Endless Noise and Mess

Yes, that is the way my house has been for over a month now. After weeks of a bathroom repair that required the shower to be rebuilt, I now have what the contractor termed an "industrial" bathroom. He said the whole house could fall down, but that bathroom is built to last. Through crashing hammers, saws, fumes and the layers of dust from pollen, dirt, and stone dust, the bathroom building is over. Even the week of scaling the popcorn off the kitchen ceiling and repairing that damage, and the entire mudding and plaster sanding experience is over. What is left is a lot of serious cleaning, but wait! There is painting to be done!

After those nerve wracking weeks of construction, it's my turn. I like painting, but it's not as easy at it used to be. I have to divide my work time with meals and other duties, and it is hard to get a good flow going. The kitchen ceiling is now completed, and I have been putting things back in place. I even have a resolution to be clutter free. ...If that is at all possible.

The bathroom is more of a challenge than a simple coat or two of paint however. After the DH and I first tried out the new shower, and I felt like a Greek Goddess, and he related to a Roman Emperor, I knew that this was a job not to be taken lightly. Much more than wall painting is needed. All the beautiful tile work deserved a freshly painted ceiling and trim. After 30 years, there was yellowing and surface marring. Even the door hinges and other hardware had become corroded, and the vanity light and switch-plates are seriously inappropriate. The cabinet is worn and tired, with knobs that were never even. Yes, this job may take a while.

Yes, It's a Hole In The Ceiling

...All because water began dripping from the ceiling a few weeks ago. When the plumber came and cut the hole, we could see the upstairs shower pan was not doing its job, and so the fun began.Since last Monday, a contractor with his one-man crew has removed all tiles from the shower, rebuilt a shower pan, and will re-tiled the whole thing. Looking at tile, and with a new look about to happen, I really am happy to have some choice in what is going to replace the 30 year old tile. This is exciting, and I happen to adore rustic, and this house is a "colonial" style as interpreted by middle America. So, the big question is ... do I go with standard middle American taste, or be daring and follow my own desires in this? I am dangerously leaning toward right-brain lately, so I am almost positive what the answer will be. ...And if I had a huge bank account, I would certainly be incredibly outrageous. The whole house would become artisan, all restraint gone!

The old square tiles will be banished to the past, and replaced with luscious creamy Travertine tiles. A softer natural stone cousin to marble, it has a rustic (yay!) quality that has become very mainstream. That is not the least of it however, as I have had in mind to update the bathroom for some time. Really, since I bought the house 9 years ago, I have detested the old faded red wallpaper, and the cracks in the floor, and mold in the shower. It was all an "UGH" look. A few years ago, one of my sons helped me along by changing out the vanity counter, and new sinks and faucets were put in place. Now, with the new tile, it is absolute that the walls, trim, lighting, and lack of medicine cabinets must be taken care of.

What has me worried is the hole in the kitchen ceiling. Because it has that nasty "popcorn" effect, a patch would be awful looking. The entire ceiling must be scraped (?) and repaired and painted. It will take over a week, and I have been told the room will be cocooned in plastic. Does this sound like I won't have access, and therefore not be cooking? I feel like I have somehow entered an alternate reality of getting just what I asked for.