Before & After…The dog wash

So you ask…“what exactly goes into building a shower base”?

As Matt Sletten built the shower base in the mudroom of the “L” Shaped House I tried to take a photo at each important stage. The series of photos here show most of the steps in the process starting shortly after the sheet rock crew finished in the space. I’ve given up calling it the mudroom wash down area (the name I prefer) and reverted back to “the dog wash” (what everyone else calls it) just to make it simpler.

First the compacted cement base is installed on the plywood flooring “pitched” to the floor drain.

Next the PVC liner is fitted on top of the “pitched” base and the hardware for the floor drain installed.

The compacted cement base is installed on top of the liner and the curb at the front edge is formed.

Then Matt installs the Durock cement board underlayment on the floor and walls carefully “lapping” the PVC liner underneath.

We then “paused” as the laminate countertop was installed the along the end wall of the space.

Matt started by setting the 3” square ceramic tiles in the floor of the base.

He then moved on to the 12” square floor tiles and cut tiles for the curb and border…We threw in another complication here by also moving the pet door to the opposite side of the window.

Finally Matt set the 12'” square (floor) tiles on the walls in the dog wash and helped the plumbers as they installed the service sink faucet in the wall.

The dog wash in it’s nearly complete form…(check back here for one more photo later).

The “L” Shaped House…Last weekend in August

The last few days have brought a flurry of activity in and around the “L” Shaped House. Most of the sub-contractors have been in and out as they finish up items on Nate and Paul’s list. I took these photos as I wandered around this morning catching up on the progress and decided to put them all in one blog posting. The first photo shows the steel I-beam post in-between the third and fourth stalls in the garage after Paul got it partially installed. The post attaches to the 8” I-beam in the ceiling and is designed to carry 25% of the weight of the back wall of the bonus room above.

The next photo shows the back corner of the mudroom under the new lockers after Matt Sletten finished installing and grouting the ceramic tile sanitary base. With this last bit of tile in place Matt is just about finished working at the “L” Shaped House!

Speaking of Paul’s nice mudroom lockers…The third photo shows the collection Minwax stain Paul was able to produce after a couple of minutes of digging in the back end of his pickup truck. He wiped some stain on a few samples and Deb picked Golden Pecan 245 for the lockers.

The whole process seemed a little like a magic trick ;-)

 

Luke (Wire-Rite) has been in and out all week working on various projects. The light fixture above the sink in the first floor bath has been uncooperative all along. The fourth photo here shows the fixture installed on the wall all ready for action.

The fifth photo shows one of the cranks on the casement window above the kitchen sink. Steve Carmichael’s guys have been re-installing all of the window hardware as they finish up their work at the “L” Shaped House.

The sixth photo shows the pile of Deckorators aluminum balusters (spindles) and connectors for the railings on all three porches at the “L” Shaped House. Paul estimates that the Solid Construction guys will need 336 spindles to complete all three railings.

The last photo shows the view off the front porch after I finished up mowing the front yard for the first time using our new John Deere lawn tractor. I had the sprinkler system turned off for four days before attempting to mow and it was still a little softer than I wanted but it had to be done. I dumped the clippings bag 10 times as I worked my way SLOWLY across the thick jungle of grass!

Ceramic Tile…Day 63

Matt Sletten has just about finished up all of his work at the “L” Shaped House. He spent that last couple of days cleaning and calking tile joints in the showers on the first floor and in the basement. The photo below shows the front corner of the first floor shower after he finished up in this beautiful space.

Ceramic Tile…Day 62

Matt finished grouting the floor and the giant shower base in the mudroom at the “L” Shaped House this morning. He used a standard grout in the floor but decided to use SpectraLOCK epoxy grout in the shower base area. We decided to use a “stain-proof” product here because we plan to have a mat installed in the recessed area and will probably get some staining on the surface of the ceramic tile.

