Cut it Out!

Corey is a precise tile cutting machine (using a precise tile cutting machine.)

Crack

Here's a photo of Jon filling the cracks in the bathroom.


I think he missed one.

There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold

Here are some progress photos of the 'Escalate Escapade"


Step #1: open the wall to determine framing requirements and design criteria of new staircase.



Step #2: Remove wall and door framing


Step #4: Cut wider path for stairs and reinforce framing in ceiling .

Step #5: Demo stairs



Along with opening up the stairway, we eliminated some pony walls in the attic that we will re-frame, giving us more space upstairs.


I know what you're thinking: "What happened to Step #3?"

Well, Step #3 was lunch; I don't think you want to see a photo of me scarfing down a reuben on the front porch.

We had some great (professional) help with this portion of the project; our neighbor is a contractor specializing in remodels and guided us through every structural decision.

Stay tuned for photos of our new staircase.

Corey Rocks!

In a world of crumbling plaster and exposed studs, there lives a woman who's passion for drywall cannot be contained. From the producers who brought you "Henry runs around in the yard" and "The smashing of the bathtub" comes the long-awaited fourth installment in the 'Corey the Construction Cutie' trilogy:

Nurse Quigley: Sheet-Rock Star

Armed with a rock square and a tool belt, no unfinished room is safe!

stripping in the hallway

dirty birds! get your minds out of the gutter.
we're talking strictly renovation here.

We used a delicate mix of 2 parts hydrogen, 1 part oxygen to melt the adhesive beneath the tar paper.

Not easy, not clean; but we're getting down to raw wood come hell or high H2O.

The Writing on the Wall

these sweet nothings will be forever trapped under the new drywall in the bedroom along with nine layers of paint and wallpaper.

and on the 50th day, there was a tile floor!

the good news is, we didn't come to blows about tile design (though it was touch and go for a few nights).

please join us in welcoming our latest addition, the bathroom floor!

Deep Thoughts with Beagle Henry

contemplating the life of a renovation dog.
(or, how Henry came to love the new tile floor).

"Don't Tile Me In" by Jon Harmon

oops. too late!
(photo of corey's "i told you so face" deleted from camera by jon prior to posting)

You can't spell progress without gross

Progress is occurring, don't you worry.

Here's Jon laying down some mortar prior to the backer board in the bathroom. Note the yellow electrical cables on the left hand side of the picture. This is evidence that there will be power receptacles in the new bathroom, where there were none before.




Stay tuned for more!

Corey Cuts

Here's Corey finishing up a plunge cut through the sub floor in the bathroom.





If she's this happy while there's no toilet in the bathroom, she'll be ecstatic once the whole house is done.

P.E.T.O.B.

It seems that our previous entry stirred up some controversy with the fine folks from PETOB (People for the ethical treatment of bathtubs.)

As such, I have prepared the following statement:

There comes a time in every remodel where a fixtures aesthetic and functional purpose is questioned. We carefully researched the viability of using the built in bathtub in the design of the room, but we could not justify it's girth. Having totally scored a claw-foot tub off of Craigslist, the fate of the built-in was quickly sealed. It was truly unfortunate that the tub had to make it's exit in the fashion that it did, but there was simply no way to remove it in one piece. The friggin' (yes, I said friggin') house was built around the thing.

The demolition of the bathtub in the video was not meant to be funny, nor was it meant to inspire the copycat smashings that have plagued our country's bathrooms since the video aired. In fact, the act was never meant to be recorded, let alone put on the internet. We plan to use all of the revenue generated by it's popularity on You-Tube to raise awareness for bathtubs of all shapes, sizes and weights.

Furthermore, to show our dedication to this cause, we plan to uproot any and all flowers and/ or tomatoes planted in old bathtubs used as planter boxes and attempt to return them to full working order. (the tubs, not the flowers [we'll eat the tomatoes])

It is not too late to SAVE OUR BATHTUBS. So if you see me walking down the street, please show your solidarity by shouting the initials of our protest cry out the window of your car:

S.O.B.!!!

(Save our Bathtubs.)

I thank you for your attention to this matter.

Jon Versus the Bathtub, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sledge

Everything I've read about built-in cast iron tubs is true.

1. They are heavier than anything else on the planet.

2. The house is usually built around them

3. The only way to remove them is by smashing them with a sledge hammer.

4. Even after you break them, they're still pretty darn heavy.

Here's a video of me beginning to smash the tub to pieces.



Here's a picture of the tub halfway smashed:

After a very loud 12.5 minutes of smashing, the tub was ready to join it's brethren in the junk pile.

More on the bathroom battle to come.