Bubble Wrap?? General Chat

Look out! Your control freakery is showing.
Yes, it takes one to know one!

Dang! I thought I had that hidden well!

I try to contain my control freakery (I like that - much better than "anal" which is usually used here) to things that are within my power to control AND will make me frustrated with someone else if it goes wrong when I basically encouraged it.

So, if the worker brings suger donuts and eats them while he's laying my tile and there are sugar grains in the grout, then I can be rightfully mad at him for messing up my tilework.

But, if I set out a plate of sugar donuts and say "help yourself" and there are sugar grains in my grout, then it's just as much my fault. And I don't like being mad at myself for a stupid avoidable mistake.

And, I don't want to offer greasy, crumbly snacks only to have them avoid eating any in fear of leaving crumbs in the client's home. Or have them standing around eating away from their work because that's not fair to my contractor who needs them to stay on a schedule. So I want to find a middle ground and keep everyone happy.

I've been told I think too much...

You should issue them with those plastic bibs that have a crumb tray.

OK. I'm releasing my controling freakery!

I have a bowl of caramel apple pops so they have something to suck on while they work.

I have a bowl of almond hersheys (dark and milk). I kept the plain milk chocolate and the toffee ones put away because I like them too much to share.

I have a bowl of small size kitkats so they can have a kitkat break.

When those are gone they are gone.

I will have a bowl of popcorn and will refill it as needed.

I will have a bowl of grapes to offer a healthy option (with a note not to feed them to the parrot). I will get more if they eat them.

I will get some sort of breakfast danish and put out one per worker per day (they get expensive).

And I will have some cookies - thinking something other than chocolate chip since there is a lot of chocolate already.

I will have ice water and pink lemonade from a mix with cups available. I have the teas and cocoa mixes by the electric kettle.

I will have the roll of paper towels right there too.

That should be more than enough to keep them happy for the week.

What if they have sugar in their teas or coffees? Men are very careless with sugar!
What about flakes from the Danish? They need to eat these and wash their hands before they start work.
Make sure that the grapes are seedless.

Oh shoot I need to add a sugar bowl it they want tea! I forgot that. That will be OK because the sugar will be in the kitchen with the kettle. And won't near the work until it's in the tea.

Sugar donuts are more likely to be grabbed and taken to their work.

I'm accepting the danish flakes as easy to brush off. But I should put out some wet wipes too since there won't be a sink in the bathroom until the end.

Seedless grapes. But if they do get one they can spit it out into the shower drain hole.

I'm not a monster!

Oh, and the job got set back to Wednesday - they are running late with the prior job.

Argggh. I'm tempted to take away the snacks.

Scheduled to be here at 7 am.

I am not a morning person. I don't even fall asleep until around 3 am normally. But I took a sleeping pill and fell asleep before 2 am last night after taking a shower.

Wake up this morning to the alarm, let the dogs out, do some last minute pick ups, set the food and drink out, and remove the borrowed tarp of the vanity box so they can get to the door, and sit down to wait the few minutes for them to arrive.

Got a text. Half to pick up supplies be there at 8:30.

I could have slept another 1-1/2 hours...

This is not nice to do to a night owl.

Day 1 complete.

Tornado-dog was a very good boy. He was polite to the worker. Gave him a quick hug and then didn't fuss.

Cat-dog was perfect as usual.

Looney1 did not like having to stay upstairs. Looney2 has been in hiding. Punx has been in hiding. Panther has been a brave girl. She stayed in their room but didn't hide. And when he left, she came right downstairs.

This was my bathroom last night:

(excuse the dust - I spray painted the inside of the medicine cabinet and it dusted everything and since it's coming out I didn't bother cleaning afterwards)

Here is the end of today:


And here is my new tile for the surround:


At the store, the light shade had a slight greenish tint to it. I was fine with that, but seeing it in direct sunlight, I am even happier. I think I'm going to use it for my kitchen countertop when I redo that.

P.S. he ate some grapes, he drank both the water and the lemonade, and later in the day he ate the two danish. No crumbs found.

What is a vanity box?
Glad your work is underway at last. I have seen a bathroom in a similar scheme to yours on F'book and it did look good.
My work is postponed. The weather forecast this weekend is rain and high winds, not ideal for handling large glass panels. Next week Tony goes on holiday to Turkey for two weeks. Hey ho.

Oh, the vanity was delivered assembled in a box. The box, with the vanity inside, is on my porch.

This is the vanity:


I feel pretty confident that it will all work well together.

I can see how rain and high winds would be a problem with window installs. Hopefully you'll have some dry non-windy days before the end of the month to get them completed.

That is very regal!
Is the top marble?

It's manufactured marble.

