Skip to my loo.

I've been quiet for a while because I've been working with our handyman, Lloyd, as we renovate our bathroom. And lo, the transformation is finally complete.

The three pictures below were taken from roughly the same angle (from our dining area, looking through the bathroom door). Click any picture to see a larger version.

Before, the bathroom was tiny and filthy. We inherited a loo that was a horrible shade of pink. One weekend while Jody was out of town, I painted every tile, every fixture, every inch of porcelain with an epoxy/paint combination called Tough as Tile. Which should have actually been called Tough as crappy Tile, since it lasted less than a year before it began to flake. It flaked so badly in the bathub that the tub's floor was eventually revealed (see the pink?). Also, Tough as Tile cannot be cleaned with any bleach products....so over the past two years we really began to develop mildew issues in the corners. The final straw came when a rotting joist under the bathroom began to give way and the room itself started to sink into the basement. Something had to be done. So naturally, in the midst of Jody's second surgery, we decided to renovate the damned thing.

During the renovation, the bathroom was gutted all the way to the original brick walls. You can see through the joists right down into our basement. That newer joist on the left replaced the rotting one, and the other old joists were sistered (reinforced) with new beams. The plaster on the brick wall was actually the original wall of the room waaaay back (like the 30s, I'm guessing, or maybe before...the building is about 150 years old). We'd hoped to expose all that brick, but it isn't in great shape, so I am playing with the idea of exposing little bits of it.

After the reno was finished (today), we were left with much more space, a new pocket door, beautiful purple walls (I primed them and then did two coats of semi-gloss...It's Benjamin Moore "Gentle Violet" #2071-20 in case you were wondering), better lighting, a new fan, a Toto toilet, a new window, and gorgeous Kempas hardwood floors (ever hear of Kempas hardwood? Neither had I. Who knows what the hell it is?)

We still have some details to put in there... a medicine cabinet, some shelves, maybe a painting or whatnot. But the bulk of the work is finished, which means we can clean up the plaster and return to nearly-normal around here.

What does this have to do with cancer? Nothing. Except, I can sleep better in the knowledge that when Jody starts chemo next month, our powder room—and by extension, our entire cozy home—will be much more relaxing than it was. You take your victories where you can....