Ceramic Tile…Day 61

Matt Sletten worked yesterday adding the finishing touches to the bathrooms throughout the “L” Shaped House. The first photo shows the back corner of the bathtub surround in the kids bathroom after Matt finished caulking around the tub, Corian shelves, and corner joints in the walls. He has also cleaned and polished the ceramic tiles.

I guess the next step is one of our famous bubble baths…

The next photo shows the floor in the master bathroom after Matt finished cleaning and caulking. The ceramic tile selections on the floors and shower wall combine to make this a very elegant space.

Ceramic Tile…The kitchen backsplash

I realized last night that I had not published a photo of the kitchen after Matt Sletten finished grouting the ceramic subway tile and decorative backsplash behind the cooktop.  Here is my best effort from last night!

Ceramic Tile…Day 60

Matt Sletten has been busy grouting tile throughout the “L” Shaped House for the last couple of days. The first photo shows the outside wall of the first floor laundry room after Matt finished grouting the subway tile backsplash. He has now finished grouting all of the tile in this room as well as the backsplash in the kitchen.

The next two photos show the first floor and basement showers after grouting. Matt has completed all of the tile work in these spaces and will now carefully clean the walls a floor before caulking the corners. The basement bathroom shower door is is scheduled to be installed early next week.

The last photo shows the fireplace in the basement family room after Matt grouted the accent tile border around the outside edge of the sheet metal faceplate. There will be an “Arts and Crafts” fireplace front installed inside the tile border that includes a removable screen.

Ceramic Tile…Day 59

Matt Sletten finished up a couple more tasks in the basement of the “L” Shaped House yesterday morning. The first photo shows the ceramic tile border around the basement fireplace. The second photo shows the front corner of the basement shower just as Matt finished grouting the walls.

Ceramic Tile…Day 58

Matt Sletten started working on the ceramic tile for the basement fireplace at the “L” Shaped House this morning. The first photo shows the accent tiles installed on three sides of the gas fireplace with Matt’s temporary support holding everything in place while the thin-set sets up.

The next photo shows the back side of one of the tiles “buttered” with thin-set on the side that goes on the sheetrock…and silicone adhesive on the side that sticks to the metal fireplace trim. The third photo shows Matt as he carefully adjusts the position of the tiles while setting them on the wall.

  

The last photo shows the “other end” of the mudroom after Matt finished up the tile setting last night. Here we can see how Matt ran the tile just above the laminate countertop creating a short tile backsplash at the wall. The mudroom looks great with the all the tile in place and the plumbing fixtures installed.

Ceramic Tile…Day 57

Matt Sletten is busy wrapping up the last bits of the ceramic tile installation at the “L” Shaped House. The first photo shows the mudroom wall tile with the bull-nose border installed all the way around the top. All that is left to do in the mudroom is install the dog door and grout the tile.

The next photo shows the basement fireplace as Matt prepares to install the 3” square accent tile border around the opening. Deb and Kim picked this tile a while back after our original choice was discontinued. We plan to have Matt get the tile in place before we finalize the outside edge detail.

Ceramic Tile…Day 56

Matt Sletten has been working in the mudroom and basement bathroom for the last few days. The first photo shows the wall tile going up in the mudroom. Matt and I talked through a few possibilities and decided to run a short bull-nose edge all around the top creating a simple backsplash at the back of the countertop. Here can see the repositioned cavity for the dog door and faucet feeds in the back wall.

The next photo shows the basement bathroom with all of the ceramic tile including the sanitary base installed. Matt will now grout the floor and shower area and the finish up by caulking the corner joints in the shower. Deb had to select all the elements in this space without any help because we elected to finish basement bathroom after Katie Hunsley’s maternity leave began.

I think it looks awesome!

Ceramic Tile…Day 55

Matt Sletten was back today grouting ceramic tile in the first floor bath and laundry room. The photo below shows the tile floor at the bathroom doorway with the newly installed grout. It’s amazing how much better the floor looks after the grout is in place. Matt worked his way down this hallway and into the breezeway before leaving early this evening. The floor looks terrific!

