Reconstruction begins...

Demo took us about 2 weeks, mostly because we both work full time and I go to school full time on top of that, so we were tearing everything up in our spare time. But now, things are looking up...

The shower head has been moved! All I can say is, WOOHOO - no more ducking to wash our hair!

And no more leaking! The plumbing has been repaired, and we expect our water bill to go back down around to what used to be normal.

YAY!

New window!

New vinyl window!

New vinyl window after a 10-day delay because of the type of glass in the window! Now that was irritating beyond belief. We do wish now that we had gone ahead and replaced this window with all the others, but that's mostly our frustration trying to take root.

(Please ignore the terrible backyard - that's the next project - we hope.)

Walls all nice and solid, with the right materials for a bathroom. The hole in the closet was patched with minimal fuss, so we didn't bother with pics of it.

Ugly, pointless wood poles gone!

However, if you notice, the lights are still in the same spot. See the soffit above the sinks? There is an electric conduit behind it, along with a boat load of blown insulation. It seems all the wiring in our home is done through electrical conduit, so it makes any electric work expensive and just a general pain in the rear. The drywall guys had to re-sheetrock the soffit, so no new lights for now. The electrician can move the conduit, but it will eat a good-size chunk of the budget, so that part of the project is a no-go. The exhaust fan/overhead light is also a no-go for the same reasons.

We are so disappointed.

So, next up is the tile guy. He will come in and put this gorgeous tile we found at Tile For Less up on the walls around the tub. We saved big and lucked out when one of my co-workers suggested we look there. (Thanks Elisa!) Here is what it looks like:

The tile is 13x6.5, and we got 80 sq ft plus matching grout for about $140. We love the slight impression of the sand dollars in it - it is unique but beautiful, and it will look so fantastic when everything is pulled together.

More soon!