We Have Power and Tile (on the way…)

This week didn’t seem very productive but we actually got through a very big hurdle. All along we thought that picking the tile for the bathroom would be fun. However, it is anything but.

The problem with picking tile is that there are:

1. Way too many options on color/style
2. Once you pick a color you have to decide what size(s) to buy
3. Then find a matching/complementary accent tile out of the thousands of options
4. Then you have to decide how you want to lay them out
5. Finally you get to determine how many you will need (actually the easiest and most enjoyable part of the process – at least for 2 engineers!)

So we’ve gone back and forth between using floor tile that we already have (and buying a complementary tile for the tub surround) or going with a completely different tile color altogether. After many trips to the store and searching online, we finally decided on the main bathroom tile color. We are going with the Vallelunga Pietra Romana Avorio tile – we still haven’t decided on an accent tile for the tub surround though.


We also decided on a tile design for the bathroom (after coming up with 50+ options). The floor will be a simple brick pattern but the tub surround will be a little fancier. We were able to save some money by using 12”x12” tiles on the bottom of the surround and the fancy expensive ones above.


Now we just have to wait for the tile to arrive (of course we have a lot of other things to do in the meantime).

On Friday the electricians came back to install the outlets and switches. I temporarily installed some lighting in both bathrooms so we don’t have to use the big work light (it gives off so much heat that it turns the room into a sauna).

The electricians were joking that they should wrap themselves in bubble wrap when they come to our house so they don’t have any more accidents. This time our bathtub was ready…it’s now covered in tape, a sheet, two comforters (from Goodwill), and cardboard.


One thing we learned over the weekend is that door frames today are not the same size as they were in 1960. We kept wondering why the door frame sticks out about ¼” from the drywall in the bathroom. We measured both old and new door frames and realized that the old door frame was extra wide to account for the very thick plaster on each wall. So now we have one wall with plaster (the hall) and one with drywall (the bathroom). We looked at all of our options and decided the easiest would be to add thin (1/4”) drywall to the bathroom side and buy a box extender for the switch box.

On a fun note, our grocery store this week had “Super Double Coupons” where they double coupons up to $1.98. We ended up saving $200 on groceries (we may have gone a little overboard on some things but at least Chris will smell good for years!).

Since the weather was so nice this weekend, I painted the exterior door in the kitchen. There was a little accident during the process though…


Even though it’s a fuzzy picture, I think you can tell what happened. It may be time to donate my hair again!

On a pregnancy note, I think the “nesting” phase has begun. I just can’t seem to stand all of our clutter and dirt anymore. It is so bad that I even cleaned my officemate’s desk this morning. Hopefully I have the energy to do the same to the house!