Calla Lilies in Clear Glass Bottles with Jute Twine Detail

(This was written August 15, 2016 in an attempt to identify and push through all the negative emotion I was dealing with surrounding the bathroom remodel. )

I. Am. Freaking. Out. On-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown freaking out. The irony of this is not lost on me. Over the past 14 months, I have slowly remodeled our house, single handedly tackling projects including, but not limited to:

Demoing a brick wall oven surround,

Ripping out the tile in our front entry and installing gorgeous new travertine,

Painting pretty much the entire house,

Scraping 2000 square feet of popcorn ceiling and re-texturing it,

And cutting out a section of our cabinets and counter top in order to install a range.

Yet, in spite of the past 2000 square feet of progress, this last 200 of master bathroom make me want to curl up in the fetal position and cry. The master bathroom currently looks like an awkwardly angled hallway with plumbing fixtures tucked in here and there. Not a fantastic design, and somewhat claustrophobia-inducing. Also, it is takes at least four pictures to capture the layout.

You may be asking, “Where is the hubs while she does this?” My Bear has a full time paying gig and graciously allows me to stay home and play. As if that weren’t enough, he keeps calm through my freak outs and deals with toilets when they need to be removed and reinstalled. He is also the clog clearer on the rare occasion that the septic system backs up into the house. Seriously, he is my super hero.

When I quit my admin job in December 2014, the plan was to get our first house market-ready and sold (check), buy another one closer to his office in June 2015 (check), spend one year remodeling it, then adopt a sibling group. Yep, I’m already two months behind schedule, but there is a light at the end of this very dusty tunnel. Standing between me and that light are the following tasks:

Phase I

Move clothing and toiletries anywhere else

Rip out carpet and baseboards

Scrape ceiling

Remove mirrors

Remove wall paper

Demo countertops and cabinets

Demo bath tub

Demo shower

Demo one of the closets, along with both fur downs

Phase II (To be handled by our friend, Contractor S . . . Super Contractor Man? No, that’s too much to type – we’ll call him SCM. This is, incidentally, the only interior project aside from installing carpet for which we are calling in a pro)

Build a frame for a drop in tub, prep that for tile

Install tub once deck is tiled

Build in a bench for the shower and pour a new drain pan, prep that for tile

Install a section of wall between the bathroom and one of the closets (so we can make one really big closet and make the bathroom less like a hallway and more like an actual room)

Install bath and shower faucets (because I really don’t want to)

Phase III (okay, this doesn’t feel so scary)

Install bead board around tub skirt

Replace damaged sections of drywall, tape and bed

Retexture ceiling and walls

Prime and paint

Install new flooring, base boards, and quarter round (which will include removing the toilet and replacing wax seal before reinstalling toilet – my Bear will be handling that.)

Phase IV

Install new shut off valves for vanity

Reconfigure plumbing to accommodate two sinks

Install cabinets

Install and tile new counter top (I never met a counter top I didn’t want to tile – also, it’s cheaper and easier.

Install faucets and sinks

Install new vanity light fixture

Install mirror and add trim

Phase V

Configure expanded closet – honestly, I haven’t gotten very far on that one, but it will involve moving the electrical box and wiring for a light fixture (currently wall mounted) to the ceiling, installing a different light fixture (because vanity lighting would look really funny on the ceiling), and hardwiring the new fixture to the existing one.

I’m hoping that by starting with moving clothes and toiletries around, I’ll be able to convince myself that I can make a positive impact on my physical environment and that, if I can do that, the completion of the master bathroom renovation can’t be too far behind. Taking a deep breath, pulling up my “Energy” playlist on YouTube and jumping in . . . .