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It All Started when...
| Posted on November 12, 2019 at 4:01 PM |
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       We're really glad to have been part of this small project. The homeowner is a great person. She wanted to update her master shower and tub tile and we did just that. We strip everything down to the studs and build new. Here you see the rubber membrane, then the mortar on the bottom right and the shower tile on the bottom left. It's a cumbersome process getting rid of the old tile because afterwards there's prep work needed for the new tile. But it sure looks awesome when it's done. Here's a view of the 2x4 studs where Fernando is getting ready for to install the membrane. The pic is the James Hardie BackerBoard sealed with shower mesh tape and liquid cement to prevent water from leaking out. A nice little before and after. Very nice looking tile and excellent tile work. Pics don't do this project justice. (below) Done. |
Tile 'em up Baby!
| Posted on January 18, 2017 at 4:13 PM |
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      BUFORD: Every now and then we get called in to finish a job up and this was the case here. The client wanted us to wrap up the tile but the drain wasn't centered as it should've been. Not moving it would've likely created water draining issues. BAM! Centered Yup, we had to cut the concrete to make it happen because this was the basement. BAM!! Done We also had to remove the existing HardieBacker Board in order to build the shower base & in order to NipTuck the rubber membrane behind the walls. BAM!!! Finito |
Water Damaged Condo - Yikes!
| Posted on April 16, 2015 at 5:54 PM |
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             We were very fortunate to have been selected to come in and bring our clients condo back to where it was before the water lines busted back in February (insurance claim). What did we do? Removed two layers of wallpaper, repaired the drywall, and painted (we're very very good at drywall). What else? (scroll down) We installed new R24 insulation on this exterior wall and installed new drywall. What else? (scroll down some more) A new kitchen! (sort of). Actually we insulated the pipes to help prevent future issues and added 24 insulation as well. We also installed two (2) 5/8 sections drywall around the perimeter. Why? Code requires this due the walls being adjacent to the neighbor. Helps fire spreading. We fixed some plumbing issues and installed her base cabinets, countertop, and sink. What else? (keep scrolling) New kitchen floor tile!! We installed a decorative - 12" and 18" What else? Keep scrolling... New laminate flooring!!! |
Porcelanosa a Step Down?
| Posted on December 30, 2014 at 4:28 PM |
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       We knew we had a big task ahead of us in remodeling the master bath, & things got a little deeper a third into it. A wall separated the vanity area and shower/toilet area & only half of the master bath had a vault ceiling. We were asked to eliminate the wall & to give the vault ceiling a twin. We made the ceiling adjustments when the client called with what really was a good idea (just a lot more work). They bought just about the entire bathroom from Porcelanosa - 13x33" tile (three different types - two whites for the walls, one black for the floor) and 4x12"for the shower area + the shower tile. LEFT: The idea came from the folks at Porcelanosa. They recommended a step-down into the shower versus the traditional step-up. Guess what? We had to raise the subfloors in order to step-down into the shower. RIGHT Here you see the big heavy tile being placed on James Hardie 1/2" backer board (a fiber cement product similar to HardiePlank siding). Installing tile directly onto drywall is kind of a big no-no, especially with large tile. LEFT: The small glass tile installation really challenged the guys as glass is more difficult to work with than traditional tile. Why? It's harder to cut, in fact three hours were spent just on the nook. RIGHT: As you look at the shower area floor you can see where the user will actually step-down on the upscale Porcelenosa product. LEFT: Great pic that illustrates the four (4) different types of tile used. The clear white is smooth & installed horizontally. The other white is patterned installed vertically with a chrome separator edge. The floor, like the horizontal white is a brick pattern as is the shower tile. The rest below is beautiful history.     |
Bathroom(s) Remodel
| Posted on June 27, 2014 at 2:41 PM |
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           Love to be involved in bathroom redo's. On this particular situation we were not the original contractor; we got involved after he left. We jumped in essentially into a gutted bathroom and finished installing the tub, insulation, backer board, wall tile, some floor tile, toilet, and 4" vanity. We also finished the wood floor on the foyer bath, along with its vanity and toilet. Replaced some acoustic tiles in the basement and honestly a few other things like ceilings fans etc... Please call us if you need any help. What exactly is that we do? We provide a little help for a little while for a lot of things. From home improvements & home repairs, to moving services, handyman help, exterior house painting and more.  |
Money Down the Drain...What a Waste
| Posted on May 30, 2014 at 7:05 PM |
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         Don't let the title mislead you... We were hired to do several things for the condo owner (The Punch List Part II) that included installing three (3) new toilets and replacing the tile in one bathroom. Turns out the $3.98 wax ring in toilet # 3 lived out it's life & then some (picture one) causing havoc in the kitchen downstairs (picture # 2). What a mess...we had to replace the subfloors (yes, there were two 3/4" sheets of plywood). If you start seeing leaks at the base of your toilet or spots on the ceiling drywall, consider replacing the wax ring. Handyman help movers home movers home repairs exterior house painters home improvement moving companies |
