Suzanne McGrath Photography

Thrifty Thursday...DIY Shower Tips and Tricks, Part 1

Alright, folks!  Let's do this.  I've already revealed the finished shower.  (Remember, it's the ONLY finished piece in our master bath reno, though.  We've got a ways to go...sigh.)

So let's talk about how we got from this:

 

To this:

 

First of all, we simply cut the drywall around the tile.  It was much easier to remove the whole section of each wall rather than to chip away at each tile.  And in our experience of removing tile, it never comes off the wall clean, anyway.  Since we carefully removed the tile walls, we didn't have to turn the water off.  We simply left the shower head and faucet untouched.  Once we got the walls out, it was time to pull out the shower pan.  Presto!  Demo complete.  

(Pretend the shower pan is gone in the picture above.  Then demo would be complete.)

Actually, demo always seems to be the easiest part of the whole project.  The problems and issues always seem to arise when it's time to put everything back together.  Isn't that how it always works?  Or is it just me?  Wait.  Don't answer that.

Anyway, the first thing we needed to do was address the drain situation.  As in, we needed a new drain.  The old drain was actually glued into place so the hubby had to cut it off.  In order to get access to it, he had to cut away the subfloor:

 

To simply cut out a chunk of subfloor, he used his circular saw and set the depth accordingly.  Here's a close-up after the subfloor was removed and the old drain was cut off:

 

Once he had that done, he installed the new drain:

 

Before we started demo we did a LOT of research about how to prepare the shower floor.  There are about a billion ways to do this, apparently.  We started out the old fashioned way, by laying down felt and then building up a mortar bed.  

See?  It looked like we knew what we were doing!  Alas, we did not.  Because in the end, the mortar cracked and our resolve to do it the old fashioned way cracked.  That's when we turned to the Schluter system.  Cue angels singing.

If you haven't heard of it before, the Schluter system is a whole waterproofing system for bathrooms.  It's rather revolutionary, expensive, and quite awesome - all wrapped into one company.

We purchased the Schluter components separately but if I were to do it all over again, I would just buy the whole system.  The first thing the hubby did was remove the first drain. (Yep, he had to cut out the subfloor AGAIN.  Oops.)  Then he installed the Schluter drain.  Once that was in, he installed the pre-fabricated styrofoam shower base.  (Sorry - no pictures here.)  It's awesome because it's SO EASY.  It comes in two pieces that can be cut to size with a razor blade.  To install, you lay down a layer of thinset with a notched trowel and plot down the shower base.  It's sloped so it takes all the guess work out of the shower base.

Let me back up here for a second and just point out that we framed out the niche before we began the steps above.  I really wanted the niche on the back wall but due to all the pipes running through that wall for #1's shower we had to go with Option #2.  The niche went on the right wall.  You can see in the picture above where we framed it out.  One thing to point out if you are framing in a niche, be sure to make it large enough so that once you cover it with drywall or cement board it is big enough to fit all your bottles!  Ours is exactly 12" so it fit our sheet of accent tile perfectly!

OK.  So you have your niche(s) framed out and your shower floor installed.  If you're lucky and live in a newer house, hopefully you won't have to deal with our next step...

Our faucet had two handles which is no longer up to code.  We needed to fix the plumbing so that we could use a faucet with only one handle.  I won't go into this step because our friend came over and helped us (read:  the hubby) do it.

Once this step was complete it was time to finish drywalling the shower.  Note:  If using the Schluter system there is no need for cement board since you will be covering it up with a waterproofing membrane.   It's a few $$ savings.  Not much, but I'll take it!

 

 

 

Once the drywall was installed, it was my turn to work on this bad boy.  I was the waterproofing master.  Hanging the membrane is really similar to wallpapering, only with thinset.  I watched the video on the Schluter site about a hundred times and then did the back wall first since it was the easiest.  The only thing to watch for is to make sure you overlap the seams by 2" and that was it.  This step was really, really easy.  As you can see in the picture below, the membrane is orange and looks just like a sheet of wallpaper: 

The shower floor and the curb (those three 2" x 4"s stacked on top of each other in the picture above are the curb) also need to be covered with the membrane.  I then used a 4" edge banding to cover each seam between the wall and floor to provide adequate coverage.  Schluter even makes corner pieces!  Here's a process shot:

Once everything is covered in the waterproofing membrane it's time for tile!  That's the exciting part.  I'm going to cover that one next week.  If you have any questions about anything in this post, just give me a shout and I'll be happy to answer any questions!



