Shower : Re-invisioned.
Reduce, Re-use, Re-cycle
With a considerably Reduced bank balance, and materials available for Re-use, Ruby's family has decided to Re-cylce their thinking process on how to provide a shower for the family during the Re-novation.
Saturday Morning, early:
Step one in the right direction. DH goes To Town for provisions. Chips, soda, milk, cereal, sandwich meat, bacon. A few additional building supplies available at The Farm Store.
Step two: DH cheerfully wakes up the family and assigns jobs.
Aspiring Chef DD#2 will be in charge of cooking breakfast and providing food, snacks and drinks for the day.
DS#2 will be in search of the sub-crawl space access point. More on this later.
Ruby will be in charge of trying to contain the mess, and remembering what order the work should be done in.
DH is in Charge.
DS#2 isn't even aware that there is a secret access panel to the sub-crawl space in the bottom of the old coat closet. The closet is soon to be demolished for the Master Bath anyway, and so has been cleared of the first layer of useful stuff. What remains is the useless stuff, and the unsure stuff. His mission is to empty the closet to find a small plywood panel in the floor that will allow him access. Most people have probably never heard of a sub-crawl space. They may have heard of a sub-basement, which is a basement under a basement. It's not to be confused with a pub-crawl, where the drinkers walk, or otherwise make their way, from one pub to another without the aid of automobiles. Well, a sub-crawl space is more of a sub-set of a crawl space. It's more of a math or geometry term than the other terms. It would take a long time to explain clearly, but just so you understand that the area under the shower and the closet is a tiny, short, spidery, dank, damp, dirt bottomed, cracked-up-stone walled, hole below progressibly rotted floor joists and the hole in the closet floor is a short cut (a worm hole, if you will) to getting to the shower plumbing.
A lot of the past night was spent with head scratching and trying to remember IF there is a shut off valve for the shower and where it might be. This involved an opportunity for Ruby to tell stories about the plumbing woes experienced by the house over the last 40 documented years. Sure that there were shut off valves installed the last time the pipes froze and burst under the floor, Ruby continues to encourage DS#2 to follow the pipes. All the while DH was trying his best to remember any of this, and not finding those memories.
Keep in mind that some of the family's favorite movies recently have been Hugo and City of Ember....
If the family can't find the shut off valves, the whole house water supply will have to be shut off for hours while new shut-offs are installed.....
oooh-weeee-ooooo
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Auction Shower: Fail continued .....
The saga of remodeling the Down Stairs Bathroom into a Master Bath, during which time the Second Bathroom (aka Kid's Bath) needed to be upgraded just enough to have an operational shower so that the Household would not be totally showerless for weeks during what is predicted to be one of the hottest summers on record.
We sought solutions at Big Box Supply House. Roamed the miles of aisles and acres of displays. All the chrome and porcelain and shiney stuff a person could imagine has been collected in this one place.
DS#2 abandoned us to go look at Outlet Covers and Light Switches.
DS#2 hung close to find out what he and Big Brother were doomed to do the next day.
Armed with the correct measurements and the experimental statistics from our mock-ups and backed by all the knowledge of Geometry we had combined, we read every sign and box in the Plumbing Fixtures / Tub, Bath and Spa section. The first conclusion we came to was that we could not afford to invest in a shiney new tub. Realization of just what a great deal that auction tub was. If only it had worked!
DS#2, being one of the primary users of this New Shower, became very interested and involved in this decision. And the fact that if we blew the budget, his car would Not be getting that new clutch that it needed. So, we decided to go for the lowest priced, largest sized TWO PIECE shower they had, that would ALSO go up the stairs. Did you know that some of the showeres manufactured and sold at Big Box don't meed the minimum code requirements for shower size? DS#2 pointed out that DD#2 would not care if the shower was the size of a shool locker, but he needed adequate space in a shower, and Height. Did he mention Height? Tall...
Turned out that for the price we could afford, and the size limit we had to work with, we could get:
Exactly the same shower that we had in the soon to be demolished bathroom that we've been using for the last 20 years. And, we could only buy that for the same estimated cost as a New Clutch.
