Monday, May 31, 2010

Bathroom Demo


Well, it's official all that remains of our bathroom is a lone, crooked, toilet. The demo was actually relatively painless and by doing it oursleves we saved about $500. We found that demolition quotes were all over the place, some as low as $400 and some as high as $1500. The contractor we ended up choosing quoted the demo at $500, so by doing it ourselves we saved enough money on the budget to splurge on this gorgeous Grohe faucet. Faucets are like jewelry in the bathroom and this one is so glamorous.


A couple of tips for the potential DIYer. It was inexpensive for us to complete the demolition because I have access to a painter's van and a dumpster. If you do not have access to these things, then the van/truck will cost you about $60 and to dump the larger items between $100-300, so at that point all that work to save just $200-300 may not be worth it. However, since my Dad runs a construction company we were able to do the demo for the cost of a couple miscellaneous tools at the hardware store and being forever indebted to my father-in-law for doing most of the work. I seriously pretty much watched him and my husband Andrew do everything!

We started the demolition work around 8:30 and finished everything, including clean up, at 3 pm. I thought that was pretty fantastic. The job went so quickly because we were prepared with the right tools. Al, my Father-in-law brought a sawzell or blade saw and a mini jackhammer. The sawzell was used with a diamond blade to cut out the drain in our porcelain coated steel tub. It was a beast getting that out! The mini jackhammer made quick work of the ceramic tile floor. Without these tools it would have been a very late night. Of course we did lots of google work to figure out how best to tackle each project which was pretty helpful to determine which tools we would need. If you don't have access to these tools, they could both be rented at a local hardware store.


Our contractor arrives at 8 am tomorrow. I'll certainly continuing posting about the progress!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sex and the City - Swoon!

So first an apology - it's been ages since I've posted and there is so much to report on. Am I forgiven? I promise to be more diligent. The craziness of wedding season is for the most part over so I can now focus on all the major happenings in the condo.

Back on topic now...despite the fact that the movie sequel has gotten pretty terrible reviews, I'm still excited to see, mostly because it's my excuse to throw a party for all my fabulous girlfriends. I've been setting aside fancy hors d'oeuvres recipes for months for just such an event. Sidenote - I have to think triple hard to remember how to spell the word hors d'oeuvres and I usually have to google it to make sure I'm spelling it correctly. The party will certainly be a blast and I'll be sure to pass along any successful recipes here.

But to get everyone excited for the movie and to just enjoy all the fantastic stylings here's a link with images of the interior spaces featured in the new film:

Sex and the City 2 Movie Sets

Carrie and Big's apartment is GORGEOUS! Even though my style might be a bit more boring (I prefer to call it classic) like Charlotte, I wish I could be more fearless like Carrie!

To give you all an update on the condo we are really making progress. We installed a new furnace and a new washer dryer - totally boring renovations, but practical. I promise to take pictures of the new stuff soon. I'm waiting till I can get to the Container Store and splurge on organizational tools so I can make our little laundry closet look perfect!

We are also starting construction on our new bathroom this upcoming Tuesday. Thanks to all of you who helped me decide on a vanity and tile. I think it's going to look amazing! My Father in law came into town yesterday and him and Andrew did all the demolition. I'm sure there would have been quite a lot more frustration and "choice" words exchanged had me and Andrew attempted this on our own. I have a few progress pics that I'll post tomorrow.

So get excited for lots more posts and updates to come! Especially because directly after we complete the bathroom we are moving into the kitchen and I'm so excited for all we have planned there!