Restoration & Repair Archive

Bungalow Archaeology

Okay, okay. I've been getting requests to show a little bit of our on-going "bungalow archaeology". Here is a quick departure from the regular inventory (just for a little break).

Scenario #1

We walk to the house for the first time and notice that on one side of the wall, well, there's a chimney. Not a well-maintained chimney. But a real chimney.

However, INSIDE OF the house...there is a wall of hickory wood. Where there should be a fireplace, built-in bookcases and windows above the bookcases. We know this because there are 2 other houses on the street of this same design, same builder, from 1914. Same layout. And that is what they have.

Yes, the above is with some of her stuff moved out already. Amazing, isn't it? At this time, this is the most organized room in the house. During the inspection, the organ and the boxes in front of WHERE the fireplace should be are moved aside. And we have our first clue, Nancy Drew! A HEARTH!

And then, our second clue! The stained glass windows!! (Behind a pile of stuff, of course)

So, when my parents come to visit, we are supposed to be cleaning. But we cannot resist the call of GERALDO RIVERA...who seems to murmur from the woodwork, "Will you find a fireplace or no? Money or a dead body? You cannot change the channel, can youuuuuuu?"

We peek.

And, though our cameras cannot show it, we find....the missing fireplace!! Or, most of it. The brick face will need to be redone, but it is back there. We also found the built-in bookcases in the basement where they were being used in "The Boy Scout Room" (more about that later). No money, no body. Just as well.

And for those of you who are wondering, yes, A is that tall. He is 6' 7". Ergo, our purchase of the only bungalow we could find with that much headroom in the basement, on the first floor and second floor.

Scenario #2

During our first visit to the house, we notice other strange decisions in homeownership. For example, the tiles in the first floor bathroom are stripped out, and the owner is too tired to replace them. She had already bought her condo and so, what for? But this window. It looks a little odd too.

But back to the window. Again, my dad cannot resist taking out his cro-bar. His own renovating days over as my parents are in a cozy house on a lake, one daughter's Victorian house well on its way, our 1920's condo sold...the temptation is too great for him. I mean, does one ever get tired of pulling down other people's muddles?

Not in our family, obviously.

(And I'd like to point out that the renovation chromosome runs in A's family as well. His grandfather and father have a few stories in this area. Or, A's mom has a few stories about them. Anyway.)

Voila! Dad, thanks for the window! The rest of the window, that is. Now to line those walls with plastic and keep the room well-ventilated until the tile can be put on. After the 1951 cast-iron tub is re-glazed. While we are living there.

What can we say? It's like camping with a mortgage. The only way to own a house, right?

(1)

Lou, we love you.

Lou from Critter Detectives was our new best friend there for awhile, so I wanted to pay tribute to him here. Every morning he would promptly pull up at our doorstep with his "dogcatcher-like" van and inspect the "Have a Heart" cages on the roof for raccoons. (Raccoons are captured alive in cages that are large enough to roam around in.)

He is very brave. Raccoons also bite. Hard. And their claws can slash through metal. Whoa. He didn't need to tell me this. I grew up near a stable with a raccoon problem. Yikes.

Here is the scoop on Lou's company:

CRITTER DETECTIVES
1294 S. Lloyd
Lombard, IL 60148
630-916-7678
888-CR-1-TTER
Pager: 630-695-8575

Critter Detectives is a nuisance control organization specializing in beaver trapping, muskrat removal, pigeon control, coyotes, bobcats and all other wildlife removal. The methods of trapping are humane and in accordance with the specifications set forth by law.

Critter Detectives are licensed by the State of Illinois and fully insured.

When I read that, I can only be thankful that we were dealing with raccoons and squirrels, not bobcats or beavers. Although, yes, I admit, the babies were pretty cute...the damage they did to the house was insane. They broke the big outtake fan at the top of the house in order to gain access. They used the rafters of the roof and the supports for "teething" (and chomped out quite a bit of pretty important support wood.) Mom had her new four babies in the attic and, for the first two months, they didn't leave. Trying to scare them, using rock music and all sorts of other solutions didn't work. These were very cosmopolitan raccoons!!

There are a lot of things they "left behind", so to speak, in the insulation and the wood of the attic. Things with viruses that humans and domestic pets can catch (i.e. rabies, distemper, parovirus, Aleutian's disease, roundworm, mange, etc. Lovely). They are meat and garbage eaters, so they dragged all that up there and what they didn't want, they left to rot. Inviting all sorts of bugs and gross things. So, yes, we have to have a specialist get in there and remove the insulation, spray it down with 2 percent hydrogen peroxide solution, and install new insulation...as well as fix the fan.

Lou helped us out by installing a new raccoon-proof "cage" for the fan on the roof, using roofing nails and tarring any nail holes to keep it waterproof. This isn't chicken wire. This stuff is like steel.

I like raccoons. In the woods. But not in my attic. Once the smell is gone from the second floor someday, I may like them even more again.

Rub-a-dub-dub...what a cool TUB!

Wow. Tim from Aquarius Limited just came to refinish our first floor tub and all I can say is....WOW

The first floor bathroom was a little, um, unusual to begin with.

When we took possession of the house, the original 1" hexagon floor tile had been replaced by 12" mottled white generic tile. There was a new sink, and a new medicine cabinet and lights (neither were set into the wall...they were just hung ON the wall.) Fake tongue and groove paneling of white coated pressed wood covered half of the walls. And then there was THE TUB.

Periwinkle blue tub from 1951. No tile on the walls around the tub. Just the drywall and old glue. Half of the glass block window had been boarded up.

This is the bathroom we will have to live in for a YEAR while the upstairs is being renovated.

So. We need tile. Obviously. But with new tile...we needed to do something about that tub. Originally, we planned for a clawfoot tub, something very cool. But then we got a closer look at OUR tub.

a) It was a cast iron tub, built like a tank.

b) The floor underneath the tub was...gone.

