Bathroom DIY Fun

Alright, So I never have a chance to post on Jenn's blog, and since she's busy with a scrapbooking party at Aunty Grace's house I decided to stop playing video games and try posting something on our blog. I guess it does say Jenn and ZUI Kim Ohana.

First of all before I start this bathroom fun tale, I just wanted to say how much I LOVE JENN and am so amazed at the mother and wife she is. I am especially amazed at how patient she is with my idea of fun projects...

So the story goes, our bath tub had 4 cracks in the bottom which was pretty severe (I actually got acrylic chips lodged in my foot from the cracks before). So after a year of scrubbing mildew off the cracks Jenn wanted the bathroom fixed ASAP. We got contractors to come quote out how much it would be to remove the bathtub and surround and install a new one. Most were over $1000 just for the labor. Well I decided it was too much for my parents (the landlords) to pay, and thinking like a financial planner, I told them that I'd do it for $500. Although I have worked in plumbing, maintenance and apt renovations, I've never undertaken any DIY (Do-It-Yourself) project on this scale.

So after checking out forums, blogs, and other websites and finding out how to actually do it, I committed to doing it myself.

9/12 Friday Day 1

After taking out fixtures I really had no idea what to do next. So I decided to go old fasion and crowbar/hammer down sides without breaking plumbing & have fun demolishing old bathtub.

4 hours later shower at Daro's house go on a date with Jenn.

9/13 Saturday Day 2

Get truck from Dad's house, remove tub/surround to Waipahu dump, go to Lowes with dad purchase new tub and surround.

Two hours after bringing home the tub we finally got it in. Had to do the drain & overflow plumbing through small crack while dad was trying to hold up the tub. Probably the hardest part of the whole operation. Fits perfectly in framing =) Next, drill holes in surround to allow access to plumbing. Mount surround and tub to framing, caulk and let dry.

9/14 Sunday Day 3

Church. Shower at neighbors house

9/15 Monday Day 4

Office meetings, Jenn teach piano, find out that the plumbing doesn't match the surround and will have to return the surround.

*Jenn contacts a contractor to see how much it will be to finish my project.

9 /16 Tuesday Day 5

Remove caulking, borrow truck from dad go to Lowes and return surround, pick up different one return home. Measure & drill holes in new surround again. Caulk again. Wait for caulk to dry.

Run to Home depot to pick up 1/4" dry wall, mud, and other spackling tools. Add shims to the 2x4s so the flange and shims are level. Measure & cut drywall. Nail drywall to shims/2x4s and flanges.

Business appointments in afternoon and night.

*Jenn tired of bathing kids and showering at Kevin & Ven's house.

9/17 Wednesday Day 6

Add first layer of mud onto drywall. Wait 24 hours to dry.

Head to Kailua for work.

*Pictures of me worki ng slows down as Jenn finds project not-so-entertaining. Jenn showers at Jo & Kanoa's house.

9/18 Thursday Day 7

Mud mostyly dried, decided to go ahead and apply second coat of mud. Bring fans in to speed up drying process.

Head to City Mill to get paint matched with existing color through their computer matching system. Buy high-moisture primer and other painting/texture supplies

Sand the mud to smooth it out. Clean lightly with damp rag.

Tape tub and fixtures, primer the walls. Remove tape. Let dry.

9/19 Friday day 8

*No pictures by this time. Jenn is completely sick of project.

Tape tub, apply 2nd coat of Primer. Remove tape. Dry.

Tape, add texture. One bottle of texture insufficient, run to Lowes for second bottle, finish texture. Dry.

9/20 Saturday day 9

Paint final semi gloss matched color.

Finish putting bath fixtures on & PAU HANA.

Have to wait another 24 hours to dry before showering--Jenn's thrilled...

So maybe the process wasn't exactly all fun, but it sure was nice getting my hands dirty and working hard. Although I would definitely do it again, Jenn say's you can't pay her enough to have had a contractor do in half the time =) One of the joys of the DIY lifestyle I guess.

