Renovation

We are DIYers. All of our married life we have eagerly tackled home repair and improvement projects.  In the early years it was a matter of financial necessity, but I quickly learned that it was also something that Brent really enjoyed.  If he didn't know how to build, fix, repair, or renovate something, that didn't stop him.  He would simply figure it out and tackle the project with gusto.  I have many stories (as usual) to tell about Mr. McGuyver/Tool Man McLaws here. 

I knew he was a fix-it guy when I married him because in our first apartment, he demanded a shelf in the linen closet for his tools!  Speaking of tools, I quickly caught on that one reason he enjoyed DIY projects so much was because if it required the purchase of another tool, that was OK--just part of the budget.  After 30 years, we have quite a collection of tools and gadgets, and a long list of projects we have completed.  We've done concrete work and driveways, roofs, exterior/interior drywall and painting, outdoor decks, finishing basements, sprinklers and yards, linoleum, tile work, and other things I'm sure I'm forgetting.  He would really love to build us a home from ground up someday.  Of course, he would just need to quit all his of other obligations, throw his phone/computer away,  and rob a bank to do so!  As talented as he is, he has yet to figure out how to invent time.

During the build out.  The plumbing and electrical were finished, and the walls for the shower were going in. 

The finished shower! 

 I wish I had taken a picture before we started this whole project.  The transformation is amazing.
 No more early '90's "cheapy builder grade" bathroom. 

We have finally finished our latest project--a renovation of our master bathroom.  Our home is 18 years old--just the age where things look dated and are needing repair, and remodeling is almost a necessity.  Last July 10th (I remember that date well for some reason) we began this project by removing the garden tub.  We are "shower people."  The tub was never used, so we decided to remove it and build a double walk in shower and extra closet where the old shower used to be.  Our target date for completion originally was before the holidays.  Well, needless to say, "life" happened and the project moved along slowly all through the summer and fall.  We hosted the full-time missionaries in our home for almost 2 months, and didn't feel like we could demolish our bathroom fully if there was only one other bathroom for us all to use at that time.  Brent did all the plumbing work, the electrical, the build out, etc.  This past winter his work projects at Datadot were particularly demanding, and I was getting a little impatient :) -- OK, maybe a lot!  The part I really hated was that I felt like we slept in a garage--our whole upstairs became storage for all the equipment and tools, and that's not even mentioning the dust!  Yew!   Anyway, Brent wisely decided to hire some help with the tiling of the shower, as that was something that really couldn't be done with an hour here and there.  That was so smart, as the tile guys took a whole week to finish, and he would have never had that much uninterrupted time.  Anyway, our new deadline was "sometime before Jace gets home."  Well, we made it!  The renovation was essentially done the first of June, but just a few days ago we finally got the custom shower door installed.  We are pleased. . . it looks beautiful. 

Now I'm ready for some good times and
some serious partying!!  
The family arrives next week and we are looking

forward to catching up with Jace.

 This year July 10th will be awesome!