Yep. You can look straight up from the basement and see the bottom of this tub. I'll show you.

Here is the bottom of the tub and the joists it rests on. One joist had a piece cut out of it that reduced it to about 3 inches. Whoa! Um, that is a bad thing if you don't know joists. My dad and A "sistered" that joist (screwed in another joist-sized piece to the original joist to strengthen it) very early on as best they could with an enormous wall full of cabinets in the way. (Click on the image to see the "big picture")

I was picturing myself taking a bath one day and ending up in the basement. Embarrassed, yet unharmed, because the tub is built like an old army truck.

On second thought, the tub doesn't look too bad. Yes, it is from the 1950's and our house was built in 1914. But it is roomy, and of a simple design and, good golly, I mean, IRON! But the blue. It has to go.

So last night, we bid adieu to our friend, the clean blue tub, and gathered up all 5 shower curtains that protected the walls.

We climbed the rickety stairs to the second floor. This string on the right pulls on the light switch for the hall light upstairs. Classy, no?

Past the old phone with all of the numbers written on the wall around it...

And into the scary, scary bathroom...

Not my favorite room. I killed a big beetle in this room earlier in the month. I keep imagining this headless beetle ghost attacking me in the shower...kind of like a big shiny 6-legged Norman Bates.

Though if something funky happens to the shower pipe, we can always get to it through this handy, dandy "access place" in the wall behind the shower:

HOWEVER! Then Tim came. He arrived right at 9:00 am and set to work. I had read about all sorts of refinishing nightmares...and none of them came true! He was patient and thorough, left the work area neat and clean and did a highly professional job making the tub SPARKLING WHITE! Which will look spiffy with the subway tile and 1" hex black and white tile eventually. By 1:00 pm, he was gone. He had briefed me on how to clean and care for the tub, explained the 5 year warranty, and BEST OF ALL, the tub would be ready for use in less than 18 hours (with careful caulking of the drain and overflow). We're going to wait 48 hours, just to build up our anticipation.

We'd like to thank the folks at Midwest Chemicals who kindly referred us to Tim. (They are also pretty cool...they make the chemicals for tub refinishing, train the professionals and recreate clawfoot tubs in their Lockport shop.)

If you want a real tub and tile refinishing craftsman, contact Tim at:

Aquarius Limited
Tub & Tile Refinishing
Lyons, Illinois
Off: 708/443-5768 Cell: 708/268-1770

Here's what I'm looking forward to taking the wrapper off of (remember to click on a picture to get a close-up):

OLD TUB

NEW TUB

NEW TUB!! YEAH!!!!

(5)

Not even James could save us from....me.

I am a muddle seeker. I can't help it. It's in my blood.

Once I see the damage that has been done to something, I want to undo it, um, right away.

Here, James and A are discussing the ADT system that came with our "casa de stuff". There has been a high pitched whine from an ANCIENT component that was installed by the previous owner (PO) a LONG time ago. I've taken a few thwacks at it with a ruler and A decided to call in the experts.

My husband has his techniques and I have mine.

James was able to pinpoint the trouble right away because he knows his stuff. Besides being very knowledgable about the system, he is a straight up, nice, professional guy. And he is a PK (you all know who you are--it's a good thing :) So if you need an ADT System and you live in Chicago, call James.

James Williams
ADT Security Systems
630-458-7649

p.s. James--congrats!

But James couldn't save us from me last night because..well. Here's the deal.

We have this bathroom cabinet that the PO installed over some fake wood paneling. It is "okay". It isn't set into the wall, it is just hanging there. And it doesn't symmetrically fit with the sink. I noticed that something was amiss when I could pull it away from the wall and kind of see a hole behind there.

Sooo....

It's 2:00 am and I can't sleep and I keep thinking about this cabinet. What if the space for the real cabinet is back there and we can get the bathroom cabinet door from the basement to fit it....?

I pad through the kitchen, heading to grab a small cro-bar, a flashlight and a good screwdriver. Because the cabinet is only held onto the wall with two screws. (Remember...click on a picture to make it larger.)

Once back at the cabinet, it doesn't take me long to wreak havoc.

The veins in my neck are straining in this picture because I am holding up the cabinet with the open door resting on top of my head. Otherwise it would just swing on its one remaining screw.

Aha! But why wouldn't they have replaced the original cabinet? Why would they get this extra LARGE one and hang it over the hole?

Oh. Because when they rewired the downstairs, instead of tucking the electrical box inside the wall, they put it right inside the hole where the cabinet was. Interesting choice. Wouldn't be mine, but interesting.

And the door to the cabinet that we found downstairs? Perfect fit. I can't hold it up AND take the picture because it's now 3 am and A is in bed.....sleeping...

Oops. Oh yeah. My husband. Who will wake up tomorrow and probably notice this, I imagine. Uh oh. I'll have some 'splainen to do...

(3)

Help - Tile Choices!?

What we do know is that we want to go with "subway tile" (specifically Greenwich Village tile from American Olean). It fits the vintage of the house and is just generally cool looking. However, after that we're kind of torn. Which of these tile border patterns do you think we should we go with? (Disregard the colors...we're not set on green and are considering black or grey.)

Option A--Around the Outside

Option B--Headin' Straight Through

Option C--Looping Around the Window

If you have better ideas, we're open to those too. We'll probably have someone in to do the tile in mid-August...

(21)

Busy, Busy, Busy

Busy day, busy day.

We took the TV antennae off of the house and, in the process, got an upfront and personal look at just how badly the brick was tuckpointed on the chimney. Plus, the "wire mesh" over the chimney has TWO holes in it (?) about the 3 inches around (squirrels?) and is tied onto the chimney with an electrical cord complete with plug circa 1965. (Remember to click on image to make it LARGER)

Lovely. (But how do you like our rafter tails? Cool, huh?)