Yeah as soon as I saw it I knew it was right for this bathroom with the antique old world look.

My upstairs will be more contemporary.

Today the tile started to go up. He got the back wall up and still has to do the sides and grout. There's about an inch and a half of space between the top tile and the ceiling - he's going to fill it in with plaster and then I'll paint it solid bronze so it fades into the tile.

Every morning he texts to say he's 20 minutes out. I get up and let the dogs out, set out his grapes, danish, lemonade and water. Then I unlock the door and the dogs and I go back upstairs to sleep. He'll call if he has a question and the dogs and I will go downstairs. Every time, Tornado-dog barks at him with his butt wiggling. The dogs go outside while we discuss whatever questions he has. Then we go back upstairs. He calls once he's heading out for the day and then we all (me, dogs and cats) go downstairs for the evening.

The one thing I'm really surprised about is how little I hear from upstairs. I can barely hear his power tools.

Looney2 has overcome being upset. He hangs out in my room. Punx isn't hiding more than usual now either - usual being whenever I come into the room she slowly saunters under the daybed because I'm not worthy of a good view. Although, I have found that if I let the water bowl go almost empty, she'll stay out to order me to do my job. As soon as I do, she is at the bowl drinking.

lol my pair do this when my dad comes around, he presses the door bell and they know it’s him, they bark and go round in circles until I let him in, then do the what you brought us today? They follow him in to the kitchen and he makes them sit while he feeds them treats, every time they do this, the cats, one will hide and the other sits on the table waiting for him to make a fuss of her, they will hide if anyone strange comes in, but they do eventually come out when they’ve gone.
Your bathroom sounds very nice and should look lovely when it’s done.

Thanks.

With Tornado-dog, he can't quite decide whether to chase this guy away or to welcome him in. Fortunately, the welcoming has been edging out.

I'm trying to assemble a five drawer chest for the bedroom. It isn't as easy as I thought it would be, and it is rather heavy to keep turning single handed, and with arthritis in my hands and wrists. I need to screw the top on and nearly broke the carcass trying to flip it over to allow me to get enough pressure on the screws. Got all sick and sweaty so I've shut the door on it for tonight. I hope I'm not stiff in the morning.
Tally has been trying to run off with the little packets in the kit - anything for attention. She's missed out on her walk today.

Ugh, I hate when they aren't easy to flip around.

Poor Tally. I bet she'd give that dresser a talking to for being bad.

Well we made it almost to the finish line...

All he had left to do was attach the vanity and faucet, put the shower faucet on, add the glass doors and silicone.

And suddenly there is no cold water at the shower. Grrrr. Old pipes. So Monday he will be here to go through the wall on the other side and replace the old galvanized pipe leading from the shower to the crawlspace. Fingers crossed that fixes the problem. If not, they will need to replace the line under the house too.

But other than the shower faucet, the bathroom will be done and I can paint my bronze finish walls and medicine cabinet this weekend and then everything can go back in.

Meanwhile Tornado-dog is tired of spending his days upstairs. He'll be happy when this is over.

The upstairs will start around mid November. I'm still working out how I will organize the critters for that. The cats can stay in their room but all the noise will be next door so I may need to lock them in my room across the hall. And then I have to figure out me and the dogs - if we stay upstairs we're stuck in the bedroom and I have to go downstairs to use the bathroom (although a very nice bathroom). If we stay downstairs, we're in their way as they go in and out. If it's nice out I can sit out back with the dogs.

I might have Aunt C take Tornado-dog for the destruct day. That will be the most awkward day.

And I'm now looking at my kitchen and laundry room. Same layout but drawers instead of lower cabinets, a new single porcelain tile for the countertop, and then wall to wall cupboards on the laundry room wall. That's actually the wall they will go through for the shower pipe, so I can have them remove the back to the cabinet that will go there for future access. And then I'd put in vinyl plank flooring throughout the living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room and hallway. So I'll start pricing all that out and see about doing it in 2026-27.

So sorry that you have additional work to do before finalising. I don't think we have galvanised pipes in houses over here, though they are common in farm buildings. Very old houses have lead pipes, more modern ones have copper. It must be very frustrating - for you and your pets.
I have done the carcass and two drawers of my chest. I'm actually quite proud of my efforts. I had a rest day yesterday because my legs were aching from grovelling around on the floor, and my arms were stiff because of having had my 'flu and Covid shots. I was sad to find that one of the drawer sides has a split where the drawer base has been rebated. As the item was flat packed in Brazil, there is little chance of a single piece being replaced, and I don't fancy dismantling the chest to claim an exchange. I'm going to try using wood glue and cramp it until it's dry. I can't add a brace as it would be in contact with the drawer runner.
Nothing ever goes 100% to expectations, does it?