So, the plan was seeded. If everything worked out just right, and we started Early Saturday Morning we could:
Take out the existing Downstairs Shower, haul it outside to scrape off the grunge and existing caulk and tile grout.
Install the drain: some extra materials required because now it's a Shower instead of a Tub.
Carry the cleaned and refurbished shower upstairs.
Install the shower, with proper Caulking this time: 3 tubes of caulk purchased.
Figure out how to use the Tub/Shower combo fixture on a Shower only and plumb the shower.
Totally rehabilitate the Sliding Shower Doors that have been known to Trap small people and try to Kill tall people.
Let all the solvent, sealant, caulk set up overnight.
What could go wrong?
Failure, while not a option, would mean not having a shower at all. For Sunday Morning!
duh da dun....
The saga of remodeling the Down Stairs Bathroom into a Master Bath, during which time the Second Bathroom (aka Kid's Bath) needed to be upgraded just enough to have an operational shower so that the Household would not be totally showerless for weeks during what is predicted to be one of the hottest summers on record.
We sought solutions at Big Box Supply House. Roamed the miles of aisles and acres of displays. All the chrome and porcelain and shiney stuff a person could imagine has been collected in this one place.
DS#2 abandoned us to go look at Outlet Covers and Light Switches.
DS#2 hung close to find out what he and Big Brother were doomed to do the next day.
Armed with the correct measurements and the experimental statistics from our mock-ups and backed by all the knowledge of Geometry we had combined, we read every sign and box in the Plumbing Fixtures / Tub, Bath and Spa section. The first conclusion we came to was that we could not afford to invest in a shiney new tub. Realization of just what a great deal that auction tub was. If only it had worked!
DS#2, being one of the primary users of this New Shower, became very interested and involved in this decision. And the fact that if we blew the budget, his car would Not be getting that new clutch that it needed. So, we decided to go for the lowest priced, largest sized TWO PIECE shower they had, that would ALSO go up the stairs. Did you know that some of the showeres manufactured and sold at Big Box don't meed the minimum code requirements for shower size? DS#2 pointed out that DD#2 would not care if the shower was the size of a shool locker, but he needed adequate space in a shower, and Height. Did he mention Height? Tall...
Turned out that for the price we could afford, and the size limit we had to work with, we could get:
Exactly the same shower that we had in the soon to be demolished bathroom that we've been using for the last 20 years. And, we could only buy that for the same estimated cost as a New Clutch.
So, the plan was seeded. If everything worked out just right, and we started Early Saturday Morning we could:
Take out the existing Downstairs Shower, haul it outside to scrape off the grunge and existing caulk and tile grout.
Install the drain: some extra materials required because now it's a Shower instead of a Tub.
Carry the cleaned and refurbished shower upstairs.
Install the shower, with proper Caulking this time: 3 tubes of caulk purchased.
Figure out how to use the Tub/Shower combo fixture on a Shower only and plumb the shower.
Totally rehabilitate the Sliding Shower Doors that have been known to Trap small people and try to Kill tall people.
Let all the solvent, sealant, caulk set up overnight.
What could go wrong?
Failure, while not a option, would mean not having a shower at all. For Sunday Morning!
duh da dun....
Monday, April 30, 2012
Update on the Auction Shower : Somewhat of a disaster. It was a Bargain! We were there for 6 Hours, and it took another 2 hours to get my Crew fed and delivered to their homes. Several days went into planning and preparation. After all that, DH & sons could NOT get the thing up the stairs to the bathroom it was to go into. Un-be-lievable! He had measured the doors and stairs and landings and hallway. I had measured the tub and it's surround. Soooo .... When I got it home, the first thing he had to do was to remove the bathroom door; just like he was planning to anyway to get the old tub out. The old tub came out peacefully and is currently sitting in the coffee table space in the Living Room. (Yep, it gets better.) So he removes the bathroom door, and it's frame. Re-measures. Removes part of the wall. Removes more of the wall. Finally he thinks it'll work.
