the contractor and the construction foreman...
the tile guy & the plumber came by at 8 AM...
to finalize plans, etc...
I had been waiting for the stained glass to arrive...
which it did yesterday afternoon...
but I didn't know it until after 3:30 PM...
[I was at the church doing "choir music"...]
since the "guys" were coming to discuss things this AM...
I thought I'd wait to call the skilled craftsman/cat whisperer...
[we'd been "waiting" for the stained glass to get here...]
so after several very fruitful meetings with the guys...
I learned these things...
*TILE*
the tile guy is "green" colorblind, so the scale diagram...
IN COLOR... was wasted on him...[he is, however, very nice...]
I'll be using the 1" hex tiles in the shower [15 sq ft...]
because there are enough 2" hex tiles for the floor, but that's it...
[I think the 1" hex will make the shower floor less slippery anyway...]
and the 1" hex are "in stock", as are the 6" white field tiles...
[he's going to let me know how many...]
and the black 2" x 6" bullnose that I'll need a few more of...
he did approve my design...
so I'm really excited about seeing it come to life...
all in all, a very GOOD tile meeting...
*PLUMBING*
the plumber is a dead ringer for the plumber on "This Old House"...
I liked him right away...
he has a gleam in his eye, but really knows his stuff...
I wanted the toilet moved about 2" back...
so the tank would be close to the wall...
the waste stack is too far from the wall for that...
the original toilet had the tank, attached to the wall...
but had a long pipe from the throne to the tank...
new ones aren't made that way...
so when we went under the house...
and it was discovered, just like I had told them...
that there was a lead collar in the cast iron waste pipe...
which would have to go...[that's where part of the leak was...]
he looked at me and said there's plenty of pipe...
so since we have to redo that collar...
we'll just move it back where you want it...
[I think he was impressed that I had known about the lead collar...]
he said,"we've done several of these old houses of this era...
just like this one...this will work out well for you"...
all in all...a very good plumbing meeting...
*CONSTRUCTION*
this is where we had "issues"...
I want a swinging door on the shower...
NOT a sliding door...
since the room is small...
and there will be a pedestal sink...
the door will have to swing in...
since there will be a built-in tile bench...
on the "built-in cabinets" side...
there will need to be either glass partitions on BOTH sides...
and/or "pony walls" on both sides...
[partial walls for glass to attach to or the door to mount on...]
AND... the door will need to be even with the bench...
and swing in to the right, stopping even with the bench...
I knew ALL this...
getting these guys to understand that I "got" it...
was the real job here...
"no, I don't want a sliding glass door" [they are soooo cheesy...]
"I definitely, DO NOT WANT a shower curtain"...
[that's part of my "leak" problem...]
as soon as the construction guy saw that I didn't care...
if it was glass or a wall, or both...
and that I knew just how the door had to open...
and that a 24" door was fine with me...
I could see him "coming around"...
as he measured the tub...
and saw that it was 5'6"[6" longer than normal...]
he began to see that it would all fit...
the wheels were turning...
and he came up with a plan for a "combo"pony wall/glass wall...
we decided that the "right side" trim piece on the window...
would be shortened to fill the gap between the p.w. & the top trim...
my "window guy"[the skilled craftsman/cat whisperer]...
would make the missing apron/sill to be added after the tile was done...
we would also "renovate the window" before the "job" was begun...
and "call them" when we were done to set the dates to begin...
after crawling around under the house...
he was positively enthusiastic about the surprisingly good conditions...
the sub floor, especially around the toilet, was bad...
but... there was NO sign of pervasive dry rot in the joists ...
or framing members... or most of the exposed lath, for that matter...
there may be some in the shower plumbing wall...
and there were water marks under the sink...
but I heard him say that he had feared termites...
and there was NO sign of them...
so... all in all... a very good construction meeting too...
so, they all left to go to jobs/meetings/Modesto...
and I went in to call the "s.c./c.w."...
who wasn't busy, and would be over in about 45 minutes...
so, I moved my car so he could back-in his trailer/workshop...
and discovered that Lucyfur had managed to escape...
