Quite a time…
Our door that was so expensive and locally made is gorgeous, but due to a combination of me not asking for (or knowing) exactly what I wanted, and the process of finishing this door, it is turning out to be just not as wonderful as I’d hoped. And it cost so much.
The whole bathroom renovation is still in limbo. We have that costly piece of granite sitting behind the couch. At the place that we purchased it, we were told that there was no “undermount” sink that would fit the narrower-than-standard counter top. So, after a lot of running around, we agreed on this big-assed rectangular sink that looks pretty nice but also seems to take up half the vanity. When we chose the sink, my impression also was that not as much granite would have to be cut out to accommodate it; when we picked up our countertop, there was a HUGE hole that is presumably the correct size. I guess if it’s covered up by the bigass sink, it’s a moot point how much granite was taken away. I have come to believe that we COULD have found (or had made) a small undermount sink to install, leaving a large expanse of the beautiful granite visible. I rather wish we had chosen a vessel sink, but we had taps and faucet that were not for that kind of sink.
We finally had a visit from the contractor who has agreed to build the vanity to fit this countertop. It has been months of waiting, but he’s enthusiastic and we believe he’ll do a good job. At least he has the measurements and we have the hope that he’ll work on the project at home. Of course, the vanity will be the last thing to go back into the bathroom after all the other changes come about.
We asked a different contractor to take on the rest of the bathroom reno. He also said that he couldn’t start until November; we have no idea what part of the month he’ll be here. While he was looking at the “job”, he checked the spacing of the floor joists (for the whole house) and noted that the home is built on joists with 2′ centres instead of the NOW-required 16″ centres.
When our friend (the contractor) remarked on THAT… a little light bulb came on in my head. THAT would be the reason that our new ceramic tile floor in the kitchen has failed! There are now more than thirty cracked tiles in that floor, which is a source of irritation and angst. Every few days, I’ll reach for something in a cupboard, shifting my weight, and feel and hear another tile crack. It’s sickening, and another huge disappointment.
The contractor who did the kitchen also built us some cabinets, and he did a very good job; I had told him just to make us some “good plywood” cupboards to match the old ones. While he was spraying contact cement on the tops of the units in order to place the arbourite, he over-sprayed onto the fronts of two of the doors, and promptly cleaned it with Varsol. What we didn’t know was that this spatter would show up when we stained the doors! This lends a slightly unsightly appearance to our new cupboard units, and I find this another… you guessed it, disappointment.
The hardwood flooring in the living room, though perfect at first, has separated at some points on the butt ends of the pieces. I think this also might be due to the joists being so far apart.. there is more “give” in the floor perhaps. The pre-finished hardwood pieces were well seasoned when we bought them… it just shouldn’t have happened. As it is, the offending gaps are mostly hidden under Gary’s recliner and shouldn’t be any bother to anyone, but hey, I’m venting. I’m on a roll.
There are some disappointments in my life that I can’t even write about in my public diary. I guess I’m just in a bad mood; none of us have the fairy tale all of the time, and in general MY life is great and smooth going and blessed.
I’m so glad Gary’s home from his conference. HE is no disappointment! And soon I’ll get to see my three daughters (and a soon-to-be son-in-law) again, and THEY are in no way any disappointment to me… exactly the contrary. I do have many blessings.
Tonight we’re going out to a friend’s house for dinner… she has tried a new Thai recipe, and we’re looking forward to that.
Yesterday the deal closed on the rental home I purchased. I was jubilant, AM jubilant about that. I hope the renter who is in the house will stay for years, and we trust each other. I will improve the house in any way that is needed, and some of the ways that are wanted, as we go along. As it is, the place is comfortable for a young woman and her baby. Because this purchase was a private deal (no real estate fees), it is already worth more than I paid for it. I feel like I got something “out of my system”, and I believe I’ll learn and grow from the experience.
Anyway… I guess I’ll go back to the last of the dog grooming. I have enjoyed caring for a number of furry friends today, those which are boarding too.
Thanks for checking up on me. ~ Ann