 

 

 

 

 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  How was your weekend?  Ours was pretty low-key and I loved that!

1.  We were scheduled to run 9 miles this weekend as we train for Rock the Parkway.  Usually we run on Sunday mornings from KC Running Company.  First, it's free.  Second, it's really close to home.  And third, it's free!  Well, this weekend we were smart and ran on Saturday because we knew today would be too cold.  We were right.  When I got up this morning the wind chill was -5*.  As in NEGATIVE.

Yesterday the weather was great.  The run was a little fast and I had zero in the tank.  But it was so nice to get out in the sun and to have it behind me.  So glad we fit it in early.

2.  Whole 30 update.  (Remember, I was doing a Whole 27, though.)  Anyway, it's been fine.  I do miss dairy a bit and mostly pizza.  (Still.)  Altogether I'm down just about 3.5 pounds.  I wish it was 6 but I'll take it.  

Since I'm leaving for a girls trip on Thursday I started to introduce some "non-compliant" foods yesterday.  Mainly a bit of butter for cooking, milk for a latte, and red wine.  I was really worried if I waited until my girls trip my stomach would not behave and I'd feel awful.  Thankfully, I've felt just fine!  So I'm going to continue like this.  I'll eat mostly a Whole foods diet but with dairy.  And wine.  AND, this is a big and, I'm not going to snack after dinner.  I think that's one of my big downfalls.  I don't feel hungry - just snacky.  And I know I don't need to eat.  I think that will make a big difference for me!

I've decided to reward myself when I hit my goal weight (129.999999999).  And that reward is going to be a nice swimsuit.  From a store other than Target.  I know.  I aim high.

3.  The little girls had their school Valentine's parties last Wednesday since they were out of school on Thursday/Friday.  They were cute.  Here's #4 with one of her besties:

And here's #4 playing BINGO:

 

Speaking of Valentine's Day, we had a delicious family dinner on Saturday before I took the little girls with me to #3's indoor soccer game.  So romantic, I know.

The little girls helped me set the table:

The hubby bought them each 2 cupcakes from Smallcakes.  (They only ate one last night.  I'm not crazy.)  Then they each received a small gift.  The big girls each got a statement necklace and an infiniti scarf.  The littles each got a package of markers/pens and a notebook.  Of course they all had a few chocolates thrown in for good measure, too.  The hubby and I have never been big on the holiday in terms of gifts for each other.  And that's fine with me.  I just get a kick out of watching the girls's excitement.

I made a surf and turf dinner for the hubby and myself, courtesy of IowaGirlEats.  Delish!  If you like steak and scallops you should totally make this.  The bonus?  It was so easy!  And the girls got a heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's because it's tradition.

4.  Today I made a breakfast pizza and it was SO GOOD!  The crust was made out of hashbrowns and it was crispy and delish.  The top was just eggs, asparagus, mushrooms, bacon, and a bit of cheese.  Make it!

5.  I'm still making the girls' lunches most days.  I'm not gonna lie, it sucks.  I get tired of thinking of things to put in there.  I've been doing a lot of thermos days lately - spaghetti, chili, mac-n-cheese, chicken nuggets, even pork taquitos!  When the hubby was gone those three weeks I got into a routine of making the lunches the night before and it's been awesome.  My mornings have been so much more smooth!  

I'm hoping I continue to be this motivated and organized.  Wish me luck!

6.  We are totally on the countdown to spring break.  I think it's 27 days now.  We are all so excited to get to stay at our timeshare this year.  I feel like a giddy school girl!  

And that's all I've got for you tonight.  Plus, I have three little girls downstairs (#3 is having a sleepover) waiting for popcorn to make their movie night complete.  Have a great week.  Stay warm!  

