Progress ... So sweet!

It is rare, very rare, to find a home of a certain age untouched. Our house was built in 1923, a mere 87 years ago, and between then and now, there have been 7 owners. The builders, a couple who never had children, lived in the home as they built it for 20 years, before selling it to another woman the neighborhood knew fondly as Kay, who lived in the house for another 30 years. It was after these lengthy respites here in the warm confines of what is now CdlV, that a series of short stays occurred, and in those short stays, what I like to call "short repairs" were made.

In 2000, the house was sold to a DIYer who had very little discretion about the types of repairs he made to the place. An intended flip, he started in the kitchen and worked his way upstairs to the bathroom, which he might have spent $300 remodeling. A "short repair". The changes included tear and press wallpaper, an ugly vanity with cultured marble top, and the most rediculous tile pattern in the most offensive beige tones I've ever seen. Yes, it was ugly. But not only was it ugly, it was poorly installed. The shower pan (a quick remedy for an old tub) leaked, causing ceiling damage to the kitchen below; the tile around that pan was crooked, and the vanity cabinet not centered on the wall.

In our many reviews of how to change that bathroom from horrendous to stupendous, we never paid close attention to the sink. That was until yesterday. Upon further inspection, I found that the plumbing is actually centered on the wall. In DIYer's attempt to create more storage, he moved the plumbing with a flexable elbow (read: COMPLETELY REVERSABLE) so to avoid covering the existing heat register! Very exciting news for 2 reasons. 1) I can adjust my budget in my favor - always a plus, and 2) we can get a pedistal sink. Now, I wouldn't think of a pedistal sink unless we had storage, and we do. We're lucky enough to have a full-size closet in the space. (And I have plans for that too, which is oh so fabulous, but for a different post.) So now, we can keep the room open and fresh looking, and cut the budget for a sink in 1/2 by nixing a vanity cabinet. (Angels sing triumphantly: LA LA LA LA !!!!)

Oh, but yes, this post was about progress, right? And progress pictures you shall see. Here's the space where the tub went with the tub still in its box:


And here's the after: the plumbing was moved to accommodate the new faucets and the new drain placement for the tub, and the tub was fit into place.

He did such a great job piecing it back together, and the best part - NO LEAKS! So at this point the tile needs to be put around the tub, the walls have to be sanded and replastered, then sanded again before they can be painted, and then the sink vanity has to be ... well suffice to say we're not even 1/2 finished ... but it's progress still.

I took some of the tile we'll be using for the floor, along with a burlap drape and knotted wool rug to get an idea of the finished product.

What do we think?