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blogcutterAnd except for a few finishing touches, we got it. Our long-awaited cat-proof toilet paper dispenser was installed yesterday; the capping on the outside of the window is to be done some time this month; and the chip at the top of our glass medicine cabinet... well, we don't really know yet. We've reported it and it's been looked at. There was talk of replacing the door panel altogether, although as it's not that obvious and doesn't really affect wear, we'd settle for having it sanded down and maybe getting a small discount. But let me backtrack a decade or three or four.
We bought the house in the summer of 1980, when mortgage rates were definitely in the double digits, and surging upwards to above 20%. For that first year, we were able to take over an existing mortgage loan at 11 or 12% - but a year later, when I was seven months pregnant and facing a maternity leave which in those days amounted to 15 weeks' worth of unemployment insurance pay, we were faced with a renewal rate of about 19%. To make a long story short, we managed (thanks to a bit of scrimping, as well as the generosity of family) to fully pay off the loan by 1986. But needless to say, there was not a lot of money left over for any home improvements.
I actually quite liked the main-floor bathroom as it was in those days. But it had never ventilated properly. There was no fan and while there WAS a window, the screen in it never really fit properly and fell out over time; it was a single pane of glass which of course you don't really want to open much, especially during the winter months. And over the years, the window frame rotted through - it had a large hole which we had to stuff towels into to prevent too much heat from escaping. Mould became a problem and though it could temporarily be scrubbed away with bleach or CLR, it always returned.
Some time in the 1990s, tiles started coming off the wall inside the tub/shower enclosure. We should have had it retiled then but... well, we got some quotes on that. But in the end, and wanting a quick solution so we could take showers again (not just baths in the tub) we ended up opting for a vinyl tub-surround. The contractor assured us (and to be fair, I think he believed it himself - he was just rather incompetent!) that it could be custom cut to fit the exact measurements needed - top of tub to ceiling and going around the window. Well, you know what they say: measure twice (or better yet, three or four times), cut once? The darn thing didn't fit - it left a gap at the top. So the higher tiles could not really be removed; instead, they were painted white to match the vinyl sheath. The door couldn't be reinstalled and we had to get a shower curtain instead. He did manage to fix a problem with the wash-basin though (it had been leaking down into the vanity ever since my partner had installed it); according to the contractor, the distributor (whatever that is) had been installed upside down. He reinstalled it and there was no further problem with leaking! But as far as the tub-surround went, it gapped at the corners and of course water from the shower eventually got down into the gaps, compounding the whole mould problem.
Another problem with the bathroom was the floor tile. It really was NOT the kind of tile that has any business being installed in a bathroom because it just wasn't waterproof! The previous owners had covered it with washable bathroom carpeting, which we inherited along with the house, but it was never really satisfactory. My partner did actually retile the bathroom with ceramic tile which we chose from a place on Colonnade Road; did a decent job of it, I'd say, but not what we could reasonably expect of a professional. Said partner also installed a new basin some years later after the previous one rusted out, and put some shelves up above the vanity to hold towels and things.
The toilet was problematic too. We replaced it once but somehow it was never properly installed and over time it was gradually sinking into the floor and tiles were cracking around the base. We had visions of one day plunging right through the floor into the basement! It clogged constantly as well and we had a few major overflows in there. It wasn't even particularly sparing in terms of water use per flush.
All that to say that our bathroom had over the years turned into a serious embarrassment, not to mention a possible health hazard. We braced ourselves for a few weeks of major inconvenience during November and early December. We went to a large renovation outfit that would handle all the details - the mould remediation, the electrics that were no longer up to code, the new window, new walls, new ceiling, new floor. We worked with one of their designers to get the fixtures and accessories we wanted. We had new grab bars installed.
During the renovation, we had an orange vinyl tarp tunnel along our hallway, and separating the bedroom area from the daytime living areas. I became adept at taking baths in the laundry tub.
Was it all worth it in the end? I'd say yes, although I hope we never have to go through that level of disruption again. I don't think we could have managed it while we were both working.