 
 

 

Thrifty Thursday...a DIY Shower Revealed

OK.  Let me first start off this post by saying this wasn't really what I would consider a thrifty project.  Rather, it was thrifty only in the fact that we did it ourselves.  I'm sure we saved money but it didn't feel like we saved a dime!  And it took us four months.  So there's that, too.

Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  I love my new shower.  It feels like I'm stepping into a spa when I walk in there.  (Walking out of the shower is another story!  The rest of the room is completely torn up.)  And I said it last Sunday, but there is something special about knowing you completed the project with your own two hands vs paying someone to do it.  

Without further rambling, I'm just going to show you a bunch of pictures now.

I 

In case you're wondering why that soap dish is so low, I prop my foot up with it when I shave my legs.  It's not actually supposed to hold anything.  And if I'm being honest, it was a compromise.  I really wanted to put in a tiny niche for my foot but the hubby axed the idea because he didn't want to have to frame it in.  I gave up because I wanted to stay married.  

 

As for this large niche pictured below, I love it!  I was sad we couldn't put it on the back wall that you see when you  face the shower, but that wall was full of pipes for the shower in #1's bathroom.  This was another compromise.  I wanted a third niche right up next to the shower head for my coffee.  (Tangent:  I have taken my coffee in the shower since I was in college.  I ALWAYS find a place to set it.  ALWAYS.)  Again, the hubby basically told me to take a hike.  He wasn't framing it in.  Again, I gave up because I wanted to stay married.  So this niche is extra long to make sure and fit my coffee mug.  So it's all good!   

 

 

I am absolutely in love with the trim kit I picked out!  That gold.  Ugh.  It's amazing.  And the square shape steals my heart.

 

 

More gratuitous photos of golden gorgeousness.

 

And one more of the finished product:

 

I told you I'd share a budget breakdown.  Here goes:

• Ceiling Light:  $125
• Kerdi Drain and Waterproofing Supplies:  $410  
• Frameless Glass Door:  $1,200
• Framing Supplies:  $70
• Plumbing Supplies:  $60
• Tile (including marble thresholds):  $600
• Tile Supplies (ie grout and thinset): $170
• Shower Valve and Trim:  $300
• Total - all in - right around $3,000

I thought I'd put together a resource list, too.  I mean, why not?  I've put everything else out there.  And maybe this will be helpful to someone?

• 3" x 6" Daltile subway tile from Home Depot
• Delorean Gray non-sanded grout from Home Depot
• 12" x 12" Black/White pebble tile from Home Depot
• 12" x 12" Cristallo Mosaic tile from Home Depot
• Bright white non-sanded grout from Home Depot
• Marble Threshold (for the niche) from Home Depot
• Marble Threshold (for the curb) from Amazon
• Soap dish from The Tile Shop
• Delta Vero Monitor 14 SeriesTrim Kit (faucet and shower head) from Lowe's
• Traditional Urban Cage Ceiling Light from Shades of Light in antique brass
• Frameless Glass door by Precision Glass

Phew!  There you have it.  My shower has been officially revealed.  Hopefully it doesn't take as long to finish up the rest of the bathroom but I'm not holding my breath.  We're not exactly speedy over here.  I'll do another post or two on tips and tricks we learned while doing the shower.  But I think this is enough for one post.  If you have any questions, holler and I'll be sure to speak to it in the follow-up posts.  

Thanks for sticking with me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrifty Thursday...DIY Shower Tips and Tricks, Part 2

OK.  Where did we last leave off?  Oh yes, the shower is all waterproofed using the Schluter system and ready for tile!  The fun part.

I tiled our floor first.  It was the easiest to do which also made it the most fun.  The first thing I did was dry-fit the tiles:

This part was a lot like putting together a puzzle.  But once everything was in place, I noticed there were spaces between the tile and the wall:

I had several extra sheets of tile and just pulled random rocks off the mesh to use for these areas.  I saved them in a big pile for when it was time to stick everything down.

After everything was dry-fit, I carefully removed the sheets one at a time and set them up in the same order so I knew how to install them in the shower.  Mixing up the thinset was relatively easy AND a great arm work-out so BONUS!  Unfortunately, not really.  I don't have beautiful guns to show you after doing this.  My biceps are still weak.  