They Come in Three's
| Posted on April 29, 2014 at 12:28 PM |
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     We were fortunate to be asked to redo the half bath downstairs. We repaired some drywall above the window and on the bottom. We installed new tile floor, vanity, mirror, and toilet. In addition, we also painted the walls and ceiling and replaced the old base boards with new and added 1/4" shoe molding. Yes, we're appreciative of the opportunity. |
3 Doors Down
| Posted on April 22, 2014 at 8:55 PM |
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                        (There are a lot of pics along with the story line, please scroll to the last of this blog's pictures and click "More" to see all the pics and text).Well three doors down from our previous bathroom remodel is the location of this remodel. Bada-bing, bada-bang, here were are. :) Although the plumbing wasn't as involved as the previous one, the small space and long hallway prevented us from moving as quickly as we would've liked.. This remodel included gutting out all the old sheetrock (all the previous repairs on the sheetrock would've clashed with the new sheetrock). We removed the ceiling and walls, base boards, bathtub wall tile, tub, vanity, medicine cabinet....everything, Out with the old... In with the new Kohler deep dish (tub)... ...converting the old plumbing to match the new (e.g. mixing valve)... ...the new tub is installed (adjusted/tweaked/aligned the drain pipe to match the new) & covered the new tub because we didn't want to scratch it an d buy a new one :) - notice the new 2x4's? we had to plumb the walls to ensure our tile lines would meet at the corners. ...installed, taped, pasted, sanded the new drywall (sheetrock). Smooth walls take 2-3 days of pasting and sanding ... ...same for the tub area except that we used 'greenboard' (green mildew/mold resistant sheetrock)... ...cut a hole in brand new sheetrock! No worries, it was planned, we framed the opening prior to installing the sheetrock for a recessed medicine cabinet... ...after the greenboard we installed 1/2" backer board (a firm/rigid underlayment designed to support tile installations) and then sealed the area with a liquid water proof membrane... ...client opted for beautiful extra large tile (reminded me of an upscale resort sauna tile)... ...plus a nook for her shampoo and soap... ...almost doe with the tub tile, wrapping things up... ...next was the floor tile. Used 1/4" backer board as the underlayment... ...brought Leroy back to help install the fixtures.... ...and to lean and look at Sergio do all the work... ....the light at the end of the tunnel is shining bright, tub's done, tile looks awesome, vanity looks sharp, mirror was a breeze.... ....finally Leroy's working and we're the bystanders. Actually, Leroy's instrumental to our success.... ...why is she here? Well we're not perfect. Brought the cleaning crew to help us look good. Even though the blankets protected the carpet, the sheetrock work generated a lot of dust. You'd be surprised how far and where dust travels.... ...now that we're done I couldn't get the camera to produce one quality picture of our finished product (the glare's killing me).... ...all this bathroom lacks is the clients great touch to make it feel spa-ee, and warm.... ..,.this pic does not do this incredibly nice looking tile any justice. |
Renovation Innovation...Bathroom
| Posted on April 20, 2014 at 12:01 PM |
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                           (There are over 20 pics for this blog, click "More" at the bottom of the last pic to see all the pics and text.)We were so lucky, if not the luckiest, to been hired by one of the nicest clients ever. Our client wanted more space, a shower instead of the tub, taller vanity and toilet. The toilet/tub area was cramped, however, the vanity area used about 3' of space that could serve a better purpose. On this particular remodel we gutted everything and started from scratch all over. We 'scooted' things to the right by moving the toilet about 10". As you scroll down you'll see that we removed the vanity, wall mirror, wall, toilet, tub, wall and floor tile, as well as all the wall and ceiling sheetrock. We then went to work on converting the plumbing from tub to shower (including moving the shower drain to match the new shower) as well as cutting into the subfloor to literally move the toilet. After things were ok'd we started with installing all of the sheetrock (taping, pasting, sanding etc). Sheetrock is a process you can't rush. It typically takes three rounds of mud (paste) to have a smooth looking wall. . This means letting the paste dry 24 hours before you can sand and apply more. Once the joint compound (mud) process is complete we primed the walls for sheetrock proctection (mildew) and adhesive purposes (so the paint sticks/grabs/holds well). Right around this time we're all smiles as we're past the halfway mark with the finish work commencing. We used a satin finish paint from Sherwin Williams as a satin finish helps resist moisture. Our client opted for tile flooring with a slight decorative look. We used 1/4" backer board on top of the subfloor & thin set prior to installing the tile. The tile was spaced with 1/4" spacers for a nice look when we applied the grout (and sealed afterwards). We found nice small tile pieces that matched well with her 36.5" h cherry vanity. Next came assembling and installing the new shower. After the prep work we used a safe adhesive to glue the panels as recommended by the manufacturer. We then started with the framing, panels and polished trim until the shower was erect and secure. The porcelain piece was next along with the light fixtures and other accessories. Conclusion? To us the real magic occurred when our client put her touches and made the bathroom feel warm all over again. |