We now have taps that are wall-mounted instead of perching atop a basin rim. We have a nice efficient one-piece toilet; one short slurp and everything disappears. We have a slightly shorter vanity but with a linen tower at one end (tall enough to accommodate a hamper on one of the adjustable shelves), and a nice spacious medicine cabinet. The light fixture is an LED. We've gone back to having a shower door rather than a curtain. We have a nice quiet ceiling fan to draw out the moisture after our showers. But when we want to, we can still run water into the bath or washbasin (before the renovation, the basin and bath stoppers were both defective and we'd been unable to find plugs that fit properly).
To be sure, there are a couple of things I'm still getting used to. Unlike the old shower door, the new one can be opened and closed from one direction only. That means we can't sit on the toilet lid and run the water before disrobing and getting into the shower. There's not a lot of space in the shower for putting soap, shampoo, conditioner and the like. We bought a new shower caddy that fits over the shower head - but the shower head has a rather short neck. So when we have the soap on the caddy dish, water from the shower falls directly on it, reducing it to a sodden mess. I'd like to get another caddy to go over the shower door but for now, we've started keeping the soap on the window sill. And speaking of window sills...
I guess it must be a very 1960s-or-earlier thing to have a window right in the bath/shower area. Back then, it seemed every department store sold matching sets of shower and window curtains, both of which were generally made of a fairly waterproof material. No longer. It seems almost impossible nowadays to buy ready-made waterproof curtains for bathroom windows. And we really didn't want to get into moving the window or moving walls, as that would have made for an even more major renovation, disruption and expense. For now we have a very plain cotton curtain on a tension rod in that window. We may later go for something a little better but it'll do for now. And now that we have a vinyl-clad window and a fan that we run for at least fifteen or twenty minutes after showering, excess moisture is less of a problem.
I also notice that there's less counter space with the new vanity, although of course that's offset by extra storage space above and below. I'm looking forward to getting a few more accessories, in particular some sort of caddy that's more elegant than the improvised orange-crate one we have there now, holding things like soap and tooth-brushing accoutrements that we like to have immediately available on the countertop.
There's still more that we'd like to get done around the place. It would be nice to put a small shower stall in the downstairs washroom, for example. Some of our floors should be replaced or resanded. We'd like to get new energy-efficient windows and possibly new doors as well. I'm keen to get a Heat Recovery Ventilator, which was recommended to us a number of years ago when we got an energy audit done. But as with most things in life, it's necessary to prioritize. For now, I'd like to enjoy what we've got for a while.
We bought the house in the summer of 1980, when mortgage rates were definitely in the double digits, and surging upwards to above 20%. For that first year, we were able to take over an existing mortgage loan at 11 or 12% - but a year later, when I was seven months pregnant and facing a maternity leave which in those days amounted to 15 weeks' worth of unemployment insurance pay, we were faced with a renewal rate of about 19%. To make a long story short, we managed (thanks to a bit of scrimping, as well as the generosity of family) to fully pay off the loan by 1986. But needless to say, there was not a lot of money left over for any home improvements.
I actually quite liked the main-floor bathroom as it was in those days. But it had never ventilated properly. There was no fan and while there WAS a window, the screen in it never really fit properly and fell out over time; it was a single pane of glass which of course you don't really want to open much, especially during the winter months. And over the years, the window frame rotted through - it had a large hole which we had to stuff towels into to prevent too much heat from escaping. Mould became a problem and though it could temporarily be scrubbed away with bleach or CLR, it always returned.
Some time in the 1990s, tiles started coming off the wall inside the tub/shower enclosure. We should have had it retiled then but... well, we got some quotes on that. But in the end, and wanting a quick solution so we could take showers again (not just baths in the tub) we ended up opting for a vinyl tub-surround. The contractor assured us (and to be fair, I think he believed it himself - he was just rather incompetent!) that it could be custom cut to fit the exact measurements needed - top of tub to ceiling and going around the window. Well, you know what they say: measure twice (or better yet, three or four times), cut once? The darn thing didn't fit - it left a gap at the top. So the higher tiles could not really be removed; instead, they were painted white to match the vinyl sheath. The door couldn't be reinstalled and we had to get a shower curtain instead. He did manage to fix a problem with the wash-basin though (it had been leaking down into the vanity ever since my partner had installed it); according to the contractor, the distributor (whatever that is) had been installed upside down. He reinstalled it and there was no further problem with leaking! But as far as the tub-surround went, it gapped at the corners and of course water from the shower eventually got down into the gaps, compounding the whole mould problem.
