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My shower has the wall at the same end as the showerhead, and the controls are on that side wall. We like it because we can reach in the door to turn on the water and not get wet, until the water has warmed up and we step in. It’s also nice when doing a quick clean of the shower, we can control it from the door without getting too wet.
I had a narrow linen cabinet like that, behind the the shower. Don’t do it. You can’t see anything in it, it will be just barely the wrong size to accommodate any type of organizer or basket, when you eventually move and shine a flashlight into it, you’ll be shocked at what got lost in the black hole back there.
One advantage to the pony wall is that you can add another niche or shelves inside the shower where shampoos, soaps, and all the necessities that aren't necessarily pretty to look can be stowed. It also avoids having to decant products so there isn't an array of different colored plastic bottles on display. The large niche/ledge facing the bathroom can then be used for decor or more attractive bathroom necessities.
New add on so the window can go anywhere or not. Will this be on a slab or raised wood foundation? What is your climate (regarding having water lines buried in an exterior wall)? How important is a curbless shower, noting that you are currently using a tub/ shower? How deep is the shower space?
Noting the 36" concrete step down, I'm assuming this will be built on a raised foundation. So, I would opt to use a curbed shower and either a cast iron shower base or a Tile Redi curbed base in a stock size. I would eliminate the near useless end wall cubby (which will likely end up even smaller than the 12" wide one that you think it will be & cost more than it is worth.) .Would shift the shower to the end exterior wall, place the plumbing in the interior wall (where access for repairs is easier/ less costly in the event of replacement/ leaking pipes, eliminate the window in the shower and place a high window in the left side wall, forget the pony wall and plan on using a shower curtain. You can always do a glass enclosure later if you want to. Personally, I'm totally over glass in a shower.
Using a prebuilt shower base will eliminate a lot of the vulnerable to leaks points in a shower build. Same reason for eliminating the window and the pony wall. (So many leaking shower horror stories out there built by buffoons who lack attention to detail where one little mistake can be disastrous and cost thousands to fix. As well as material failures.) .(Google 'Schluter line drain failures' for instance.) Using a shower curtain will make the shower controls easily accessible and eliminate any shower door conflicts.
I see lots of sinks for baths that don't look very functional, specifically those that look like a glass bowl perched on top of the counter, but some like them and it seems to be a thing in some circles. I think you are doing a good job collecting additional insight...you are certainly not requesting permission....before you make a final decision. I hardly do anything but brush my teeth and wash my hands in the bathroom sink but I still wouldn't object to having a farmhouse sink in a home I wanted to buy. The one thing I would suggest is to consider how well the model you choose will drain. Smaller sinks get more water over them and are more self-cleaning.....toothpaste globs wash down the drain more readily. The farmhouse style looks like might take more daily maintenance to keep the basin clean, especially the models with an almost flat floor.
I'm picky about my vanity surface, faucet, and basin so I keep a hand towel next to the sink that is a designated mop up towel. When I am done with whatever I do at the sink, I take the towel and dry off the faucet, countertop, and the basin. It keeps everything spotless. That's easy for a single guy but probably impossible for a family!
I grew up with this sink
in my family’s 1970 build (mine was pink!) Very functional. Meant for washing hair, but also good for a little handwashing of lingerie. In looking for this picture, I found it in Retrorenovation, and it’s been discontinued, but could probably still be found.
Do you already have a rug you plan to use? What are the dimensions? you certainly want to accommodate that.
Not re the living room, but looking at your pantry area I had a thought. What if the bar and pantry swapped places? The bar could be behind cabinet doors on the dining room side, but also open on the pantry side. How convenient that would be for entertaining, and for everyday. It brings the pantry closer to the kitchen, and, just assuming here, but you probably use the pantry more than the bar.
You need to lay it all out to scale. There are free online programs that will let you lay it out and re-size furniture to the actual size you would be buying.
