Bathroom '09 - Complete

At long last we have completed our bathroom renovation. This project consumed most of my weekends for the last couple months and we feel pretty good about the results. I have added links to most of the products we used, feel free to post with any questions.


The concrete vanity top turned out great, especially considering it was my first attempt. Check out buddyrhodes.com to find where you can pick up supplies for your own project.


We went with Oceanside Glass Tile for the accent and shower wall tile. The tile comes in 12" x 12" sheets and the mix can be customized using a variety of colors. We added some stone tiles to our mix. Also, the glass tiles are made from up to 80% recycled content, www.glasstile.com



I do not know the manufacturer of the floor tile but it is Italian porcelain, which sounds a lot more expensive than it is (it is actually quite inexpensive and a great product). These specific tiles are 6" x 20" and are finished with Custom Building Products Polyblend Grout in Platinum color. This and the rest of the tile were all from Montana Tile & Stone.




It was not the original intention but I ended up replacing the old shower window. Once we had the old wall opened up it became apparent that there was significant rot in the old wood window so we picked up an Atrium vinyl window for replacement. I am typically not too big on vinyl but for this high moisture area it is appropriate.





In case you are wondering, we used a combination of Kohler and American Standard fixtures and accessories, all of which are available at improvementdirect.com at prices that are quite reasonable (even free shipping. We refinished and reused vanity base cabinet, the new white wall cabinet comes from Nameek's and is available online at several outlets, we ordered from irawoods.com

Let the sun shine!

Last weekend we took a short break from the bathroom to plant some trees, a couple of planters and some sunflowers. Check it out:

Aspens off the deck


Planters on the deck


Sunflowers in the brick planter


And of course I couldn't resist a pic of the pooch. Bill is loving all the sunny, warm weather we've been having.

Bill, looking quite serious

It's not easy being green . . .

One can only stare at those swirly green wall tiles for so long. . . we are currently in the middle of our bathroom remodel. Jim began the process at the end of March. It's been a fun time. In between working we celebrated Easter, took a trip to Seattle and enjoyed a lovely Spring snowstorm (or 2) here in MT. It is easier and more fun to SHOW you:

The lovely "green machine" bathroom, prior to demo.

We will be replacing the mirror, but have plans for this one somewhere else in the house.

Goodbye green! Thanks to Josh for helping Jim get the old cast iron tub out and into the backyard.

Happy Easter!

Floor tiles are in place!


Time for some fun in the city!
Jim and Trav


Megan, me and Trav


Back to work
Jim has been busting ass on this bathroom. I've only been helping a little with staining the cabinet and some of the wall tile. He took on the project of pouring a concrete counter top. It turned out SWEET! Fits great and the sink looks fantastic. Love the contrast and the texture of the concrete. We'll be sealing it once it is officially in place.


Oh, I thought it was Spring. Silly me, I live in Montana.
12" of snow, mid-week. If you look close you can see our old toilet hanging out there on the deck.


Yay for new wall tile that is made of ceramic and not plastic! I helped some with hanging the white tile and setting the mosaic tile in place, but 95% of the work has been done by Jim.



Stay tuned for the final product!

Anyone for a game of pool?

The pool table from Walker arrived safely in our basement in September. Thanks to our friends who were willing to help with the moving process. We had a "Pool Party" in October. It was a joyous get together, complete with babies and a musical jam session. Anyhow, here are some pics of the table in action.

Giardiniera extravaganza

I was able to harvest carrots and onions to add to the giardiniera. All other vegetables I had to buy. I did eventually get some tomatoes, however, I had to pick most of them when they were still green because it got too cold to leave them on the vine. I finally got a cauliflower sprout after I had stopped watering and was letting the garden just die out for the season. Crazy! I bought those as starter plants in April, and they didn't flower until November. Yikes! Next year I think I will stick with what was successful this year and maybe try a few new items, like squash or cucumbers. Anyhow, back to the giardiniera. It is delicious! It's pretty easy to make, most of the work is just the amount of chopping that needs to be done. I could snack on this stuff all by itself, but it's delicious on salads, sandwiches, burgers or even pasta. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmmm. . . .


Giardiniera: Onions, carrots, green peppers, red peppers, jalapenos, cauliflower, green olives, olive oil, vinegar and Italian spices. Yum!

Salad Success!

I harvested the lettuce, some carrots and some peas to make a delicious "home grown" salad for lunch last week. I'm waiting on the tomatoes to ripen and to pick the carrots and onions to make some giardiniera. Yay for gardening!

Beautiful Bozeman

We are in the process of setting up our pool room in the basement and getting ready for our trip back to Michigan and Chicago. I took Bill for a walk tonight and the sky was beautiful. Thought I should share some of the beauty. We live in a pretty special place.

Handsome Bill


Pretty sky