So, the big day comes when both Sons are home for the day to help. (I was thankfully at work.)
I get a call from DS#2. Do I know where their gloves are? (The regular coat closet is part of this renovation, all gloves are in the Green Bin, not the Blue one.) While the front side of an "Acrylic" tub is all smooth and pretty, the back side is the opposite: Fiberglass is hard on the hands and other body parts.
I get a call: "Geometry is NOT my Friend!" We discuss alternative ways to turn the tub on it's way up the stairs. Did I mention that this is a One Piece Tub and Shower that is 5' x 34" x Over 6 feet tall? Did I mention that the stairs have a short run, a 90 degree right turn, a long run, another 90 degree right turn into the hallway, and then Another 90 degree right turn into the bathroom (which has an XXL wide opening right now). And, when you get there, the tub really needs to be turned 180 degrees from where it needs to be to get up the other turns? That means that the faucet end of the tub will actually be roughly 10' directly above the bottom Newel Post.
I get a call from DS#1. He's biding his time on the upper landing where he's trapped while DH goes to get a tool. "Dad want's to know how much you want to keep this bannister / guardrail thing." Ummm, I do want it to go Back if it has to come out.
I get a call from DD#2. She's been sent to find the SAWSALL. She's the Pink Girl and 13. She has no idea what a sawsall is. Until I remind her that DH was using it to take out the bathroom door last night, both making so much noise that she couldn't hear her TV show AND getting all kinds of "dusty gunk" ALL OVER the bathroom counter and Mirror AND IN HER TOOTHBRUSH ! "Um, SweetTea: What does your Daddy want with the Sawsall?", I ask.
Call from DH: Can he cut the top of the Shower Surround off the Tub and take it up in two pieces? It seems he might have mis-measured the Height of the "little slopey part of the ceiling" over the bottom run of stairs. And he thought I was surely mistaken about a 6 Foot Tall Shower surround. Why would it be that tall? "Surely you meant 60 inches." I suggest that it's time for a cold drink, a little TV, maybe a nap. We should go out to dinner....
I come home early. I admire the new "rustication" on the woodwork and paneling of the stairway. I complement him on not removing the banister or newel posts. DS#1 has "gone to work", he got called in, emergency, you know. DS#2 and DD#2 are sheepishly washing dishes and doing all their other chores that have been let slide due to The Renovation. DH is sacked out in the recliner.
I remeasure everything. DS#2 and I build a "mock up" of the tub using Pink Insulation Board and a refrigerator box and Duct Tape. We keep cutting it down until we get something that CAN fit up the stairs. DS#2 helps us dry run it several times. Then we wake up Dad to go to dinner, and Big Box Building Supply in The City, because he's allready driven the Local Hardware guy to request that he not Always try to Shop Local......
to be continued.....
So, the big day comes when both Sons are home for the day to help. (I was thankfully at work.)
I get a call from DS#2. Do I know where their gloves are? (The regular coat closet is part of this renovation, all gloves are in the Green Bin, not the Blue one.) While the front side of an "Acrylic" tub is all smooth and pretty, the back side is the opposite: Fiberglass is hard on the hands and other body parts.
I get a call: "Geometry is NOT my Friend!" We discuss alternative ways to turn the tub on it's way up the stairs. Did I mention that this is a One Piece Tub and Shower that is 5' x 34" x Over 6 feet tall? Did I mention that the stairs have a short run, a 90 degree right turn, a long run, another 90 degree right turn into the hallway, and then Another 90 degree right turn into the bathroom (which has an XXL wide opening right now). And, when you get there, the tub really needs to be turned 180 degrees from where it needs to be to get up the other turns? That means that the faucet end of the tub will actually be roughly 10' directly above the bottom Newel Post.
I get a call from DS#1. He's biding his time on the upper landing where he's trapped while DH goes to get a tool. "Dad want's to know how much you want to keep this bannister / guardrail thing." Ummm, I do want it to go Back if it has to come out.
