Bathroom Makeover

A neighbor of Corey's asked me to remodel the Master Bath.  The shower stall was leaking, and there was some rotted supports for the Garden Tub, and some serious updating that needed to be done.   You can see a sample of the wallpaper.  All had to come down, walls be repaired, primed and painted.  The floor was also uneven and had to be leveled up in preparation for the tile.  He selected the 24" tile that looks like wood.  The white grout looked good at first, but it stains so easily, he regretted that choice later.  The long vanity was removed, plumbing run differently, pedestal sinks installed, new mirrors and lights, and so forth.  This was a lot of work, but a fun project.

Here's a sample of the wallpaper, and yes, the ceiling was vaulted.

 

Here's after:

From Pergola to Screened Porch

I had some friends in Lilburn ask me to remove the rotted Pergola that was over their back patio and build a screened in porch.  Their backyard is a registered wild bird habitat, so space was somewhat limited, but I was able to increase the size of the covered area.  I made the screen doors from 5/4 by 6 deck lumber so they will last.  They selected 18" square tile for the flooring.  Added a ceiling fan and outlets inside the outer wall.

Deck Project

A realtor called me to a house that needed a new deck installed before closing.  The old deck was in poor shape and rather "shaky."  The seller was willing to pay to replace it with a new one.  The joists were still good, but the rest needed to go.

Before:

After:

Kitchen Remodel

This kitchen had standard, and out of date, laminate counter tops, wall paper that needed to be removed, and some serious updating. The family had someone else install the granite counter tops (because I don't do that) and then I tiled the back splash and island, installed 12" slate tile on the floor, bead board on the ceiling, painted the cabinets, etc.  Here are a couple of "before" pictures

Here is finished work.

Front Porch Project

Some good friends had a problem with the facade on the front of their house.  The wood in the top of the facade was rotten and eaten by Carpenter Bees, and they wanted a covered porch.  Here's what they had.

So I went to work, removed the upper facade, replaced the rotted wood on the base of the columns, and added a covered porch and hand rails.  I duplicated the dental detail work over the door to run the full width of the new ceiling.  I also routed the front of the columns to duplicate the decorative accent grooves from the original facade. As you can see from the pictures, they selected the fancier ballusters for the hand rails.  The home owners (and the neighbors) are really satisfied with the finished product.

From Closet to Bathroom

It was time for Dad to move in with one of his daughters since he was unable to live alone, but not in need of nursing home or assisted living.  So, I was called to do the work, and  it was decided to take out a closet and insert a bathroom for his use.  He now has his own bath, bedroom and living area.  He can, as the son-in-law said, "finish strong" in his own space.

This is the closet before the remodel.  It was 2 feet deep and 8 feet wide.

The slats on the wall were for additional shelves.

Behind the closet was a storage/utility/furnace room where the heating furnace and water heater were located.  To make room for the bath, the door from the hallway into the room and the exterior door had to be moved over.
Before:

 It's kind of hard to see, but there is a hose bib to the left of the door, between the door facing and the board.  That had to be moved as well.

These are after the doors were moved, and the hose bib is to the right of the door.

 Both doors were moved about 18 inches or so.

I was able to enlist the plumbing expertise of Chris Troupe Plumbing services.  He and his crew had to cut trenches in the concrete slab to lay the drain pipes, and since the septic tank was uphill from the new bath, they had to install a pump to move the waste water into the drain lines that ran under the house.  I highly recommend Chris.  He does excellent work and is very reasonable in his prices.

They laid the pipes and set the pump, ran the water lines and set the shower stall in place and left me to set the toilet and sink after the walls were finished and the tile was set.  We had originally planned to use the "peel and stick" tile, but after the trenching and concrete repair, the floor was too rough for that type to stick, so we changed to a nice ceramic tile.

After some electrical work, and such, the bath now has two lights, one with a lighted switch for easier location in the dark, a GFCI outlet, an exhaust vent and AC vent, shower, assist pull bars to help off the throne and to hold while entering and exiting the shower, and so on.  The bath is about 4 by 8, with a 4 foot shower stall, medicine cabinet, etc.

Here are some pictures of the finished product.

I turned the toilet just a little to the left
since it was so tight a space, and that
makes it easier to sit down and
get back up.

This is the pump, placed in front of the water tank, but
the piping can easily be moved to access the tank,
if needed.

This was a fun job to do, especially for the folks and the kind gentleman who will be using it.  They were extremely happy with the finished product and the entire process.

Front Porch in Stone Mountain

A realtor contacted me to replace the front steps and landings on a house in Stone Mountain, GA.  Here's what was there.

A view from the side approaching the deck from the sidewalk.

A view angled from the front

A view looking down from the upper landing to the middle landing.

The wood was extremely rotted and weather worn and I was surprised as I dismantled it that it would hold any weight.  I think it was up there on a lick and a promise and the promise was no good and the lick had rusted out.

Here is the finished product, before staining.

The view from the side.

The View from the angled front.

The upper landing with the entry door to the right of the picture.

Looking down at the middle landing.

I had to replace most of the joists and work to anchor the ledger boards to the walls.  The previous ones were nailed in using 16d nails, which really are not sufficient.  Using good pressure treated wood and applying a good sealing stain, this project should last the new owners a good while, and be sturdy enough to hold them while the move in!