Home Improvement Update

[emeraldsedai]

Since Tread Riser and the Bathtub of Resuscitation, there have been delays in my bathroom remodel. Most of them have had to do with my own uncertainty about spending that much money.

So I decided to consult a real bathroom designer, and she and her sidekick visited the project site, aka my house, yesterday.


The verdict is mostly positive:

• My proposed layout received their professional approval.
• My choice of bathtub is very "now".
• The budget I've got might actually be enough. Barely. Maybe.
• They can specify all the technical stuff that I don't understand, like lighting. And complicated faucets. And where things like niches and grab-bars go.
• They didn't turn their noses up at my tiny house or the still-iffy neighborhood it's in.
• They both thought Monsoon was adorable, so I know they're good people.

On the other hand, there were a few disappointments:

• I really won't be able to go to Europe on any leftover money from the project, because there won't be any.
• My flooring choice (bamboo) is silly for a bathroom. So it's back to the drawing board on that.
• I can't begin to afford the heating system I wanted--and the hot-water system is in doubt.
• I will have to scale back my fantasies on the faucets and showerheads and stuff. Mid-range. Not high-end. Which makes sense. It's not a high-end house.

In two weeks we'll meet to go over a final design. Then, sometime after that, the nightmare of actual remodeling begins.

My 50th birthday is in December. It's my goal to celebrate it, at least in part, by getting up to my neck in hot water in my very own bathtub of resuscitation. Wish me luck.