Okay...kitchen tile.

After last week's post stating that I wasn't going to put up the tile, I discovered that the ecobond I've been using can be used on tile. I'm still going to wait on the grout, but I'm so excited how this turned out.

I've also been working on the door...sanding and filling. Need to paint it and then I'll post a pic.  Also started on the platform for the bathtub, but got lazy, so didn't finish it. More of those pics to come as well.  I need to take a little inventory of the stuff I can do without buying anything and make my to-do list for this week.

Bathroom and starboard kitchen paint

I have to confess that the things coming to the top of the to-do list aren't very logical lately -- namely painting half of the kitchen and 75% of the bathroom. But here is the progress and I'm really liking it.

All taped and ready to start bright and early in the morning.

After the first coat and I wasn't sure that I liked it very much.  I got a little nervous, but...

After the second coat, which I put on too thin, I put on a third coat and liked it a lot better.

Starboard side of the bathroom.

Port side of the bathroom.

And here with the cabinets and fridge back in place, I'm liking it a lot more.  I got out the tile that I'll be using as a backsplash on the other side and accent on this side and I'm REALLY excited about that.  I'm waiting to put up the tile because I want to do that all at once.  We'll see how long my resolve about that lasts though.  I'm doing my best, once again, to finish items for which I have all the materials. I don't have the stuff to finish the tile and I still haven't done anything about the propane plumbing.  Can't finish the other wall until the propane plumbing is finished. But I'm saving all my money for a trip to Italy that I've been planning for a year and a half.  Some unexpected Jeep repairs and a surprise new crown (for my tooth, not for my head) set me back a bit.  Anyway, really excited about my Italy trip AND quite excited about the kitchen as well.

Drawer pulls and a bathroom wall

Anybody shop for drawer pulls lately?  I found some that I like, but they were quite expensive. Then I found some that would do, but they were quite expensive. Then I found some that I would love to have, but they were more expensive (for a whole set) than the new tires I just put on my Jeep. Then I thought that maybe I would make some drawer pulls out of braided nylon string and from that came the idea of putting a bead on the end of the string.  In looking for some beads that I liked, I ran across some shell-shaped beads that would have been perfect if they had been about ten times bigger. My thoughts then turned to the gigantic sea shell collection we already have around the house. 

Here you go!

The four drawers have smaller shells.

The port side cupboards

This cabinet on the starboard side sports a couple of shells from Australia. No need to drill these babies, they already had holes. 

Next up...finishing another of the bathroom walls.  I had to feed the electrical wires out the wall, and cut the hole for the waste water before finishing the wall you see here. 

Starboard side bottom

Port side bottom...

Port side top...

Starboard side top

Port side finished

Starboard side finished!

I feel a painting day coming on!

Stairs and a bit o' trim

I've been using a ladder to get into the bungalow until now.  Although sometimes I would just step right up onto the porch.  On days where I was in and out a lot both those methods got a little tiring.  Also, I've had more people showing interest in taking a peek inside.  Some of those people just don't do ladders.  So the stairs made the top of the list this week.  

I must admit I like using the stairs much more than I anticipated. If I build another tiny house, the stairs will be at the top of the list sooner.

Bonus pic...my blueberry bushes decided to share a few berries with us (at least me). So I picked a small handful, sat on the porch of TB and ate them one at a time.  Sorry Mom. That's right, I didn't share.

The other thing that got finished this week is a bit of trim. Here is the gable end in the sleeping loft. The picture isn't very good...sorry. In the pic it looks like there is a big gap between the trim and the wall or ceiling, but there really isn't. 

Perspective picture of the century...I'm standing on the floor under the ceiling fan (blades at the top of the pic), taking the picture toward the sleeping loft. Don't know if anyone but me can see it, but there is new trim down the peak of the ceiling...looks finished in real life. :)  

The trim on the porch side loft. Same issue with gaps in the picture that aren't really there. Shadows do funny things. 

Not feeling like I got very much accomplished this week and my biggest excuse is that it is too hot outside. Such a lame excuse because really it is only too hot for a few hours a day. The rest of the time I'm just being a wimp.  So, feeling like I need to step it up this week. Oh, and my cousin, Tami and her husband Tim are coming to visit this week and I'm SO excited to see them! Maybe I'll start posting a rogue's gallery of people who pass through the Bungalow...probably should have started that before.

