Return to two working bathrooms

The plumbers came today to correct the leaky shutoff valve and replaced it. They also noted that the larger problem is that the toliet base has some wiggle to it. The floor in the bathroom is not level, as there is a rise in the concrete slab in the Norwest corner of the bathroom. Therefore, the toliet doesn't sit flat on the floor, and gives a little when you ascend the throne. The plumbers suggested that they lift the stool and reset it, replacing the wax ring and adding shims. And since the slight thrill of feeling like I might fall everytime I sat is gone, I agreed.

And my dad will be happy to know that, per our home inspector's suggestion, the plumbers also installed the drop tube on our water heater (though it may actually be called a t/p joint. Still haven't figured that out yet.)

Ruminations

1.) I'm thinking of painting our office-slash-computer room, shown below (viewed from the living room), green.


One of these greens. Something that would match the pear in the argon or the olive in the oxygen.
Or, a shade lighter than the green shown in the Greg Stones print, below.



I'm letting the idea marinade for awhile because this sounds like one I might regret in six months.

2. J and I would really like to improve the smaller bathroom. The floor is our least favorite part of the the bathroom because it is a color of yellow that defies accurate description. Thus, the floor is very good place to start.

We were browing the Super Menards last weekend, and saw self-adhesive laminate tiles. We calculated that it would take about $50 of tile to cover the bathroom, plus the cost of leveling compound. We're picked out a couple of samples, see below. I think I like the colors in the one on the left better, but I wish it were lighter like the one on the right.


Then, we realized that if were going to install new tile and have to yank the trim anyway, that we might as well sand the trim and repaint it. No problem, I have all that stuff, just need to buy some trim nails ($10, if that.)

Then, we realized that we would probably have to take out and remount the toliet to install the tiles. And since the toliet is white and doesn't match the rest of the bathroom and I'd like a low-flow to save water, we might as well buy a new toliet too ($160+, in "bone" color to match the shower and the sink).


But, if we're replacing the toliet, well, heck, we may as well replace the cabinet under the sink. We can keep the sink since it's of decent and durable material and remount it on a new cabinet and plus install a new faucet. (And this is where I quit estimating the costs.)


But, if were doing all that, we should get a new medicine cabinet that matches the cabinet. Plus we'd like a bigger one, because solving the storage problems in the bathroom would be a major victory.


And of course, if we buy a new medicine cabinet, we'd need new lighting to replace the only source of artificial light in the room. We'd like to replace the fan on the ceiling with a light/fan combo, and then put in nifty curio lights near the medicine cabinet.


As you can see, the $50 "let's replace the floors" project has become a near-complete remodel. I can't decide if we're better off with the above plan, or gutting the whole thing and starting from scratch.

Blue paint and a birdfeeder.

In honor of Groundhog Day.

Here's the new paint in the "big" bathroom. We painted the cabinet white, too. I still have touch-up work to do at the ceiling and a few spots where the tape tore the paint.

I think I like the color, but I wish there was less of it. Maybe crown molding at the ceiling? Or wainscoting on the bottom half of the walls?

And thanks to Ben and Missy for the birdfeeder. Emma likes it too, because it brings the tasty-looking birdies closer to her spot in front of the French doors.

Well, I'll be darned.

It DOES snow here. I was starting to wonder.

View outside my office this morning.