Can you have electricians come back after you have your rug and furniture in place? Once they are arranged you will be able to figure where they make sense. We have one just under edge of sofa and one around midpoint of area rug on one side to accommodate a chair and table or two chairs.
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Whether we like them, find them pretty, etc, or not, they are remarkable pieces of design, engineering, and workmanship! My greatest accomplishment is a Spongebob costume made out of upholstery foam and mottled yellow fleece, and a glue gun! After Halloween, the fleece-magnet cat decided it made a great bed.
I was just reading that the Mercedes sprinter vans are all the rage with the rich and famous. The NYT article is a gifted link so you shouldn't run into a paywall.
I know someone who worked at The Met, and I was always jealous he got to see the inside story on so many things there.
Anyway, as others have noted, it is fundamentally a costume party and so the more outlandish, the better (in some ways). The only one this year that registered on my radar was Kim K's - that looked beyond physically-painful and was wandering into "potentially causing permanent damage" territory.
I do find that, in winter, the butter on the counter doesn’t spread quite as easily as it does in the summer. Just a few degrees difference, makes a difference. But, that’s okay.
We listened to Stanley Tucci’s memoir ”Taste” last fall, and at one point he is aghast at the idea of cutting or breaking spaghetti, but no explanation followed. I still don’t know why, but I do still like Stanleu Tucci and he can make me dinner any time. Just not spaghetti. Maybe a Negroni.
^Same as plllog…table butter in fridge door works fine. I’ve also left it out (unintentionally) with no problem. We all do what works best in our kitchens.
" I KNOW from doing. "
Doing the same thing repeatedly, or over a period of time, is neither knowledge nor experience. It's a habit or personal preference. Nothing is "known". It's okay to leave it at that.
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I've heard the crazy story of this aircraft and flight, and how fortunate everyone was that it ended as it did.
Can I borrow that cute mosaic table while you are gone?
I would love a collapsible rack for packing! Our upstairs spare room closets are full of art supplies and baby stuff, no place for a rack however useful ☹️
I would LOVE to have your closet(s) 😊
Strands #65
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Jilly, me, too.
When I saw the word that I think is being discussed I just carried it to how it fits with the theme. I didn't consider the actual word itself.
SPOILER ALERT Just saw this. Hope the link works.
Our library takes books all year long, and it’s a huge four-day sale, but…they know what sells and what doesn’t, and I know that a lot of old books I donated were disposed of.
Jsk, Iwas so lucky that the buyers kept the baby grand piano. It would have broken my heart to have it dumped.
Yes, you were! And lucky buyers to have a baby grand!
I suspect a baby grand is more desirable than some off brand upright, but I was surprised to find out how hard it was to dispose of it. And how expensive. But I needed it gone.
We do a good rinse, sometimes with a squirt of dish soap and shake it, and take a swipe around the rim, to get anything crusted on. And drain. Our recycler says if you can see a little liquid sloshing around in the bottom, it’s not drained enough.
We don’t have to take the labels off. In fact, once when we had a clogged pipe, the plumber pointed out paper from labels or stickers (from washing jars for reuse, or stickers from the bottom of new dishes that didn’t get compltely pulled off, if at all) in the hose, and said even the residue can cause a problem.
I do like using the commercial cleaners, Citri-shine is nice, they seem to get it cleaner than the vinegar method. I don’t notice a scent.
I do not, gasp, recycle the peanut butter container. It is pretty much the only plastic I don’t recycle (it is ground at the store and comes in a little tub), but it takes so much resource of heated water, even before going in the dishwasher if I wanted to save the tub, that it is the only container that goes in the trash.
I looked at a KA DW manual, and it appears that those do not have the fine mesh cylindrical filters that both of mine have, one of which is Bosch and the other is Whirlpool. I wish mine did not have these filters, as I think the debris that they catch should have gone through the garbage disposal system. The fine mesh filters are a huge pain to clean, and they get dirty very easily.
I read all manuals that I get, and I have also written manuals for others.