Anyway, I like my thinset to be the consistency of toothpaste.  If I added too much water I just dumped in a little more powder.  If It wasn't thin enough, I just added in more water.  I really didn't sweat this part very much.

 

I'm not going to go into how to apply thinset because there are a dozen videos you can watch.  It's easy and fun.  (I know you're rolling your eyes, but I really do get a kick out of notching out the thinset.  I'm easily entertained, I know.)  I applied thinset to about half the floor, stuck down my tiles and did the second half.  This part was SUPER easy.

The walls were a different story.  They weren't necessarily terribly hard, they just took awhile.

 

Here's what we did, not to say this was the smartest or most efficient way.  It's just our way.  We started with the bottom row only (on all three sides) and let that row dry overnight.  I wanted it set very well so that it could hold the weight of the rest of the wall.

• A couple lessons learned or hints: Our tile was great because it's true subway tile and does not require the use of spacers.  It was really nice not to have to deal with spacers.  Hint:  You can tell you don't need spacers because there is a little notch sticking out the sides of the tile.  

• One tip when working with subway tile, measure your wall first and position your tiles so that you do not have a small sliver of tile on one end or the other.  Trust me on this.  You may have to cut each tile on the ends but it will great in the end.  We did not do this and had a couple sides with really small pieces on the ends.  Not ideal.  

 

• Every three rows or so I'd check for level.  If I got "off" I used these little 1/8" spacers to get everything back in line again.  When using subway tile it's important to keep everything level so your seams match up in the corner.

The niche took a bit of thought on our part - trying to figure out how we wanted it to look.  One option is to "frame" out the outside of the niche but I wasn't a fan of that look.  So here is what we did.  

• The back of the niche was exactly 12" high by 24" wide which was perfectly two sheets of tile.  I had to tear a couple pieces off a third sheet to make sure the outsides were covered.  That was easy.

• For the inside walls of the niche we used bullnose 6" x 6" tiles cut down slightly to fit the depth.  The finished side stuck out and met the unfinished tile on the shower wall.  You can see below:

 

• For the bottom we used a marble threshold we cut to size.  It is not set entirely level so that water will drain off.  

1. Once the tiles were all laid around the niche we taped them and let them sit for a night before adding any more tile to the walls.

 

• The hubby used a special drill bit to cut a hole for the shower head.  It took him a few tries to figure out how hard to press, but it turned out great!

And those are my tips!  If you have any questions, just holler!  

Do you have any tips or tricks for tiling a shower?

Six on Sunday

Hi there.  Are you watching the Grammies?  Did you watch the Grammies?  I've got them on in the background.  But I'm not really vested.  Anyway...

1.  You know how last week I was all pumped about Whole 30?  Well, the excitement is lessening.  I'm still doing fine but I'm just not as psyched up about it.   

I didn't lose any weight and I didn't gain any weight last week.  So there was that, too.  Eh, oh well.  Honestly, I don't feel any different at all.  Today was Day 16 so I only have 11 days to go since I'm not actually doing all 30 days.  But mostly I'm looking forward to pizza.  The alcohol part really hasn't been hard.  While I do love my beer and pizza Friday nights, if I had to choose, I think I'd pick pizza!  

Our menu for the week:

Sunday:  Deconstructed Greek Gyros (the girls got my old, normal recipe which includes Greek yogurt) + fruit

Monday:  Salmon burgers (the girls will get Ranch and buns for their burger) with "Ranch" dressing + asparagus + fruit

Tuesday:  Pork Carnitas (taquitos for the girls) + broccoli + fruit

Wednesday:  Chicken Pad Thai + (homemade mac-n-cheese for the girls) + green beans + fruit

Thursday:  Leftovers

Friday:  Taco salads (shells for the girls) + fruit 

I also made a double batch of cauliflower soup this week because we both loved it so much.  It's a fabulous lunch!  And I successfully made mayo today - it's delicious!  So proud of myself.