I get a call from DD#2. She's been sent to find the SAWSALL. She's the Pink Girl and 13. She has no idea what a sawsall is. Until I remind her that DH was using it to take out the bathroom door last night, both making so much noise that she couldn't hear her TV show AND getting all kinds of "dusty gunk" ALL OVER the bathroom counter and Mirror AND IN HER TOOTHBRUSH ! "Um, SweetTea: What does your Daddy want with the Sawsall?", I ask.
Call from DH: Can he cut the top of the Shower Surround off the Tub and take it up in two pieces? It seems he might have mis-measured the Height of the "little slopey part of the ceiling" over the bottom run of stairs. And he thought I was surely mistaken about a 6 Foot Tall Shower surround. Why would it be that tall? "Surely you meant 60 inches." I suggest that it's time for a cold drink, a little TV, maybe a nap. We should go out to dinner....
I come home early. I admire the new "rustication" on the woodwork and paneling of the stairway. I complement him on not removing the banister or newel posts. DS#1 has "gone to work", he got called in, emergency, you know. DS#2 and DD#2 are sheepishly washing dishes and doing all their other chores that have been let slide due to The Renovation. DH is sacked out in the recliner.
I remeasure everything. DS#2 and I build a "mock up" of the tub using Pink Insulation Board and a refrigerator box and Duct Tape. We keep cutting it down until we get something that CAN fit up the stairs. DS#2 helps us dry run it several times. Then we wake up Dad to go to dinner, and Big Box Building Supply in The City, because he's allready driven the Local Hardware guy to request that he not Always try to Shop Local......
to be continued.....
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Goin to the Auction to get plumbing fixtures! Yeee Haaa!
Only a few of you will understand this: I'm pretty excited about going to the Auction to get Plumbing Fixtures tonight!
Yeah. I know, most people don't think of an Auction as the best place to get new plumbing fixtures. But, this Beige Recyclable has learned from experience that the Auction is one of the cheapest places to get building materials. There's an Auction house a little ways up the highway that frequently handles materials for several high-end builders in "the city". Back in the good old days of a few years back when the building boom was still going strong, they had truck loads of materials every two weeks. In these days of austerity, there's likely to only be a few items there once a month. But it's still a good, cheap source.
Now, you're probably asking "Where do these materials come from? And why do these builders want to sell them so cheap?" Well, I can only speculate as I don't know for sure. But, I have been around more than my fair share of construction sites. Home building is especially prone to "that's not what the owner was expecting". The builder orders a product, say some flooring, and when it arrives it turns out to not be what the owner wanted. There might not be anything wrong with the product. It's just not what they expected. There is a difference in the material in person from the photo in the catalog or online. Or maybe the sample varies from the full sized product.
Or, the builder ordered the wrong item or the wrong item was shipped. On a window especially, the width and height dimensions can get transposed. A 42" wide by 30" high window is not going to fit in the same space as a 30" wide by 42" high window. Maybe they ordered all 36" doors, and when it comes to installing them, they won't all fit.
Sometimes there is damage in shipping. If an owner is paying a huge sum for a perfect piece of wood work, a ding, dent, or scratch can be a huge thing. On the other hand, if I can get it for 10% of it's worth, maybe I can live with a scuff or two. Or maybe I can put the time and effort into fixing the flaw. Maybe I don't need that last foot anyways.
So, instead of returning to the manufacturer or somehow trying to get their money back, the builder sends it all to the Auction. It may be more cost effective in the long run for them to sell it for a fraction than to try to ship it back. A Skilled Construction Worker's time is valuable and shouldn't be wasted on trying to put tile back into a box and then paying the shipping to send it back. Their loss is our gain.