We also cut down a TON of brush from the side and front of the house (with the generous offer of tools from our two FABULOUS neighbors, J to the north and T to the south.) A was quite intrigued by the electric hedge clippers.

AND we diverted the drainpipe AWAY from the house!! Finally! We suspect that underground somewhere it is broken and has been causing the footings below the sunroom to settle. That will have to be fixed. $$$

Or the sunroom will eventually detach itself. But, if in 90 YEARS it hasn't fallen off yet, we've got a little bit of time to address that.

Note two things about these next pictures. First, that stuff in the hole where the old drainpipe went? It is called (no lie) "THE STUFF". It comes out like kind of foamy, fat silly string. BUT! Do not substitute this for Silly String at your next par-tay. Because then it hardens into something like REALLY solid foamy rock. And it gets even more dense when it gets wet. No fun for partygoers. Thanks Dad, for directing us to "The Stuff".

Second, as A towers proudly over his water diversion masterpiece (whoops, I took the picture before the splashblock went in), see how the stucco behind his left knee is, well, dark grey? As opposed to the rest of the stucco which is only a dirty white? This is where they did a really cheap patching job on the house where the footings need to be redone. Again, frugal yet not effective for the long haul.

And where did the TV antennae end up? Well, um, by the trash can in the alley. With the mangled mangle. With the (fervant) hope that our dear Alley Driving Folk (they are like the Leprechauns in Ireland) just magically whisk it away in their trucks. Ah, the advantages of living in a major metropolis.

I mean, that's where the 40 year old cardboard CANS of motor oil, coolant, charcoal briquettes, paint thinner, fire retardent powder and anti-freeze went after we discovered them in the garage. (I know, it was like "Return to Love Canal"...but in our garage.) And may they use them in VERY good health, bless them. And store them more properly then they were stored here!!!

The Fishy Men

Okay, a few key things happened today, so I will try to categorize them in order.

(I ASK YOU AN IMPORTANT QUESTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS THAT ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER.)

Remember when I sent away the Cable Guy (on the day of the All Star Game--doh!) because he wanted to turn our new house into Señor Bungalow?

Okay. Well, read back a couple of posts. We'll wait.

(hums to self)

Right then. So today the two guys from the "fishing cable though walls place" came...

I don't know what else to call them. I'm sure that there is not a yellow pages category for THAT.

They looked the situation up and down. String coaxial cable into the house (through the flimsy back wall which already has holes for phone cable) and down the length of the basement ceiling. Which they won't have to fish through because the ceiling is coming down anyway.

Up though the crawlspace under the sunroom (which I already cleaned out) and through the wall for a cable connection.

THEN...up the wall in that corner to the bedroom upstairs. This was the trickiest part because they would actually have to FISH the wire THROUGH something that wasn't coming down already. Then through the hole in the yucky, soon-departing, badly installed drywall ceiling that WE would have to cut FOR THEM. And then through the wall into the bedroom.

That will take 3 hours. And cost us $300.

I immediately dove for my computer to check out HGTV and Hometime's sites about how to do this ourselves. (By the way, these are great sites...when I had cable, I used to like to actually watch the SHOWS!) I mean, it isn't like we are asking for wire to be threaded through a pristine house...the work is practically ALL done for them. The destruction part that is. There is NOTHING TO THREAD THINGS THROUGH! Except up through the wall to get to the second floor.

New fishtape and about a mile of coaxial cable coming up, eh? Served hot with an adventurious attiutude. We're going in OURSELVES!

And look at the cool tools...sigh.

Nothing stands between me and the Daily Show anymore. NOTHING!!

p.s. Okay brave words, but are we nuts to try this ourselves? Be honest. Is this going to be a fiasco*? Or...more of a fiasco than anything else I'm usually involved in?

* Fiasco, This American Life, Episode 61...you can listen to it here.

(4)

In praise of craftsmen... (hurray for ADT)

Augh.

My whole body hurts. I think I have a summer flu. Or, A was right and I shouldn't have left that standing water in the pedestal planter and I was bitten by a mosquito and now have maleria.

Not that I am overdramatic or anything. Not at all.

Today, we sing the praises of "craftspeople." Because, when they are good, BOY! Do they make a difference in home renovation.

Like today's vendor of the day, Ray. Ray works for Tyco/ADT, our security system people. (Remember...click on the picture to make it larger.)

Ray is an excellent craftsperson.

You're going to have to take our word on this because to show you pictures of his work would be, well, a breach in security. BUT! When someone uses creativity, skill and knowledge to reconfigure a system through a 90 year old house with walls like steel plate and makes it look and work WAY BETTER than it originally did when we got it and DOESN'T lose his patience with the client?

That's a real craftsperson.

Especially when that craftsperson has to reschedule his WHOLE DAY after he sees what it would take to get the job done right.

Ray, you rock.

Hats off, also, to the craftspeople on the discussion boards at the Fine Homebuilding forum.

Again, here is a group of professionals who love their craft. And it shows in their answers and advice.

Ask them a homebuilding question! Go ahead--make it a tough one! These folks know their stuff when it comes to FINE Homebuilding with a capital "F" and "H".

It's a tough world...but somebody's got to build it and keep it safe. Between Ray and the Fine Homebuilding forum, we've got a large portion of that covered.

Scrub, scrub scrub Cinderella!

So, we tried the first batch of stucco cleaner. Our stucco is not EIFS...it seems to be the real deal. And it is pretty grimey up under the eaves and under the A/C units.

We didn't want to break out a power sprayer first thing because, well, we were afraid a piece of the house might fall off under the pressure. (No, really! Honest!) So we went the into the "kinder, gentler" direction. The stucco has never been painted or tinted (on purpose anyway). So, we used Borax, Power Scrub Baking Soda, dishwashing liquid and hot water. A recipe we got from DIYNet.

