The Pink Monstrosity - The Decision
Apparently in the 1950s, Mamie Eisenhower became the authority on home decorating, at least for women from conservative, Ike loving households. She turned the White House pink, and women across the country followed suit. So begins the story of our main bathroom.
As I have stated, every square inch of our new home either needs to be touched, or has already been touched by us or one of our fathers. We have three full baths, so when we moved into the house, our goal was to get all three bathrooms as functional as possible, and then decide which bathroom we would tackle first. I am hopeless DIY addict, and after watching enough bathroom remodels I started to believe that it couldn't be that hard and that we could do it for few dollars. After working overtime to finish several painting projects (more on that in later posts) Jeff asked which bathroom we should start ripping out. Our Master bath was out because I have grand plans for that one. The family room bathroom, while it looks terribly scary, is actually quite functional and as a result it had become the bathroom for guests and bathing our children, no matter how embarrassingly scary it is. We decided that the main bath, the bathroom that would become our kids' and guest bath, would be our first major project. For financial and time reasons I hesitated to act, but with another baby on the way we felt that it was necessary to have a nicer place for our kids and anyone who came to stay with us.
Finally Jeff just asked "Are we even using the bathroom?"
"No," I replied. The toilet and sink both leaked and we didn't know what other problems lay beneath the surface.
"Then let's just do it."
And so the nearly 60 year old pink tile came down. So did the makeshift shower head and bulkhead. The broken, rust stained toilet came out along with the built-in vanity and old laminate countertop. We left the floor for a later date when we finally were ready to tile and then looked at what was left. We found some less than surprising water damage behind the tiles, and we discovered just how heavy sacks of tile can become. Now, with two months to go before my due date, we made the goal to have the bathroom done before our son was born. Curse our prideful arrogance. My favorite home improvement shows made weekend renovations look so easy, but this was real life. We were two parents of a two-year-old, Jeff was working full time, and I was busy as a grad student and TA. Not to mention the increasing discomfort of my pregnancy. So we purchased the materials and placed everything in the garage, but the next step would be put off until my knowing father-in-law came to the rescue.
As I have stated, every square inch of our new home either needs to be touched, or has already been touched by us or one of our fathers. We have three full baths, so when we moved into the house, our goal was to get all three bathrooms as functional as possible, and then decide which bathroom we would tackle first. I am hopeless DIY addict, and after watching enough bathroom remodels I started to believe that it couldn't be that hard and that we could do it for few dollars. After working overtime to finish several painting projects (more on that in later posts) Jeff asked which bathroom we should start ripping out. Our Master bath was out because I have grand plans for that one. The family room bathroom, while it looks terribly scary, is actually quite functional and as a result it had become the bathroom for guests and bathing our children, no matter how embarrassingly scary it is. We decided that the main bath, the bathroom that would become our kids' and guest bath, would be our first major project. For financial and time reasons I hesitated to act, but with another baby on the way we felt that it was necessary to have a nicer place for our kids and anyone who came to stay with us.
Finally Jeff just asked "Are we even using the bathroom?"
"No," I replied. The toilet and sink both leaked and we didn't know what other problems lay beneath the surface.
"Then let's just do it."
And so the nearly 60 year old pink tile came down. So did the makeshift shower head and bulkhead. The broken, rust stained toilet came out along with the built-in vanity and old laminate countertop. We left the floor for a later date when we finally were ready to tile and then looked at what was left. We found some less than surprising water damage behind the tiles, and we discovered just how heavy sacks of tile can become. Now, with two months to go before my due date, we made the goal to have the bathroom done before our son was born. Curse our prideful arrogance. My favorite home improvement shows made weekend renovations look so easy, but this was real life. We were two parents of a two-year-old, Jeff was working full time, and I was busy as a grad student and TA. Not to mention the increasing discomfort of my pregnancy. So we purchased the materials and placed everything in the garage, but the next step would be put off until my knowing father-in-law came to the rescue.
Pictures of the bathroom, before we did anything. Note the pink tile and puke purple walls.
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