DH has scoped out a fiberglass shower/tub unit at the auction tonight. From his assessment, it was probably damaged during installation. The hole for the shower head and faucet has to be cut out at the building site to make sure that it's in the correct location. The manufacturer doesn't cut it out at the factory because there are too many different variables. Stud spacing, plumbing access, faucet type, control type and size, number of openings required. The list is long. But this time, somebody must not have "measured twice" because when they "cut once" it was in the wrong place. Will we end up with an off-center shower head? Possibly. Will it matter to my family? Not at all when they know that the alternative is to continue trying to shower with the hose attached to the antique/vintage (and not in the good way) faucet that is on the rusting out claw foot bath tub in the kid's bathroom.
So, Off I go to save some bucks!
Yeah. I know, most people don't think of an Auction as the best place to get new plumbing fixtures. But, this Beige Recyclable has learned from experience that the Auction is one of the cheapest places to get building materials. There's an Auction house a little ways up the highway that frequently handles materials for several high-end builders in "the city". Back in the good old days of a few years back when the building boom was still going strong, they had truck loads of materials every two weeks. In these days of austerity, there's likely to only be a few items there once a month. But it's still a good, cheap source.
Now, you're probably asking "Where do these materials come from? And why do these builders want to sell them so cheap?" Well, I can only speculate as I don't know for sure. But, I have been around more than my fair share of construction sites. Home building is especially prone to "that's not what the owner was expecting". The builder orders a product, say some flooring, and when it arrives it turns out to not be what the owner wanted. There might not be anything wrong with the product. It's just not what they expected. There is a difference in the material in person from the photo in the catalog or online. Or maybe the sample varies from the full sized product.
Or, the builder ordered the wrong item or the wrong item was shipped. On a window especially, the width and height dimensions can get transposed. A 42" wide by 30" high window is not going to fit in the same space as a 30" wide by 42" high window. Maybe they ordered all 36" doors, and when it comes to installing them, they won't all fit.
Sometimes there is damage in shipping. If an owner is paying a huge sum for a perfect piece of wood work, a ding, dent, or scratch can be a huge thing. On the other hand, if I can get it for 10% of it's worth, maybe I can live with a scuff or two. Or maybe I can put the time and effort into fixing the flaw. Maybe I don't need that last foot anyways.
So, instead of returning to the manufacturer or somehow trying to get their money back, the builder sends it all to the Auction. It may be more cost effective in the long run for them to sell it for a fraction than to try to ship it back. A Skilled Construction Worker's time is valuable and shouldn't be wasted on trying to put tile back into a box and then paying the shipping to send it back. Their loss is our gain.
DH has scoped out a fiberglass shower/tub unit at the auction tonight. From his assessment, it was probably damaged during installation. The hole for the shower head and faucet has to be cut out at the building site to make sure that it's in the correct location. The manufacturer doesn't cut it out at the factory because there are too many different variables. Stud spacing, plumbing access, faucet type, control type and size, number of openings required. The list is long. But this time, somebody must not have "measured twice" because when they "cut once" it was in the wrong place. Will we end up with an off-center shower head? Possibly. Will it matter to my family? Not at all when they know that the alternative is to continue trying to shower with the hose attached to the antique/vintage (and not in the good way) faucet that is on the rusting out claw foot bath tub in the kid's bathroom.
So, Off I go to save some bucks!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Bird Feeders or Hanging Trash Update
Ok, time for an update on the Feeder/Hanging Trash report.
Yes, it was cheap to make and an OK reuse of materials.
And, I can almost live with the look. I did move it from the "out front tree with very public view" to the "back of the Christmas Tree that faces the unseen side of the house".
Take into consideration:
Form Follows Function has always been one of my favorite sayings.
This particular feeder is a looser. It's Form doesn't allow for easy filling. The light weight when running low on food leads to blowing in the wind. The Cardinals didn't like it even when I filled it with sunflower seeds. The holes were too little for the seeds to flow out and when I made them bigger.... well it was just a mess.
So, back to the drawing board and the trash bin.
Yes, it was cheap to make and an OK reuse of materials.
And, I can almost live with the look. I did move it from the "out front tree with very public view" to the "back of the Christmas Tree that faces the unseen side of the house".
