Bathroom: before & after

Thanks to Paul-the-builder's final push on Saturday, the bathroom is now (mostly) complete. But, as we need a bit of a break and the rest of the work we're doing ourselves, I think it's best to show it off now.

When we bought the house:

From Briar Crescent

Now:

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

And let us not forget the floor - before:

From Briar Crescent

And now, L.'s beloved slate (which I suspect was also Paul's most hated slate)

From October November 2010

Needless to say, we are very pleased. Now, we just have to decide on a colour for the walls....

Enter: the sink

With a new bathtub and a glorious new toilet (eco flush! very exciting, as you can imagine and a popular topic for dinner conversation recently), the only thing our little bathroom needed (besides tiles and floor) was a sink.

From October November 2010

As you can see, the space between bathtub and toilet is rather smaller than average....in fact, it turned out to be rather smaller than the usual 'compact' sink and cupboard. So, we had to get inventive. Once again, our beloved Recycling Centre came to the rescue with a darling little cupboard (for only £5). Here, the kittens are modeling its usefulness as a fortress.

From October November 2010

However, it needed a wee bit of height. So, we attached some lovely little legs....which started life as the ends to curtain poles.

From October November 2010

We fashioned a top out of a few left over boards and Paul-the-contractor plumbed and installed it.

From October November 2010

Feet in action.

From October November 2010

And we shortened the drawer so it would still be usable.

From October November 2010

And here, complete with the narrowest sink we could find, is the completed project.

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

Things get smoother

It is amazing what a thin layer of plaster can do. Compare, if you please, the difference now:

From October November 2010

So smooth and beautiful compare to the ugly bumpy paint from before:

From October November 2010

And, here in one picture, is the before (left) and after (right) of the plastering efforts.

From October November 2010

And finally, a taster of the tile loveliness to come:

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

Putting the 'bath' in 'bathroom'

A mere two days ago, the bathroom hosted a shower, red carpet, vinyl panels on tile, a very tired toilet and numerous affronts to good taste. And worst of all, it was bath-less.
Before:

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

Well, it's lacking in pretty much everything now.
Current state:

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

However, as of 15 minutes ago, it now hosts a working bath.

From October November 2010

Things are definitely looking up (not to mention soon to smell better....)

From October November 2010

Kittens causing trouble

The kittens have developed a great love of both windows and houseplants. Windows plus houseplants, needless to say, provides hours of fun and amusement.

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

However, it has also lead to an endless source of mess.

From October November 2010

So, in an effort to reduce the dirt tracking (and, even worse, digging!), I lined the pots with weed barrier.

From October November 2010

And finally found a use for the box of sea glass and shells that had been collecting dust.

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

Meanwhile, the kittens plot their revenge from the lean-to's table

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

Kittens, sleeping

After a day of excitement yesterday, the kittens spent a large portion of today sleeping. Esme, the brains of the operations it seems, discover the ideal kitty sleeping place--the fold of extra curtains that was conveniently positioned just over the raditor.

From October November 2010

Lilith soon caught on:

From October November 2010

Cuteness ensued:

From October November 2010

From October November 2010

Then Lilith did the age old trick of 'don't you think it's time to get up?'

From October November 2010

So, Esme got up...

From October November 2010

At Lilith got the prime sleeping spot to herself.

From October November 2010