Not so, I needed to confirm, by phone, the biggest order and, though they called me multiple times, while I am on the road, working like a dog, I do not respond to "unknown caller" calls. So the bathroom hardware sat in some warehouse, waiting for me to call. Upon my return, we had to backtrack to find out what happened. In the mean time, our construction crew went to work on another house, and our project sat untouched.
I take the blame on that one, will put G's phone number on orders next time. So today we are back in business. It took us one day to activate the delivery, pick up the sinks, unload the 350 pound cast iron tub and get the bath completion in motion. Oops, the "corner toilet" we thought would be so cute and unique, doesn't fit in the corner, and the beautiful china sink doesn't fit with the "huge" tub (smallest available) in our tiny, tiny bathroom.
We have never had a tub in this room, so it seems to overwhelm the space. Why a tub? Well... I must remind everyone that we have two darling grand kids and hope to have many more, who enjoy an evening soak in a tub. Showers are just not the gig for the 12-month old. Every grand parent's abode needs at least one tub. Hence, the tub went in first, and now we are struggling to fit a toilet and sink around it.
The best part is, we are back in our house after spending 4 weeks away at the in-laws. Though we totally enjoyed our time with G and G, we are glad to be back on the front porch with our coffee and wine routines.
So today was the first BIG work day since I left 10 days ago and boy were the hammers flying.
Unfortunately, much of the work revolved around keeping us comfortable. The air conditioning is back in business (they had to re route, re-duct and generally create a new circuit) to keep us cool. The porch fan is re-installed and wobbling and clicking as every high-end fan should:/
They also rewired the back bedroom, where we are staying, in order to keep the lights on and the fans working. This is wonderful, but a serious waste of builder energy since that room will be completely demolished in a few months. Moving back home was the right decision, but contractors are really more efficient when working on an empty house.
They dropped in the tub, wow, only one scratch on the newly finished floors. And continued to try to plumb the mystery toilets and sinks that seem to move while we are contemplating other things. The plumber continues to be pleasant and cheery, despite the constant frustration with changing the sinks and toilets. G and I are totally the worst at predicting where we want things. Note to self: Get exact measurements, create miniature models, design an exact replica of the house and position each piece in the replica before buying or designing anything. This is for "next time" and clearly, there will be no "next time". This is it for this little house. Hence, we will probably ask the plumber to change the toilet, hot water and cold water at least on more time before we settle on this design. It is not that we are total idiots, it is just that we keep changing the tub size, the toilet size, the cabinet dimensions and, in the end, it just doesn't fit. The room doesn't seem to get any bigger.
We are almost returning as much of the hardware as we are installing. But G and I are calmly riding the waves and keeping the "M" attitude going. Our contractor (M) smiles, laughs and says "it is all part of the fun". In the end, it is "only money" and though we have stretched our budget to the limit we want to love it in the end. And not step over the elongated toilet seat every day with a "why did we pick that stupid seat" feeling.
I worked today from 4:30 am -7:00 am, took care of grand babies from 8-2pm and met with architect from 2-3. Trying to nail down "Stage 3" if possible and use the left over corner toilet, mirrors, sinks and bars if possible.
It was a good day and best of all, "G" is cooking on the grill and I am drinking wine on the porch. The heat has eased a bit and life on the restoration path is looking pretty good.
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