Notes to self:

1. Don't attempt full bathroom project if there's only 1 bathtub in house, and 4 people share the only tub.
2. Buy fast drying mud.
3. Don't start before Sunday
4. Remove tape quickly after caulk/paint or it'll peel off on parts you want it to stay on.
5. Check fixtures colors before buying.
6. Tell Jenn how much you love her every night that project is still in progress.
7. Thank Jenn for her patience =)

Morning Beach Fun

We went to Alligator Rock with our friends Jill & Tomas. We hadn't seen them for almost a year, so it was great catching up with them.

The kids were pretty tired, but we still had a good time :)
Me and Jill were in Beginning Basketball together at BYU-H...oh, those were the days!
The classic pic, with no kids looking. Oh well..Even better!

Here Comes Trouble

This is how we found Anjuli, after her being especially quiet for a few minutes...

Anjuli loves puzzles, and I think this one is her favorite!
Zui, pretending to look distraught at this happening for the third time. He should know by now to close the lid to his laptop...
A few weeks ago Anjuli came up to us with an empty salad dressing container and says, "Wow!!" Although she was so proud of herself for getting the lid off, we were pretty scared to know where the contents of the bottle ended up--on our couch cushion!

Yesterday I said to Anjuli, "We need to work on getting you potty-trained" to which she said "Choo choo!"

Anjuli's Owee is a permanent one: Several months back Anjuli skinned her knee and got a big "owee." Now when she gets hurt if you ask her where the owee is she will point, not to where it hurts, but to the knee where she got her very first "owee." Anjuli makes me laugh and smile everyday. It's one of the joys of being a mother. I really adore my little girl :)

Happy 6 Months, Zy Zy!

Zion turned 6 months today! Wow, I can't believe he is that old already. At his checkup he weighed in at 18 lbs, 2 0z, and his height is 26 1/2 in. We celebrated his bday with rice cereal--yum! Zion loves eating, so of course rice cereal was a winner. In fact, it seemed he just couldn't get enough, or get it fast enough :) I had to keep Anjuli busy with some chocolate pudding because of course she wanted to eat what Zy Zy was eating...

Dancing Queen at 21

21 months that is...Anjuli has become our little Dancing Queen recently. As soon as she hears any kind of music she'll break out her new moves which usually involves some combination of twirls, head bobbing, and bouncing. It's really hard to catch on camera though...

Give me the camera NOW!

For our Pulama I Na Keiki group I needed to write down how many words Anjuli says. I was amazed at how many she can say now! She's at 50 words, and adding a few more each day. Here's a few of our favorites: ah pop (otter pop), meee (please), Dee-Do (thank you), Bea(ch), Chuch (church), wee-wee (movie), bow bow (all pau: all done in Hawaiian), ish-ish (dishes), ishy (fishy), elp! (help), dis (this), ri-dare (right there). People: Yie Yie--*think nigh nigh(Zy Zy), Ramma, Rampa (Grandma/pa Kim), Tutu, Papa (Grandma/pa Jones), Ta (Tosh).

This morning she heard some noises coming from Zy Zy's okole and she says, "Mommy, Baby Toot Toot!" What a smart little cookie I have :)

Labor Day FunFest

On Labor Day our church sponsored a big "Fun Fest"--basically a huge carnival for free. Anjuli had a great time on all the rides.

She wanted to go on the merry-go-round over and over again. In the 2nd pic she's with her cousin Ethan.

The kiddie train was another favorite

.

Jumping in the blow-up toys

The favorite thing to do at the funfest: play with the cones! (go figure :)

Labor Day Weekend: Ko'olina

Saturday afternoon we went to Ko'olina with our friends the Araki's and the Fife's. The weather was just perfect, and we got to watch a beautiful sunset. The lighting in this pic makes me look flourescent...but it's actually not too far off from my true color :) Anjuli had a great time playing with Daniel, Tommy, and Matthew.
Anjuli got her own mini swimming pool!
Water fight ;)
I'm still amazed that we live in such a beautiful place.