The Never-Ending Project, Take 2

I am still no handyman.

Last April, for the Easter weekend, Lori gave me a project that I thought was well beyond my skills. We acquired a used vanity from a friend who was having professionals renovate her ensuite bathroom. Because our vanity was becoming tired, and because Lori had never liked that our vanity only had doors, no drawers, she accepted the used piece from our friend.

And I was to install it.

The old vanity

I had no experience with plumbing, but I thought, I only have to hook up two water pipes and a drain: how hard can that be?

There were no shutoff valves in our bathroom, so I had to turn off the water and cap our pipes. Then, I had to install shutoff valves. Then, I had to redo the entire drain system.

In truth, that wasn't the hard part.

But Lori also wanted to replace our lighting fixture and mirror. Then, she wanted to get rid of our towel bar. Then, she wanted to replace the blinds. Then, she wanted to repaint the room.

The renovation began just before we delved in deep with our daughters' dance competitions, and other commitments that come with being a parent. And with life's other demands.

And vacation.

Last week, in a bid to make room in our garage to finally get rid of our old vanity, I listed it on Kijiji, asking for $50 but seriously willing to accept whatever to get it out of our home. Two days later, not only did I sell it for my asking price, the guy who bought it offered another $20 to deliver it.

But our bathroom still wasn't finished.

All spring and summer, Lori and I have shared with the kids and their bathroom. Let me tell you: it's been hellish. My girls, who I love dearly, are slobs in the bathroom. They clutter the counter space. They leave things on the floor and in the tub. They overfill the garbage container and let the rubbish spill onto the floor. They never refill the toilet-paper dispenser: if they do manage to take out a fresh roll of toilet paper, they leave it on the counter, just above the dispenser, or worse, on the floor.

But no more.

This weekend, I finally installed the light fixture, even adding a dimmer switch. I hung the new mirror. I added a new towel rack. I attached a new toilet-paper dispenser.

Lori and I cleaned up excess tools and used packaging, and returned our personal toiletries to our new counter. Tomorrow, I'll have my first shower in my own bathroom in five months.

I'm still no handyman

But the project isn't quite complete. I still have to apply caulk around the back of the counter. I have a few floorboards that must be painted and put back into place. Lori has decided that she wants the main wall over our tub to be painted with an accent colour, perhaps plum, and to replace our towels and bath mat with a matching colour. Over the accent wall, we'll hang a large picture, one of the photos that I've shot over the years (we haven't decided which one).

This project isn't finished, but we're in the home stretch. The important thing is that we can use our bathroom again. The other stuff can happen when it happens.

But one thing is certain: when we decide to renovate the kitchen, we're hiring professionals.