The Condo Kitchen: Sneak Peek

I can't believe it's October already.  Summer flew by, and September actually felt like 1 week long.  Now that I'm back into a regular work routine again, completing projects in a timely manner and getting regular posts out is tough.  I have so much stuff I want to do, there just needs to be more hours in a day!

I spent this past weekend, and the Sunday before, at my sister's new condo.  She bought it this summer and closed on it the beginning of August.  It's really nice, with lots of mature trees, hardwood floors, and great layout.  The only downside is the kitchen.  Here's what it looked like when she moved in.

Don't you love that orange?!?!?!  Needless to say it's the first room that needed a complete redo, since after she moved in the cabinet doors started to fall off, and the sink piping/drain came apart sending water flooding into the cabinet below.

I wanted to give you all a sneak peak at what the kitchen looks like now.  I'll go into more details along the way.  So for those of you that love a good kitchen reno and before and afters, you're in luck!

Such an improvement right?  We're doing this as a complete family DIY with my mom and dad involved as well.  Lots of weekends and work still ahead, but it's going to look awesome when done!

My Parents' Master Bathroom Reno: Part 6

So we had a  little accident remember?....

Turns out the offending culprit was the bathtub.  To test the seal, the plumber filled the bathtub with water and let it sit for a few hours days since we went on vacation.  When the water got let out of the bathtub, it didn't go down the drain but leaked out of the pipes to the ceiling below.  Guess the seal didn't work huh?

The plumber had to come back and cut a hole in the ceiling to access the pipes.  He fixed the seal and now this ceiling needs repairing....

On the plus side, the bathtub is in, the toilet is in, and the cabinets, sink and backsplash are done!

My next post on the bathroom will probably be the final reveal!  I know I'm excited to see it complete and my parents' can't wait for it to be done and to start using it too!

My Parents' Master Bathroom Reno: Part 5

As Scooby Doo would say...ruh roh....

That's the ceiling of the laundry room that's right underneath the bathroom...more to come later...

My Parents' Master Bathroom Reno: Part 4

Okay, demo is done.  Drywalling is done.  Tiling is done.  With a little break in the reno for our vacation a few weeks ago, it's time to get back at it!

The mudding and sanding of the walls has been completed.

You can just see it in the corner of the above picture, the glass shower enclosure has been installed!  Isn't this so nice?  I'm jealous.  I can't wait to test this puppy out one day.

The cabinets are going in on the opposite wall.

The skylight got drywalled too!

Then the painting happened.  Finally this room is starting to come together!  It's the same shade of blue as the bedroom.  Verdigris by Behr.

I love it.  I can never get over how a coat of paint can make a room feel so much bigger, lighter, and airier.

My Parents' Master Bathroom Reno: Part 3

We're on to Part 3 - the tiling!  (You can still check out the demo and the drywalling.)

The shower walls are done in a linen-look porcelain ceramic tile.  They are separated by two bands of marble mosaic tile.

I love the shower floor covered in stone pebbles!

The floor tile is a porcelain ceramic in a light beige with a bit of white mottle in it.

Here's what it all looked like before everything was grouted.

And here it is after being grouted!  (I helped picked out the grout colour and I think it looks smashing if I do say so myself!)

There will still be some more tiling to do around the vanity for the backsplash.  I think it looks great so far!  I have a hard time visualizing what it's going to look like when it's done.  Maybe once the walls are painted I'll be feeling the vibe a little more.  Right now the room sort of looks like it's in its awkward teenage years...

My Parents' Master Bathroom Reno: Part 2

So the reno has been going on in the bathroom.  If you missed the demo stage, you should go back and check it out since it explains how we got this far!

The contractors have been in over the past week.  The mouldy insulation has been removed, as has the base of the shower.  (No more ants, yay!)

The vanity and mirror have been removed, along with the wood paneling that was behind the mirror.

All of the areas of drywall that were damaged were ripped out and redone.  The skylight above was also drywalled (it was wood paneling before).

   

The membranes were also put in place for the tiling to begin on the floor and new shower stall!

Being a reno newbie, there is a lot of waiting around I've discovered.  You can't move on to Step B until Step A dries, so you get a head start and start on Step D, but then have to wait because you need to finish Step B and C first.  It definitely doesn't go as fast as they show you on TV ;)

The tiling has actually already been started and it's looking great.  Once it's done, I'll post an update!