...will cook for a shower

my bathroom...
it's not just
"dirty"...

the leaking
plumbing...
[perpetual mildew...]

cracked tiles...
rotten sub floor...

drippy faucets...
that squirt
VERY hot water
on the showerer's backside...

[with a greater "range" than the shower head...]

and unusable tub...
[no faucet handles...
no stopper...]

not to mention the "soundtrack"...
of opossums "cavorting"...
under the tub...AND, in the walls...

make my 85+ year old
"bungalow tile bath"...
a condemned zone...

on Friday, a very nice contractor...
from a very reliable firm ...
[in business since 1947...
and has the "thumbs-up" from Uncle Phil...
himself, a former customer..]
looked at the disaster area...
and will be getting back to me in a week or so...

getting back to me with plans...
several possible ones...
all with $$$ amounts attached...

I HAVE decided that...

I DON'T want a tub...
[I'm NOT a bath person...]
so it will come out...
leaving the opossums no place to nest under...
[they come in under the house ...
and crawl up into the underside of the tub...
and, subsequently, the built-in drawers... the walls...]

[yes...they're cute..when little...before they invade your house...]

so, after closing off the under house opossum sanctuary...
a stall shower will go into the area of the old tub...
it will NOT be fiberglass...it will be tile...
it will have a bench seat AND a grab bar...
and will have a door, not just a curtain...

I'm trying to "save" the medicine cabinet...
AND... the toilet paper holder[china, set in the tile...]
but the window and exhaust fan/light may have to go...

I want a pedestal basin sink...
to replace the "commode" sink...


white/creme tiles[6" x 6"] up 4' high on all the walls ...
and on the floor too...
I want the built-in storage left as is...
[one of the few "Craftsman" touches...]

the toilet may be replaced...
if we can find a "wall-hugger" that's the right look,etc...
AND... for not TOO much $$$...
if not... maybe we can move the toilet back...
so that the tank is closer to the wall...

fat, vaulting kitties use the tank as their "horse"
to attain "window velocity"...
resulting in VERY scary, loud noises in the middle of the night...
leaving the toilet "crooked"...
with the tank top "askew"...

all the things I KNOW I want...
leave me wondering about
all the choices I'll be making....

what finish will all the metal be ?
the original was chrome[yuk...]
I had bright brass[not what I want anymore...]

I've used antique copper and bronze elsewhere...
but this bath is TOO small for those dark colors...
so I may go with nickle or pewter...
to stay in the original palette of "chrome"...


tile baths of this period[1930's] ...
ALWAYS have a trim element...
there is a large wedgwood blue trim now [4" x 4"]
and the white tiles are the same size...
[at least it isn't pink & "burgundy" ...]

[I like the trim... the colors...yuck...]
I'd like a smaller highlight stripe trim/cap...
probably in black...
then I could use any color for towels, etc...

[this yellow is too much for the walls...but I like the black trim...
also note the trim above the pedestal sink in the previous picture...]

wall color, window treatment, hardware styles, towel racks,
sink, faucets, accessory colors, tile patterns...
I will be busy... and since I sometimes have
"issues" making choices... this may be "interesting"...
I may be asking for advice...

of course...I haven't yet mentioned the real issue...

TIME...

Mr Niceguy Contractor told me to plan on 4-6 weeks
for everything... permits, construction, inspections...
because there will be "subs"[plumbers, electricians, carpenters]
and there will be "delays"...

he can't see anything getting really started
before the middle of July...
more than likely, taking ALL of August...

oh, lovely... All of August WITHOUT a shower...
he's guaranteed me to have a toilet 24/7...
but ... it'll be WEEKS...without a shower....
in summer...in Mudville... ARGH...



I had discussed with my neighbor's daughter, using their bath,
before her daughter moves in...
[they are renovating after their Mom's death...]
but they will be moving in around the end of July...
I may still be able to work out something...
but it just became more difficult....

I can't afford to join a gym, JUST to have shower privileges...
especially with what this will cost...
and I certainly can't "put the kitties in a kennel"
and go "on vacation"...
I have to be "home" while they are all "coming & going"...

SO...

if you live in Mudville or "the area"...
and you see someone standing by the road,
in the sweltering August sun...
holding a sign that says...
"WILL COOK FOR SHOWER"
take pity... or at least, try not to laugh in my face...



[THIS...could work ...for a while...]