[I think she got in the basement when I wasn't looking...]
but after a few minutes of "back yard"...
and being called bad names by Piglet...
she allowed herself to be caught...
so when the "s.c./c.w." got here...
I explained our objectives...
*take off right side window trim...[save]
*retrieve old sash weights...
*re-do the rope on the sash weights...
*eventually re-attach weights to lower window on both sides...
*replace old hardware with new hardware...
*create an apron/sill for window...
*create a frame for the stained glass piece
that would fit inside the top window, filling it completely...
I would remove old glazing & glass from lower window...
scrape, sand, prime & paint the lower window frame...
order a piece of obscured glass, 15" x 21 3/8"...
get said glass... put in window, apply glazing...
paint the stained glass frame,"black"...
THEN... we would put everything back together...
we got the left & right side trim pieces off the window...
[sc/cw also cut off the top 3" of chicken wire...
why didn't I think of that... ?]
then he took out the guide strips & lower window...
setting them in the tub, for safe keeping...
he fished out the sash weights...
[this is for the top window...nailed shut...
you can see how the rope is barely wrapped around the weight eye...
the two lower ones were like that too...
if the rope hadn't broken...
the weight might just as well have fallen off...]
I replaced the old cotton rope...
with 10 lb test "clothesline cord"...
which sc/cw "waxed", for added life...
and fished back through, up and over the "wheel"...
which he had oiled while I was tying knots in clothesline...
he measured the length needed & tied a massive knot...
to be inserted into the window frame when re-mounted...
he then removed the old hardware...
and I took the lower window to prep...
as he worked on the trim and stained glass mount...
I spent at least 30 minutes...
[getting a blister for my efforts...]
scraping & prying with a scraper and a 5-in-1 tool...
just removing old glazing...
just look at part of the mess I made prepping...
[BTW... a toilet box makes an excellent work table...]
I truly believe, that old glazing, after 75 years...
had petrified...
especially when combined with several coats of lead based paint...
and being left to "bake" in the Mudville sun...
it also had become "one", with the wood...
further complicating removal...
but even after ALL of this...
I'm pleased to say that I got the old glass out in 1 piece... !
[and into the trash, where it belongs...]
here you see the lovely apron & sill created by sc/cw...
before I reminded him that the right side trim wouldn't be there...
so the bottom had to terminate where the right side started...
[so he cut it down to the correct size...]
after deciding to do the "assembly" on Friday...
[oil based primer drying time & all that...]
sc/cw went home...
and I primed the sill/apron...
and the lower window frame...
the frame for the stained glass had been cut down to fit my window...
and needed to be painted black...
but the caulking needed to set-up...
so I set it aside while I ran errands...
taking a break in the hottest part of the day...
I went to get the glass I ordered...[$9.03... such a deal...]
AND some glazing... since my container had just a dab left...
after the primer had dried...[7-ish]
I painted the lower frame & sill/apron Cameo White...
[my default trim color...
AND...final choice for the walls/ceiling of the bath...
I bought some "satin" with a mildew inhibitor additive...]
and painted a spacer and the frame for the stained glass...
shiny black...[what you see is the outside "side"...]
when it dries, I'll paint the front...
probably 2 coats...
later... when the paint on the window frame is dry...
I'll put in the obscured glass...
and glaze it...
allowing it to cure overnight...
tomorrow, sc/cw will return...
mount the stained glass in the top window...
reattach the hardware to the lower window...
attach the sash cords & re-hang the lower window...
and replace the pieces that hold the window in place...
the right trim piece & sill/apron will be kept in a "safe" place...
during the destruction to come...
and mounted in place when appropriate...
I notified the contractor that we were done...
[I think they were surprised...
& impressed that I got it done so quickly...]
and we will "start" sometime next week...
they've promised me several days warning...
[cat catching, is a time consuming activity...]
and as I have to glaze & paint still...
[and it's after 9 PM...]
I better stop writing...
and start working...
Post script...
it's 11:39 PM...
the newly glazed ,obscured glass window is curing...
the front of the stained glass piece frame is drying...
I'll get up early and give it another coat if it needs it...
everything should be cat depredation proofed...
I'm going to bed...
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