We also read and save manuals. However, several of or appliances are new-oe good condition used (CL) and sometimes do not come with any documentation. Sometimes we can fine the information online.
That KA dishwasher has been great — quiet and works very well. It is not a big deal to occasionally have to remove the plastic screen and free any paper lint. I will avoid that now that I am not going to put any jars with pieces of stubborn labels.
As for regular maintenance, What is there to do? No wheel bearing to oil or replace, no battery to charge.
How many people are usually eating there together? and how much do you entertain? Will youngsters be living in the house?
Regardless, having the nook gives you options. It can have the dining table, and leaving nice open space for moving about or play, and room to use the island for serving or buffet, or moving the sofa back if needed, and having room to rotate the table and extend into the open space if you have a lot of people eating over. Or, the dining table can go in the open space and the nook can be an away sitting space, or (as my friend did), the Lego and play space. I think the nook gives you more flexibility, options, and elbow room.
Do you need the island? You might have more room without it.
HU, a 75" TV at 12' distance works well, even though some will say you need an 85" at that distance. I would go with 65" minimum, but 75" is probably a sweet spot in terms of cost and size.
So sweet. And photogenic!
I think I need a Teddy - so happy for you, Lynn!
Oh he's so cute!!!!!!! Happy he has found his fur-ever home!
Thanks Mtn, yes it was me who said I'd hug a man-I'd be scared out in the woods by myself personally and seeing him probably would make me very happy. And, if he was a dangerous man-hugging him may just save my life. Weird that hugging the man would be so divisive. But, not surprisingly on here. Not all of you btw.
This post makes me feel old.
OF COURSE, You can remove them. We have raised the ceilings by a foot in two kitchens by basically taking out the soffits. In the second kitchen, there was so much spaghetti of electrical and gas and doorbell line, that it ended up being a much more expensive change. We also then took the cabinets in both kitchens fully up to the ceiling, to increase ourstorage space. I think the biggest issue you might find is a gas line that needs to be moved. Obviously, this isn’t a do it yourself job. In one of the kitchens, when we took out the dropped ceiling and the soffits, we found that the roof was not supported correctly through that area and had to put in a beam. That was quite a shock. Oh yes, and in that kitchen, we also found a leak from a roof vent down into the wall. That we would have never found without taking that kitchen down to the studs.
Of course you can take the soffits out. It might be a very easy job or a harder and more expensive one, depending on what the builder hid up there.
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"This is night, Diddykins; that’s what we call it when it goes all dark like this."
He is a pretty boy! Beautiful color, like silver silken threads.
What a lucky cat. He is so pretty.
He is beautiful, and so happy he now has a great home!
I don’t think your kitchen will work well. All of its elements are separated by walkways and doorways, no part of the kitchen connects to any other part. And it will be dark, no natural light.
Worse is that your bedroom, and garage for that matter, lands you right in front of the kitchen sink. So, you get up in the morning, ready to start the day, but the very first thing you see is the cereal bowl and spoon from last night’s late snack. You deserve nicer! In fact, the bedroom is part of the working area of the house, with kitchen, garage, laundry right there.
What is the space beyond the den and living room, behind the fireplace?
You might consider adding a shower to the half-bath, for overnight visitors, caregiver, or resale.
There isn’t much storage in the bathroom. The shelves above the tub aren’t very practical. You could replace those with a linen cabinet in the toilet room.
Consider moving the bar in the porch to the other end, by the kitchen. And you’ll want a casual dining table out there.
Why double doors in the garage?
Honestly, the bathroom doesn’t really work, either. The shower is too close to the closet, drips on the floor could get tracked in. Hair and powder will drift across the floor in to the closet. And to get a sweater, you have to walk all the way through the bathroom. Consider moving the bathroom door to the right, closer to the closet (if you insist on having the closet open to the bathroom. Of course, that will change the placement of the bedroom ceiling.
