Sunday, October 14, 2012

Bathroom Remodel: Underneath it All

So when we last left you we had just finished the bathroom demo. Next up, moving all of the plumbing and electrical to accommodate the new layout.

If you take a look at the plans for the new bathroom layout you can seen that the 2 bathrooms are practically mirror images of each other. Apparently this made things much easier for moving the plumbing and electrical since both bathrooms could share the same main plumbing and electrical.

So here's some pictures of the work that they did to accommodate the new bathroom layouts. First they moved the plumbing to the wall that both bathrooms would share. Then they started framing in the wall - I have to admit seeing the two empty bathrooms made me pretty nervous that the bathrooms would still be impossibly small.

We also decided to add a sun tunnel into each bathroom. Originally we were planning on only adding one to the hall bathroom to make up for the fact that it wouldn't have a window anymore. But after seeing how nice the results were we decided we should get one for the master bathroom too. BEST.DECISSION.EVER.

Next up, picking out all the little details like tile, lighting fixtures, and vanities.







Want to see where we started? Check out the plan and the demo.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Fall Fashion Love

Temperatures are dropping below 70s in the bay and I am so excited for the fall/winter seasons. Don't get me wrong, I loved the bright neons and tank tops of summer 2012, but there's just something wonderful about a cozy sweater paired with some black leggings and boots.

About a month ago I invested in a pair of Melissa Button Frye boots I had been drooling over for years. Finding a pair of shoes for my tiny feet (size 4.5-5) is a real challenge. Finding a pair of boots for my tiny feet yet abnormally large calves makes buying a great pair of boots almost impossible. After much research I fell in love with the Melissa boots from Frye and they came in extended sizes (YAY!), but as a starving student investing +$300 in a pair of boots was just not going to happen. Now that I'm finally a productive member of society with a stable job I decided to take the dive. And I'm so glad that I did (hub's may say otherwise). They are made with such wonderful craftsmanship and in such a classic cut that I can guarantee to get years of use out of them.



Lately I've had my eye on adding a leather skirt to my wardrobe. Here are a few that I've been fiending for lately. I especially love the pleated a-line cuts since it adds a little bit of girly-ness to the edgy-ness of the leather skirt.
L to R: Patterson J. Kincaid ($298), Rebecca Taylor ($495), Theory ($575)

I'm always in the market for a new cozy sweater to rock in the fall/winter season. And if you ask me nothing says soft and cozy like cashmere...oh cashmere how I love thee.
L to R: Aqua ($220), J.Crew (4258), The Row ($1205)

Let's not forget the outerwear- coats and jackets galore! In my humble opinion nothing is as classic as Burberry outerwear (not that I know from any personal experience).
L to R: Cinched Waist Quilted Jacket ($495), Wool Duffle Coat ($995),
Mid-length Wool Twill Trench (4995)

Now excuse me as I wipe the drool off my keyboard from all of these beautiful clothes. Till next time.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Bathroom Remodel: Demo Days

The day after we met our contractor and okay'd the plans for the bathroom remodel they got down to work and started doing demo. If you've ever watched HGTV I think you'd agree the demo looks like you just go around ripping things off the wall and knocking walls down with sledge hammers - both fun and fast. Apparently this is a misconception (damn you Property Brothers!)


After demo day 1 they had removed the walls separating the 2 bathrooms and taken out all of the bathroom goods like the toilets, tubs/shower, and sinks. We had them try to salvage as much of the stuff from the bathrooms as possible. In the end we were able to reuse the toilets from both bathrooms (yay savings!) and we saved the pedestal sink, cabinets, and bathroom hardware (ie: towel bars and toilet paper holders) which we were able to sell at a garage sale we just had.

At the end of demo day 2 they had pulled up all of the flooring and ceiling. They also patched up one of the windows that would have ended up in the middle of our new master shower.

I couldn't imagine that demo took our crew a whole 2 days to complete. But I guess things aren't really as easy as they seem on television. That seems to have been a reoccurring theme throughout the entire bathroom remodel.

Next up, moving all the plumbing and electrical to accommodate the new bathroom layouts.

Want to see where we started? Check it out.