So now that I saw a picture of a cabinet I like, how does one go about making that into an actual cabinet? All I've got is a photo - no diagrams, no instructions. Well, first off is the drawing:

On graph paper I first drew out the bathroom, in a couple of elevations (from the front, from the side). Then I rough-sketched the cabinet. Once tweaked enough so it looked about right, I drew out the final dimensions. But even final dimensions don't give you enough detail to take to the table saw. That's when story poles come in:

Story Poles are long sticks of wood that you draw each axis of the cabinet on. Once it's on the story pole, you no longer have to remember the length in inches -- you just use the markings on the story pole. I use a ruler when marking up the poles. So the long story pole there is the cabinet length. On it I've drawn the 3/4" plywood sides, the 3/4" plywood inner dividers, and the door and drawer-fronts. When it comes time to cut the wood, I pay no attention to inches -- I just use the story poles.

Toilet: done. Tub/shower tiling: done. Now on to the last part of the bathroom -- sinks. As you can see, there's room for sinks:

To refresh your memory, this bathroom started out with one sink. Below the window there used to be a radiator, and along the back wall was a vanity/cabinet configuration. But I want two sinks. So we removed the configuration, capped off the radiator, installed electric radiant heating in the new floor, and plumbed for a new sink.

And like in the kitchen, I'm going to build the cabinet. We already have the sinks and fixtures (they'll be in future photos). They are vessel sinks that will sit atop the countertop. But what kind of cabinet to build? I was flipping through a design book Contemporary Asian Bathrooms and found a cabinet design that we like:

So I'll be building something that looks like that. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Heather set the tile a week or so ago. And this weekend I grouted. Now that's some teamwork. I think the pattern we came up with works well. So we will call this one a success.

Just three more things and the shower becomes operational:

• seal the grout (me)
• install the fixtures (me)
• reglaze the tub (definitely not me)

So now thoughts turn to building the cabinet, which I hope to explain in a bit more detail. So stay tuned.

Heather's between jobs this week, so she's taken on the job of tiling the shower. More photos and details to come.

So after 67 years of faithful service, the front stoop of our house kinda fell apart. I'd noticed that some of the pavers on top were a bit loose, so I figured that I would fix it. After moving the bricks to re-mortar them back in, I noticed that there wasn't anything to re-mortar them back in to. Continue reading »

I've been making some progress recently with the main bathroom renovation. Infrastructure, mainly -- rewiring, reducting. Lots of tedious work, none of which makes for the pretty pictures. But we installed the ceiling drywall this week. Not only does it make it feel more like it'll actually be completed one day, it'll stop the old blown insulation from falling on me or the floor. Continue reading »

*Invaders from Mars?!* Naw, it's just the new air conditioning.

Our built-in-1939 house does not have central a/c. We've been using window units (I like to call it zoned a/c), but I wouldn't call that a good solution. They do the job, for the most part -- but they're noisy, block out needed light, and leave some rooms always hot. (I have stick my face in front of a fan before & during shaving so I can use my electric shaver.) Continue reading »

As if the kitchen weren't enough of a mess, Heather's started on the upstairs bathroom. The current bathroom has the ever-popular pink tile -- only at some point someone painted over it. I can appreciate their motivation (pink tile?), but it's not a long-term solution. Needless to say (yet I say it anyway), the shower was starting to get gross -- and any attempt at cleaning would just scrub off the paint.

But much like pulling a string on a sweater, once you start it can be hard to find a good place to stop. So H is tearing out all the walls around the shower. Good times. Continue reading »