Here we go! Before pics

Today I cleaned all of our things out of the bathroom because the contractor will be here at 9 am tomorrow to start the remodel.  I took a couple of "before" pictures so you can see what an improvement is being made.  We aren't changing the layout at all, just new fixtures, flooring, paint, & tile.  Marc bought the house a few years before we met, and it has been on his to-do list ever since.  The problem is that it is the only bathroom in the house, and beyond being really ugly, it's completely functional.  We decided to go ahead and do it now because (A) the baby is still-a-cookin, and (B) the house is going on the market next January, so it needed to be done before then, and we don't want to do it with a newborn.

blue formica counter with gold flecks, blue sink...the vanity stands only about 27" tall...Did I mention that Marc is 6'5" and I am 6'0"?

Blue tile, blue tub, blue toilet and hideous floral wallpaper, crappy tile ceiling

and you can see that the medicine cabinet/mirror has the same blue formica with fold flecks.  

We did the kitchen a few years ago, then 2 years later put crown moulding, new baseboards, and new white interior doors throughout the house.  Last year, we did outside work.  We put up a white PVC privacy fence around the back yard (the front yard already had the PVC picket fence), ripped out the deck and cleaned off the cement patio that was below, had a new brick & concrete stoop and new walkways put in, sod laid down, brick flower boxes in front, and put a new shed in the back yard.  The house has definitely gotten a lot of improvements since we got married.

Every year, we use our tax return to better the house instead of planning a big vacation.  The house will be move-in ready when it goes on the market next January.  It really is a perfect starter house, but not large enough to have a family grow with.  It has hardwood floors throughout, with the exception of the kitchen and bathroom, a wood burning fireplace with stove insert to heat the house if you want to, the windows were replaced when Marc bought the house, the siding was done right after we got married, the roof is in great shape, and the house DID NOT FLOOD during hurricane Sandy.  That's right!! We are SURROUNDED by water here.  We live on a little island, there is a canal 2 blocks north of us, a canal BOTH east and west at the end of the street, and the Great South Bay is 5 blocks south of our house.  We are unbelievably lucky that our house did not flood.  We live in the middle of the block and the house sits up kind of high.  There was SO much damage in our neighborhood.  Some people still haven't finished repairing and renovating from that storm.  I'm really so grateful.

Yesterday, I had to take Max to the vet for a check up appt.  He is due for some booster shots, so I loaded both dogs in the car and headed to the Vet.  Our vet's office is inside Petsmart.  We got there and parked, and I left Pixie in the car so I could take Max inside.  It was a gorgeous day outside and she was content to be outside.  Max dragged all 8.5 months pregnant me across the parking lot and into the store.  Thank GOD he doesn't get great traction on tile, or I would have been dragged all the way to the back of the store where the vet is located.  We got back there and he nicely got up on the scale to be weighed (125 lbs., by the way) and the receptionist told me our appointment isn't until NEXT week...Oh Goody.  That was a super fun workout for no reason at all.  I called Marc and told him he was taking Max to the vet next weekend, because that dragfest through the parking lot was more than I need to handle right now.  He laughed at me, but agreed to take him.  I love that dog, but he sure is freaking strong!

That's about all for now.  I'll post pictures of the progress on the bathroom throughout the week.  I can't wait for the finished product!!

Cheers!