Another problem with the bathroom was the floor tile. It really was NOT the kind of tile that has any business being installed in a bathroom because it just wasn't waterproof! The previous owners had covered it with washable bathroom carpeting, which we inherited along with the house, but it was never really satisfactory. My partner did actually retile the bathroom with ceramic tile which we chose from a place on Colonnade Road; did a decent job of it, I'd say, but not what we could reasonably expect of a professional. Said partner also installed a new basin some years later after the previous one rusted out, and put some shelves up above the vanity to hold towels and things.
The toilet was problematic too. We replaced it once but somehow it was never properly installed and over time it was gradually sinking into the floor and tiles were cracking around the base. We had visions of one day plunging right through the floor into the basement! It clogged constantly as well and we had a few major overflows in there. It wasn't even particularly sparing in terms of water use per flush.
All that to say that our bathroom had over the years turned into a serious embarrassment, not to mention a possible health hazard. We braced ourselves for a few weeks of major inconvenience during November and early December. We went to a large renovation outfit that would handle all the details - the mould remediation, the electrics that were no longer up to code, the new window, new walls, new ceiling, new floor. We worked with one of their designers to get the fixtures and accessories we wanted. We had new grab bars installed.
During the renovation, we had an orange vinyl tarp tunnel along our hallway, and separating the bedroom area from the daytime living areas. I became adept at taking baths in the laundry tub.
Was it all worth it in the end? I'd say yes, although I hope we never have to go through that level of disruption again. I don't think we could have managed it while we were both working.
We now have taps that are wall-mounted instead of perching atop a basin rim. We have a nice efficient one-piece toilet; one short slurp and everything disappears. We have a slightly shorter vanity but with a linen tower at one end (tall enough to accommodate a hamper on one of the adjustable shelves), and a nice spacious medicine cabinet. The light fixture is an LED. We've gone back to having a shower door rather than a curtain. We have a nice quiet ceiling fan to draw out the moisture after our showers. But when we want to, we can still run water into the bath or washbasin (before the renovation, the basin and bath stoppers were both defective and we'd been unable to find plugs that fit properly).
To be sure, there are a couple of things I'm still getting used to. Unlike the old shower door, the new one can be opened and closed from one direction only. That means we can't sit on the toilet lid and run the water before disrobing and getting into the shower. There's not a lot of space in the shower for putting soap, shampoo, conditioner and the like. We bought a new shower caddy that fits over the shower head - but the shower head has a rather short neck. So when we have the soap on the caddy dish, water from the shower falls directly on it, reducing it to a sodden mess. I'd like to get another caddy to go over the shower door but for now, we've started keeping the soap on the window sill. And speaking of window sills...
I guess it must be a very 1960s-or-earlier thing to have a window right in the bath/shower area. Back then, it seemed every department store sold matching sets of shower and window curtains, both of which were generally made of a fairly waterproof material. No longer. It seems almost impossible nowadays to buy ready-made waterproof curtains for bathroom windows. And we really didn't want to get into moving the window or moving walls, as that would have made for an even more major renovation, disruption and expense. For now we have a very plain cotton curtain on a tension rod in that window. We may later go for something a little better but it'll do for now. And now that we have a vinyl-clad window and a fan that we run for at least fifteen or twenty minutes after showering, excess moisture is less of a problem.
I also notice that there's less counter space with the new vanity, although of course that's offset by extra storage space above and below. I'm looking forward to getting a few more accessories, in particular some sort of caddy that's more elegant than the improvised orange-crate one we have there now, holding things like soap and tooth-brushing accoutrements that we like to have immediately available on the countertop.
There's still more that we'd like to get done around the place. It would be nice to put a small shower stall in the downstairs washroom, for example. Some of our floors should be replaced or resanded. We'd like to get new energy-efficient windows and possibly new doors as well. I'm keen to get a Heat Recovery Ventilator, which was recommended to us a number of years ago when we got an energy audit done. But as with most things in life, it's necessary to prioritize. For now, I'd like to enjoy what we've got for a while.
