Procrastination Pays

I typically avoid putting things off because I hate the stress of looming deadlines after my newspaper days living with them constantly. But I have learned during the renovation that procrastination can really pay off when we have no idea what challenge is around the corner. We first learned that as we delayed what would have been a first step in resurrecting our basement bathroom: ripping out the deteriorating walls and reinstalling them. If we had done that, our work would have been destroyed by the plumbers removing and replacing plumbing, sewage, and water supplies.

We were motivated by the need to get the bathroom functioning as quickly as possible before crews began their work, and it worked out great even though it looks like crap. At the same time, we installed a door that didn’t quite latch and needed to be refinished, just to have some kind of privacy during construction. It was probably the door that had been originally there because it matches other doors in the basement in both design and knobs—which aren’t as decorative as the doors in the rest of the house. I had thought it might be worth it to plane down the door so it would latch securely, but the wall experience told me to hold off. Thank goodness!

Friday morning, J told us that the intended pocket door for the new 3/4 bath on the main level wouldn’t work as planned because it was an inch too narrow. (I love how detail-oriented they are!) The designers had planned to use the door that had been on the original powder room in the now-expanded space and paint it white to fit in with the white trim in the mud room (where the new entrance to the bathroom is). I was a little worried about that because that door is one of the original—and quite lovely—cherry doors with the Studebaker Rockne hood ornament door plate. After J told me about the preferred dimensions for the door, I found one that would work: you guessed it, the door we installed in the basement bathroom that wouldn’t quite latch. In a renovation win-win, I am thrilled to both save the pretty door for another use and happy to have a pocket door that matches the architecture of the doors, but I don’t mind painting white! And because we don’t care about the basement door, stock hardware, it’s easy to remove that and install hardware more befitting a pocket door.

J wanted to install the pocket door Friday because he was finishing the walls in the kitchen and bathroom so that the drywall mud expert could begin his work also on Friday. That means that we have all the wall board installed and the first mudding—taping the seams—is complete! Here is how the kitchen is taking shape:

So, at the close of the seventh week, we have made tremendous progress despite my early-week angst. I’m not showing the bathroom because it’s dark after the workers leave and we don’t bother them while they’re working. After Memorial Day, mudding will continue in earnest. That may take the whole week (or more), but it also means that we have to figure out what paint colors we want because they will paint before installing the cabinets in a couple of weeks.

Choosing paint colors is usually fun for me, but for this room, it has been a nightmare for several reasons. First, during the design phase, we were entirely focused on choosing the cabinets, counters, backsplash, and fittings. I wanted a diverse pallet that added some depth and richness in a modern Craftsman style befitting the rest of the house interior. Second, this diversity of materials and colors make wall color(s) a bit of a challenge. Do we avoid green to make sure it’s not too overwhelming? What colors will make the cherry stand out and what might diminish their beauty? These suckers are pricey so the latter would be a bummer. Here is an idea of the backsplash (there will be a lot of this green), the color of the cabinets, and the tile that will be in the 3/4 bath shower stall:

Our contractor prefers to use Sherwin Williams paint so on Friday, I took advantage of the company’s free paint consultation sessions and met with a designer for 30 minutes. Here is the color pallet that she suggested:

One paint choice we have completely procrastinated on is the exterior, which badly needs to be redone. As the crew finished the exterior of the addition, we just had them paint it to match the current colors and will see what we decide going forward. Here’s the (nearly) finished new exterior:

I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!