Call off the hounds. Bathroom remodel is almost complete

By Penny Stine Friday, March 9, 2012

We have been remodeling our master bathroom for about a month. When I say we, I should clarify: It doesnt include me. Although I did go with the tile guy to choose the tile, I havent done much beyond that. Not only am I totally unqualified to do anything remotely handy, Im having a hard time getting excited about bathroom choices.

At the home improvement store, I had to admit to my husband that I didnt care about the light fixtures. That doesnt mean Im not grateful that were doing the remodel or indifferent to the process, it just means that I have no strong preference regarding toilets, lights or cabinetry.

Our bathroom was at the point where anything would have been an improvement. Seriously. ANYTHING. There was no one feature that was terribly wrong with the room, but there wasnt anything right about it, either. Our house was built in the 1970s, and although the 70s are known for good music and weird clothing, it wasnt an era in which they were building classic homes. When we bought the house, it came with avocado fixtures in one bathroom, blue fixtures in another and off-white carpet in both.

We replaced the avocado toilet years ago, along with the carpeting in bathrooms frequented by teenage boys. Replacing the blue toilet and carpeting in the master bathroom never seemed like an urgent priority. Then we noticed the faucet in the shower had a permanent drip, the carpet had turned from off-white to grungy-gray and we realized the bathroom had outlived its useful service life.

Plus, our master bath included a 32-inch shower, which is pretty roomy if youre one of the seven dwarfs. Not so spacious if youre an average-sized adult. The room was too small for a tub-and-shower combination and the placement of the window made expanding the shower tricky. So we brought in an expert tile guy, who took one look and gave us an option that neither my husband nor I had considered.

The bathroom remodel hasnt been a major inconvenience because we have three bathrooms in the house and only three people currently live there. Were rarely home at the same time, let alone trying to shower and get ready for work at the same time.

It has, however, thrown Howie the dog for a big-time loop. As a former shelter mutt whos probably got some red heeler and dingo in his blood, Howie is a fiercely protective herding dog. Some people would say hes a maniac with issues, but he only acts that way when someone tries to invade his castle or mess with his herd.

Having the tile guy and his helper working in the house for a week was an invasion only second to Normandy. Fortunately, Howies a smart dog and eventually agreed to a truce, at least until the bathrooms finished.

Howie also likes to keep track of his herd at all times, which means he follows us around from room to room. Our house is a tri-level, and during the bathroom remodel, Ive been schlepping around with my toiletries in a basket as I alternate between using the downstairs bathroom and the upstairs bathroom. I should have just invaded one of our other bathrooms during the duration, but a bathroom invasion by me is more like an Occupy Wall Street event, and I couldnt do that to my family.

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Call off the hounds. Bathroom remodel is almost complete