leak. Naturally, I turned the water off, and blithely decided we could do without the pool house this season. Luckily, its been cool this summer and the changing room wasn't missed.

The pool house was designed poorly. It's in 3 sections. Behind the double doors in the first picture is the mechanical room for all the pool equipment. The rooms are small and inefficiently laid out. Cabinets are MDF and have soaked up 20 years of leaks and humidity. Naturally, its poorly insulated, so when the pool heater is on, the building is uninhabitable. I hope to correct many of the original sins.

Behind the door on the left is the bath and changing room. On the right a small kitchen. I've spent the last couple of days ripping out wet drywall (wetwall?), waterlogged cabinets and musty carpets, and plumbing fixtures.
Today its going to be repairing plumbing problems, hanging insulation and greenboard, and if time allows beginning tile laying. Initially my plan was to complete this mess before I leave Sunday for Colorado. Not gonna happen.

Over the weekend, I'll show you the tile, so we can pick colors.

Toad