Major AC Repairs

Since we fired the original AC company, we had to find another that would do the repairs to our HVAC system to make it usable.  We finally found another company that agreed to repair and redo our HVAC duct work. 

Before the work started, we called to the city to get the status of our HVAC permit.  The original AC company told us that everything was completed and that they passed the city's inspection.  However, when we called, we found out that the original AC company lied to us and there was no city inspection performed on our AC system. 

So the new AC company agreed to perform the repair work and then do the city inspection with on our HVAC system.  They changed the sizes of some of the ducts to increase air flow; they added a vent to the upstairs hallway which had no vent before.  They replaced all of the torn ducts and made sure that the ducts were not crushed, so that we would get more air flow.  They also checked the charge of our AC units and found they were improperly charged; they corrected that as well as too many other things to list.  It took the new AC company almost a week to complete all of these repairs.

All new ducts getting installed under the house.

New ducts installed in the attic.

 
After all the work was completed, our system passed the leak test and passed the city inspection.  Finally, our new HVAC system is up to code.  We can finally use our air conditioning now that the summer is over and the weather is cooling off. 

Grout in the Shower

Once the tile was finished and the thin set mortar dried, it was time to do the grout.  The tiles adhered very well to the wall, so that was a relief.  We opted to use non-sanded grout with a special additive which made the grout stain resistant and not need sealing. The additive was added to the grout instead of water.  The guy at the tile store recommended the tile additive to us, and it seemed like a good idea for use that for a shower where stains and mildew would be an issue.  We had all kinds of shower grout problems in the past where the grout cracked and got water behind it, so we wanted as much of a maintenance free shower as possible.

We grouted the entire shower, and it looked really nice.  We now need to wait until the grout dries completely to see how it came out and to do the caulk at the corner and bottom.

Tile before the grout.

Grout all done.

Shower bottom all grouted.

Laying the Shower Tile in the Jack-n-Jill Bath

The shower walls were not plumb, so laying the tile was going to be more difficult.  We wanted to make sure that we lay the tile in such a way that it disguises the fact that the walls are not plumb.  We measured the walls and planned out our tile to make sure that we ended up with whole or almost whole tiles in the corner.

We decided to use whole tiles at the bottom of the shower base because the shower base was almost level.  The slightly uneven gap between the tile and the shower base would be filled in with caulk at the end.

Since this was a small shower and we didn't have a good place for recessed shelves for the soap and shampoo, we decided to install corner shelves.  Recessed shelves were not possible, since one wall contained the plumbing and the other wall contained the pocket door.  It seemed very challenging to install the corner porcelain corner shelves because they were so heavy; it seemed hard to believe that the mortar alone could hold them up.  But it did, and when it dried they were very stable.

Tub Refinishing

There was an antique Kohler tub in the house in the upstairs bathroom.  It was in poor condition, scratched, peeling paint coming off it, and rusty in places, but we really liked how it looked and that it was an antique.  So we decided to keep it in the same bathroom and just have it refinished.

Back of tub.

Tub before it was refinished.

Rusty drain before refinishing.

Refinished tub.

Refinished tub edge.