Our Messy Basement Renovation: Part I: The Bathroom

First there is the mess.
No one told me about the mess!
ok... maybe the mess was mentioned.

But I was too busy dreaming about sitting in front of a beautiful fireplace 

with my dog lovingly nestled in my lap.

I should have know something was up.... we don't have a dog.

But we sure have one heck of a mess. 

Maybe it was best no one told me about this.

Then it was time for the demo stage.

The best part of the demo stage as far as I was concerned.

was the constant wearing of these "Mike Holmes" overalls.

There. is. just. something. about. a. man. who wears a hammer in his holster.

The girls have been pitching in too.

It takes three of them to keep up to The Agronomist.

We were happy to have Grandpa help out too.

Even if he couldn't hear a thing we said all day.

Then we went through the jack hammering phase.

All. day. every. day. for. three. days. straight.

The Agronomist is still a little blurry even three weeks later.

Then we spent several days watching The Agronomist dig holes.

Big messy, dirty holes.

I really, don't think anyone told me about the mess.

I think I would have remembered the mess being mentioned.

Where holes are dug, rubble emerges.
We spent a few hours, every couple of days doing bucket duty.
Our family bonded.
We were a team.
We were getting rid of the mess.
Mama was happy.

Then we called in the biggest renovating gun in town.

Tony "The Toolman" Taylor!

He's a carpenter sharp shooter like no other.

Here he is, along with The Agronomist raising a 600lb steel support beam into place.

It was an engineering feat like no other.

They got the job done.

And the basement is now a wide open space, with no support posts in sight.

Since our new windows were going to be delayed Tony started with the bathroom first.

And that meant that I had to make some decisions.

And I did make them.

Not once, not twice but...

over. and. over. and. over. again.

Back and forth, around and around.

Tony is a patient man.

And might I add, The Agronomist seems very happy these days, that for once
he is not the carpenter asking for a decision.

This was "one" of the options.
I had no idea grout colours were so varied and many?
And did you know it can completely change the look of the tile?
Completely.
I needed an extension.
Just like in school
I asked nicely,

But Tony wasn't having any of it.
He was going to get the job done, in spite of me.

So for good or bad I made some decisions.
The tile guy at the tile store may have influenced me at the last moment.
I'm not about to say.
I've sworn him to secrecy.

So a few things stayed the same as above and a few things didn't.

I decided orange was not a good look for grout.
And while I loved the idea of a light beachy oasis.
I am not one to make decisions that are not practical.
My girl's all have dark hair, and a light floor and light grout for the shower floor would have,
in the end, just made the bathroom always look unkept,
( a milder way of saying.... dirty.)
So I decided to go with a barn board floor (it's really tile) and a river bed instead of the beach!
I can live with that, and so can my housekeeper, who I happen to know really, really well.
She writes a blog you might read.
And funnily enough, her name is Dana.

So with a little help from tile guy and an email suggestion by a very talented designer,
This is Bungalow'56 basement bathroom.
Now to just make some decisions about the vanity...
Funnily enough, e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. I seem to be drawn too costs thousands of dollars.
But I'm moving in this direction...

Source: sarahrichardsondesign.com via Bungalow'56 on Pinterest

...for now : )

Tony is currently running wire, and for some reason, 

seems to think he needs to know where I want lights?!

Over and out at Bungalow'56
A place where Messy takes on a whole new meaning!

xoxo,

This post will be linking up with Whatever Goes Wednesday, 

The wonderful Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday ~the letter O~
Hooking Up With HOH, Transformation Thursday and Friday Remodelaholic