Author Archives: ellen

Brick Patterns

Posted on March 21, 2020 by ellen

In the middle of the bathroom floor I planned for an accent inset. The tile I wanted to use was 3″ x 6″ tumbled marble that I bought at the Restore. I only had one box of the tile but … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Construction, Design Style, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Tile | Comments Off on Brick Patterns

Why Shopping is Not Research

Posted on March 20, 2020 by ellen

My normal practice is to research every part of the house remodel. I usually spend hours on the internet gathering information about the best way to design and complete a project. But every once in a while I forget to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Construction, Design Style, Electrical, House Systems | Comments Off on Why Shopping is Not Research

While I Was Away

Posted on March 17, 2020 by ellen

It’s unusual to see progress while I’m not even home. But having a contractor seems to have helped. The room was drywalled before I left and sprayed with texture to match the house the next Monday. Then the Kerdi board … Continue reading →

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Hamilton in the Time of Coronavirus

Posted on March 16, 2020 by ellen

When I left Colorado a week ago there were three confirmed cases of the virus. I went to California to celebrate my sister’s birthday. We had a lovely time mostly with family but she had tickets to take me to … Continue reading →

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Insulating the Bathroom.

Posted on March 12, 2020 by ellen

About three quarters of the rear wall of the bathroom is poured concrete below ground and insulated on the outside. I added polyiso to the inside of the concrete wall and replaced the Fiberglas with rock wool. The interior walls … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Plumbing | Comments Off on Insulating the Bathroom.

Prepping the Tile

Posted on March 9, 2020 by ellen

When we started this gut remodel project the goal was to purchase as many used and recycled products as possible. Besides the LEED mandate to reduce the use of new materials I was looking for items that would lower the … Continue reading →

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Antique Vanity

Posted on March 6, 2020 by ellen

Originally I just had in mind to use a copper sink in the back bathroom. I love copper and this is the last bathroom remodel. But copper sinks are expensive so quite some time ago I found a huge copper … Continue reading →

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Rear Bathroom Gut Job

Posted on March 6, 2020 by ellen

In order to meet the minimum standard for LEED all the substrate around a tub or shower must be paperless including the ceiling. It’s required even under tiled walls. The existing tiled walls had been waterproof for over 30 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Deconstruction, LEED Project, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Rear Bathroom Gut Job

Berlin

Posted on March 5, 2020 by ellen

Because our kids are living in Germany we try to get over there a few times a year. We love just being with them and the grandkids but this visit we also got to accompany them on a short vacation … Continue reading →

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Reused Closet Door

Posted on February 12, 2020 by ellen

As long as I was working on the barn doors in the family room I decided to see if I could install the closet door. The jamb was already installed when I realized that I didn’t have a door that … Continue reading →

Posted in Reduce Reuse Recycle, Trim | Comments Off on Reused Closet Door

Double Barn Doors

Posted on February 11, 2020 by ellen

I bought a pair of glass insert french doors five years ago thinking they would let in the extra light from the family room into the dining area. However when I finally decided to hang doors in the space, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Style, Family Room, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Trim | Comments Off on Double Barn Doors

Stair Nosing in Hall

Posted on February 7, 2020 by ellen

The hall stair nosing was cracked and becoming a trip hazard. I had already replaced one of the edges with a dark bamboo piece that I purchased at a Repurposed Materials auction. I have a couple of 8 piece boxes … Continue reading →

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Utility Room Storage

Posted on February 2, 2020 by ellen

We severely reduced the size of the original utility room to make room for a dining area and to move the kitchen into the space. But in approximately a 6’x10’ room we fit in a stacking washer and dryer, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Organization | Comments Off on Utility Room Storage

Draining the Spa

Posted on February 1, 2020 by ellen

I had to drain the spa because the winter weather is unpredictable and I did not want the pipes to crack. My planned repair did not work. I ordered the new spa heater from Acura Spa but it was cold … Continue reading →

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Spa | Comments Off on Draining the Spa

ERV Fixed

Posted on January 20, 2020 by ellen

Unfortunately the control board on our ERV has been fried since last summer. It was probably due to several experiments trying to get the Lutron Grafix 0 to 10 voltage dimmer to work with the ERV. My son bought a … Continue reading →

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Ventilation | Comments Off on ERV Fixed

Spa Wifi Controller

Posted on January 20, 2020 by ellen

Last year I purchased a wifi controller for the spa so that I could set the temperature from my phone instead of having to go outside. Although the device did not seem difficult to install, it required opening the spa … Continue reading →

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Spa Heater Burnout

Posted on January 20, 2020 by ellen

On New Year’s Day we used the spa and I noticed it was losing heat while it was open even though I had turned up the thermostat while we were using it. I noticed a day or two later that … Continue reading →

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Working Fireplace Boiler!

Posted on December 29, 2019 by ellen

It’s difficult not to be pleased to see the fireplace boiler working as planned in its new surround. The wood fire exudes such peace and tranquility on a snowy winter evening and adds heat to the radiant system. Directing heat … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Style, Fireplace Boiler, Furniture, Living Room, Radiant Heat | Comments Off on Working Fireplace Boiler!

Fireplace Equipment Reconnected

Posted on December 27, 2019 by ellen

It took a couple days around the Christmas holiday to get the stove reconnected. The main circulating pump needed to have its water pipes reconnected and the wiring had been disconnected from the main pump, the aquastat controller and the … Continue reading →

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Fireplace with TV Mount

Posted on December 26, 2019 by ellen

There was a balmy break in the December weather. We have been enjoying temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s. So it was perfect for getting back to work on the fireplace boiler. I decided to use flat straight tile on … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction, Design Style, Fireplace Boiler, Furniture, Living Room, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Fireplace with TV Mount