Behind the Scenes
While the progress on the house is steady, the visual changes are slow in coming. But I'm keeping busy with the part I love second best to the planning--sourcing. My first project has been plumbing fixtures--it's been exhaustive and exhausting.
It's been fun to look for pretty faucets, all the configurations of sinks were interesting to discover, and then there's showers fixtures, toilet paper holders and even coordinated toilet tank levers (if desired). Then there's the basics--tubs and toilets, garbage disposals and hot water dispensers. And who knew you needed to buy the mechanics behind the wall for showers.
My most unique faucet is for the powder room. It's wall-mounted and mixes hot and cold water. If you compare chrome to polished nickel, there's a big difference in color--polished nickel is much warmer, more like silver. Consequently, I chose all polished nickel, except for brushed nickel or stainless steel at the working sinks, and the bar, which will be brass. One thing I learned in this search process, is that some finishes are 'living' and others are 'forever.' And polished nickel is a 'living' finish that will change with time and use, if not kept highly polished. I love a little patina on silver, but we'll see how I like 'living' with polished nickel!
It's been fun to look for pretty faucets, all the configurations of sinks were interesting to discover, and then there's showers fixtures, toilet paper holders and even coordinated toilet tank levers (if desired). Then there's the basics--tubs and toilets, garbage disposals and hot water dispensers. And who knew you needed to buy the mechanics behind the wall for showers.
My most unique faucet is for the powder room. It's wall-mounted and mixes hot and cold water. If you compare chrome to polished nickel, there's a big difference in color--polished nickel is much warmer, more like silver. Consequently, I chose all polished nickel, except for brushed nickel or stainless steel at the working sinks, and the bar, which will be brass. One thing I learned in this search process, is that some finishes are 'living' and others are 'forever.' And polished nickel is a 'living' finish that will change with time and use, if not kept highly polished. I love a little patina on silver, but we'll see how I like 'living' with polished nickel!
Another of my favorite fixtures is the tub faucet in the master bath. It's looks old fashioned; and I always wondered how you're supposed to get the bubble bath rinsed off, without a sprayer.
I have an outside powder room that I'm going to have some fun with. I'm ordering a recycled teak and concrete console and adding a river rock vessel sink.
With my belief that most adults prefer showers to baths, and my daydreams of grandchildren, I decided my guest room bathtub shouldn't be deep like a soaking tub. With a platform around it, reaching 22" into a tub to steady or suds children, is a stretch. So this tub will be 17" deep, more like standard tubs some of us grew up with.
There were many more decisions for the plumbing than I anticipated. I chose the ease of one-hole (one lever combining hot and cold) faucets for the working sinks, but most bathroom sinks seem to be three-hole, two handles. I mostly chose under-mount sinks, for smooth wiping of counters. I picked toilet paper holders that are open-ended bars--no spring inside a tube--for easy roll changing. And I even found sleek one-piece toilets.
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