Cooktop and sink, port side

Here we are again for the Sunday update.  Still working on the kitchen area.  Not feeling like I've accomplished very much this week, but definitely crossing things off the list, so I need to re-think my accomplishment statement.  My neighbor gave me a reference for a propane plumber...still need to call him. Step in the right direction.

This is where I started, cutting the countertop to the length I wanted made me a little nervous.  Measure a million times, cut once was the theme this week.  

Figuring out just how far from the edge I needed to put the cooktop and sink.  Again measure a million times...

Drilled holes in all the corners of the rectangle where the cooktop was going to go, and started with a dull blade in the jigsaw.  After one short side decided to change the blade and that made cutting so much easier.  

Sealed the inside of the cut edges. You'll notice that the cooktop rectangle has been sealed and the sink circle has not been sealed yet.   

Sink and faucet holes sealed, cooktop in place.

Cooktop and sink in place. The sink came with a foam strip to seal it to the countertop and prevent moisture from getting below the lip of the sink, but I decided to use plumber's putty instead. I figured it would make a better seal.  The reviews and comments I've read online said that the foam strip was sufficient, but my gut said plumbers putty.  So plumber's putty.  It worked very nicely.

And here it is with the cooktop, sink and faucet in place, as well as the countertop correctly attached to the cabinets.  Now to call the plumber about the propane.

More insulation and more wall covering

Here is where I began today.  I realize that my previous post said that my next to-do item was putting the sink and cooktop in the counter on the port side, but I changed my mind...that woman's prerogative thing again.

I decided to finish up the insulation. I wanted to redistribute the large and space-filling package of insulation instead of putting it in the loft to store it.  It worked out pretty well. All the spaces that needed insulation are now full of insulation. I had just one batt left over. I realize that I'll have to take the insulation out when I finally get around to having someone do the propane plumbing. This insulation is very easy to work with so that won't be a problem, besides the fact that I'll only need to take out a few batts. See why at the bottom of this post...new topic.  So here is the port wall with completed insulation! No more built in storage shelves for little things like miscellaneous screws, safety glasses, pencils, or levels.  Oh well, I'd rather have the wall finished anyway.  With the insulation finished, I moved on to...

Wall coverings! Now the porch end wall is completely finished.  Then I moved on to the...

...starboard side wall that needed one row at the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling.  Still debating how I want to trim that particular junction.  I've thought about using flat trim, rope, caulk and paint...no final determination though.

Also filled in the spaces between the rafters in the kitchen...

...and under the storage loft.

About the whole propane conversation...I know that my cooktop and water heater use propane.  They are close together, so I'll have those plumbed together.  The uncertainty lies with the heater.  The heater I ordered two months ago has been on backorder and seems it will be on backorder until the end of June. That part is not a problem, but it did get me thinking about whether or not that particular heater is the right choice. It is built to heat WAY more than my space requires (most heaters are).  Other reasons include the fact that I don't know where I will be parking my house. If I go back to Alaska, I'll need that kind of heat in the winter. If I park in San Diego (or New Smyrna Beach, FL), the radiant floor will be sufficient.  Final decision for today...cancel the order and decide on heat at a later time.  There are so many options, and plumbing the heater separately is something I've contemplated for a long time.  

This weekend was also front-yard-makeover weekend.  This is the small house I live in...not tiny. It is about 1100 square feet and has a gigantic mass of poppies that beautify the front garden in the spring.  Unfortunately, after the poppies are spent, the flower stems and foliage turn brown and look like a gigantic mass of tall weeds!  So, I pull them all out and rebuild the garden to look like this.  I was so excited that my Calla Lilly survived.  It was so hidden in the poppies that I didn't even know it was there!  I've put in more perennials this year, so maybe next time I'll only need to pull out the poppies and refresh the mulch.  Although I will admit that I love the little masses of color that impatiens add.  Still pondering the glories of what to put under the big window, and the gal at the nursery yesterday hinted that there is a variety of strawberry that grows well in the shade.  That spot gets NO sun, so it might turn into a strawberry patch. :)  

For comparison...this year's poppy crop.

Port side cabinets

I've gotten a couple of things finished since my last post.  First, I put the laminate flooring on the storage loft floor.  Second...

Put together the cabinets for the port side where the sink and cooktop will go. 

Drilled a couple of holes for the water and cut a hole for the outlet that is in the same cabinet.  

And there's the counter on top...well, still in the box but it is in the place where it belongs anyway.  Tomorrow I'll cut the holes for the sink, faucet, and cooktop and get those put in.  The to-do list is getting shorter!