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Home improvement

We have had our new windows for a couple of months, and I am happy to report that we are very satisfied. I really think it has cut down on the outside noise and has kept the house cooler (and warmer, for those few cold days we had in May and/or June). I hope we are still happy years down the road. But I also hope that we are no longer in this house in another seven years!

Which brings me to our next house project: the bathtub. I am assuming it is the original (our house is about 60 years old) or at least very old. The porcelain finish is long gone, though in all fairness, I have to bear some or most of the responsibility for this since I clean the tub with harsh/abrasive cleaners every two to three weeks because it gets so stained (strangely, on the off weeks, I use Simple Green). Our tile is also a mess. Brian replaced some of it a few years ago, but that did not work out so well. Apparently, there are several shades of white, and he ended up buying tile in a different shade without noticing it until he was putting it up. Rather than stop, he just went with it (!). We are used to it, but I am sure the people who look at our house wonder if a seeing-impaired person put in the tile. On top of that, we have mold issues thanks to crappy grouting. Not sure if the product, the applier of the product, or that we did not let the grout dry for several days is too blame. Maybe a combination.

We would love to gut the whole stinkin' room, but that is not going to happen. So we are contemplating two things: Refinishing/reglazing the tub or putting a tub liner/surround over the exiting tub and tile. In either case, we would hire a professional. Brian is pretty handy around the house, but he realizes he needs to step back on this one.

If any of you have experience or opinions in this area, I would love to hear what you have to say. Our reality is that we must do something before we put our house back on the market. That can happen anywhere from a year down the road to seven. Based on the state of the world, I am thinking we are at least three or four years out. Brian thinks seven. Or never. :-)

Rub a dub, dub!

Comments

Facie said…
If you have any comments, please speak now, since we just signed a contract with Bath Fitter. We have until 7.6.10 to cancel.

I was impressed with what the guy had to say; I felt at ease with the lifetime, transferable warranty; and the what-is-quoted-is-what-you-pay price, no matter what, was important to me.

Wish me luck and a new job soon (though, for the record, we should have just enough in checking to pay for this).
chris h. said…
I was just about to comment when I saw your comment. We looked into the refacing too, but Mike couldn't stomach the price (he thought it would be just as expensive to rip out and start over). I was up for it for the no-mess aspect, but we ended up not doing anything. We redid everything in the bathroom except the tub and tile surround. Mike's coworker, though, had one of those companies change his tub into a shower and was very happy with it. I'm sure it'll be beautiful!
Mel said…
my mom-in-law used Bath Fitter, I'm pretty certain, and hers looks great. covered the whole old thing. very nice, neat, and the people who did the work were quick and tidy.

best wishes--and let us know how it goes--we're in sort of the same boat here...

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