Take into consideration:
Form Follows Function has always been one of my favorite sayings.
This particular feeder is a looser. It's Form doesn't allow for easy filling. The light weight when running low on food leads to blowing in the wind. The Cardinals didn't like it even when I filled it with sunflower seeds. The holes were too little for the seeds to flow out and when I made them bigger.... well it was just a mess.
So, back to the drawing board and the trash bin.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Oil for spinning wheels from the gun shop??
You find out the most wonderful things at Ravelry.com. DakotaSkipper, one of my favorite Ravelers, recently posted that the Gun Oil, Ballistol:
Last fall, I went with the boys and perused the hunting caps and sweaters as they shopped. I got some great ideas for their knitted Christmas gifts. Got great deals on "knit in the dark" flashlights for the DDs & nieces, too.
But NONE of them has EVER bothered to clue me in on Ballistol. And THEY have been the first to complain when a squeaky wheel disturbs their Surround Sound. Must be because they're all the nerd/geek bow hunter photographer nature hiker woodcutter types instead of the gun toters. It astounds me how a squeaky wheel can disturb the soundtrack of a Star Wars movie or the explosions of a Die Hard Terminator Zombie Apocalypse.
Ballistol can be used On virtually anything! It does NOT damage wood or leather, it cleans metal as it lubricates and it can spread very easily into the smallest areas. It is also biodegradable. AND it does not build up into a hard, black gooey mess either.Cabela's ! Yea ! Any of those stores, including Bass Pro are some of my favorite places. The one has "stuffed" animals and the other has a huge, I mean Humongous, fish tank. There were even live wood ducks in the indoor waterfall at one years ago. My older kids, born when DH & I were college students, would think they had gone to the zoo and the aquarium on Saturdays when we went from Cabelas to Bass Pro to Pet World, sometimes we even stopped at the animal shelter and volunteered to walk doggies and socialize with cats. All good fun and no cost. The kids eventually caught on and had to reconcile the differences between their classmates zoo experiences and their own. ;-)
Last fall, I went with the boys and perused the hunting caps and sweaters as they shopped. I got some great ideas for their knitted Christmas gifts. Got great deals on "knit in the dark" flashlights for the DDs & nieces, too.
But NONE of them has EVER bothered to clue me in on Ballistol. And THEY have been the first to complain when a squeaky wheel disturbs their Surround Sound. Must be because they're all the nerd/geek bow hunter photographer nature hiker woodcutter types instead of the gun toters. It astounds me how a squeaky wheel can disturb the soundtrack of a Star Wars movie or the explosions of a Die Hard Terminator Zombie Apocalypse.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Tote Bags from Bird Feed bags
Since the subject of Bird Feeders has come up, I think it's time to mention making tote bags from Bird Feed Bags. They looked really good at the Middle School Craft Fair. The bags must be made of a very durable material, it takes forever for them to disintegrate if they blow away and get stuck on a barbed wire fence. We're going to have several of them very soon at the rate these birds are eating. Aside from the cost of the bird feed, they're "free". By the way, name brand bird feed definitely comes in more attractive and tote-worthy bags than the generic.
One of the many pages of directions can be found here: http://www.curbly.com/users/stephee/posts/2064-make-a-bird-seed-bag-grocery-tote
Notes that might help: Heavy Duty Sewing Machine with Heavy Duty Needle only
Reinforce stitching based on intended use: If you're going to carry heavy stuff, sew more lines of stitching.
Some of these can survive a machine wash, cool water, delicate cycle. But I wouldn't throw it in with anything you don't want it to fade on.
One of the many pages of directions can be found here: http://www.curbly.com/users/stephee/posts/2064-make-a-bird-seed-bag-grocery-tote
Notes that might help: Heavy Duty Sewing Machine with Heavy Duty Needle only
Reinforce stitching based on intended use: If you're going to carry heavy stuff, sew more lines of stitching.
Some of these can survive a machine wash, cool water, delicate cycle. But I wouldn't throw it in with anything you don't want it to fade on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)