Ceramic Tile…Day 54

Matt spent the day Friday setting tile in the mudroom and first floor laundry room at the “L” Shaped House. The first photo shows the mudroom shower base with all of the 3” floor tiles in place and the curb finished. He will set the same 12” floor tiles on the walls as he finishes the tile setting in this room.

The next photo shows the “emergency” drain under the first floor washing machine with the 3” floor tiles in place. This drain and the one in the laundry room upstairs both lead into the floor drain in the mechanical room.

Ceramic Tile…Day 53

Matt Sletten’s work in the mudroom continues. The photo shows the wash down area after all of the 3” square tiles were set in the floor this afternoon. It’s amazing how different the smaller sized tiles look compared to the 12” tiles in the floor of the mudroom…especially since they are just cut down versions of the same tile.

Ceramic Tile…Day 52

Matt Sletten is back today working in the mudroom of the “L” Shaped House. The first photo shows the wash down area in the mudroom with the new ceramic tile installed on the floor of the giant shower base. We have decided to move the dog door from the left had side of the window to a spot in the wall on the right (to preserve space on the deck for humans). Paul will insulate the old opening and seal it up before Matt sets the wall tile around the outside of the room.

The next photo shows another close up of Matt’s nice tile work. He is using 3” square tile that he made by cutting down the 12” tiles used in the floor throughout the first floor. The walls surrounding the wash down area will be covered with the same 12” tiles to a height of 3’. The ceramic tile wash down sink and faucet installed in the wall should make this a highly functional mudroom.

Ceramic Tile…The first floor Laundry

As I looked through the photos taken at the “L” Shaped House over the weekend I realized I had a few shots taken late yesterday afternoon that capture the look and feel of the first floor laundry room and ceramic tile backsplash very nicely. The first photo taken from the middle of the kitchen shows the East wall of the laundry room with the everything but the “distressing” of the cabinetry complete…Exciting!

The next photo shows the new ceramic tile backsplash installed along the outside wall under the cabinets. Here we see Matt’s (very) nice detail work at the sill and apron and the 1/4 round accent tile between the windows. We decided to add the ceramic tile instead of an integrated laminate backsplash late in the process. I think the space is enhanced considerably with the addition of the tile!

Ceramic Tile…Day 51

Matt Sletten has pretty much finished setting backsplash tile in the kitchen and first floor laundry room. In the photos below I've tried to capture these spaces from a distance to give better sense of the “warmth” the tile adds to the spaces. The first shows the back wall of the kitchen from the middle of the dining room.

The next photo shows the oven wall of the kitchen from beyond the archway leading into the laundry room. Here we see the completed backsplash under the cabinets and the decorative tile area behind the cooktop.

  The last photo shows the outside wall of the first floor laundry room with the new subway tile backsplash installed below the cabinetry and window. The diffuse morning light streaming in the window makes for a nice soft scene…the backsplash tile is a very nice addition to this space.

Thank You, Matt…for pushing it!

Ceramic Tile…Day 50

Matt Sletten was back working in the kitchen and first floor laundry room in the “L” Shaped House. The first photo shows the newly completed tile backsplash on the outside wall under the kitchen cabinets. The backsplash, Cambria countertops, and white cabinets look great together.

The next photo shows the back corner of the kitchen with the new decorative tile behind the cooktop and the new backsplash extending around the kitchen. Steve Carmichael’s latest sample of a distressed finish on a larger cabinet door is standing behind the cooktop in this shot as well. The last photo shows where Matt got started installing the subway tile backsplash in the first floor laundry room. The combination of the subway tile, white cabinets, and soapstone (green) laminate countertops looks great here as well.

Ceramic Tile…Day 49

Matt Sletten worked today setting ceramic tile in the backsplash around the kitchen. The photo below shows the subway tile running from the wall oven cabinets on the left all the way to the refrigerator cabinet on the right. The new tiles set off against the cabinets, Cambria, and walls look great!