Wednesday

 

As each day goes by, the flooding devastation in homes along the water and even east of Alt. 19 becomes more apparent. Piles and piles of debris line the streets. On a walk Sunday, we passed the house of one of our cashiers at Publix. Her house is near cedar creek on the east side of the Pinellas Trail, about 6 or 7 houses away from Hammock Park. We talked to her briefly as she and her husband dragged all of the contents of their house to the street. She said her house had never flooded.

Houses adjacent to Hammock Park on Michigan Ave., several blocks east of the trail, also got flooded. A pile, about 6 feet high, lined the street without a break.

We keep seeing more and more piles of household belongings further and further from the waterfront. The piles keep getting bigger and bigger.

The city set up a free laundry at the community center and opened Highlander pool for showering for those who have lost their homes. And today, they set up several food trucks in the Stirling Park parking lot offering free food to people who've been flooded.

Meanwhile, our small problem got solved when the Samsung technician came and replaced our dishwasher door opener, free of charge as it's still under warranty. The door now opens as designed. At first, we didn't like this feature, but after having had it, we found it quite useful because it lets you know if the dishes are clean or dirty. Besides, it helps to dry the dishes faster by releasing the steam.

Today was a busy day for the project. We had plumbers, construction people, tiler, and a designer. Lots of decisions needed to be made while the plumber was doing his work because those decisions will impact everyone else. So we had a meeting and worked through the issues. The construction folks removed the toilet. We are unsure whether to keep it for the back bathroom renovation or toss it and start over. I think we'll keep it until our new toilet is installed and see if we like it enough to buy another one for the back bathroom. They're both chair height, but the new one is a one piece model with a full skirt.

Some of the dirt got tidied up in buckets.

The shelf got removed. I'm hoping we can keep this outlet and move it to the wall over the vanity. We only have one outlet and we have lots of electrical appliances.

This towel bar is on its way out. I always thought it was too high and hard to use.

The plumber put in new water lines and moved the shower drain.

New shower drain. We were going to put the drain on the front wall, but the tile guy said it needed to go on the side wall if we want to run the tile straight into the shower without a curb. So I had to return the old 36" inch linear drain for a 48" linear drain. Ferguson's took it back even though it was 90 days outside their return window. So happy about that. It was worth being on hold for almost an hour. The new drain arrives Saturday.

The tub filler valve got put in place and hooked up to the water lines. It will be encased in concrete, and the fixture will mount over it for a snug fit. I like the placement. It's the first thing you will see when you enter the master suite. It's a real beauty.

The contractors put blocker boards in place for the floating vanity. 

They added a bit more blocker boarding for the glass shower wall to anchor to. The glass wall will be 82 inches tall.

New piping to the Grohe smart box.

This stub will be where the hand wand comes out. There will be a small anchor for the wand to sit it and a long hose to this stub. The designer said to put it on the left of the center control valve. I would have thought on the right, but she said it will look nicer on the left, near the corner and away from the glass wall. 

This is the Grohe smart box where all the valves are. They will be hidden in the wall. The water volume and temperature can remain set, so all you have to do is push a button for the shower, another button for the hand shower wand or both buttons at the same time if you want both.

Smart box, hand shower stub, shower head extension.

New piping under the floor connecting to the copper lines that are concealed in the concrete block walls.

This is a picture from the web showing what our 48 inch linear drain will look like.

We need a solution for a shelf for hair care products and soap. Originally, we were going to have a niche, but the concrete block made that a problem. 

One option, but I don't think the designer will like it because it might be hard to clean. It's also not very attractive.

I liked this one, but the designer said it would be hard to keep clean. She preferred the wire baskets so water could drain through and you could rinse off gunk with the hand shower.

Maybe a corner stool? That would obviate the need for a grab bar.

Here's a stool that's small.

I just found these. They are simple, cool, and easy to clean.

They come in different sizes, in polished chrome or brushed nickel.

Another possibility, but it's ugly.

What's your favorite?

The plumber returns tomorrow. And the electricians make their first appearance for this project tomorrow.

Despite all the chaos of the day, we were both able to exercise today. John jogged after his periodontal appointment and I rode my bike and exercised at the Weaver Park gym in the afternoon. We staggered our time out of the house to keep Toby from freaking out from the noise and constant traffic in and out of the house.