2.  #1 had a swim meet this weekend.  It was sort of a bummer that it was this weekend and not last weekend.  She basically missed the beautiful weather.  Oh well, what're you going to do??

Anyway, you may recall I taught myself (using Youtube) how to crochet last fall.  It's great for swim meets because it keeps me busy but I can still talk.  After crocheting a bazillion scarves last fall, I started on a striped afghan for #2.  I was running low on yarn so I stocked up on Friday afternoon!  Check out my loot:

As for #1, she did OK at the meet but not great.  For the most part, she stayed status quo but she did manage to knock off 6 seconds from her 200 back.  Unfortunately, she didn't earn any more entries into the Champs meet at the end of the month.  But that's OK.  I think she's hit the proverbial wall and I'm confident she'll break through one of these days.  I'm just so proud of her for sticking it out and continuing to train and most of all, enjoy the sport.  Actually, love the sport.

3.  I mentioned the weather here was gorgeous this weekend.  While #2 was at a pick-up soccer game, the littles and I managed to squeeze in a few minutes at the playground before #3's basketball games.  (Yes, TWO games!)

4.  The little girls have been very into playing "spa".  I find signs like these all over the house at various times:

Unfortunately, they would prefer to paint nails than give massages.  Bummer for me.

5.  Last week it started to snow here.  As in, we got a dusting.  (Not even an inch.)  Well, at the first sign of snow everything shut down for the evening.  We were left with an unexpected night with all 6 of us at home.  It was delightful!

This is what the girls did:

#2 isn't in the pictures, but I assure you she was there.  It was a nice night for all of us!  I love that my girls will all play together even though there is an 8 year age gap.  It's so darn cute.  And I am so darn lucky!

6.  If we're friends on Facebook (isn't that how you all get here?), you saw this photo today:

MY FINISHED SHOWER!!!!!!!!!

No, that is not me yelling AT you.  That is me shouting from the rooftops that I have a working shower!  Finally.  After four months.  But it's there.  And I used it.  And I loved it.

I know DIY is not for everyone, but I can honestly say there is a feeling that is so awesome when you know you did it.  Yourself.  

I'll do a separate post about it for those of you curious - the things we learned, how much we spent, would we do it again (YES).  But that will have to wait.

This weekend we also removed my vanity and we're calling a plumber tomorrow.  Once the plumber gets here and does his job, we'll be able to move onto phase 2:  the floor.  I'm excited but so thankful we have a working shower again.  It's awesome.  

And that's it!  I hope you have a great week, everyone!

 




 

Six on Superbowl Sunday

Hello!  I tried blogging early today so I wouldn't have to sit down and blog after the Superbowl.  I wasn't successful.  I'm back here at 8:20pm.  Oops.  Not that I really care about the Superbowl other than to watch Katy Perry and the commercials.  But what I'm REALLY excited for is The Black List after the big game.  Oh yeah!  Can't wait.  I don't watch much TV - but that is one of my favorites.  So let's get started...

1.  I can't save this for last because I'm so excited.  My Whole 30 27 is going great!  (Remember, I talked about it last week - #6 on the list.)  No lie.  I really thought it would be hard but in the end, it's not.  Other than the prep work at the beginning of the week being a little more than normal, it's much better than I thought.  

The Whole 30 website says there are a whole range of emotions participants will go through - excitement, headaches, wanting to kill all things, extreme fatigue, etc.  I am happy to report I haven't felt any different.  (I wish I could say I've had more energy, but that would be a lie.)  I think all that means is that I was eating pretty well to begin with - not a lot of excess sugar and things like that.  I would say that is mostly a true statement.  I loved my Hot Tamales but really limited them anyway.  And I cut out Cheez Its and Coke Zero last spring/summer.  And damn, if I didn't love those two things!

And let me tell you - the recipes I made last week were winners!  While I liked the chocolate chili, the hubby LOVED it!  He practically licked the bowl!  The Italian pork roast was so good I just ate the cold meat straight from the fridge for a snack.  That good.  The sweet potato soup was great with bits of crispy bacon as a garnish.  And the zucchini soup (for lunch) was fabulous with scallions and leftover chicken thrown in.  I ate it every. single. lunch.  I screwed up the mayo but that was my fault - I read the recipe incorrectly.  