So, here I am, bristle brush from Home Depot in hand, trying to test this out on a place where it won't show if we mess up:

And, we're off! Scrubbing with the Borax, dishwashing liquid and Baking Soda Power Scrub with hot water...

And, that worked only relatively well. Not as well as I'd hoped. So it is back to the Home Depot for some stronger stuff...perhaps T.S.P....and some more waterproof gloves to protect from chemicals.

We show you EVERYTHING here at houseinprogress.net Even the stuff that doesn't work. Bummer.

(1)

Feeling hot & grumpy? Take it out on the house.

It was really hot and humid in Chicago today. 90 degrees hot. With almost 100 percent humidity.

Yuck.

We decided to take it out on the house. We were curious about what was behind the drywall in the bathroom. We need to run a few conduits for new electrical wiring up the center of the house and since that wall has to come down anyway...welllllll....we wanted to see if we could run it behind something there.

We had not planned on taking the wall down when we had the bathtub refinished. (Take note of this LESSON LEARNED. Electrical work and plumbing BEFORE tub refinishing.) So, working so fast that I am a BLUR, I swath the tub with old towels that were left behind by the Previous Owner. And then cover the whole thing with an old WWII Army Tent that was used by the local Boy Scout troup in the 40's, 50's and 60's.

If you are bummed out about the tent...um...don't be. We have about 6 of them. Along with the U.S. Army regulation tent backpacks. That weigh a kazillion pounds. Unless you are REALLY into nostalgia of the painful hiking sort (or maybe you are in training for an Olmpic event and want to carry a heavy thing), these tents are probably just for show.

Then, I make the first surgical cut.

Wow. It isn't often that you are trying to take DOWN a wall. Usually you are trying to think of a million ways to keep a wall UP. At first, this is stressful. For the first 30 seconds. Then you just begin tearing through drywall (carefully) until a panel is off and you feel very VERY good.

No major plumbing problems back here currently. It looks like some time ago a bad caulking job around the fixtures created problems with water seeping behind the tiles, but a little rip down just got rid of some old mold.

We left the exterior wall intact for now and took two more panels off to the right of the tub. We were rewarded with a nice surprise :)

Behind panel number three, the stack for the plumbing extends from the basement to the attic (with steel wool packed around the pipes on each floor. Not sure if that was the PO's way of discouraging the possible spread of fire up the stack in case of a house fire. But when we moved that aside and shined a flashlight up and down, that lovely balloon framing was doing its job...all clear, straight shot. Enough room for 2 conduits to run from the basement to the attic. Just like Boris advised us to do..some space for wire now and cable/telephone later. NOW if we can get an electrician who is not afraid to take on working around some plaster walls, we are in business.

Whew. I feel better. Not cooler. But better.

(5)

Square Peg. Round Hole. Contest.

**NOTE: This is a contest with prizes! If you are into that, read through to the end.**

We are trying to figure out the puzzle that is our bathroom and we need YOUR help. It will be like playing with doll house furniture...er...kinda.

My lovely draftsman Dad sketched out our current bathroom situation like this (remember to click it to make the picture larger):

This bedroom-turned-bathroom is second in awkwardness only to the kitchen.

Since it is 17 feet long (!) and 6.5' wide, you'd think we could do a LOT in there. But we knew from the beginning that, although we were taking out the floor and could mess a little with plumbing and electricity, keeping fixtures close to current water and drainage/vent systems would be ideal from a budget perspective because we wouldn't have to move them around on the floors below.

This is important to know for the new remodeler.

SO! That's where you come in. With a silly, crazy, creative, and/or sensible, "hey that just might work" idea for fitting our square peg of a bathroom into its round hole. You can submit said idea on a scanned napkin, computer drawing or even in a detailed paragraph. By September 1, 2003, when we will announce the winner and their choice of prize.

Why are we asking you, citizens of webland, for your ideas?

Because you are cool and creative and fun! For example, I would love to see a bath designed by ZeFrank but I know he is busy and may not have time for us.

Here are the 3-D views of the room.

Entering in a door to the very left.

You turn and see the current sink area...(those cabinets on either side are freestanding):

You peek behind the door of the room and notice a small "closet" has been built around a vent stack that is needed for this bathroom and the one below it is as well):

You stand by the sink and look to the back of the room and notice a) the built-in, which may have to be moved and b) all of that UNUSED space!

You walk to the back of the room to look at the bathroom at a new angle. You turn and look straight back at the shower and sink and see that the "toilette" is placed behind the little "closet" created by the vent stack:

And then you look at the windows across from the "stack" closet and "toilette":

You know, as you consider how to reconfigure everything, that:

1) Flipping and changing plumbed fixtures around so that they are making the use of current pipes and stacks will save money.

2) Maybe you'd like to try a separate shower. But you also know that possible future kids would require a tub too.

3) Two sinks side-by-side might work best in a master bath. But, drat, the windows are too low to put sinks there.

4)The floor is going to have to be totally replaced. It was destroyed in a leak long ago. So that is good. Vertical pipes could possibly be moved.

5) The internal doors could possibly be moved around, but moving the exterior windows would cost quite a bit!

6)The current bathtub is a "rightie". But it could be replaced by something freestanding or something creative could be done to move it.

Do you have your strategic puzzle hats on? You can move fixtures around, repaint the walls (or do something else with them entirely...they are currently "Wes Andersen" pink), go high-brow or low-brow.

And we are offering a choice of prize to the solution which "moves" us the most...either to laughter or "oohs and ahhs".

The winner can claim one of the following (or if there is something that isn't here that you crave, email us. We'll talk. If it hasn't already been claimed, we could set something up):

We AREN'T expecting a drawing from a professional architect or contractor. Actually, it would be more fun to see what ideas other folks would come up with. That's why we tried to make the prizes silly and/or fun. HOWEVER! If the drawing is cool AND feasible, I will pledge the following choice as a prize, although I love it very much...our vintage, mahogany-finished, wood-handled, smooth-as-butter Miller's Falls hand drill (from the late 40's to possibly mid 50's) with its die cast, red-enamel solid drive gear and three-jaw chuck adjustable 0 to 1/4 inch. It's a beauty. But, well, we also know that a fabulous bathroom idea deserves a fabulous choice of a prize.

