Cap’n Jim’s Logbook

So it’s been almost a whole year since my last post and I’m sure the only people that will read this are the ones that haven’t deleted me from their RSS feeds or are the hard-core faithful (hello Peggy) that keep checking back to see if just maybe I’m still alive.

It has been a very busy time since my last post, right after Thanksgiving we started what will hopefully be the last remodeling project on our house (yeah right, I don’t believe me either). We redid one bathroom and converted a bathroom and closet into a new laundry room and bathroom. And while we were at it we rearranged one of the bedrooms to a new configuration that works better. BTW when we “rearrange” a room it usually involves moving walls and changing ceiling height/lines.

All of the major construction is over but we are still in the final phases of the finish work on the last bathroom. Projects left to complete are caulk/seal the shower edges, set the toilet, cast a new concrete sink/vanity top, and fabricate a faucet. No big deal.

Oh and while we were doing all this, we hosted Tina’s relatives from Germany for 5 weeks, threw a Wild West Party for her uncle Hans and Jonathan’s birthdays, hosted several barbeque’s for friends and church, and went to Germany for 2 weeks to liquidate my mother-in-laws estate. (more on all that in future posts, I promise)

Back to the construction zone

We opened a door from our pool deck into what used to be the former master toilet and created a WC for the pool. This toilet has no access from the interior of the house so we don’t have to worry about little ones getting into the pool from the house. While I was moving the plumbing around I went ahead and added the pipes for the outdoor shower.

While I was working on this, Matt & Nathan at Gems Construction started the real work for the laundry room and new bathroom. We demo’ed our old 2nd bathroom, moved a wet wall and added a new shower to the back of the house. The ceiling for the shower is a pane of safety glass so that you can shower under the stars. We are going for an industrial vibe. After looking at the photos, I’m beginning to think that when we reflect on this year we will refer to it as our “Corrugated Galvanized Steel” period. Time for a new material.

The laundry room is very compact, but quite functional. The main thing is that Tina no longer has to walk all the way to the garage in all weathers in order to do laundry. She is very happy.

In the new “Map Room” we opened a wall to create an alcove and angled the ceiling in the outer half of the room. The original ceiling was flat and due to being an add-on with a lower roof line was much lower then the rest of the room.

Hanging the map was quite an ordeal and only the second time in 30 years of marriage that I’ve threatened divorce. I was so frustrated with trying to get the lat/longs on the map to line up that I told Tina if she ever bought another mural like this I was out! Of course now that it’s up and everyone thinks it’s great all is forgiven.

The original plan for this room’s decor was inspired by Erika, Tina’s mom. Ever since she retired Erika was on the go. She was a woman that believed in living life with gusto, so Tina wanted to provide her with a room that would remind us of past journeys and inspire new adventures.

Here are some pictures of what we have so far. Enjoy.