I totally cheated (and honestly will continue to cheat) and weighed myself.  I started out at 135.8 pounds and exactly a week later I was down to 132.7 pounds.  I can't tell you how good that made me feel!  Almost vindicated.  So I am continuing on with this and trying more new recipes this week!  Here's our menu:

Saturday (last night):  hamburgers with guacamole, crispy shallots, and mushrooms.  (Kids had buns) We also had roasted green beans and carrots.

Sunday (tonight):  Nachos (we're having homemade Sweet Potato chips and kids are normal) with taco meat, homemade salsa, guacamole, and black olives.  I'll cut up a bunch of fruit, too.  And I made little smokies for the kids.  My sister is bringing queso for the kids, too!

Monday:  spaghetti with spaghetti squash (noodles for the girls) and caesar salad

Tuesday:  Faux Pho with brussel sprouts, carrots, and fruit  (I already made the ribs and they're delish)

Wednesday:  Taco salads with fruit

Thursday:  Salmon salad with this dressing (homemade chicken nuggets for my non-fish loving girls) and fruit

Friday:  Leftovers and pizza for the girls

2.  While working at our snail's pace, we continued to make progress on our master bathroom reno.  I painted all the shelves in the shoe are of the closet (except for touching up the paint).  

I also finished painting the ceiling in there - just more touch-ups.  Lastly, I painted the ceiling in the shower so the hubby could install my new light.  I love it!

It's a dead ringer for the finish on the faucet and handle - so pretty!  And it's also a good thing we're done in there because the shower door is being installed tomorrow or Wednesday.  So excited!

Yesterday the hubby turned off the water to the house while he installed shut-off valves on our sinks as well as #1's sink.  I am shocked it wasn't code 20 years ago to have shut-off valves on the sinks but I guess it wasn't.  Who knew?  Anyway, that means that we can now take out the vanities and get a plumber in here to move some pipes.  Because we can't make any more progress until that happens.  And I am really ready for progress! 

3.  Thursday was a big night for us.  #1 and I went to the high school for a big open house and tour where we were able to talk to the teachers.  She needed to decide which, if any, AP/Honors courses she wants to take next year.  Can you believe it?  High school!

She decided on the following schedule:

• Geometry
• PE
• AP US Human Geography
• Honors English
• Honors Biology
• Concert Orchestra
• Spanish 2.5

We debated the merits of the honors/AP courses but in the end, she choose all by herself.  I know it's a tough schedule and have warned her, but she really couldn't decide between Biology and English so she decided to take them both Honors.  We'll see how the year goes!

4.  Last Thursday was absolutely gorgeous here.  The high was around 75*!  The littles took advantage and rode their bikes around the cul-de-sac:

They were so adorable.  If you'll notice, #3 is wearing her backpack.  She filled it with a First Aid kit so she was prepared in case someone needed a band-aid.  

5.  My mom gave me an immersion blender for Christmas.  I adore that thing!  I've used it countless times already to make soups and sauces.  It's awesome because I detest chunks.  And this thing gives me perfectly smooth soup in about a minute or two.  Fabulous!

Tangent:  Did you notice the blue nails?  It's hard not to, right?  The littles have been very into playing Spa which includes manicures and massages.  #3 was adament she was really good at painting nails and therefore picked my color and painted my nails.  I couldn't bear to take the polish off so I wore them to work like that!  And yes, she could use a little practice.  Oh well.

6.  My friend, Christi, and I were supposed to run 6 miles this morning.  After stalking the weather app on my phone yesterday, we decided today was going to be too crappy for an outdoor run.  (It was super windy, rainy, and cold.)  We decided to meet at the gym this morning.  The hubby joined us.  We ran 3 miles on the track, 1 on the treadmill, and the last 2 on the track.  It was great to be able to chat for an hour, but we agreed that 6 miles inside felt more like 10 miles!  We all prefer the outdoors.  Fingers crossed we can get outside next weekend.  Especially because we'll be doing 8!

And there you have it!  Have a great week!