Here's an empty room if you need one (you can double-click on it to make it larger, the right hand click on it to save it to your PC):

This is a HUGE experiment for us...especially since we've been batting around different ideas as a couple. But we want to see what you would come up with too! If your room design gets executed, we will even see to it that some kind of "homage" is paid to you within said design. Also very fun!

(9)

Open Source Bathroom Contest Update

Who's going to win Mr. Peanut? Is it...YOU?

We've been getting some very clever entries for the bathroom! We'll be posting them closer to September 1st to make sure that everybody gets a chance to get anything in they are plotting. (And we've heard of some unusual plotting!)

There has been a collage, a 3-D drawing, a sketch put on the computer, a Powerpoint drawing, a written paragraph...most excellent. This is going to be fun...and hard to decide a winner so far!

We've received entries from: Kitschywoman (americanbungalowmagazine.com), CloudHidden and piffin at Breaktime (FineHomebuilding.com), nycwriters (ZeFrank.com), my MOM...but she has ulterior Mom-type motives. :)

Maybe we would qualify with the guys at TASTYTRONIC as an "open source bathroom project" :)

p.s. What on Earth? comes tonight....more stuff!

(2)

What is our house SUPPOSED to look like?

There comes a time in every homeowner/restoration-type person's life when they are trying to trace back HOW something looked before a previous homeowner "improved" it (usually a la the 1970's) when they THROW their hands in the air and groan:

"How is it SUPPOSED to look? How DID it look? What HAPPENED HERE??!!"

Well, we have some clues from some old sketches. And I found them in our computer files today. But I don't know where they are from and that is sad. They are probably from a late night Internet research stint before we bought the house when I was trying to understand the nuances of bungalow architecture. If you know the source, please email me and I will contact them for permissions.

More oldie-goodies :)

(Bathroom sketches via Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Catalog: 1904 and Kohler Catalog: 1925, via Mac the Antique Plumber )

Sigh. OKay. Someday.

(3)

ohmigosh it's August 29th!

Have you sent in your entry for the Open Source Square Peg Round Hole Bathroom Makeover yet???

Over 10-15 creative entries sent in already!

Someone's gonna get these Coasters from 1940's Bermuda!!!!

Might as well be YOU, as Ed "The Man" MacMahon says. :)

Some of the finalists in the "Square Peg" contest...

So, we had this contest. To redesign our really strange upstairs bathroom.

Which has got to be really difficult if you can't actually SEE IT. But everyone was a good sport and we received some EXCELLENT entries. We'll be posting some here over the next few days for you to peruse and comment on. We loved the creativity. Then, we will announce a WINNER who wil choose a PRIZE!

NYC Writers from the ZeFrank message board offered this collage (remember--click on image to make it larger):

Ok, I'll bite. I love playing around with things like this, although take it under advisement I have no plumbing experience.....

Here ya go:(click to make image larger):

Cloud Hidden, from Fine Homebuilding, offered this fab 3-D rendering:

Since it is so long, I'd place things and create illusions that shortened the room. I'd orient everything width-wise. Putting the tub and toilet at the far end has the effect of shortening the room by 2.5' or so. Putting 2 sinks at the near end also occupies some of the length. Using 2 sinks rather than one counter should lengthen that wall a bit. I'd hide the waste pipe in a column, and match it on the other side of the room, and throw a fake beam across them to break the room into the sink area and the shower area. There should be room for a chair or bench in there. No changes to the window or door or waste pipe. Toilet and shower move....oh well. And shower/tub would need to be a 4' model to fit in this way. Good luck, have fun.

piffin from Breaktime also threw his hat in the ring :)

You do not provide some of the dimensions such as to locate the door or the window but here's my thoughts, you have enough room for two.

Mary from AB offered up these great ideas:

1. Remove existing sink.

Good luck! Mary

Our pal TEC came up with this very creative descriptive plan:

Creativity knows NO boundaries...more in the next entry!

More creative "open source" bathroom solutions!

Luka, from Breaktime, gets into the act. (Remember to click on the picture to make it larger...)

Ok, I took care of the whole problem. You now have maximum space in the bathroom.

: )

CAG from Breaktime does too...

Here's my feeble attempt.

Done up with the right trim and such I think the bath could look pretty good.

seymourdunfee sent us his thoughts...

Glass block the windows. Raise the bottom if necessary.
Put tub / shower across bottom of drawing.
Keep stool in current location.
Make top section the vanity area.

Good Luck.

There are a lot of "good luck" sentiments in these messages. Which is making me WAY nervous. Kind of like "Hey, you are sailing on the Titanic...good luck!"

Anyway.

Our American Bungalow pal, Diane, sent us her bathroom design (at our request) because we loved it so much.

It's not shown on the drawing but there is a bump-out on the wall next to the new bathtub where some of the plumbing goes (vents, etc.). I decided to swing the bathtub from the long wall to the short wall under the window. The only downside to this was that I was limited to a 5' long claw tub instead of a longer 5 1/2' or 6 ' tub.

I decided to go with the separate shower but space was tight. The
shower is only 3' x 3' which is about as small as you can go. It works well but
not a lot of room when you need to lean over, etc. I really wanted a
"frameless shower which is just sheets of glass held together with clear sealant. It's mounted on the tile with a small chrome channel. I wanted frameless to minimize the visual impact of the shower in the corner. I talked to
folks with the old style tub/shower setup and they didn't really like it..
The setup I have works well and it seems to fit better in modern life...

Eric A from New York City gave us a really marvelous idea.

