Remodeling bathroom ourselves--please say a prayer!

[odile53]

Pretty much sums it up: My husband is very handy, and we opted to remodel the master bathroom ourselves. After we got a few contractor prices and got over the sticker shock, we decided that between the two of us we could do this task competently and well.

The problem is, both of us are intelligent but very opinionated and outspoken people. It has its good points and its bad points. We’ve spent many a pleasant evening in spirited and lively discourse, and we’ve also had a couple of battle royals through the years. One has to believe in something to be passionate about one’s views, and one has to be flexible enough to accommodate the views of another to come to mutual ground in order to get anything done.

For the sake of this project, R has appointed me project planner and budget coordinator, also handyman’s helper, painter, and chief tile layout designer. For his part R is carpenter, plumber, electrician, and transport coordinator. So far all was well, until last night when we got into an argument over, believe it or not, grout! Yeah, grout, specifically, it’s color. After forty five minutes of yelling about white versus mid grey grout, we decided to stop and go for dinner at a truck stop–we wouldn’t have been let in anyplace else with our work clothes on.

This whole project is bound to have some moments worthy of a 1960’s sitcom, but we’re both still game so far.

Please say a prayer that this project will help us get closer, and that our final results will be something we can point to with a sense of mutual esteem! A minor thing, I know, in the grand scheme of things, but we’ve managed to get in some real nasty fights over projects in the past.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Dear Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters and home remodelers, please intercede for a very positive outcome for this project.

Amen.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Pretty much sums it up: My husband is very handy, and we opted to remodel the master bathroom ourselves. After we got a few contractor prices and got over the sticker shock, we decided that between the two of us we could do this task competently and well.

The problem is, both of us are intelligent but very opinionated and outspoken people. It has its good points and its bad points. We’ve spent many a pleasant evening in spirited and lively discourse, and we’ve also had a couple of battle royals through the years. One has to believe in something to be passionate about one’s views, and one has to be flexible enough to accommodate the views of another to come to mutual ground in order to get anything done.

For the sake of this project, R has appointed me project planner and budget coordinator, also handyman’s helper, painter, and chief tile layout designer. For his part R is carpenter, plumber, electrician, and transport coordinator. So far all was well, until last night when we got into an argument over, believe it or not, grout! Yeah, grout, specifically, it’s color. After forty five minutes of yelling about white versus mid grey grout, we decided to stop and go for dinner at a truck stop–we wouldn’t have been let in anyplace else with our work clothes on.

This whole project is bound to have some moments worthy of a 1960’s sitcom, but we’re both still game so far.

Please say a prayer that this project will help us get closer, and that our final results will be something we can point to with a sense of mutual esteem! A minor thing, I know, in the grand scheme of things, but we’ve managed to get in some real nasty fights over projects in the past.

Your post made me LOL, Odile! And also, it made me thank God that my hubby isn’t in any way handy and so we must hire out any jobs that need doing. I hope you are the one arguing for the tile color to match the grout color, because that’s where I fall. Unless the tile is white, that is, in which case, the grout should be darker because grout is always going to darken and discolor. But that may not help you if you are just squaring off for the sake of it.

I want to see pictures of the final project. I so admire people who can do this sort of work. It must be so satisfying!

 

[Luna_Lovecraft]

Bless you, odile! My husband and I re-modeled ours last summer. Well, I should say that after two weeks of 10-hour days we gave up and called in contractors. Our hubris doubled the cost of our original estimate, left us without a bathroom for a month, and gave me a case of shingles. Good times.

My hat is off to you and your husband. Best of luck, stay sane, and I’ll keep you in my prayers today.

Luna

 

[Georgia]

God bless you both, but there is good news. You are working together. Even if you get irritated at one another, you are still working as a team. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t disagree from time to time. I know few who could remodel a bath together. There have to be a lot of us here who are impressed. I certainly am.

Now to the practical: Keeping white grout clean is a major undertaking. An earlier post was right about grout darkening. Easy care is a good thing!

 

[TheRealJuliane]

God bless you both, but there is good news. You are working together. Even if you get irritated at one another, you are still working as a team. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t disagree from time to time. I know few who could remodel a bath together. There have to be a lot of us here who are impressed. I certainly am.

Now to the practical: Keeping white grout clean is a major undertaking. An earlier post was right about grout darkening. Easy care is a good thing!

We moved 2 years ago, and this house has WHITE tile on the kitchen and hallways floors.



The grout, which was once white too, is now dark grey.



My previous house had terra-cotta ceramic tile in the kitchen, with matching grout. I loved that floor and one day, perhaps I will change out the floor here. I would never go in with a light colored tile and grout on a floor or a counter top, or a shower wall, for that matter. You can add colorants to grout and get it to match anything, and the look is really clean.

 

[anodos]

My previous house had terra-cotta ceramic tile in the kitchen, with matching grout. I loved that floor and one day, perhaps I will change out the floor here. I would never go in with a light colored tile and grout on a floor or a counter top, or a shower wall, for that matter. You can add colorants to grout and get it to match anything, and the look is really clean.

We have earth-tone tile (the overall color is brown) with brown grout. I do not understand white tile with white grout, unless you are a strictly shoeless household (puffy zen slippers waiting at the door) and do not eat, drink, own pets other than goldfish, or generate dust.

(Your remodeling story made me smile!)

 

[SamH]

So far all was well, until last night when we got into an argument over, believe it or not, grout! Yeah, grout, specifically, it’s color. After forty five minutes of yelling about white versus mid grey grout, we decided to stop and go for dinner at a truck stop–we wouldn’t have been let in anyplace else with our work clothes on.

You and your husband must have an extraordinarily quiet life if your big arguments are over things like the color of grout.

 

[odile53]

Nope, Sam, it’s just the fact that we can and will argue about anything at all. Including the relative merits of various colors of grout!