The entry to the bedroom could be tight with turns for larger furniture, king msttess. Double doors really don't save much, Both need to be opened as they usually aren't comfortable to just go thru one. Better off to just put a single door in and it takes up less space, better sound blocking as well.
Kitchen is convenient for midnight snacks!
I was thinking along herbflavor’s line.
Trying out a couple of ideas for the bath and closet, but at the very least, I’d rather have the closet closer to the vanity than to the shower, as their functions are more related.
Not an iPhone, but my iPad. Last night I had several tabs open. When I opened it this morning, there were two tabs. and the options I normally use to restore them were not there. However, I can see them, and others, in my tab history. So weird.
^^^^agree^^^
Sounds interesting.
Pegasus: How a Spy in Your Pocket Threatens the End of Privacy, Dignity, and Democracy Hardcover – January 17, 2023
by Laurent Richard (Author), Sandrine Rigaud (Author), & 1more4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars
If I can get the app, I can tell who is removing certain posts.
Paint for sure. and much easier to change when you are ready for something new. I’ve also had scrubbable vinyl wallpaper for a backsplash, very durable.
Paint is not a waterproof coating and can not be used in a shower as a substitute for a waterproofing system and a decorative surface (tile or other) on top of the waterproofing system. Gypsum board of any type is prohibited in wet areas, no matter what is placed on top of it.
I have paint in my kitchen instead of tiles and as I commented above, it is fine. I just saw the portion of your question regarding the bathroom. I have tile in my shower area that I hate. 8 or 9 years ago I placed a large piece of art over the tile that covers the entire wall. It does get wet and the shower is used daily. I have not had any problems with this setup. I would not use paint instead of tile in the shower. Mine is tile with painted canvas over it and the paint is oil mixed with wax, which repels water.
I’ve never had to pill two cats four times a day! Some cats are so psychic they know when you are thinking that you might pill them sometime in the next four hours, so they disappear like magic. For those, I carried the pill in my pocket until I could catch them unawares. Later, I kept the pills for the day in a wee mise-en-place type bowl, so they were always available. We got to be pretty quick at delivery so the cat could get back to whatever it ws they were doing.
The best, though, was a medication that could be delivered as a transdermal, on the inner side of the ear flap.
Cat did not care for Greenies.
Our kitty hated the Greenies and I had such high hopes. I hadn't heard the butter trick but I can imagine dropping it. A couple weeks ago, we tagged team our sweet kitty. DH held her and tilted her head and pried her jaw and I threw the pill towards the back of her throat. We tried to keep her mouth closed but she spit the pill back out. Second time my aim must have been better.
I def put this in the category "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." ( Apologies to the late David Foster Wallace.)
girlnamedgalez, that's what I was trying to remember when doing Lizzie because it was mentioned in a video I watched. Instead I rubbed her nose and cheeks. It worked though thanks to the butter.
Barncatz, DH used to help me with Lizzie which was about 5 years ago and he's just no good. His job was to hold her down while wrapped in the towel & I'd do the rest. I fired him so he's in charge of the dogs who would never resist any type of pill if they're in food.
I completely agree with David. But I was exhausted from spending the whole morning on cats.
I’m not one to push for a toilet room, but if you want a bathroom with doorways to bedroom, outdoors, laundry, and closet, then yes, have a toilet room.
I wonder if you considered an L shape? It could be designed to have that same lovely exterior front, and allow more rooms better access to the outside, and better views and light all around.
It's a great plan if your primary goal is to maximize storage.
Does the door hit the pipe now? What about a smaller cabinet that stops before where the door would hit it?
Maybe do a cabinet that isn't as wide to allow the door to open. And make it taller to make up for the storage loss.
Another possibility: build a wall bookcase where shelves bump out on the playroom side but leave the wall directly behind the door flat. The bookcase portion can include cabinet doors to cover the pipe and still provide access and shelves will help for a drop zone. Take the shelves all the way up to the ceiling and across the wall but over the door swing. Add a flat panel to dress the wall behind the door, hang art and a door stopper so the door doesn't hit the artwork.