Step 1: Move the whole house to New York City.
Step 2: Rip out the wall between this bathroom and the adjacent closet.
Step 3: Put a window in the closet and call it a bedroom.
Step 4: The ~6'x7' area outside the "bedroom" is now the "living room."
Step 5: Put a sink, a bar fridge a cooktop (2 burners you have to plug into the wall is fine) and one of those combo microwave/convection oven doohickeys in a counter/cabinet setup underneath the windows.
Step 6: Put up a curtain around the tub and a 6' tall wall/door combo around the toilet.
Step 7: Put a listing in the NY Times Real Estate Section for a "No Fee, 1BR+LR in private home, OK for shares, $1500/mo+sec."
Step 8: Laugh all the way to the bank.

I actually think my first apt. in NYC was about the size of this bathroom
and it went for $1000 more than 6 years ago, last I heard they were getting
$1700 for it. If you put your house in Brooklyn you'll only be able to get
$1200 for the "apartment" but you'll have a much better quality of life.

Another pal from AB, Rick, sent in these design ideas:

These are just quick ideas, but, here goes. I’m guessing that you don’t necessarily plan on using all period correct fixtures. Your reference to a more modern double sink vanity tells me that you’re willing to use modern fixtures for better functionality. Since you’re gong to be taking the floor up anyway, possibly move the cabinet in the lower left corner (in your picture) and put the toilet there. While the floor is up you can run the supply and drain lines between the floor joists and connect to the existing lines.

And as for the pink paint, as “unique” as it may be, I’d go with some high wood wainscoting (about 5 feet tall) with a simple rail molding across the top. Dark wood, maybe to resemble aged oak. As far as the wall color above it, maybe an off white or cream color. The “sanitary bathroom” white look was popular until the late 20’s when color began to be introduced. But to keep it looking like an operating room I’d go with an off white. I’m not crazy about dark walls in a bathroom, makes the room too dark overall.

And, yes, my MOM writes in with her idea:

Mom: Got on this AM and read about the contest. The only suggestion I have is this, if you need space, there are showers that are incorporated with half bath tubs to fit into a small space. This will accomodate a child until they are about size or up to age 7 and then they take showers anyway. If someone is desparate for a bath, they can always use the downstairs bathroom.

Mom: So your 5' 7" 6-year-old (the result of a rather tall father) takes a bath with his/her knees under his/her chin. A small price to pay.....

We love you Mom. So, where did you see this product? I searched online and...nothing. Is this something that you and Dad saw at the boat show?? Be honest.

Sedonia from AB tries to soothe our frayed nerves with encouraging words and her idea...

I like your bathroom space. It is interesting. I don't think you should have to do major renovations to make it funcitonal and attractive. Paint, floor, and some furniture and accessorizing would do wonders with this. You could upgrade the fixtures in the future as your budget allows without having t make major changes in plumbing and flooring. Off the top of my head:

Is the built-in an original component of the room? If so I would try to keep it. *I* would use that other unused space to put some kind of interesting, funky, and unexpected piece of furniture. Like a chaise lounge maybe, set diagonally in front of the radiator.

Note: Although we know she is talking about these kind:

this kind is also interesting. If we could only get to Melbourne!)

I have always wanted a chaise lounge in my bedroom or bathroom. Or set a wooden chair in there. So you have something to sit on while dressing, or to lounge on while you are waiting for your bubble bath to fill up. And some big plants.

Hope any of this helps.

We forgot to write "feeling better" into our final mission for the house. I AM SERIOUS! This is a good reminder from Sedonia. The whole POINT of this is to feel better about this house.

Thanks S!

Just a few more entries and WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

This is from our pal Kristen who did the cocktail napkin thing but then really went all out with her Quark program! (Dig that Quark) (Remember to CLICK on the picture to make it larger!)

I'd love to have a free-standing clawfoot as a focal point in my bathroom, but I have the shower enclosure around mine in my tiny bathroom because it's functional. I'd love a more capacious shower for daily use, since I seldom have time enough for a bath and I usually fight with the shower curtains at least once each morning in my pre-caffeine haze. Still, I think it would be nice for you to take a tub after a long day of "deconstruction." You could find a salvage tub or they have some new ones in great colors that could be fun.

I love the look of side-by-side pedestal sinks and because you have so much other room for storage, you could get away with it since you don't need the under-the-counter space. You could do some great things with built-ins. I had drawn one version that created an arch bridging from the shower over the windows, with the tub set under the arch. The other side had a built-in shelves on the side to hold your bath salts, cup of tea, candles etc. Hard to reproduce in a line drawing though. Oh, the fun you could have in a bathroom that size!! My 35-square-foot bathroom and I are envious.

And, finally, the entry from our very good pal, Kitschywoman! (Over at AB Forum)

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Well, we will be judging these entries based on CREATIVITY! (Definition from our dictionary= "using or showing use of the imagination to create new ideas or things and making imaginative use of the limited resources available.")

If there is CREATIVITY + FEASIBILITY then, well, that gets our attention too, since we need a bathroom :)

The Winner will be contacted and asked to select a prize from our "Pile O' Prizes" (see details here) And then, we will post the winner and the prize they selected! We hope to be notifying the winner by Friday! (All of these entries are amazing...this is going to be really hard.)

In the meantime, we're back to regular programming. Hope you had a great Labor Day!

And we have a WINNAH!

Kristen from the American Bungalow Magazine Forum, COME ON DOWN! Our panel of judges has voted you the winner of the SQUARE PEG ROUND HOLE Bathroom Design Contest!

(This is NOT Kristen. It's actually Karan Sprengle winning the 12th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off with her main dish called "Polynesian Island Bake...a main dish with an Islands touch."** But I'm sure that she LOOKS as excited as Kristen FEELS right now. :) And we have most of the PBO Cookbooks that began in 1949 so...

