I did it for my sister's property (I was local, she wasn't, so I did the paperwork) because a previous owner had requested a lot split for some reason. The house was on the lot when it was split: the lot line ran through the middle of the living room. I have no clue why it was split. The lots were unbuildable because with side clearances we would have needed a 12-foot wide shotgun house to fit. She noticed when she got TWO tax bills for what should have been one house. Despite it being a senseless dividing of the lot, one that should never have been approved at all, it took me several months and a trip to a couple of planning and zoning commission meetings - they rejected it on the grounds that it was a historic district property (whut?), so it took an appeal to the city council, with eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was. The City Council approved it, with some sharp words to the P&Z folks for doing it and then refusing to correct it. There was no resurvey needed, they just reverted to the pre-split records.

I know this is an old thread, but in case the OP is still around the forum, I want to say THANK YOU! I am about to copy your example, and am a little chagrinned that I might not have hung our old fan if I hadn't read your post. Like many folks these days, we're on an austerity kick. Aside from groceries and gas, I don't buy anything without at least a 24 hr. cooling off period and some serious thought about whether it's a want or a need. We're finally getting around to decluttering and fixing up our basement garage. Last year, dh removed two ceiling fans that he replaced with light fixtures found at a closeout sale. One fan then replaced a single bulb ceiling fixture in the center of the master bathroom (there are plenty of other lights.) The other has been sitting in the basement unused and forgotten. I priced floor fans online earlier today, then happened to come here to look for garage organizing inspiration and ran across this thread. There's no need to buy a new fan after all - yay! We live in the deep south, so I felt that a fan was certainly a "need" if we expect to do any work down there this summer, but it's nice to now be able to reallocate those funds for some other necessity.

I wish I had an answer for you. I'm looking for a product to do something similar but it may not be possible in my case. That got me thinking about issues you'd have to contend with should you decide to apply a product to the grout. If the grout has a coat of sealer on it then that would have to be removed first. Aqua-mix needs last more than a year if it would be worth the while. Applying a colorant to a vertical surface could be difficult, if it's anything like watery sealer it will dribble all over the tile. Just as long as it doesn't adhere to tile while it's soaking into the grout. I was considering doing the same thing only in reverse, I have tan grout with white tile (that was popular in 1991 but now it's a dated look). I want to change the color to an off white so it won't stand out like it does now. And then I'll use a grout sealer. Can I bleach it? Or is the only real solution to scrape out the grout and re-grout?

I have had no particular theory of perpetrator/s and began watching the 2-part special "Case of" with an objective mind. I had not formed any opinion of who committed the crime. Like many people, I always found the reports and statements a sloppy and incomplete mess. I've been around various blocks in life and although I will forever have trouble understanding and 'wrapping my mind around' the how and why of people behaving horribly, I will acknowledge that humans are capable of shocking behavior -- some planned, some the product of sudden events. So, when viewing" The Case of" I had no dog in the fight. Many years ago I bought a used paperback on the subject (the Larry Schiller book), but read less than half before losing interest. @Snookums - I see my long post above. Perhaps you looked for it while I was finger typing editing. Thanks for the comments and links. I don't think that anyone involved could be called a 'sociopath.' Rather, a horrific situation could have caused people to panic and behave in ways they otherwise wouldn't. Sometimes character that appears wholesome or virtuous can be lacking or unable to hold up against a sudden threat to a person's fundamental security. A churchgoer or preacher may not be who they appear to be. I could site some examples. People with no history of violence or bad or criminal behavior can and do commit crimes. I've seen no evidence that anyone was "paid off." It is not unheard of that people with money or social status get deferred to or are treated as special. No cash need be exchanged. OJ Simpson was treated "carefully." @Cynic - yes, even rich young men in crew neck sweaters can exhibit bad behavior. Things cannot be expected to add up when a combination of entities and misdirection, sloppy or hindered investigations, lies and influence get into the mix in heavy doses. It takes careful digging by qualified objective experts to thoughtfully sift through the debris field. It helps if they have unfettered access and cooperation. @arkansas girl -- a trial does not necessarily mean that only truth and solid, untainted 'facts' will be presented or secure that truth be revealed and the truly culpable will be found guilty. Unfortunately, people sometimes do lie and mislead under oath, experts have been known to not be particularly expert, to exaggerate and perhaps even lie. Innocent people get convicted and sent to prison or death row. Or the truly guilty are found "not guilty." False "evidence" can be (and is sometimes) admitted as evidence in a trial as well as into an investigation. Or evidence may be incomplete, manufactured, or (surprise) not completely understood, even by experts, or ignored. A partial fingerprint in a London ? train bombing lead to a completely innocent man being held under suspicions s taken into custody. Experts had never seen (they reported) a case where a partial fingerprint matched to more than one person. Remember the OJ Simpson trial - a huge "political" mess. I suspect the real killer got away with two murders. I strongly suspect that if the watchcap hat was tested today, they would find OJ's DNA on or inside of it. Unfortunately a trial does not guaranty anything. I support science-based evidence, but science can be misunderstood, processes can be faulty, scientific finding can be ignored.