So much happened with the house this summer, planned and unplanned, it's hard to know where to start.
I don't have a good picture of the finished shower, but want to share some info on that project. There were some issues with the tile. Some structural support was missing in a corner, so that meant a section had to be cut out, the problem fixed, then the area had to be repaired. This took longer than it should due to mistakes that had to be corrected before work could proceed. I ended up doing a lot of the work. The original tile job was never really finished, and that meant that there was old grout haze to remove. I tried scrubbing with water - didn't work. Then vinegar - helped, but still hazy. So finally had to resort to real grout haze remover. That did a pretty good job. Then, I scraped out the old grout from the entire shower. It is one inch tile, so that was hard. Some broken and chipped tiles were replaced (I learned it is pretty easy to do that yourself!) Then the whole thing had to be really cleaned up, there was thinset that was between some tiles I had to dig out (that is hard and tedious). Then, finally, I had the entire shower regrouted. Then, that grout haze had to be removed (but that was easier since it was fresh and hadn't set in so much.) Are you still with me? We are not done yet. Now the corner joints all need caulk. They make caulk that matches the grout. Be sure to buy it at the same place you buy your grout to be sure it matches. You can't go by the color name alone. To caulk it, I used painters tape, and I taped off all the joints, then applied the caulk. Before the caulk dries, pull off the tape. You get a perfect joint this way, and no mess to clean up. I read about this method online, tried it, and it really works! Almost done but not quite! Then I sealed the tile and grout with the best sealer made. If you want this, go to Travis Tile on Airport. They sell it. Home Depot or Lowes do not. It is low VOC, but you still need to have ventilation, a mask, and wear proper gloves. I did two coats of this, following the instructions exactly.
Important points:
you MUST seal your tile and grout before you use your shower. If you don't, moisture will get behind the tile and eventually ruin the job.
you MUST caulk the joints before you seal it. otherwise, the sealer will prevent the caulk from adhering to the tile.
you MUST be sure your grout is cured and everything is really dry before sealing.
you MUST be sure your tile is clean and all grout haze is removed before sealing.
you MUST wait the recommended time between all the steps.
you MUST use a really good sealer. I tried some from eco-wise, trying to be green, it was not good sealer. The sealer from Travis Tile had fewer fumes and really works. I think it's called Gold Seal.
your SHOULD apply two coats of sealer.
I closed on my house in Oct. '07. I didn't use my master shower until late July '08 because I didn't want to use it until I'd gotten all these things right. It was totally worth it.
If you have questions about tile, definitely go to Travis Tile and ask them. They are really nice and helpful, have excellent products, and know how things should be done.
Here's the corner that got repaired. The red stuff at the top is a waterproofing membrane called Red Guard. I put it on the entire repaired section. That was followed by thinset (be sure to get the right kind for a wet area, and no you can't use the adhesive stuff, it has to be real thinset! DUH!
In the futile effort to keep up with the Jones's, we put in a pool. It's small, but still meets the definition of "pool" -- i guess this would be a wading pool rather than a swimming pool. I just like to say "We have a pool now." And Henry doesn't mind that it's only 30" round and 8" deep. And made of plastic. And only cost about $8! I think I will get about thirty of these and set them in a line. Then I would have a lap/wading pool! I couldn't do the crawl in it, but I guess, I could just crawl from one to the other.
Back in May, we enjoyed one of our last full unobstructed sunsets. My house is a site-specific house and was designed for this view.
Found these great mini veggie garden growers! My basil did really well, it's about to be replanted with arugula.
We had always planned on rebuilding our tiny, oddly shaped back balcony deck so that it was made of metal to match our other decks, and to raise it slightly higher as well. We planned to add a tiny catwalk to connect it to the side deck, too. The weird shape is due to code restrictions and our odd shaped lot. We planned to just reuse our old metal deck rails that match the ones on the south side. Plans are good to have. Until you have to change them!
I won't go into any details about why what or how, but by the end of May it was clear that the deck railings for this supposedly small project needed a drastic redesign. It became very involved. I spent days driving around Austin looking for good ideas to "borrow." How to screen in some privacy yet allow in light and air? I took lots of pictures, made lots of bad sketches of possible solutions. At times it felt like there was no solution. I became very cranky. I didn't sleep much. More crankiness ensued. This went on for WEEKS. But, out of this process I ended up with something I like very much, that accomplishes contradictory goals, and while it's not finished yet, it already looks good. It meant a lot more metal work, materials and labor, a lot more expense than I had ever planned on, ever. That meant that other plans had to be shelved for the time being. So here is the new back deck balcony. There will be more metal slats on some parts of the upper area, and right now it just has primer on it, so it is brown. Rogelio and his crew did all the work, and was nice and patient as he listened to his stressed out client (me!). He understood what I was trying to do and why, so it was a good experience to work with him again.
Here's the view looking due south. Notice how it narrows down to a section that is less than 2' wide. The second photo shows the same deck from the neighbor's view. I like how the horizontal slats relate to the fencing, and also how the slats can form a solid looking wall from one angle, but allow a lot of view through from other angles. We did this by alternating the slats on the front and back of the support posts. Once the bamboo gets planted between the house and the fence, the leaves will be able to grow through the open spaces. Bamboo, coming soon!
Since the start, I've been rethinking the colors on the house. I had few choices when I bought it, mostly beiges and brown. So, I figured I'd go with brown with bright accents and repaint it later. Or at least, repaint some of it. I found this green pot last spring at the Great Outdoors, and while I don't like the green against the red rails, I do like the green, and decided then to use the pot (and a multicolor rug I bought a few years ago) to create a new palette for the exterior of the house. So expect to see some changes! At the least, the metal work will get repainted since it was originally painted with a flat paint, and is fading already. Plus all the new metal needs paint, so it's a good opportunity to start to change things. Choosing the new color is more complex than you'd think as I need to see it in the context of nearby houses. In some ways I'd like to blend it in, on other ways, I'd like to make it stand out. As usual, the solution will do both, and I found a combination that I really like. Now that the metal is primed, I can start painting test areas.
more pix to come on more exterior metal work, interior projects, and future plans.