Pencil and graph paper are good tools.
Sorry, didn’t use software to visualize. Our architect is old school… all by hand. Fortunately I find it easy to “see” what it looks like. Always surprises my husband when it looks just like the drawings😉
Sketchup was invaluable for us. Steep learning curve, but worth it.
Will you add any shallow storage on the LR side of the pony wall? For books, objets, etc?
PS, I like the coffee table.
Oh ok, I thought maybe you had switched or planned to get a counter depth because in the drawing it looked like the laundry room wall extended beyoud the fridge by about 6”.
I do see how the full depth fridge overlaps the door trim so it can open into the laundry when the door is open. You only need it fully open when you need to pull out the bins to clean. Plus you probably just keep the door open unless the machines are going and it is too loud.
Other then adding what you can to the isle width, the only other thing I would suggest is to leave a 36” opening so a future 36” vented hood would fit above the 30” range. It is better at capturing cooking fumes. Keep us posted on the progress. I love your vaulted ceiling!
You're right about the 36" hood - I missed that. I threw in a 30" just to get rid of the OTR MW. There's plenty of room on each side. Sadly, I'm not having a lot of luck finding a contractor willing to put in a vent for me, but I know how busy the cabinet guy is, so I have time.
The drawing is just my sketch for the cabinet guy, so he could give me a ballpark estimate to take to my financial planner. I didn't measure the wall by the fridge, because he didn't need it.
I am SO spoiled by all my time here! When we were looking at houses, most of them got an immediate hard pass because of the kitchen. New construction homes were the worst - open concept, little kitchen in the corner of the room, with a corner pantry! Not happening. We either needed a kitchen that we could live with, or a cheap enough house that we could remodel immediately. This house had by far the best kitchen of anything we saw, and a ton of other features that we love (like south and east-facing windows, a compact but private back yard, main floor laundry, large closets, and a fantastic location - Hubby is able to ride his bike to work). But having lived with a new, Houzz-worthy kitchen for 8 years (after living with cheap builder grade for 15 ), I missed the improvements more and more.
Since you have already been in Cathedral City for some time now, how much of the LA house has to move? The art, books, music, papers, yes, but the furniture, tools, housewares?
It will save me time packing not to worry about whether something is a duplicate or not, and the duplicates that I have for the kitchen will not take up that much space. I prefer to decide which of the duplicates to keep when I have both of them in hand, and in many cases, I will choose to keep both.
I’m like you Lars. It’s easier to decide in situ.
Would also recommend using at least a 6" tall backsplash. How will the wall above the backsplash be treated? Will it be painted gyp. board or tile?
btw, you can probably rent a power washer from a hardware store. Don’t hold it too close or too long on a spot. But if the house paint is peeling, it will peel it more.
I’ll try to paint the rest this weekend! I wish I had this factory painted, I think I’m a pretty good painter, but this is surprisingly hard and not very forgiving. It looks fine from a distance though.
The blue stripes are hopefully going to be painted this summer the same color as the rest of the house.
It’s beautiful, and I think the colors and pattern are very appropriate especially for an older child/teen.
Just lovely, Annie.
I really like that, Annie.
Around here we have been hearing about the convergence emergence, but it turns out the convergence is downstate, and we will get ”just” the 17-year brood, no 13s. Oh well. I recall from 2007 that is was weird and LOUD and then it was over.
Today I read that emergences like this often lead to ”bumper crops” of woodpeckers and blue jays. Drat.
They’ve been ’singing’ here for several days now. So loud sometimes we can hear them in the house if it’s quiet.
Bees, I’m in Chicagoland, too, and yes, a little too chilly yet where I am.
Our forest preserve district has a nice explanation (and amazing drawings) of the cicadas. I’m sure we have all seen this information, but I really liked the presentation here.
Cicadas, scroll down to page through the publication.