While this ISN'T an actual picture of Kristen this IS a picture of her winning entry:

We have to say, the amount of creativity in the 15+ entries submitted blew us away. From Luka's "So, use the whole floor. Problem about space is solved" to Eric A's "why have a bathroom when it can be rental income" idea to all of the other Powerpoint, CAD, Quark, collage (I still think that was pretty darn creative) to Wordperfect entries. They were ALL excellent. It was so hard to choose.

In the end, it was Kristen's creativity and resourcefulness that won the day. She figured out a solution that would fit everything in with minimal moving of pipes or runs. She had an interesting mix of period and more modern amenities. So it was a creative solution with feasibility, resourcefulness and keeping costs down that won it for her. But our judges had a knock-down drag -out debate over the entries...they were all REALLY that good. This was a TOUGH contest to decide.

So, while Kristen is mulling over her choice of prize, let me submit the results of our email interview with her so you know more about the designer and her methods. We know her from the AB Forum, but our judges wanted to know MORE! Here is more of her reaction and her answers to our nosy questions:

Kristen:

That's fantastic! I'm so honored. :) I've been out on the porch stripping a buffet for my dining room all day (giddy that I'm uncovering more of the mahogany under all those layers ... or maybe the giddyness is from the stripper ...) so this is indeed happy news. And a nice day-after-my-30th-birthday present, too!

I'm so glad your judges liked my idea. Let me tackle the questions one at a time so I don't leave anything out:

1) Your hometown

Providence, Rhode Island. Originally from central Connecticut. Came in 1991 to attend The University of Rhode Island, had great internship, got offered job just before graduation in 1994, never left (much to parents' dismay).

2) The type of dwelling you currently live in...bungalow, condo, etc.

Two years ago I bought a 1926 bungalow owned by three other women over the years. The first owner was a seamstress and had two shops; one in the basement and one in half of the garage. Her work table in the basement (since covered with asbestos tiles) has fruit crates from the '20s for drawers. My neighbors knew the original owner, who owned the house for 60 years, and she used to tell stories about when the road was dirt and cows grazed at the park down the street. My neighborhood borders the city's largest park, which houses a zoo, natural history museum, carousel, paddle boats, greenhouses, a Japanese rose garden, a beautiful former casino that now is used for functions, etc. It's truly a jewel in an already-great city.

3) What you do for a living?

I am editor of a start-up weekly, independent newspaper (in direct competition with, and launched to buck the mediocrity of, the chain-owned papers a bunch of us used to work for before and during the time they became corporate-owned). The paper covers two waterfront towns in southern Rhode Island and we have a sister paper that covers three others.

4) How did you stumble across houseinprogress.net?

Loyal reader since your first AB post about buying the house "and all of its, um, stuff" on the AB board.

5) Have you ever done any renovation yourself?

I didn't realize it at the time I bought my house, since I didn't really know there was this whole bungalow subculture out there, but my house is in fantastic shape for its age. Original woodwork remains unpainted. The floors are in decent shape. There is not much remuddling to unmuddle. So the only "renovation" work I've done is pitching in the very occasional hand with my limited skills (more often it's moral support or thoughts on design) to help my friends (three women) who bought a 1846 Federal-style house a few miles away that should have been razed. They are amazing and have brought that house back from the dead.

6) How did you decide on your final design?

My first rendering on the back of a receipt ended up being the final design. (I did make it prettier with Quark.) It sounds a bit silly but it was what I "saw" when I looked at your photos and considered the layout. It was kind of hard not having a real sense physically of the space (although your photo tour helped greatly). I read what you were looking for and thought about what I would like if it was my space and also how you could best use the plumbing that already was in place to save aggravation and cost. Relocating the door seemed to be a good way to utilize that lost space at the back and free up what could be a crowded entry/sink area as you are trying to get ready in the morning. The half wall to create a toilet surround gives a bit of privacy and the clawfoot in front of the windows uses space that otherwise might be wasted. Plus it seems like it would give you plenty of room to bathe little ones instead of being stuffed in the corner bumping into the sink. I love a puzzle! I'm glad it is something that might work for you someday.

7) What's your favorite room in your house and why?

My house is so small (700 square feet plus 126 square feet of enclosed porch) it's like one big room! But seriously, each room has qualities I like and things I'd like to fix but am waiting for time/money. I guess I'd pick my kitchen, because I love the glass-front cabinets that stretch to the ceiling, the great sink and the wainscoting. True, the countertops are '50s red laminate, the counters are narrow and difficult to work on at times and the floor is covered by ugly off-white vinyl that never looks clean even after I've just scrubbed the heck out of it. But this room is so bright and sunny in the morning; I found myself smiling when I walked in there just today. The kitchen had never housed a refrigerator before I moved in. The apartment-sized fridge was located out in the back landing, but you could barely get around it and down the stairs that lead to the back door and the basement door, so I had a friend install an outlet in the pantry (next to the stove), found a skinny, stainless, bottom-freezer beauty and recessed it in the pantry, removing (and saving, of course) the door but leaving the door frame intact. I also replaced the apartment-sized gas stove with a stainless model. I got some great curtains off eBay that look fantastic. So, it has its shortcomings, which someday I will address, but I love it just the same.

Kristen, congratulations!! And KUDOS to everyone else for their amazing ideas and designs. You are ALL talented and fun-loving folk and we look forward to actually MEETING some of you someday if you're ever in Chicago.

Cheers!
______________________________________________________

**Recipe for Polynesian Tuna Bake from the 12th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off
by 8th grader, Karen Sprengle from Ponoma, California

Saute (in 8 or 9-inch skillet)
---2/3 cup of chopped onion
---2/3 cup chopped green pepper (1 medium) in
---2 Tbsp cooking oil or shortening until tender. Reserve 2 Tbsp for topping

Add
---1 can (10 1/2 oz) tomato soup
---2 Tbsp brown sugar
---1 tsp grated lemon rind
---3 Tbsp lemon juice and
---2 tsp soy sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes

Mix in
--2 cans (6 1/2 oz or one 9 1/4 oz can) tuna. Heat thoroughly.

Top with
--Sesame Strips, crisscrossing to form a lattice top, sesame seed up.

Bake
---at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Sesame Strips

Sift together
---1 1/2 cups of Pillsbury's Best All Purpose Flour
---2 tsp double-acting baking powder
---1/2 Diamond Crystal salt into mixing bowl.

Cut in
---1/4 cup shortening until particles are fine

Combine
---1 unbeaten egg and enough milk to measure 1/2 cup. Stir in reserved onion and green pepper. Add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring until dough clings together. Knead of a floured surface 5 to 8 strokes.

Roll out
---on surface sprinkled with 1/4 cup French's Sesame Seeds to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 1/2 inch strips (use in recipe above).

Serves 4 to 6

(1)

On Bathroom Fans and EFI Fan/Light Time Delay Switches

That's a mouthful...but it's all we've got while we're waiting for our favorite electrician to arrive.

Needing a contractor during one of the busiest times in home improvement history has left us feeling a little like a wallflower at the prom.

We're here. The music's playing. And....no date. :(

Yet.

BUT! Our ceiling vent fans that we chose for our bathrooms are FINALLY coming! Whoo hoo!

It's amazing what you get excited about when you're in the middle of a home renovation.

Yes, it's the Panasonic WhisperFit VF1 Ventilation Fan!!!

Okay. Whoop-di-do. That's what you're sayin'.

But WAIT! Ventilation of your bathroom, attic, kitchen...any space that can trap humidity is CRITICAL to saving your woodwork and keeping air circulation high. By not venting the bathrooms, the previous homeowners wrecked a lot of the room upstairs. But venting things without it being SUPER obvious? Also very hard.

There are a lot of BIG ugly noisy fans out there. Trust us.

These Panasonic fans are low profile and pretty quiet. If a normal conversation takes place at approximately 3-4 "sones" (that's how they measure it), you can get a fan that is quieter than 0.8 sones. Very cool.

And, what about the turning on and off of the fan? Our most excellent neighbor, K, reminded us that a fan is pretty useless unless you remember to turn it on and LEAVE it on until humidity is gone. Sometimes long after you've showered and dashed out the door. (She already plans on replacing their wallpaper this year in the bath. If you don't turn the fan on? It isn't good to the wallpaper.) And you don't want to waste energy.

So, A's reading of Fine Homebuilding paid off when he spotted this...

Installed >

...the EFI Fan/Light Time Delay Switch. ONE switch turns on a fan and separate light. But YOU can set the user controls to keep the fan running until the humidity in the room has reached a certain point, EVEN IF YOU TURN OUT THE LIGHT. Then it turns itself off.

We are big geeks. Oh well....

Both products came from Energy Federation Incorporated. Which needs to seriously work on its website shop. However, they sell some cool products, so we forgive them.

Save the planet. One bathroom fan at a time.

(5)

And so! It begins...

Not with a whimper...but a BANG!

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. We've been like wallflowers at the dance, moping around, wondering if any cool contractor will like us.

And then...POW! Electrician! Plumber! 1-2-3!

So today, the electrician and his team began the prep work needed to eventually do some heavy duty wiring. We talked permits. We poured over some drawings. They cut some additional holes in the walls and ceiling (with our blessing) to see what is behind all of this...

It isn't very pretty. Sure, the PO updated the wiring. To all of the wrong places in a creative abundance of unusual ways. And the pipes for the plumbing? Let's not even talk about it.

So, in the basement, we told them not to be very surgical...It's going to have to all come down anyway. We already moved back everything we've been setting up for the estate sale and made sure everything else was protected in a drawer or box or in a cabinet.

In the bathroom, they were more surgical...because patching plaster and lathe is no fun. And they checked out the space where the fan will go...

...which, oh goodie. Another surprise! The joists for the second floor? 6 inches set 16 inches apart. Not unusual for 1914. But a bummer for 2003. Heavier stuff up there...like a bathtub in a bedroom that was converted in 1951. We're shocked the whole thing didn't fall right through the house into the basement. But, we know the original builder built this house SOLID! So, when we pull up the damaged subfloor in that room, we'll sister those joists and press on!

Or, um. I guess I'm pressing on with this blog entry because everyone else is asleep.

It's 1:09 am. Again. And I'm not asleep. Again. Sigh.

Wheee! Vendors and more vendors!

This morning we had our boiler serviced by A & M
Heating & Cooling Specialists.

When I called them last weekend for a routine check-up appointment, I wasn't expecting a call back until Monday. Their answering service passed along the message and they called me back the same day. The set up an appointment for today.

Bright and early, they came in and went to work on our 6 year old steam boiler.

Just like the pump in the basement, it is good to check the boiler once a month. Well-maintained equipment lasts longer. Costs less money in the long run.

They checked a number of things and were very patient with my questions. Gave me a quick lesson in this particular boiler and its quirks. Now that I think about it, they were particularly nice considering I hadn't had my coffee and was not too quick on the uptake :) I learned about my PSI reading (should be around .05)

And I learned how to do a few other things to maintain it. I also got a lesson in what these things were on our radiators.

They aren't in addition to a steam radiator's regular valve system. They are something that you use instead if you can't (or don't want to) reach down to the valve and still control the amount of steam for that specific radiator. The numbers on the side give you more information than the original turning knobs. But they do look a bit, um, unusual.

I also learned that the radiator in the additional room that the previous owner had built onto the back of the house doesn't work very well. (This is the room with the floor that slants, has little insulation, etc. It is really an enclosed porch that was attached to the house.) We plan on taking this room off at some point and doing something different back there. So, we'll live with this room for now and keep